9mm Ammo

9mm ammo is actually a 9 x 19mm cartridge. It is known by many different names such as the 9mm Luger, the 9mm Parabellum, and the 9mm NATO. But they are all the same cartridge.


It was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) for their Luger semi-automatic pistol. Since its creation, the 9mm cartridge has been manufactured by, or for more than 70 different countries and has grown to become the most widely used round for semi-automatic pistols in the world, being used by over half of all police agencies in the U.S.


9mm ammo is the most commonly used caliber today in self-defense handguns. Mostly it is because of magazine capacity. The smaller cartridge lets you put more shells in the small amount of space that the magazine resides in. Also, you can carry more ammo when you carry lighter and smaller cartridges. The 9mm ammunition is available in two pressure levels: standard and "+P." The latter should only be used in newer guns and is best used sparingly. Several specialized loads are available on to the law enforcement personnel. Civilians should not worry, as there are commercial loads as good as or better than anything restricted to law enforcement usage.


9x19mm pistol was credited by Newsweek for making the semi-automatic pistols more popular than the revolvers. The popularity of this cartridge can be attributed to the widely held conviction that it is highly effective in police and self-defense use. Also, its low cost and wide availability are self-sustaining contributors to the caliber's continuing popularity.


This is unquestionably the world's most popular pistol round. For this reason it has been the subject of a lot of experimentation, because 9mm ball - used by every army in the Western world - is a mediocre manstopper. Jacketed hollowpoints are a must if one wishes to rely on the 9mm as a defense round. Use ball ammo for practice only.


Ammunition for the 9mm is loaded by virtually every manufacturer in the world, and within the U.S. there are at least 25 different loads produced by the five major companies that market factory ammunition. Bullet weights available range from 88 to 147 grains, with ball or full metal jacket (FMJ), soft point and hollow point types routinely loaded. There is even a lead hollow point (Federal Nyclad), although all the others are metal jacketed types.


One of the best 9mm Luger load for self-defense is the Cor-Bon 9mm 115 grain +P Jacketed Hollowpoint. This is the most powerful and street-proven manstopper available in this caliber. It is a high velocity (1340 fps) and high pressure round, and more effective than any load restricted to law enforcement use (such as the Federal 9BPLE).Unfortunately, it is also likely to jam many older guns. Modern hollowpoints may either jam, or be too powerful for some older guns. This load is suitable only for First Class pistols.


For guns that may jam with the Cor-Bon or Federal 115 grain hollow-points, the Remington 115 grain +P JHP is a good choice (R9MM6). For older guns I would use the Remington standard pressure 115 gr. JHP (R9MM1).


The best standard pressure 9mm load is the Federal 115 grain JHP (9BP). Its effectiveness and accuracy make it the world standard. Other excellent standard pressure 9mm loads are the Winchester Silvertip 115 grain (X9MMSHP), and Federal 124 grain Hydra-shok (P9HS1).


Below this paragraph is a list of 9mm loads. These loads are to be avoided due to their low performance output.



Federal Gold Medal 9mm 147 grain JHP (9MS)


Federal Hydra-Shok 9mm 147 grain JHP (P9HS2)


Winchester 147 grain 9mm Silvertip Subsonic JHP (X9MMST147)


Winchester 147 grain 9mm Super-X Subsonic (XSUB9MM)


Remington 147 grain 9mm JHP (R9MM8)


Remington 147 grain 9mm Golden Saber JHP (GS9MMC)


Remington 140 grain 9mm JHP (R9MM7)


Remington 88 grain 9mm JHP (R9MM5) this bullet is far too light.


CCI Lawman 147 grain 9mm PHP "Plated Hollow Point" (3619) Type of 9mm



Pistols that fire 9mm ammunition are common in military and law enforcement applications, as well as among collectors. For nearly a century, a variety of pistols have used 9mm ammo, beginning with the European Luger. A variety of styles and brands of ammunition are available for 9mm pistols, depending on the specific use of the gun.


Many 9mm pistols are capable of firing 9mm hollow-point bullets. This type of bullet's tip is hollowed out instead of pointed. Instead of being so sharp that it simply punctures and passes through its target, a hollow-point bullet will expand once it hits the target. The goal of this expansion is to produce as much damage to the target as possible, avoiding a simple in-and-out wound.


Full metal jacket bullets are common in assault rifles, but can also be used in 9mm pistols. These bullets are encased in a hard metal such as a copper alloy that is wrapped around the bullet's softer lead core. The result is a tougher bullet that can be fired at higher velocities without breaking down and leaving lead residue inside the firearm, causing it to require regular cleaning and maintenance. Many full metal jacket bullets are used for applications such as piercing armor plating.


Soft point bullets are common in many calibers of handgun. They can be pointed or dull on the tip, as well as jacketed. The discerning characteristic of a soft point bullet is that its lead is visible on the tip. In other words, the point of the bullet is softer than the rest of the projectile.


Other less-common types of 9mm ammunition include match bullets for use in competitions, frangible projectile ammo for fragmenting on impact, lead free bullets for concerns about the environment and metal case ammunition for reliability.


Manufacturers


Several companies across the world produce 9mm ammunition. These companies include Black Hills, CCI-Speer, Cor-Bon, Fiocchi, Federal, Lapua, MagTech, Norma, PMC-Eldorado, Remington, Sellier & Bellot, UltraMax and Winchester. There are a few things to consider when purchasing ammo. Number one is obviously price. This can be determined by a few things: Are you buying in bulk? Do you plan to reload it? How dirty of a gun are you willing to put up with when done shooting? All of these things can factor in.