9mm Ammo

9mm Luger Ammo: In Depth

Following the introduction of smokeless powder a decade before, handgun cartridges in the final few years of the 19th century were becoming far more powerful relative to their shrinking size. Meanwhile, the quest to create a truly reliable autoloader was quickly gaining steam. Indeed, these were heady times for pistol pioneers and novel, quirky designs flowed freely from the workshops of industrial Europe and the United States.

Take Hugo Borchardt’s C-93, for instance, a pistol that perfectly captures the quirkiness of handgun tech in the 1890s. It was powerful, semi-automatic, and ridiculous looking. Even so, it feels modern compared to a contemporary revolver of that time like the Nagant M1895, and is legitimately important to this story – not for the sum of its features – but because of the man that assisted Borchardt with its development: Georg Luger.

Luger tinkered with the C-93’s ammunition, action, and grip, creating the Pistole Parabellum chambered in 7.65x21mm. This cartridge, much like the Borchardt’s 7.65x25mm, had a bottle necked case and launched a 93-gr. bullet @ 1,200/fps. The pistol would see adoption by the Swiss military, followed by the German Imperial Navy just a few years later.

At the insistence of the Germans, Luger enlarged the case mouth of his cartridge to accommodate a larger 9mm bullet. In 1904, this new ammunition, known as 9x19mm Parabellum, entered service along with a modified pistol into the Germany Navy, followed by the Army (and the P.08 Luger) just ahead of WWI.

The war would swiftly forge 9x19mm Parabellum’s combat reputation, with the Luger pistol alone manufactured in the millions for use by German troops. However, the firepower demands of close-in trench fighting soon prompted weapons makers to ask more of the cartridge – in this case to deliver truly automatic fire. Bergmann Waffenfabrik of Germany would design and deliver the MP18, widely considered the first submachine gun, just before the war’s end. It was capable of cycling the 9x19mm Parabellum at 500/rpm yet was also carried with ease and controllable under fire. It was also the beginning of a trend in small-arms development that would shape battle tactics for generations.

For as loved as the Luger pistols were, submachine guns would eclipse them in importance worldwide over the following decades. The Thompson (chambered in .45 ACP) had materialized in the US by 1921, while designs incorporating 9x19 Parabellum continued to pour out of Europe, including much development in Germany (despite the Versailles Treaty restrictions on combat arms).

WWII would see 9x19mm Parabellum used on both sides. British troops would pit their famous Sten guns against the Germans and their MP38s and MP40s, with each passing battle showing the devastating capability of the cartridge in close-quarters and urban combat. Various Lugers and the new Walther P38 pistols would also see plenty of use in the war by the Axis powers.

In the decade or so after the war, 9x19 Parabellum was chosen as NATO’s standard sidearm cartridge. This decision would have little impact on the US military however, as .45 ACP still captivated the imaginations of ordnance officials in this country. To be fair, it had won Two World Wars, as much as a small-arms cartridge was capable of such a boast, and American troops truly trusted it.

In fact, it wasn’t until the mid 80s that the US military began to move away from .45 ACP. 1982’s NATO STANAG 4090 standardized the 9mm NATO round for many western militaries, even though most of them already fielded a similar 9mm load. Unlike their response to previous NATO agreements about handgun cartridges, the US actually followed suit on this occasion. The Beretta M9, chambered in 9x19 Parabellum, became the official US service pistol in 1985. 

The 80s also brought us the Glock. Although some shooters, especially diehard 1911 proponents, found it repulsive to behold and lacking in substance (and power), its arrival forever changed the public’s perception of polymer pistols. When paired with a cartridge like 9mm Luger, the lightweight and affordable Glock was also surprisingly durable and accurate – these qualities were hardly to be expected of a plastic-framed gun from the 1980s. 

After the Miami-Dade Shootout, the FBI began comprehensive ballistics testing on many commonly-used handgun cartridges. Finding itself among the poorer performers in these tests, 9x19mm Parabellum suffered a blow to its reputation, though it was not alone in this regard (.38 Special and others bombed the test as well). However, ammunition manufacturers soon rolled out a new bullet technology, and powder charges were beefed up in order to drive expansion in these newer projectiles. Widespread law enforcement adoption of this +P hollow-point ammunition helped to partly recover 9x19’s rep in the streets, though it would take decades before .40 S&W’s dominance in the LE space was over. 

Around the 2010s, pistol makers began targeting the concealed-carry market with small-framed polymer pistols chambered in 9mm Luger. Instead of the snappy airweight .357 Magnums or even .38 Special +Ps of a generation before, these guns didn’t suck to shoot. They could also be carried with ease compared to heavier all-steel guns.

As an added bonus, newer 9mm Luger loadings had proven to be especially effective in stopping threats – or at least on par with a heavier cartridge like .45 ACP. Further driving the round’s popularity, pistol-caliber carbines chambered in 9mm Luger were released to the market in greater numbers than before, and they proved to be great sellers. Though some might question their effectiveness when compared to rifles, there is certainly an argument to be made for their use in a home-defense context, or perhaps for small critter control.

9mm Luger has every reason to be popular at this point in its history. Target ammo is cheap and available in the US, it’s an active military cartridge (as 9mm NATO), and every semi-auto  handgun made in the last thirty years has a 9mm version, with few exceptions. 

9mm Luger: Guns

Guns offered in 9mm Luger – including pistols, pistol-caliber carbines, submachine guns (semi auto and NFA) and more – are offered in every size, shape, and description. In fact, there is such an incredibly broad selection just in terms of carry pistols that a shooter can usually find something that fits them perfectly right out of the box. In addition, the aftermarket for parts and accessories is massive, allowing for performance and ergonomic upgrades along the way (barrels, grips, backstraps, etc.).

Early Pistols

• DWM P.08 Luger
• Mauser c96/M1916
• Radom VIS.P35
• Walther P38

Modern Pistols

• Glock 19
• CZ USA CZ-75 SP-01
• Beretta M9A4
• Sig Sauer P320
• Canik TP9SFX

Pistol-Caliber Carbines

• Ruger PC Carbine
• CZ USA Scorpion 
• Kriss Vector CRB 
• Keltec Sub-2000

Submachine Guns

• Bergmann MP18
• Erma MP40
• H&K MP5
• Sig Sauer MPX
• B&T MP9

Why Choose 9mm Luger?

9mm Luger offers a great balance between size, recoil, and effectiveness in a handgun. In the past, projectile performance on impact was certainly lacking compared to close competitors such as .40 S&W, but not so with modern loads. These days, it's the top choice for carry, LE, and tactical training.

Target / Competition

• 9mm Luger is the most popular handgun cartridge in the world. FMJ target ammo is widely available from nearly every manufacturer. 
• Pistol-caliber carbines bring the ergonomics of a rifle with the price tag of a handgun cartridge.

Concealed Carry / Defensive Carry

• There is an incredible selection of carry guns chambered in 9mm Luger.
• Decades of law enforcement use have given rise to great defensive loads like Federal HST, Hydra-Shok, and Speer Gold Dot. Many companies are now making carry ammo that won’t break the bank as well.
• Recoil is still controllable when shooting micro-compact guns.
• Cartridge is sized appropriately for good magazine capacity – even micro-compact carry guns are now able to accommodate north of 10 rounds in the mag.

Training

• Military surplus is ammo everywhere. 9x19 Parabellum has been a military cartridge since the beginning of the 20th century.

Home Defense

• If using a quality defensive load, over penetration through walls can be minimized.
• Modern 9mm Luger pistols with accessory rails enable the use of weapon-mounted lights for low-light situations.
• Pistol-caliber carbines chambered in 9mm Luger can be easier to handle in stressful situations than pistols, and may offer a higher hit probability as well.

Hunting

• Although it’s possible to dispatch a bunch of different critters with 9mm Luger, you’re honestly better off with a rifle if you’re going to hunt.
• That being said, there are purpose-built loads for hunting such as Hornady’s Handgun Hunter, which features a 155-gr. solid copper hollow point projectile @ 1,100/fps.

9mm Luger: Ammo Brands and Loadings

Finding a manufacturer that doesn’t offer a 9mm Luger load is difficult. It’s been an active military cartridge around the world since 1904, so there are a lot of pistols out there in the chambering. Here in the US, the introduction of the Beretta M9 in the 80s took the round from a foreign curiosity to the most standard of all handgun cartridges within a decade or two. Accordingly, since everyone is shooting 9mm Luger in such high numbers, the cost per round is lower than almost every other cartridge, save .22LR. 

Brands

• CCI, Federal, Winchester, Hornady, Remington, PMC, Magtech, Sellier and Bellot, Fiocchi, Norma, Tula, and every other major manufacturer! Plus, many nations with military 9mm Luger/NATO production export to the US.

Standard Loading

• 115-gr. FMJ @ 1,150/fps.

Bullet Types

• FMJ (Full Metal Jacket)  - Target, training
• JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point) - Self defense
• HP Lead Free  - Self defense, hunting
• Monolithic / Penetrator  - Self defense w/ barrier penetration
• Frangible - Target, training

Bullet Weights

• 50-gr. to 100-gr. - Frangible,  lead-free, and other specialty rounds
• 115-gr. - Standard
• 124-gr. - 9mm NATO standard weight, nearly as common as 115-gr.
• 147-gr. and up - Subsonic, self-defense, hunting

Velocities

• 50-gr. to 100-gr. - 1,200/fps to 1,800/fps
• 115-gr. - 1,150/fps
• 124-gr. - NATO - 1,200/fps, others 1,100/fps - 1,150/fps
• 147-gr. - 850/fps - 1,100/fps

+P Ammo

• This indicates that a round has more chamber pressure. This is especially common in defensive loads with hollow-point bullets. Expect more recoil from these rounds, and avoid using them in antique firearms. 
• Some ammo will indicate +P+ which is even higher-pressure than +P.

Subsonic Ammo

• Ammunition with velocities under the speed of sound (1,125/fps @ 68° F)
• Typically features 147-gr. bullets, which are heavy-for-caliber and ideal for shooting suppressed.

Steel-Cased Ammo

• Runs great in most modern handguns.
• Cheaper to shoot than brass-cased ammo, but tends to run dirtier since the case doesn’t expand in the chamber as much as brass. 
• High-volume use might wear your barrel more if the bullet is bimetal (copper-jacketed steel). These bullets are found in some steel-cased ammo.