Military 9mm Ammo Performance Of Past and Present

[45shooter]

What was the performance of the original 9mm ammo as loaded in Germany in 1900? I've heard that the original performance as specified by Luger was 124gr FMJ @ 1,300 fps from the Luger pistol. Was the ammo loaded by other countries than Germans keep to this performance? What about during WWII? Was the performance of Allied 9mm ammo different than German's? What is the performance specification of current 9mm NATO military ammo? I keep hearing that the 9mm ammo performance has been lowered after WWII and that current NATO spec ammo is much weaker than the original load. Finally how does the performance compare between the commercial civilian ammo and the military NATO spec ammo?

Any knowledgable input on this subject would be appreciated.

 

[chieftain]

German original specs and the NATO spec is/are pretty close. Pretty much as you stated. Oh and that was in 1905, when the German KriegsMarine (navy) wanted a bigger bullet than the 30 Mauser. Luger used the 9mm to get the contract. It did and he did.

It is the singularly the most popular police/military round that has ever existed. And still is. Not so much here in the states, but in the rest of the world.

NATO spec is nominally 1250fps with a 124 FMJ.

American ammo folks and SAMMI underpowered the 9mm pressures. The "reason" given was because of all the weak "foreign" pistols. Funny they didn't seem to have that problem in those "foreign" countries with weak guns. Many folks suggest it was a shot at trying to keep the 45acp competitive. I don't know that for sure, may be all myth.

I do know that many Luger's brought back after both wars, didn't seem to be very reliable. But if you use foreign ammo or NATO spec or +P ammo they seem to work pretty good. It is the underpowered American stuff that makes them jam more often.

most +P commercial loads are closer to the originally spec'ed loads.

About shoots my knowledge of the 9mm.

Good luck

Fred

 

[45/70]

Have a look at the 1900 American Eagle Luger, contracted by the US. It's not 9mm, and US opted for the 45 ACP in 1911 to replace the 45 Colt SAA.

All the military people I talk to want to see the US drop the 9mm Beretta and get back to the 45 ACP.

 

[chieftain]

Yup,

The half dozen or so, 45 cal Luger's that you are talking about were not used by anyone except the US military test folks. One of the most collectible weapons that exist. I don't remember the number, but it was less than 20 that were made.

This is about the 9mm. Although the luger was the first weapon the 9mm was chambered for, the cartridge went on to be chambered by more different type and manufacturers of pistols than any other cartridge.

It is also the defacto SMG cartridge the world over.

One reason the 9mm is so inherently reliable is that unlike almost all of it's competitors, it has a tapered case.

Many want to dump the Beretta. I have found that those issued the M11 do not feel the same way. (SIGP228)

Go figure.

Fred

 

[the naked prophet]

9mm isn't the only one that is underpowered today. Take a look at .38 special cartridges of yesteryear. They were often factory loaded (even before the experimentation was started which eventually led to the .357 magnum) to higher than current .38+P, in terms of both pressure and performance.