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XD Gunner · October 20, 2009, 09:13 PM

Pretty sure that back then, handgun bullets, and the guns that were designed to shoot them, were designed with the idea that they would be "last chance weapons", that is, they would be the last line of defense when the enemy got close. The bullets were designed more for reliable feeding and capacity than anything. Even the mighty 1911 was designed as a "last chance" weapon, although the order of the day demanded nothing smaller than a .45 noting the effectiveness of the .45 Colt against the Moro Rebels.

I would bet that the three different designs were brought about by necessity of reliability, instead of "killing power" although all three will certainly do that. Of the 3, the Luger is also the only one developed to be shot from a locked breech design, the other two were developed for blowback operation.

The 9mm Luger was developed LONG before Nazi's were around, and in Stalin's Russia, it didn't matter if you had bullets or not, you still shot something.

The 9mm Ultra was a .354 diameter bullet, not a .364, it was used as a blowback design, probably for reliability and simplicity.

Also, given your 12" penetration. The 9mm Luger will cause hydrostatic shock. With more energy comes more damage. Regardless (to a certain extent) of the actual size of the bullet. Think 10MM vs .45ACP.

October 20, 2009, 09:13 PM	#9
XD Gunner Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 636	Pretty sure that back then, handgun bullets, and the guns that were designed to shoot them, were designed with the idea that they would be "last chance weapons", that is, they would be the last line of defense when the enemy got close. The bullets were designed more for reliable feeding and capacity than anything. Even the mighty 1911 was designed as a "last chance" weapon, although the order of the day demanded nothing smaller than a .45 noting the effectiveness of the .45 Colt against the Moro Rebels. I would bet that the three different designs were brought about by necessity of reliability, instead of "killing power" although all three will certainly do that. Of the 3, the Luger is also the only one developed to be shot from a locked breech design, the other two were developed for blowback operation. The 9mm Luger was developed LONG before Nazi's were around, and in Stalin's Russia, it didn't matter if you had bullets or not, you still shot something. The 9mm Ultra was a .354 diameter bullet, not a .364, it was used as a blowback design, probably for reliability and simplicity. Also, given your 12" penetration. The 9mm Luger will cause hydrostatic shock. With more energy comes more damage. Regardless (to a certain extent) of the actual size of the bullet. Think 10MM vs .45ACP. __________________ I've had 1911s and carry a mutant CCO-sized 1911-ish thing. -Jart If handguns cause crimes, mine's defective.- Eric Shelton Last edited by XD Gunner; October 20, 2009 at 09:22 PM.