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9x19 mm (9mm Para, 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO)
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9 mm Para, FMJ
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Other Pictures:
Cartridge Drawing
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Also called the 9mm Luger, the 9mm Parabellum was introduced in 1902 in the Luger automatic pistol. In 1904 it became the official military cartridge of the German navy, and two years later was adopted by the German army. In 1985, United States military forces discontinued the use of the long favored Model 1911 Colt in .45 ACP and adopted the Beretta Model 92-F in 9mm Parabellum. Whether this represents a step forward or backward for the U.S. fighting man will long be debated.
Of all the cartridges designed for autoloading pistols and submachine guns during this century, the 9mm Parabellum is by far the most popular. During the past few years, a number of U.S. law enforcement agencies swapped revolvers in .357 Magnum and .38 Special for high capacity 9mm autoloaders, but the jury is still out on just how good the cartridge is for the application. The FBI had adopted the 9mm, but after its alleged failure to perform as expected, replaced it with the more modern, more powerful 10mm cartridge. If anything good can be said of the 9mm Parabellum, it is the fact that most shooters should be able to shoot it more accurately then is possible with more powerful cartridges.
The groove diameter of the 9mm Parabellum barrels vary considerably, a condition that usually presents no particular problem to the handloader who sticks with jacketed bullets. But when loading cast or swaged lead bullets, best accuracy will be realized if they are extremely hard and their diameters closely match the groove diameter of a particular barrel. Excellent propellants for the 9mm include HP38 and HS6.
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Cartridge:
9 x 19 mm
Weight:
5.72 g (FMJ) - 7.475 g (JHP)
In Production:
1902-
Muzzle Velocity:
458 - 381 M/S
Muzzle Energy:
598 - 543 J
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