The Original CZ Forum by Radom 4/2/2003
9mm Cartridges of the World: Past and Present
Often people are confused by the variety of markings on weapons and ammunition that refer to "9mm." There are four major cartridges incorporating "9mm" in their names that are commonly used in current military, police, and civilian arms. To further confuse the issue, these are known by a variety of alternate names. By far, the most common and popular 9mm cartridge is the original: 9mm Parabellum (aka 9mm Luger, 9x19mm, etc.). In the early smokeless powder era, the medium caliber semi-auto cartridges were primarily spin-offs of 9mm Parabellum; however, a few can be traced back to the older black powder .38 revolver cartridges.
There are six obsolete European service pistol cartridges that incorporate 9mm in their names. Five of these cartridges date from the early smokeless powder era. At that time, all cartridges were proprietary, creating two problems. First, different manufacturers used different markings on their arms and ammunition, even when referring to the exact same cartridge. In short, the various manufacturers were determined not to provide a competitor with free advertising. The problem of alternate names has already been mentioned above. Second, many manufacturers desired to avoid paying patent royalties. These were largely inevitable at that time, since most cartridges and pistol designs were all quite new and still protected by the relevant intellectual property laws. As a result, several derivatives of 9mm Parabellum were developed before WWII. These gradually fell by the wayside, as 9mm Parabellum became the dominant medium semi-auto cartridge. The sixth obsolete 9mm cartridge is comparatively new, but it too could not compete with 9mm Parabellum.
There are also four new calibers using 9mm diameter bullets that are gaining popularity in competitive circles; one of these, .357 SIG, is gaining some acceptance as a service pistol cartridge. Since the other three use some form of 9mm in their names, these new cartridges often cause some confusion as well. These cartridges all represent an attempt to coax more velocity out of the 9mm bullet.
All fourteen of these 9mm cartridges will be discussed below. WARNING: Pistols chambered in any of the calibers discussed in this article must never be fired with any other cartridge type. This can damage the weapon and/or cause serious injury. The following alternate names are given for informational purposes only. When in doubt, consult the relevant arms or ammunition manufacturer.
The History of 9mm Parabellum (9mm Luger)
The most frequently asked question surrounding "9mm" cartridges has been some version of "is there any difference between 9mm Parabellum and 9mm Luger?" The short answer is no; these are in fact the same cartridge. This cartridge is the one typically meant when people refer to "9mm."
Georg Luger developed the 9mm Parabellum cartridge from 1898-1902. This cartridge has a very interesting history; it is essentially a direct linear descendant of the first semi-automatic cartridge ever developed. Luger had originally worked on the C/93 Borchardt pistol with fellow arms designer Hugo Borchardt. This pistol fired the 7.65 Borchardt cartridge (aka .30 Borchardt or 7.65x25mm). This was the first mechanically and commercially viable semi-auto cartridge/pistol combination; both made their debut in late 1893. The 7.65 Borchardt has a rimless bottlenecked case; nominal velocity is 1,280 fps with an 85gr bullet.
The C/93 Borchardt worked, but it was a fairly large, ungainly handgun. The C/93 was further hampered by the small size of its manufacturer, Ludwig Lowe & Co. This prompted Gebruder Mauser & Co. to produce an improved design, the celebrated C/96 or "Broomhandle" Mauser. As mentioned above, European patent law made it almost prohibitively expensive for one manufacturer to use another's cartridge in a new handgun design. Mauser secured permission to use the 7.65 Borchardt cartridge, but this was eventually modified into the 7.63 Mauser (aka .30 Mauser or 7.63x25mm) for both design and economic considerations. This slight modification created higher velocities, yet lower royalties. Mauser produced 7.65 Borchardt prototypes in 1895, but full-scale 7.63 Mauser C/96 production commenced in 1896. Like its predecessor, the 7.63 Mauser has a rimless bottlenecked case; however, the nominal velocity is 1,450 fps with an 86gr bullet. Until the advent of .357 Magnum, 7.63 Mauser had the highest velocity of any handgun cartridge, commercial or military.
Borchardt and Luger returned to the drawing board after the C/96 virtually forced their earlier design out of the marketplace. One of the primary drawbacks of Borchardt's earlier design was an awkward grip that was at a right angle to the bore. In 1898, Borchardt and Luger presented a redesigned C/93 to the Swiss military; this pistol featured the angled grip later associated with the 9mm Luger pistol. The improved C/93 pistol was chambered in 7.65 Luger (aka .30 Luger or 7.65x21mm), which allowed for a slightly shorter action length and the new grip angle. 7.65 Luger is also rimless and bottlenecked like the two earlier cartridges; it has a nominal velocity of 1,220 fps with a 93gr bullet.
In 1900, the Swiss purchased a small number of pistols of yet another design, the Model 1900 Luger pistol. Apparently, Borchardt did not collaborate with Luger in this second improved design. The Model 1900 closely resembles the later Luger designs, but it was still chambered in 7.65 Luger, rather than 9mm Parabellum. The improved Luger pistol incorporates the basic toggle-link design that he and Borchardt had developed in a more compact and handy pistol. Although impressed by the Luger pistol design and high velocity of the 7.65 Luger cartridge, the Swiss military considered the .30 caliber bullet both too small in diameter and too light in mass.
More:
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