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.
The Beretta APX was designed as a military/police pistol.
It should handle a steady diet of NATO ammo with out issue.
Most US standard off shelf ammo is usually loaded down a bit compared to NATO spec rounds.
No it is not. I believe the white box Winchester NATO has MV of 1140. American Eagle 124 AE9AP has MV of 1150. It would be marked +P if it was indeed +P. Shoot away.
"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."
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.
I believe most modern pistol in 9mm are designed to use 9mm NATO ammo.
It may or may not cause additional wear and tear. Depends on many variables.
The thing is not the pressure of the ammo but how it works for you and your pistol(s).
I love 9mm NATO for breaking in a new gun or even with a well loved older one. It's been flawless for me in all my pistols.
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