Have women and small-framed shooters influenced the 9mm’s rise to the top?

By Jacki Billings

A woman takes aim at a target during a shooting event hosted during the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting in 2016. (Photo: Jacki Billings)
The 9mm’s popularity has risen to epic proportions, shoving both the .45 ACP and the .40 S&W to the sidelines in terms of sales. Overt ballistic advantages of the modern day 9mm provided the momentum the round needed to gain the top spot, but a more subtle influence has brewed under the surface — women.
Ladies have proven to be a veritable buying force within the industry. Though the most recent study conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation on female consumers is now three years old, that report concluded that women were focusing their purchases on 9mm semi-automatic handguns. At that time, just under 40 percent of polled female gun owners claimed 9mm as the most owned semi-automatic round.
With an influx of women entering the target shooting and handgun arena between the years of 2001 and 2010, it’s not unreasonable that the need for an accurate caliber with less punch would come out on top over calibers like the power packing .45 ACP.
“The truth is that the capability of the (9mm) rounds have improved since many of the leaders

Source: Guns.com