is 9mm ammo 9mm ammo?

[NewlyEnthused]

I tried to research this, but get lost on rabbit trails of grains and velocities, etc.

here is the situation. I am out shopping for ammo for my Beretta PX4 Compact 9mm.
I see:
9mm Luger
9mm Makarov
9mm Police
9X18 Ultra
9X19 Parabellum
then it gets into the 9X21 and higher

What is the difference? Before I ever bought a gun, I always thought 9mm amm was the same, just different weights and type (FMJ, HP, etc)

Thanks for any help to keep me from going crazier than I am

 

[noylj]

Are all .30 caliber rifle rounds the same?
Have you compared the .38 S&W and the .38 Special?
9x19=9mm Luger=9mm Parabellum.
The others are all fairly rare rounds that are quite different from 9x19. This is one reason I try to correct those who simply say they are shooting a 9mm--there are a LOT of 9mm handgun cartridges, and you have less than half of them on your list. You don't even have the 9mm Browning Short/9mm Kurtz on there.

 

[Eidolon]

I tried to research this, but get lost on rabbit trails of grains and velocities, etc.

here is the situation. I am out shopping for ammo for my Beretta PX4 Compact 9mm.
I see:
9mm Luger
9mm Makarov
9mm Police
9X18 Ultra
9X19 Parabellum
then it gets into the 9X21 and higher

What is the difference? Before I ever bought a gun, I always thought 9mm amm was the same, just different weights and type (FMJ, HP, etc)

Thanks for any help to keep me from going crazier than I am

9mm Luger/9X19 Parabellum are the same thing, normal 9MM ammuntion


9mm Makarov/9X18 Ultra

Are for Communist block weapons and the case is 1mm shorter than 9mm NATO (9X19) to keep NATO forces from chambering our ammunition in a captured weapon

ocasionally you'll hear people talk about 9mm short, 9mm Browing or 9mm Kurz which are all .380 rounds

 

[NewlyEnthused]

Thanks guys.

I am starting to think that they have so many different names to confuse us ignorant ones.

At least you guys made it easy to understand,

Now it makes sense why I saw the only option at my Walmart yesterday was MKE 9mm Parabellum. I tried to figure out for the longest time if that would work in my gun, because I had heard to use 9mm Luger.

Thanks again

 

[HoJo]

9mm Makarov/9X18 Ultra

Are for Communist block weapons and the case is 1mm shorter than 9mm NATO (9X19) to keep NATO forces from chambering our ammunition in a captured weapon

But can you use 9mm Makarov ammo in a gun chambered for 9mm Luger?

 

[Eidolon]

But can you use 9mm Makarov ammo in a gun chambered for 9mm Luger?

I wasn't making a case for the Russians logic I was just stating why they did it. Smae reason their artillery was 152mm and ours was 155mm

 

[HoJo]

I wasn't making a case for the Russians logic I was just stating why they did it. Smae reason their artillery was 152mm and ours was 155mm

That was actually a question. Can you use 9x18 in a gun chambered for 9x19?

 

[Eidolon]

That was actually a question. Can you use 9x18 in a gun chambered for 9x19?

I wouldn't know but I wouldn't think so because the case length wouldn't be right

 

[gnat]

That was actually a question. Can you use 9x18 in a gun chambered for 9x19?

No, the case is 1mm to short so the forward end case won't hold the round far enough back for the firing pin to strike the primer and fire the round. Nate

 

[the dark]

That was actually a question. Can you use 9x18 in a gun chambered for 9x19?

No, the case is 1mm to short so the forward end case won't hold the round far enough back for the firing pin to strike the primer and fire the round. Nate

Well that seems some strange logic. I suspect that the round will go in the chamber until the rim of the case stops it even though it will not completely fill the chamber. A .380 will also, but will it feed properly? Will it fire, should you try to fire it? I wouldn't.

 

[flintlock62]

The 9mm Makarov will not work in a 9mm parabellum/luger. The parabellum is tapered, and has a smaller .356 bullet diameter. The Marakov is straight walled, and shorter with a .365 bullet diameter. It will jamb in a luger.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

 

[Warbirds]

Are for Communist block weapons and the case is 1mm shorter than 9mm NATO (9X19) to keep NATO forces from chambering our ammunition in a captured weapon

So you are saying in 1946 The Soviet Union designed the 9x18 makarov so that when NATO was established in 1949 and standardized on the 9mm in 1962 the NATO troops couldn't chamber 9mm ammo in captured 9x18 weapons.

Damn with that kind of psychic ability how did they lose the cold war?

That dog don't hunt.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[flintlock62]

No, you can not. The Marakov has a larger bullet diameter, and it will jamb in a parabellum.

But can you use 9mm Makarov ammo in a gun chambered for 9mm Luger?

 

[gnat]

Well that seems some strange logic. I suspect that the round will go in the chamber until the rim of the case stops it even though it will not completely fill the chamber. A .380 will also, but will it feed properly? Will it fire, should you try to fire it? I wouldn't.

Since APC rounds are headspaced on the end of the case and the 9x18mm round is to short I thought that it would misfire. However you will find Flintlock62 gave the right answer, it will jam because it's to fat I think. I have a MAK 9x18mm and the 9mm Luger slug will slip in the muzzle of the MAK, so I'm sure the 9mm Luger gun would not be happy with the MAK. Nate

 

[Eidolon]

So you are saying in 1946 The Soviet Union designed the 9x18 makarov so that when NATO was established in 1949 and standardized on the 9mm in 1962 the NATO troops couldn't chamber 9mm ammo in captured 9x18 weapons.

Damn with that kind of psychic ability how did they lose the cold war?

That dog don't hunt.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

See, I learned something too. I was told that by my instructors in the Army and never bothered to check it out

 

[Warbirds]

See, I learned something too. I was told that by my instructors in the Army and never bothered to check it out

There is an equally incorrect rumor about US and Russian 50cal ammo being one way interchangeable.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Peggy Reist]

Thanks guys.

I am starting to think that they have so many different names to confuse us ignorant ones.

Yes, it seems so. I just buy what it recommends in the owner's manual IF I can find it.

 

[HoJo]

I didn't think it would work but I had to ask. Thanks.

 

[noylj]

>So you are saying in 1946 The Soviet Union designed the 9x18 makarov so that when NATO was established in 1949 and standardized on the 9mm in 1962 the NATO troops couldn't chamber 9mm ammo in captured 9x18 weapons.

The Soviets KNEW exactly what cartridge ALL the European countries were using and so they blew-out the 9x19 case (eliminated the taper) and used a bullet that fit that case mouth. Isn't the 9x19 from around 1908, giving them a few years to study the case. Do YOU think they designed the cartridge without looking at existing cartridges and just happened to come up with a blown out 9x19 case without modifications?