NATO adopting the 9x19 Parabellum in 1955 as their official sidearm cartridge.But the milestones for the 9mm didn’t end here – they continued with: As time passed, its use grew to encompass not only the armed forces, but police agencies and civilian self-defense as well. Magazine-fed, fully automatic carbines, some of these submachine guns could shoot 900 rounds a minute.Īfter the birth of the Browning Hi-Power in 1935, and the gun’s prevalence in WWII, the 9x19mm’s popularity spread. It’s lightweight, accurate, and because of its small size, handguns chambered in 9mm hold significantly more cartridges than those in higher calibers.īy the time WWI erupted, the first submachine guns were introduced and they were chambered for 9mm ammunition – given its ability to penetrate through field gear.

Still today, the compact cartridge has less recoil and allows for easy handling. This new caliber improved on the previous handgun ammunition, which was large and heavy. He designed it to be lethal at 50 meters. In 1902, DWM firearms designer Georg Luger developed the 9mm Parabellum as a service cartridge, designed for the DWM Luger semi-automatic pistol called the Pistole Parabellum, aka the Luger. The most popular grain weights for training and defensive purposes include 9mm 115gr, 9mm 124gr, and 9mm 147gr. Projectile weights can be as low as 65 grains and as heavy as 158 grains depending on the application. This increases the reliability and accuracy of feeding ammo from the magazine into the firearm, allowing it to happen quickly and without fail.ĩmm ammunition has become wildly popular, leading to an incalculable number of varieties due to the wide range of projectiles available. When stacking bullets side by side, notice the spacing difference between the bottom of the casing and the top. The 9mm cartridge, unlike most pistol cartridges, has a slightly tapered casing. Other times, it’s 9mm NATO, which is still the same size ammunition, but with a slightly heavier bullet – 124 grain (gr) compared to 115 gr – and loaded to a higher pressure (think +P) than traditional range or training rounds. The cartridge is often labeled as the 9mm Luger, associated with its developer’s last name (in other words, the 9x19mm Parabellum and 9mm Luger are the same cartridge). The DWM’s Latin motto – “Si vis pacem, para bellum” – translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war,” and therefore Parabellum means “prepare for war.” The name “Parabellum” comes from the motto of the first company to manufacture 9x19mm ammo, the German munitions manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The 9x19mm Parabellum is an ammunition cartridge with a bullet measuring 9mm in diameter and a casing that measures 19mm in length. The simple answer is that it's all the same – other than the NATO ammo being slightly heavier. This variety of uses for a single caliber leaves many shooters who buy 9mm ammo confused about 9mm Luger vs. In that time period, it’s been found in the barrel of full-sized handguns, pocket pistols, revolvers, carbines, and even submachine guns. Originally designed as a handgun caliber, the 9mm has reinvented itself multiple times throughout its brief 115-or-so years. The role of 9mm in World War I and its continued popularity today testifies to its capabilities as an efficient and effective cartridge. Whether you call it the 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum, 9mm NATO, 9 millimeter, or just plain 9mm, 9x19mm ammunition is the most popular cartridge for handguns in the world – with more than 60% of the world's law enforcement agencies currently using the cartridge.

Fn 9mm bullets