I have recently come to the conclusion that I do not own enough 9mm handguns. In fact, I only own one. It's a good one -- a Beretta 92FS -- but it's only one. I blame my "lack of 9mm" revelation on Ruger and their announcement of the LC9. VERY drool-worthy.
There are a couple of classics I'd like to add. I've always loved the lines on the CZ 75, especially one in stainless. Then there's the FN/Browning Hi-Power. This is the handgun, not the 1911, that John M. Browning felt was his masterpiece. Most of the rest of the world agreed with him. Here, many are biased against cartridges named after metrics. More on that later. I was recently tempted by a good deal on a Walther P1. I love the milsurp stuff. Mostly because you can get high quality hardware at a great price. Speaking of milsurp 9mm, who wouldn't want to own a Luger, if you could afford one.
One the newer 9 mils that is tops on my list is the FN FNP-9. I've wanted one for quite awhile now. I'm a HUGE FN-Herstal fan. Also, in keeping with my recent convert to a Ruger fan, I’d also like to get my hands on an SR9. I saw a pretty sweet one up at Cabelas with an O.D. Green lower receiver. Also sweet is the price: under $500. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Ruger.
Back to the metrics. I’m wondering if the 9mm had been named .356 Luger, I wonder if it would have faired better in America. That has a ring to it. But why is that? I think it has to do with in the 80s when the government was trying to incorporate the metric system into the US. I remember, we were supposed to be a dual system for awhile, and the standard system would eventually go away and we would just use metrics. Except we never got that far. I guess a lot of people felt it was the Europeans trying to impose their way on us, and we had already told the them a couple of centuries ago that they’re not going to push us around. It’s weird to, because in the military we use a lot of metrics. Meters, clicks (1000 m/ 1 km), kilometers, etc. I can see the benefits to both systems.
One last thing, is it just the military, or do civilians call it the “9 mil” instead of “9mm.”? I don’t think I’ve ever heard a civilian call it that.
Semper Fi
