9mm NATO

From GunCounter

Also known as 9 X 19mm NATO, 9mm Luger and 9mm Parabellum

9 X 19 refers to the diameter of the bullet (9mm) and the case length (19mm) used in the round.  NATO indicates that the round is standard issue for the militaries of  members of  the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The round was developed in 1902 and was first used in the P-08 Luger pistol.  It has been used in a wide variety of firearms including pistols and submachine guns.  It was first widely adopted by European militaries and police forces, and beginning in the late 70's US police forces.  It was formally adopted by the US Military as a standard handgun cartridge in 1985, replacing the long issued .45 ACP cartridge.  US Special Operations Forces had been using it for years, often in "sterile" weapons that could not be traced back to the US.

9mm handguns are available from almost every major manufacturer including FN/Browning, Glock, Smith and Wesson and Ruger. 

Traditionally chambered in automatics, there have also been revolvers chambered for the round, such as the S&W Mod 940.  Since the case is rimless, they require the use of moon clips to facilitate extraction of fired cases.

A lenghty discussion of the history and variations of the round is available in the Wikipedia.

US Military specifications for the round can be found in TM43-0001-27 (1994 edition)

TM43-0001-27 Cartridge Data

Designation	Bullet Weight	Velocity	Max Pressure
9mm Ball	115gr	1,125 FPS	43,000PSI
M882	112gr	1,263 FPS	36,250 PSI

Selected Commercial Ammunition Specifications

Manufacturer	Designation	Bullet weight	Bullet type	Velocity
Winchester	Whitebox (USA9MMVP)	115gr	FMJ	1190 FPS
Winchester	Silvertip (X9MMSHP )	115gr	JHP	1225 FPS
Winchester	Silvertip (X9MMST147)	147gr	JHP	1010 FPS
Federal	C9BP	115gr	JHP	1180 FPS
Federal	Hydra-Shok (P9SH1)	124gr	JHP	1120 FPS
Federal	Hydra-Shok (P9HS2)	147gr	JHP	1000 FPS
Remington	Golden Sabre (GS9MMB)	124gr	JHP
Remingtion	Golden Sabre +P (GS9MMD)	124gr	JHP
Remington	Golden Sabre (GS9MMC)	147gr	JHP