Glock Talk banner

Is Win. 9mm NATO considered + P?

11K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  Benello 
#1 ·
The reason I ask is on the side of the box it says: “These cartridges are loaded to military velocity and pressure which is higher than 9mm Luger cartridges; average pressure is 10% higher than industry standard pressure for 9mm Luger”.
I was told by more than one gunshop owner that if it doesn’t say +P on the box then it’s not +P.
I want to know if shooting the NATO round is putting extra wear and tear on my gun if I shoot it.
I ask not only for my g17/gen.3, but for the following guns I intend to get.
Beretta APX 9mm.
CZ P10 C 9mm.
Thanks in advance for the responses.
 
#5 ·
Yes, 9mm NATO is about equal to (maybe even a bit hotter than) 9mm +P.

Glocks are designed for the military. Militaries who use 9mm Lugers use 9mm NATO ammo. Don't know about the Beretta APX or the CZ P10.

Years and years and years ago, I purchased 2K rounds of South African 9mmNATO ammo. Gosh, I wish I had purchased 8K or 10K of those rounds!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DunRanull
#6 ·
Can't go by velocity.

"The ammo industry uses something called SAAMI Standards to establish the pressures that ammo should be loaded to. The SAAMI pressure for 9mm Luger ammo is around 35,000 PSI, and C.I.P (think European SAAMI) rates 9mm Luger ammo at 34,080 PSI. According to documentation, the 9mm NATO rounds are pressured at 36,500 PSI (again according to CIP). That means that when compared to standard 9mm ammo, the 9mm NATO ammo is running a higher pressure, analogous to a 9mm +P load, which SAAMI rates around 36,000 PSI."

http://www.gunnuts.net/2009/04/03/9mm-nato-vs-9mm-luger/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum#NATO_9_mm_standard

That said, Glocks were designed around the NATO spec, so there's no real worry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeeWilly and Berto
#9 ·
Berto is correct on SAAMI +P standards. (Looked it up when I saw the difference in what I'd posted.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeeWilly
#8 ·
The 9mm SAAMI spec pressure is 35K PSI.
The 9mm +P SAAMI spec max pressure is 38.5K PSI.
The 9mm NATO spec max pressure is 36.5K PSI.

The NATO spec ammo max pressure wise falls right between the 9mm SAAMI and the 9mm +P SAAMI spec.

Where velocities fall is up to the ammo manufacturer, many load below maximum pressure, so velocities might not match what the pressure maximums indicate.

All the wear is created by the bullet mass and its velocity. So you could have a so-called NATO spec round that actually induces less or similar wear to a normal 9mm SAAMI spec load.

In any case, all modern 9mm guns can easily handle +P level loads (with the exception of maybe some of the newer "mouse/pocket guns") and the wear difference is not going to be measurable to 99% of amateur shooters.

Buy what you like and shoot it. So now you know.
 
#10 ·
OP, your 9mm pistols are going to crack and degrade to dust shooting that magnum charged crap!



If you actually think there is a shred of logic to the above statement, then you really need to hit the range more often.

Winchester 124gr FMJ NATO, is my favorite FMJ ammo to buy. Loaded hot, sealed primer, and shoots smooth and accurate. Works great in 9mm subguns too.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top