Firearms Stack Exchange Archive

9mm ammunition names

• posted by: mace on 2012-02-17
• tagged: pistols, ammunition, terminology
• score: 1

There seem to be a lot of different names for ammunition in the 9mm caliber. Can anyone explain which names refer to “common” 9mm and which refer to other 9mm rounds? A few I’ve come across are 9x19, parabellum, short, 9x18, lugar, 9x23, NATO, 9x18 ultra, browning, mauser, 9x19 glisenti, patronen, makarov–a comprehensive answer with all the different names people can think of would help me and a lot of other people.

Answer 1060

• posted by: Chris Agocs on 2012-02-17
• score: 7

I'll try to answer a couple of basic terminology-related things to help you make informed decisions. Here is a good resource with more basic information. Truthfully, just try a bunch of things and see what works. If you have a modern gun, you won't break it.

• Nomenclature:

  • 9mm Parabellum is the same thing as 9mm Luger, is the same thing as most 9mm ammo when someone just says "9mm". It means a 9x19mm cartridge. 9mm NATO is a subset of 9x19 cartridges, if I recall correctly, it's loaded a little "hotter" (more powerfully and with a heavier bullet) to cycle sub-machine guns properly, and you should be careful shooting it from older guns.
  • 9x18mm is a shorter cartridge than 9x19, and it's primarily used in the Makarov Pistol. It will not work in a gun designed to shoot 9x19.
  • 9x17mm is also a thing, known as 9mm kurtz or .380 ACP (ACP stands for Automatic Colt Pistol, and X ACP is usually the same thing as X Auto). Again, it will not work in a gun designed to shoot 9x19.

• Grain (abbreviated gn) refers to the mass of the bullet. Heavier bullets are generally going to have more powder behind them, and are therefore going to recoil harder. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on what you want.

• Bullet Types

  • Full Metal Jacket bullets (aka "Ball" or "FMJ") are generally round-nosed lead bullets clad in copper. They're useful for shooting at targets, or if you're a NATO country going to war.
  • (Semi)(Jacketed) Hollow Point bullets (aka HP, JHP, or SJHP) have a copper jacket where the bullet contacts the barrel, but have a hollow point which causes the bullet to expand when it hits a fleshy target.
  • (Semi) Wadcutter bullets have a flat tip, which is great for making neat little holes in paper. They're arguably useful for defense as well, but I would go for JHP.
  • There exist lead bullets that are not jacketed. These are cheap, and you can make 'em yourself. However, these bullets will cause lead fouling in your barrel's rifling that can affect accuracy and even damage the barrel after a very very very long time.

• If you're looking for ammunition to shoot at paper targets and have fun with, buy the cheapest ammunition you can find and clean your gun afterwards. If you're looking for defensive ammunition, go with a hollow point from a well regarded manufacturer, such as Remington Gold Saber or Hornady Critical Defense.

Answer 1067

• posted by: kbyrd on 2012-02-18
• score: 5

Oh man, what a big question! I'll take a first stab.

Every cartridge has a proper name that includes more than just the caliber. The name "9mm NATO" means more than a 9mm caliber (aka bullet diameter) bullet. The proper name implies various important dimensions of the entire cartridge like overall length, case length, neck diameter, and maximum pressures during firing. A firearm designed to fire 9mm NATO will be designed around all these specifications. So, if you're looking to buy ammunition for a particular firearm, check to see what the firearm is designed for and match that name exactly.

Unfortunately, there is are a lot of similar terms for the same cartridge and also similar sounding terms for different cartridges. Here's my list:

• 9x19mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger, 9x19mm, 9mm long. This is one of the most common handgun cartridges on the planet. When talking about handguns, if someone says "a 9mm", he probably means this. But it's always wise to be specific before loading "a 9" cartridge into a "a 9" handgun.

• 9mm NATO. Nearly identical to the 9x19 Parabellum, but the spec allows for a bit more pressure. Before firing, be sure a given gun is designed for 9mm NATO and not just 9mm Luger.

• 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short. .380 ACP, .380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm Browning Short. A completely different handgun cartridge often used by smaller "pocket" guns.

• 9mm Browning Long, 9x20mm. A rare (I don't think anyone produces this ammunition commercially or even guns to fire it) handgun cartridge. I listed here simply to differentiate from the use of "9mm Long" above and to again drive home the point about being particular before trying to chamber and fire any given cartridge in a given firearm.

There are dozens of other cartridges for rifles, revolvers, and pistols that have 9mm in the name, Wikipedia can help you here. I mad this a community wiki answer so other people contribute to the list?

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