The subsequent FBI investigation placed partial blame for the agent's deaths on the lack of stopping power exhibited by their service handguns. They soon began the search for a more powerful caliber and cartridge. Noting the difficulties of reloading a revolver while under fire, they specified that agents should be armed with semiautomatic handguns. The Smith & Wesson 1076, chambered for the powerful 10mm Auto round, was chosen as a direct result of the Miami shootout. The sharp recoil of the 10mm Auto later proved too much for most agents to control effectively, and a special reduced velocity loading of the 10 mm Auto round was developed, commonly referred to as the "10mm Lite" or "10mm FBI".
Soon thereafter, Smith and Wesson realized the long case of the 10mm Auto was not necessary to produce the reduced ballistics of the FBI load. Smith and Wesson developed a shorter cased cartridge based on the 10mm that would ultimately replace the 10mm as the primary FBI service cartridge, the .40 S&W. The .40 S&W became far more popular than its parent, the 10mm Auto, due to the ability to chamber the shorter cartridge in standard frame automatic pistols designed initially for the 9 mm Parabellum. Other than a .142" reduction in overall case length, resulting in less gunpowder capacity in the .40 S&W, the 10mm and .40 S&W are identical in projectile size, both using a .400" caliber bullet.
In addition to the problems with their handguns, other issues were brought up in the aftermath of the shooting. Despite being on the lookout for two violent felons who were known to use firearms during their crimes, only two of the FBI vehicles contained shotguns, and none of the agents were armed with rifles. Also, only two of the agents were wearing body armor, and the armor they were wearing was standard light body armor, which is designed to protect against pistol rounds, not the .223 rounds fired by Platt's Mini-14 rifle. A better selection of firearms and body armor could have greatly aided the agents during the incident.
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