B & R Photography

Welcome back to our Weekly Cartridge blog. This week we are talking about another classic the 9x19mm Parabellum or as most people call it the 9mm or 9mm Luger. Most people who own handguns own one chambered in 9mm and if they don’t, they have very likely shot one at some point in time. It has also become a very popular PCC (Pistol Cartridge Carbine) cartridge for is lower ammunition costs and availability almost anywhere.

The 9x19mm was designed in 1901 by Georg Luger in Austria. It was designed to fit into the Borchardt C-93 Pistol which with Lugers work later evolved into the Luger pistol we all know today. It was based off the 7.65x21mm Parabellum which was a cartridge that Luger had pervious designed for use in the C-93 pistol.

In 1902 Luger took his work and presented it to the British Small Arms Committee, the U.S. Army for testing at the Springfield Arsenal and German Military. The Imperial German navy adopted the cartridge in 1904 and the German Arm adopted it in 1908.

The 9×19 would go on to become one of the most successful chamberings ever designed. It eventually would get adopted by most military and police forces around the world due to is availability in pistols both regular and compact as well as submachine guns and carbine sized rifles.

Common projectile weights for the 9×19 are 115gr to 124gr however you can find ammunition in the 147gr range as well. If you look at a hand-loading manual it will give a range of 90gr up to 147gr in both cast and jacketed projectiles. (information obtained from Lyman 50th edition reloading handbook)

As far as trajectory here is some information for a 124gr projectile leaving the barrel at 1120fps with a 25 yard zero

50 Yards: 1.89 Inches.

70Yards: 4.89 Inches.

100 Yards: 12.03 Inches.

Short Notes.

Official Name: 9x19mm Parabellum (9mm, 9mm Parabellum and 9mm Luger)

Year Designed: 1901

Designed by: Georg Luger

Parent Case: 7.65x21mm Parabellum

Rifling Twist Rate: 250mm (1-9.84In)

I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of the 9x19mm Parabellum and will return next week for our Cartridge of the Week series.

Please remember to always practice safe muzzle control when dealing with firearms and happy shooting.

B