Ballistics of an Uzi Carbine

[brown8775]

Hello all,
I still understand little re the physics of guns. I've owned my full-sized Uzi Carbine (10.25" barrel) for just under a year now and I'm loving it at the range.
That said, I do look to my Uzi and my other two guns, and I ask myself what their place would be re protecting myself... what situations would I use it in? The answer comes down to close quarters mostly, though I can do well at 100 yards with it. I've not tried any further ranges than this.
Lately though, I've come to question whether my semi-auto Uzi has any real value at all in the practical sense. Hear me out.
The round is 9mm. The gun is semi-auto. I wonder, is my Uzi any more than a really cool looking, over-sized pistol? It shoots a pistol round that could not penetrate body armour. It's really heavy.
So at last I arrive at my real question. Does the longer barrel length somehow add to the power of these little 9mm rounds such that an Uzi would have more knock-down power or penetration than any old, average 9mm pistol? When it is semi-auto does it have any real advantage over a pistol that shoots the same round?
If anyone on this site has any credentials; i.e., if anyone has studied this and can provide reputable sources to back up what you reply, I'd love to hear what you have to say about this.
Thanks!
M

 

[BWE Firearms]

You do get slightly higher velocities from the longer barrel. The real advantage is being a rifle with a stock it is a lot easier to be accurate with then a pistol.

 

[ddmau]

There are many graves all over the world that have been filled by the 9mm round since 1898...don't ever underestimate it. The Uzi might be big, heavy, and a bit clunky looking, but it is a highly reliable, effective, and lethal subgun. There's a reason that many countries have issued the Uzi to their military forces (and still do) ...it works.

I have personally witnessed a lethal 9mm hit at just over 200 meters with military NATO Ball ammo..... with a Browning Hi-power. The platform doesn't matter.

You can look up all kinds of ballistic data, various studies, countless "expert opinions" Yada yada, but the only thing that matters in real life is that the firearm goes Bang when you pull the trigger, and that you can hit the intended target with reasonable regularity.....anything beyond that is generally pointless, and strictly academic. It's just mental masturbation.

If you are hit with a chunk of metal traveling at high velocity, you don't really care what caliber it was - it WILL get your attention, and you WILL generally stop doing what you were doing ...Quickly.. (personal experience).

JMHO

 

[brown8775]

There are many graves all over the world that have been filled by the 9mm round since 1898...don't ever underestimate it. The Uzi might be big, heavy, and a bit clunky looking, but it is a highly reliable, effective, and lethal subgun. There's a reason that many countries have issued the Uzi to their military forces (and still do) ...it works.

JMHO

Thank you for your reply, but I think you missed the question. I was not doubting the 9mm round for what it is, rather I was wondering if the configuration of a full-sized, semi-automatic Uzi 9mm Carbine had any advantages over a 9mm pistol, my best, uneducated guess being that the longer barrel somehow added a smattering of velocity to the round over a shorter barreled pistol.
My request for sources has to do with my wanting to know how the physics work that make this so, assuming my assumption is correct.

 

[brown8775]

You do get slightly higher velocities from the longer barrel. The real advantage is being a rifle with a stock it is a lot easier to be accurate with then a pistol.

Thanks Richard! So... I'm guessing there are two curves with an inverse relation, such that extending the barrel adds to the force and velocity of the round due to pressure build-up until you reach a certain length, while at a slower rate the increased drag due to the greater friction of the longer barrel, as you lengthen the barrel, lessens the degree of velocity gained with each unit of added length?

 

[thompson4433]

check this out


http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/



to answer your question, I think that you're not going to really benefit from using the UZI as a self-defense weapon instead of a 9mm handgun, unless you need to shoot out past 40 yards.

it does have that 32 round mag, but most semi auto 9mms hold 13 to 16 rounds anyway.

also, handguns are much harder to snatch out of your hand if you get jumped


that's my 0.02 on it

 

[Dodger]

There is no way to judge a firearm based on a generic "self defense" premise. There are numerous different self defense scenarios and the weapons vary widely based on the defensive scenario (e.g., close quarters, day, night, etc). The Uzi and most of the assault weapons class are designed for a diverse and challenging environment. Combat weapons have to be reliable, simple to operate and have common parts.