FEDS, LOCAL COPS GO BACK TO 9MM, EXPECT .40s ON MARKET

The move that started a few short years ago by federal agencies to return to the 9mm ammunition and a new pistol to fire it is now being adopted across the United States - and South Texas - and putting numerous .40-caliber personal handguns of law enforcement agencies on the local market as they seek to align themselves with the new ammunition. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation had labeled the 9mm jacketed hollow-point luger as ineffective and blamed for the deaths of two of its agents during a 1986 shootout in Miami.

Currently, the .40 S&W is a law enforcement favorite, but after recent studies on new 9mm rounds by the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility, the 9mm is slowly finding its way back into the hands of police officers across the country. Reports indicate that an early favorite is the Glock 9mm, the same weapon, but with improved ammunition, that was discarded  for the .40

In addition to the new bullet, the FBI has decided to purchase a new pistol to fire it, something that could be in the hands of the FBI’s approximately 13,000 agents by 2016, according to bureau officials. The decision could also have far-ranging implications for local law enforcement agencies because they often model their procurement decisions on those made by the FBI.

News reports indicate that over the next two years, the Secret Service will move away from .357 SIG and back to the 9 mm Luger cartridge — the preferred round of numerous law enforcement agencies across the country.

The contract for the new pistols is expected to piggyback off the US Customs and Border Patrol's large scale buy, though with an expedited timeline for delivery and completion, with the contract’s expected fulfillment in 2021.

In doing so, the service’s agents will also be getting a new standard issue weapon in the form of the Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS, the exclusive Glock 47, and the subcompact Glock 26, and the USCBP will receive the custom-made Glock 47 (or G47).

The gun is decribed as a "functional blend of a few of Glock’s other products which the company hopes will give CBP agents a distinct advantage when in the field, should they need to draw and fire their weapons."

According to Soldier Systems, all agents across the service will be issued the latest generation of the insanely popular G19, outfitted with Glock’s Modular Optical System (MOS), which allows the end user to easily outfit their pistol with a variety of 3rd party optical sights like Trijicon's RMR or SRO without having to heavily modify the slide.

"Every federal agent and most police and sheriff department officers have the .40-caliber personal weapons, too, aside from their service-issued weapon," said a former Cameron County Sheriff's Department officer. "The local agencies often follow the feds' lead on the weapons to maintain uniformity, so expect a few of the officers' personal 40-caliber handguns on the market."

News reports indicate that the bureau dumped the 9mm bullet fer the Miami incident because it failed to penetrate far enough into the gunman’s torso.

The shooter, former Army Ranger Michael Platt, then went on to kill two agents and wound a third. Though Platt was shot multiple times, an autopsy revealed that he died from the wound suffered from that first shot — one that penetrated his chest cavity but stopped just short of his heart.

In response, the FBI fielded a new pistol round, one they hoped would have better penetration: the 10mm. In the following years, the 10mm was ditched in favor of the .40 S&W, a stubbier round that could fit into pistols designed for small calibers.

Currently, the .40 S&W is a law enforcement favorite, but after recent studies on new 9mm rounds by the FBI’s Ballistic Research Facility, the 9mm is slowly finding its way back into the hands of police officers across the country.

The new 9mm round — known to gun aficionados as the 147 grain Speer Gold Dot G2 — is significantly more effective than what FBI agents carried into the field in 1986. According to Cook, the bullet has been rigorously tested and has received high marks in the FBI’s most important category for bullet selection: penetration.

The lighter the bullet, the faster the gun can “drive” the round into the target. For the FBI, that translates into 12 to 18 inches of penetration into the human body. The 9mm’s weight also increases an agent’s accuracy in a gunfight. The bureau’s ability to research and test weapons in ways that other law enforcement agencies cannot gives it great sway over many police departments.

For Jorge Rodriguez, a police officer in the Houston suburb of Baytown, Tex., his department is testing the idea of going back to the 9mm for many of the same reasons the FBI is leaving the .40 S&W.

“The 9mm has changed,” Rodriguez said. “The FBI report came out and basically affirmed that the 9mm isn’t a weak round anymore.”

The Los Angeles Police Department recently transitioned from a Glock .40 to a Smith & Wesson chambered in 9mm, while the New York Police Department issues a hollow-point 9mm round to its duty officers.