9×19mm Parabellum

Origins

Georg Luger developed the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge from his earlier 7.65×21mm Parabellum round, which itself was derived from the original 7.65×25mm Borchardt cartridge in the Borchardt C-93 pistol. Shortening the length of the cartridge case used in the Borchardt pistol allowed him to improve the design of the toggle lock and to incorporate a smaller, angled grip. Luger's work on the Borchardt design evolved into the Luger pistol, first patented in 1898 and chambered in 7.65×21mm Parabellum. Demand from Germany for a larger caliber in their military sidearm led Luger to develop the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge for the eventual P08 pistol. This was achieved by removing the bottleneck shape of the 7.65×21mm Parabellum case, resulting in a tapered rimless cartridge encasing a bullet that was 9 mm in diameter.

In 1902, Luger presented the new round to the British Small Arms Committee, as well as three prototype versions to the U.S. Army for testing at Springfield Arsenal in mid-1903. The Imperial German Navy adopted the cartridge in 1904 and in 1908 the German Army adopted it as well. The ogive of the bullet was slightly redesigned in the 1910s to improve feeding.

To conserve lead during World War II in Germany, the lead core was replaced by an iron core encased with lead. This bullet, identified by a black bullet jacket, was designated as the 08 mE (mit Eisenkern—"with iron core"). By 1944, the black jacket of the 08 mE bullet was dropped and these bullets were produced with normal copper-colored jackets. Another wartime variation was designated the 08 sE bullet and identified by its dark gray jacket, and was created by compressing iron powder at high temperature into a solid material (Sintereisen—"sintered iron").

Popularity

After World War I, acceptance of the 9×19mm Parabellum chambering increased, and 9×19mm Parabellum pistols and submachine guns were adopted by military and police users in many countries. The 9×19mm Parabellum has become the most popular caliber for U.S. law enforcement agencies, primarily due to the availability of compact pistols with large magazine capacities that use the cartridge.

Worldwide, the 9×19mm Parabellum is one of the more popular pistol cartridges where it is legal (some countries ban civilian use of weapons that chamber current or former military service cartridges), and cartridges in this caliber are generally available anywhere pistol ammunition is sold.

From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, a sharp increase occurred in the popularity of semiautomatic pistols in the U.S., a trend foreshadowed by the adoption of the Smith & Wesson Model 39 by the Illinois State Police in 1968. In addition, the Beretta M9 (a military version of the Beretta Model 92) was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1985. Previously, most American police departments issued .38 Special caliber revolvers with a six-shot capacity. The .38 Special was preferred to other weapons such as variants of the M1911 because it offered low recoil, was small and light enough to accommodate different shooters, and was relatively inexpensive. The 9mm cartridge is ballistically superior to the .38 Special revolver cartridge, is shorter overall, and being an autoloader cartridge, it is stored in flat magazines, as opposed to cylindrical speedloaders. This, coupled with the advent of the so-called "wonder nines", led to many U.S. police departments exchanging their revolvers for some form of 9mm semiautomatic handguns by the 1980s.

In 2013 a chart of popular calibers that was released by the website Luckygunner.com showed 9mm x 19mm Parabellum as having 21.4% of the entire cartridge market followed by the .223 Rem at 10.2% (with 5.56mm included this is 15.7%). The next most popular caliber was .45ACP.

In 2014, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report detailing the potential combat effectiveness of the 9mm cartridge when compared to other calibers such as the .45 ACP and the .40 S&W cartridge that was specifically developed for use by the FBI. The report indicated that the new powders and more advanced bullet designs used in current 9mm defensive loads allowed for the caliber to deliver superior performance to other calibers, like the .45 ACP, and .40 S&W. In addition to this, the lower recoil, less wear, and higher capacity were all reasons that the report cited for the recent surge in orders of the ammunition from various police agencies. With a wider selection of officers being able to shoot handguns chambered in 9×19mm, many departments choose this caliber so they can standardize around a single firearm and loading, making logistics and supply easier. Due to all of these factors, law enforcement orders of 9mm ammo from all major ammunition manufacturers have spiked significantly.

The FBI report made it clear that the superior accuracy of 9mm was a factor in their returning to 9mm as their standard handgun caliber. It was also made clear that the superior effectiveness of 9mm over .40 S&W and .45 ACP was due to the high quality of ammunition available.

On January 19, 2017 the winner of the U.S. military XM17 Modular Handgun System competition was announced. The bid specification required that the bidder provide HIGH QUALITY ammunition which was also submitted and evaluated during the process. SIG Sauer, a New Hampshire company, won the bid to supply $583 Million dollars worth of handguns, ammunition and accessories. The XM17 request for quotation specified that a maker could submit alternative calibers and types of ammunition.

On January 30, 2017 IHS Jane's 360 reported that the US DOD was purchasing two types of ammunition on the XM17 procurement which are 9 x 19mm Parabellum caliber types XM1152 Full Metal Jacket, and XM1153 Special Purpose Ammunition as well as training rounds. The number of rounds described in the XM17 RFP was 1.2 Million.

Cartridge dimensions

The 9×19mm Parabellum has 0.86 ml (13.3 grains H₂O) of cartridge case capacity.

9×19mm Parabellum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions: All sizes are given in millimeters (mm).

The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case: The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 250 mm (1 in 9.84 in), six grooves, ø lands = 8.82 mm, ø grooves = 9.02 mm, land width = 2.49 mm and the primer type is small pistol.

According to Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives rulings, the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge case can handle up to 235.00 MPa (34,084 psi) P_max piezo pressure. In CIP-regulated countries every pistol cartridge combination has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers. This means that 9×19mm Parabellum chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2014) proof tested at 305.50 MPa (44,309 psi) PE piezo pressure.

The SAAMI pressure limit for the 9×19mm Parabellum is set at 241.32 MPa (35,001 psi) piezo pressure.
The SAAMI pressure limit for the 9×19mm Parabellum +P is set at 265.45 MPa (38,500 psi) piezo pressure.

An empty case with primer weighs about 4 g (0.14 oz).

Performance

The round was originally designed to be lethal to 50 meters, but is still lethal at longer ranges. The 9mm cartridge combines a flat trajectory with moderate recoil. According to the 1986 book Handloading: "the modern science of wound ballistics has established beyond reasonable doubt that the 9mm cartridge is highly effective."

Improvements and variations

In addition to the traditional pressure values for this cartridge, two main variants offer different pressure standards than the SAAMI or CIP requirements.

9mm Commonwealth standard

The Cartridge S.A. Ball 9 m/m Mark Iz (9 m/m BALL MK 1z) was the standard Imperial 9mm Parabellum round in World War II and was produced from December 1941 to 1944. It was meant for use in semiautomatic pistols like the Inglis Browning Hi-Power. Bullet weight was 115 grains (7.5 g). Velocity was 1,200 feet per second (370 m/s) at 20 yards (18 m). It is noted by its purple annulus around a standard gold-colored primer.

The higher-powered Cartridge S.A. Ball 9 m/m Mark IIz (9m/m Ball MK 2z) was in production from September 1943 until 1988, and was graded as NATO standard in 1962. It was designed for use in submachine guns such as the Lanchester, Sten, and Sterling. Bullet weight is 115 grains (7.5 g) over a charge of 6 grains (0.39 g) of Du Pont SR.4898 or Dynamit-Nobel Parabellum Powder. Velocity is 1,300 feet per second (400 m/s) at 20 yards (18 m). It can be distinguished from the 9-mm Ball MK 1z by its purple annulus around a silver primer.

India and Pakistan manufactured 9mm Parabellum ammunition to this standard after independence.

Canada's Cartridge S.A. Ball 9 m/m CDN Mark I (9-mm Ball CDN MK 1), made since 1955, has similar ballistics. Bullet weight is 115 grains (7.5 g). Nominal muzzle velocity is 1,246.7 feet per second (380.0 m/s).

NATO 9mm standard

The 9mm cartridge has been manufactured by, or for, more than 70 different countries and has become a standard pistol caliber for NATO and other military forces around the world. Its official nomenclature among NATO members is "NATO 9mm". Standard bullet weight is 7.0 grams (108 gr) to 8.3 grams (128 gr).

NATO 9mm can be considered an overpressure variant of the 9×19mm Parabellum that is defined by NATO standards. The service pressure P_max of the NATO 9mm is rated at 252 MPa (36,500 psi) where CIP rates the 9mm Luger P_max somewhat lower at 235 MPa (34,100 psi). The 315 MPa (45,700 psi) proofing test pressure used in the NATO 9mm proof test, however, equals the proofing test pressure used in the 9mm Luger CIP proof test.

While the NATO standards do not specify the type of bullet to be used, Declaration III of the Hague Convention of 1899 prohibits the use of expanding ammunition in warfare by signatories, so official NATO 9mm ammunition is FMJ "ball" bullets. Declaration III does not apply in conflicts involving nonsignatories to the Hague Convention, including paramilitary and other nongovernmental fighting forces.

Swedish m/39

9mm Parabellum entered Swedish service as m/39 with the import of the Kulsprutepistol m/39 from Austria, with a bullet weight of 7.5 grams (116 gr). During the Congo Crisis, the Swedish UN-contingent issued complaints about the performance of the m/39 cartridge (regular 9mm Parabellum) used, which resulted in a commission of the Swedish Army establishing in 1962 that a new round was needed for the Carl Gustav m/45. The resulting m/39B had a tombac-plated steel jacket surrounding the lead core. While the lands of the barrel can cut into the tombac, the steel jacket resists deformation, thus causes the gas pressure to rise higher than the previous soft-jacketed m/39, giving the 7.0 grams (108 gr) bullet a Vₒ of 420 m/s (1,378 ft/s) and an impact energy of 600 joules. The mantle also acts like a penetrator when striking a target, going through up to 50 layers of kevlar, 7 cm bricks or 25 cm of wood, allowing the bullet to defeat body armour up to Type IIIA. The downside is the higher wear on the weapon, ultimately causing the service pistol m/40 to be withdrawn from service. The m/39 is also available as a "gallery round" – kammarpatron m/39 – black with blue tip, for indoor gallery shooting, and as a blank round – lös patron m/39 – which has the metal bullet replaced with one in red, hard plastic intended to disintegrate into dust when fired.

9×19mm +P variant

Attempts to improve ballistics of the cartridge came in the early 1990s with the widespread availability of high-pressure loadings of the 9mm cartridge. Such overpressure cartridges are labeled "+P" or in the case of very high pressure loadings "+P+". Ballistic performance of these rounds was moderately improved over the standard loadings. In addition, improvements in jacketed hollow-point bullet technology have produced bullet designs that are more likely to expand and less likely to fragment than earlier iterations, giving a 9mm bullet better terminal effectiveness.

9mm SESAMS

The United States Military uses red and blue marking rounds in the 9mm caliber known as Special Effects Small Arms Marking Systems (SESAMS). Commonly used for training simulations, these rounds are comparable in function to the paintballs used in paintball markers, except they are fired with a powder charge, and can be shot in Beretta M9 service pistols with only a barrel modification (The Glock 19 pistol, common among police departments, has a similar available modification). The 9mm SESAMS rounds are fired from specially modified pistols, as well as M16 and M4 rifles, which are incapable of chambering standard live ammunition.

SESAMS weapons or components are normally painted blue or otherwise clearly marked, to denote their inert status and avoid a potentially catastrophic mixup with live-fire weapons. This allows the armed forces to train with nearly identical equipment as used in real-life situations. The brand name for this ammunition, which is sold commercially and to law enforcement, is Simunition.

Russian military overpressure variants

The Russian military has developed specialized 9×19mm cartridges that use relatively light bullets at high muzzle velocities for both pistols and submachine guns to defeat body armour.

Besides enhanced penetration capabilities, these overpressure variants offer a flatter trajectory and lessened recoil. The increase in service pressure causes a rise in bolt thrust, so the use of this overpressure ammunition induces more stress on critical weapon parts during firing. After initial research, conducted since the late 1980s under the codename "Grach", the Russian armed forces adopted two specialized 9×19mm variants.

The 7N21 (Cyrillic: 7Н21) 9×19mm overpressure variant features an armour-piercing bullet and generates a peak pressure of 280 MPa (41,000 psi). The 7N21 bullet features a hardened (subcaliber) steel penetrator core, enclosed by a bimetal jacket. The space between the core and jacket is filled with polyethylene, and the tip of the penetrator is exposed at the front of the bullet, to achieve better penetration. The penetration range for body armor is specified at up to 40 m. The MP-443 Grach and GSh-18 pistols and PP-19-01, PP-90M1 and PP-2000 submachine guns were designed for use with this overpressure cartridge. Jane's Infantry Weapons stated in 2003 that the 7N21 cartridge combines the 9×19mm Parabellum dimensions with a 9×21 mm Gyurza bullet design and was developed specifically for the penetration of body armor and for the MP-443 Grach pistol, the latest Russian service pistol.

The 7N31 (Cyrillic: 7Н31) / PBP 9×19mm overpressure variant uses the same concept with a similar but lighter bullet that achieves higher muzzle velocity. The penetration of an 8 mm-thick steel plate is specified at up to 10 m. The 7N31 cartridge was developed in the late 1990s for the GSh-18 pistol. The 7N31 was adopted for the PP-90M1 and PP-2000 submachine guns. Its maximum service pressure remains unclear.

The method of construction of the two rounds allows them to be effective against both unarmored and armored targets. If the bullet strikes an unarmored target, it holds together to produce a wide wound channel. If the bullet strikes an armored target, the sleeve is stripped away and the core penetrates alone. The disadvantage of the rounds is that high impact velocities are needed for them to work effectively, so the bullets are relatively light to maximize their muzzle velocity. This means they lose velocity relatively quickly, limiting their effective range.

9mm major

The "9mm major" is a term common among handloaders in International Practical Shooting Confederation and United States Practical Shooting Association competitions in the open division. It describes a 9×19mm loaded to reach or surpass the "major" power factor in those competitions, something that very few commercial self-defense loads do. Such loads are only rarely within the limits defined by SAAMI or CIP, exceeding even +P loads. The 124 grains (8.0 g) projectiles are pushed beyond 1,331 feet per second (406 m/s) to meet USPSA power factor. Usually, they are loaded with relatively large charges of a low-volume slow-burning powder such as HS-6 and Autocomp. Sometimes they are made longer than standard OAL to allow more capacity with heavier bullets. Since they can be used with common 9×19 brass, they are considered a more economical alternative to .38 Super.

Other variants

VBR-B produces specialized bullets for this cartridge, a two-part controlled fragmenting projectile and an armor-piercing bullet that features a brass sabot and a hardened steel penetrator. These are designed for increasing the content of the permanent wound cavity and double the chance to hit a vital organ.

U.S. data

The energy delivered by most 9mm loads allows for significant expansion and penetration with premium hollow-point bullets. Illinois State Police, Border Patrol, Federal Air Marshals, and United States Secret Service favored and used 115 gr (7.5 g) +P+ 9mm loads at 1,300 ft/s (400 m/s) for years with excellent results. Massad Ayoob has stated that the "Tried, Tested, and True" 115 gr (7.5 g) +P or +P+ is the best self-defense load in this caliber. Proponents of the hydrostatic shock theory contend that the energy of the 9mm cartridge is capable of imparting remote wounding effects known as hydrostatic shock, in human-sized living targets.

Synonyms