9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum ( abbreviated 9mm , 9mmP , 9×19mm or 9×19 ) cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen - und Munitionsfabriken ( DWM ) for their Luger semi - automatic pistol . For this reason , it is designated as the 9mm Luger / 9mm Luger + P by the SAAMI and the 9 mm Luger by the C . I . P . ( differentiating it from the 9mm Makarov and 9mm Browning cartridges ) . Under STANAG 4090 , it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non - NATO countries . The name " Parabellum " is derived from the Latin : " Si vis pacem , para bellum " ( " If you seek peace , prepare for war " ) , which was the motto of DWM . According to the 2006 edition of " Cartridges of the World " , the 9×19mm Parabellum is " the world ' s most popular and widely used military handgun cartridge . " In addition to being used by over 60 % of police in the U . S . , " Newsweek " credits 9×19 pistol sales with making semi - automatic pistols more popular than revolver s . The popularity of this cartridge can be attributed to the widely held conviction that it is effective in police and self - defense use . Its low cost and wide availability are self - sustaining contributors to the caliber ' s continuing popularity . Origins . Georg Luger developed the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge from his earlier 7 . 65×21mm Parabellum round . Luger had derived the 7 . 65×21mm Parabellum from the original 7 . 65×25mm Borchardt cartridge in his efforts to improve upon the Borchardt C - 93 pistol . Shortening the length of the cartridge case allowed him to improve the design of the toggle lock and to incorporate a smaller , angled grip . The initial 9mm cartridge was created by removing the bottleneck of the 7 . 65 mm Luger cartridge , resulting in a tapered rimless cartridge . In 1902 , Luger presented the new round to the British Small Arms Committee as well as three prototype versions to the U . S . Army for testing at Springfield Arsenal in mid - 1903 . The German Navy adopted the cartridge in 1904 and in 1906 the German Army adopted it as well . The ogive of the bullet was slightly redesigned in the 1910s in order to improve feeding . To conserve lead during World War II in Germany , the lead core was replaced by an iron core encased with lead . This bullet , identified by a black bullet jacket , was designated as the 08 mE ( " mit Eisenkern " — " with iron core " ) . By 1944 , the black jacket of the 08 mE bullet was dropped and these bullets were produced with normal copper - colored jackets . Another wartime variation was designated the 08 sE bullet and identified by its dark gray jacket , and was created by compressing iron powder at high temperature into a solid material ( " Sintereisen " — " sintered iron " ) . Popularity . After World War I , acceptance of this caliber increased . Nine - millimeter pistols and submachine guns were adopted by military and police users in a number of countries . The 9×19mm Parabellum has become the most popular caliber for U . S . law enforcement agencies , primarily due to the availability of compact pistols with large magazine capacity that use this cartridge . Worldwide , it is one of the more popular pistol cartridges where it is legal , ( some countries ban civilian use of weapons that chamber current or former military cartridges ) and cartridges in this caliber are generally available anywhere pistol ammunition is sold . From the early 1980s to the mid - 1990s , there was a sharp increase in the popularity of semiautomatic pistols which coincided with the adoption of the S & W Model 39 by the Illinois State Police in 1968 , and the Beretta M9 ( a military version of the Beretta Model 92 ) by the U . S . Army in 1985 . Previously , most police departments issued . 38 Special caliber revolvers with a six - shot capacity . The . 38 Special was preferred to other weapons such as variants of the M1911 because it offered low recoil , was small and light enough to accommodate different shooters , and was relatively inexpensive . The 9mm is ballistically superior to the . 38 Special revolver cartridge , is shorter overall , and being an autoloader cartridge , it is stored in flat magazines , as opposed to cylindrical speedloaders . This , coupled with the advent of the so - called ' wonder nines ' led to many US police departments exchanging their revolvers for some form of 9mm semi - automatic handguns by the 1980s . Cartridge dimensions . The 9×19mm Parabellum has 0 . 86 ml ( 13 . 3 grains HO ) cartridge case capacity . 9×19mm Parabellum maximum C . I . P . cartridge dimensions . All sizes in millimeters ( mm ) . The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case . The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 250 mm ( 1 in 9 . 84 in ) , 6 grooves , ø lands = 8 . 82 mm , ø grooves = 9 . 02 mm , land width = 2 . 49 mm and the primer type is small pistol . According to the official C . I . P . ( Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L ' Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives ) guidelines the 9×19mm Parabellum case can handle up to piezo pressure . In C . I . P . regulated countries every pistol cartridge combo has to be proofed at 130 % of this maximum C . I . P . pressure to certify for sale to consumers . The SAAMI pressure limit for the 9×19mm Parabellum is set at piezo pressure . < br > The SAAMI pressure limit for the 9×19 mm Parabellum + P is set at piezo pressure . Empty case weighs approximately . Performance . The round was originally designed to be lethal to 50 m but the bullet travels and is lethal at longer ranges . The 9 mm cartridge combines a flat trajectory with moderate recoil . According to the 1986 book " Handloading " : " the modern science of wound ballistics has established beyond reasonable doubt that the 9mm cartridge is highly effective . " The energy delivered by most 9 mm loads allows for significant expansion and penetration with premium JHP bullets . Illinois State Police , Border Patrol , Federal Air Marshals and United States Secret Service favored and used + P + 9 mm loads at for years with excellent results . Massad Ayoob has stated that the " Tried , Tested , and True " + P or + P + is the best self - defense load in this caliber . Proponents of the hydrostatic shock theory contend that the energy of the 9mm cartridge is capable of imparting remote wounding effects known as hydrostatic shock , in human - sized living targets . 9×19mm Parabellum pistols with standard ( not extended ) double - stack magazines can hold up to 19 cartridges , such as the Springfield XD ( m ) 4 . 5 " 9mm . The table below shows common performance parameters for several 9×19mm loads . Bullet weights ranging from are common . Loads are available with energies from just over to over , and penetration depths from to over are available for various applications and risk assessments . " Key : " < br > Expansion : expanded bullet diameter ( ballistic gelatin ) . < br > Penetration : penetration depth ( ballistic gelatin ) . < br > PC : permanent cavity volume ( ballistic gelatin , FBI method ) . < br > TSC : temporary stretch cavity volume ( ballistic gelatin ) . Improvements and variations . In addition to the traditional pressure values for this cartridge , there are two main variants that offer different pressure standards than the SAAMI or C . I . P requirements . 9×19mm + P variant . Attempts to improve ballistics of the cartridge came in the early 1990s with the widespread availability of high pressure loadings of the 9 mm cartridge . Such overpressure cartridges are labeled " + P " or in the case of very high pressure loadings " + P + " . Ballistic performance of these rounds was moderately improved over the standard loadings . In addition , improvements in jacketed hollow point bullet technology have produced bullet designs that are more likely to expand and less likely to fragment than earlier iterations , giving a 9 mm bullet better terminal effectiveness . 9 mm NATO variant . The 9 mm cartridge has been manufactured by , or for , more than 70 different countries and has become a standard pistol caliber for NATO and other military forces around the world . Its official nomenclature among NATO users is " 9 mm NATO " . The 9 mm NATO can be considered as an overpressure variant of the 9×19mm Parabellum that is defined by NATO standards . The service pressure Pmax of the 9 mm NATO is rated at where C . I . P . rates the 9 mm Luger PTmax somewhat lower at . The proofing test pressure used in the 9 mm NATO proof test however equals the proofing test pressure used in the 9 mm Luger C . I . P . proof test . While the NATO standards do not specify the type of bullet to be used , Declaration III of the Hague Convention of 1899 prohibits the use of expanding ammunition in warfare by signatories , and therefore official 9 mm NATO ammunition is FMJ " ball " bullets . However , JAG attorneys for the U . S . military have issued opinions on the use of " open - tip " ammunition by snipers , stating that such ammunition is legal according to the laws of war including the Hague Convention ( " open - tip " ammunition is still fully jacketed , and not " designed " to expand on impact ) . Declaration III also does not apply in conflicts involving non - signatories to the Hague Convention , including paramilitary and other non - governmental fighting forces . 9 mm SESAMS . The United States Military uses red and blue marking rounds in the 9mm caliber known as Special Effects Small Arms Marking Systems ( SESAMS ) . Commonly used for training simulations , these rounds are comparable in function to the paintballs used in paintball markers , except they are fired with a powder charge , and can be shot in Beretta M9 service pistols with only a barrel modification ( The Glock 19 - series 9mm pistol , common among police departments , has a similar available modification ) . The 9mm SESAMS rounds are fired from specially modified pistols as well as M16 and M4 rifles , which are incapable of chambering standard live ammunition . SESAMS weapons or components are normally painted blue or otherwise clearly marked , in order to denote their inert status and avoid a potentially catastrophic mixup with live - fire weapons . This allows the armed forces to train with nearly identical equipment as used in real life situations . The brand name for this ammunition , which is sold commercially and to law enforcement , is Simunition . Russian military overpressure variants . The Russian military has developed specialized 9×19mm cartridges that utilize relatively light bullets at high muzzle velocities for both pistols and submachine guns to defeat body armour . Besides enhanced penetration capabilities , these overpressure variants offer a flatter trajectory and lessened recoil . The increase in service pressure causes a rise in bolt thrust , so the use of this overpressure ammunition induces more stress on critical weapon parts during firing . After initial research , conducted since the late 1980s under the codename " Grach " , the Russian armed forces adopted two specialized 9×19mm variants . The 7N21 ( Cyrillic : 7 Н 21 ) 9×19 mm overpressure variant features an armour piercing bullet and generates a peak pressure of . The 7N21 bullet features a hardened ( sub - caliber ) steel penetrator core , enclosed by a bimetal jacket . The space between the core and jacket is filled with polyethylene , and the tip of the penetrator is exposed at the front of the bullet , to achieve better penetration . The penetration range for body armor is specified at up to 40 m . The MP - 443 Grach and GSh - 18 pistols and PP - 19 - 01 , PP - 90M1 and PP - 2000 submachine guns were designed for usage with this overpressure cartridge . " Jane ' s Infantry Weapons " stated in 2003 that the 7N21 cartridge combines the 9×19mm Parabellum dimensions with a 9×21mm Gyurza bullet design and was developed specifically for the penetration of body armor and for the MP - 443 Grach pistol , the latest Russian service pistol . The 7N31 ( Cyrillic : 7 Н 31 ) / PBP 9×19mm overpressure variant uses the same concept with a similar but lighter bullet that achieves higher muzzle velocity . The penetration of an 8 mm thick steel plate is specified at up to 10 m . The 7N31 cartridge was developed in the late 1990s for the GSh - 18 pistol . The 7N31 was adopted for the PP - 90M1 and PP - 2000 submachine guns . Its maximum service pressure remains unclear . The method of construction of the two rounds allows them to be effective against both unarmored and armored targets . If the bullet strikes an unarmored target , it holds together to produce a wide wound channel . If the bullet strikes an armored target , the sleeve is stripped away and the core penetrates alone . The disadvantage of the rounds is that high impact velocities are needed for them to work effectively , so the bullets are relatively light to maximize their muzzle velocity . This means they will lose velocity relatively quickly , limiting their effective range . 9mm major . " 9mm major " is a term common among handloaders in IPSC and USPSA competitions in the open division . It describes a 9×19mm loaded to reach or surpass the " major " power factor in those competitions , something that very few commercial self - defense loads do . Such loads are only rarely within the limits defined by SAAMI or CIP , exceeding even + P loads . Usually , they are relatively large charges of a relatively slow - burning powder combined with light bullets and a longer than standard OAL . Since they can be used with common 9×19 brass , they are considered a cheaper alternative to . 38 Super . This ammunition puts a greater strain on the gun than normal ammunition . Other variants . VBR - B produces specialized bullets for this cartridge , a 2 - part controlled fragmenting projectile and an armor - piercing bullet that features a brass sabot and a hardened steel penetrator . These are designed for increasing the content of the permanent wound cavity and double the chance to hit a vital organ .