I Need Some 9's: Okay, Sir, What Kind?

I have heard of this question and, sometimes, smart ass answer combination. It seems like some dealers like making people look stupid. On the other hand, it is, all the same, a valid question. In the picture above, you see 22 different types of ammunition that fall under the "9mm" category. Understandably confusing right? 99% of the time, when a buyer asks for 9mm ammunition, they are referring to #9 on the image: the 9X19 Luger or 9mm Luger. In this episode of Blued Barrel, we will discuss the history of the 9mm cartridges and how some of the more popular ones came about. Let's dive in.

If you are not familiar with ammunition and 9mm is just a number to you, then let's start there. Ammunition is measured in either imperial or metric caliber. For example: Here in the States, we measure our ammunition typically in inches. Therefore, you get ammo such as .38 .380 .50 .22 etc. The rest of the world uses the metric system which results in 7mm, 8mm, 9mm and so on. Both of these sets of numbers are measurements for the same thing: the diameter of the projectile in ammunition. When we refer to 9mm, we mean that the projectile is 9mm in width or .355 inches wide. The standard 9mm Luger was developed in Germany, thus the "mm" designation.

Most metric ammunition also has a measurement for the brass itself. For example: 9mm Luger is also known as 9x19. This means that the projectile is 9mm wide and the brass casing is 19mm long. You also have other ways of identifying ammunition. In addition to measurements, ammunition also may have an additional designation, such as: .380 ACP, 7.62 NATO and 9mm Makarov. These designations explain design features, what firearm they were designed for or what action they were meant to work with. ACP stands for Automatic Colt Pistol, NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization and is their standard ammo, Makarov is the 9mm cartridge that was designed specifically for the Russian Makarov pistol.

Now, with that all behind us, let's explore some more.

The number one 9mm cartridge (for the 23,565 time) is known as (get ready for it) 9mm, 9mm Luger, 9x19 Parabellum, 9x19, 9x19mm, 9mm NATO and 9mm Para. I'm sure I've left something out but you still should get the point.

The 9x19mm Parabellum, as it was first called by Georg Luger who designed the cartridge for the German Luger P.08. The company that Georg Luger worked for, DWM, gave the cartridge the "Parabellum" designation. Parabellum stands for "Prepare for War" which was part of the company motto: Si Vis Pacem, Parabellum. "If you wish for peace, prepare for war". Thus the 9x19mm Parabellum was born. The CIP (Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives, or Permanent International Commission for Firearms Testing) was the organization to designate the cartridge as 9mm Luger and the name has stuck since then. Currently, the 9mm Luger is the most popular and prevalent military handgun cartridge in use today, according to Cartridges of the World. The effectiveness and low cost also attribute to the popularity to this day. Most all manufacturers have firearm models that utilize the 9mm Luger cartridge.

Luger P.08 1917

Another of the well known 9mm rounds is the 9x18 Makarov. This cartridge was designed along with the Makarov PM pistol to be specifically unusable by NATO forces during the later part of WWII and the Cold War. The Makarov round used a slightly larger diameter projectile along with the shorter casing to make it incompatible. This round was developed as a replacement for the Tokarev TT-33 semi automatic pistol and it's 7.62x25mm Tokarev round.

Tokarev TT-33

There is also the .38 S&W Special, one of the most popular revolver rounds since its inception in 1898. The .38 Spl cartridge was a replacement for the .38 Short Colt and .38 Long Colt, initially a black powder round that was switched to smokeless powder within a year of its design. From 1920 all the way up to 1990, this cartridge was used as a standard in Law Enforcement sidearms. This "9mm" cartridge is actually .357 inches wide, which leads me to...

Smith and Wesson Model 27 "The original .357 Magnum"

The .357 Magnum round also became a popular cartridge. Besides being the cartridge that started the Magnum era, It was designed with the .38 Special casing but had considerably more power at 100 yards than the .38 at the muzzle. Because of the closeness of the sizes of the rounds, there were problems with the .357 being used in the .38 firearms. This was a bad thing which could cause, shall we say, "catastrophic failures". Thus the .357 was given a slightly lengthened case, which allowed the underpowered .38 to be used in the .357 firearms safely, but prevented the inverse from happening, and thus the damage. This "9mm" round is widely touted as being a very powerful "Man-Stopper".

These are some of the most popular and well known 9mm diameter rounds, but here are some more along with the firearms that they were designed for/with...

9x18mm Ultra - Walther PP Super

.380 ACP (A.K.A., .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9×17mm and 9 mm Browning courto) - Walther PPK

9mm Glisenti - Glisenti Model 1910

.357 SIG - Sig Sauer P229

9mm Browning Long - FN Browning 1903

9x21mm - HK VP70Z

9x21mm Gyurza - SR-1 Vector

9x23mm Largo - Bergmann Mars pistol

9x23mm Steyr - Steyr M1912

9x25mm Mauser - Mauser C96

 

9x25mm Dillon - Most pistols that fire 10mm.

 

9mm Winchester Magnum - The Wildey

.38 ACP (Not the same as the .380 Auto) - Colt Model 1900

Well that is about it for the vast variation that is the 9mm cartridge. There are more variations that exist, I don't have the time to name all of them. The previous examples were the semi-automatic pistols. There are even more when you consider the revolver and rifle cartridges out there! 

So, this post should have pressed the importance of understanding the difference between 9mm cartridges. So when you have a dealer obviously being a smart ass about what kind of 9 you need. Tell them you want a "9mm, 9x19, 9x19 Parabellum, 9mm Luger and/or 9mm NATO". And don't say "clip" when referring to a magazine, then the smart ass question may be deserved.

So, until the next time, Remember to verify that you have the proper sized ammunition for your firearm before taking it to the range. Otherwise, this could happen:

Barrett M82 that has seen better days. Catastrophic failure time.

God Bless our America!