9 mm nato ammo

W

wanna be a marksman

Inactive
i have found a place to get 9 mm nato ammo but cant id manufacture on box it is in a brown box simply marked 9mm nato on it it is $20 a box for 50 rds is that a good price and can i shoot it in my hi point 995 it says its rated for +p loads any info welcome
 
6.jpg

look like this?

if so it's ball ammo. nice and acurate, though nothing else special about it. Nice find!
 
Definitely need more info to identify, did you ask the shop workers? Or e-mail the company if it was online? And 20 a box is about double what I pay for practice ammo, would be an acceptable price IF it was high quality match or HD ammo.
 
insomni yeah it looks like that but it has nato in big print on it with the 9 mm below it the shop guy said it was +p+ ammo said he got it from an ex military guy
 
not aware that the army has +P ammo.... check the casing rim.

aside fromt that, it's pretty much assured to shoot straight, and reliably! ENJOY MAN!
 
Last edited:
9mm NATO ammo is apparently loaded to European specifications for the cartridge, which are hotter than US specs.

There's been a lot of debate over the years as to whether it's the equivalent of +P ammo, or is hotter.

I'd personally err on the side of caution on this.
 
$20/50 is a high price, and the bullet is likely FMJ. I can get 9x19 FMJ and even some JHP practice ammo much cheaper. Is the primer non-corrosive? Are the cases brass and reloadable (boxer primed)? How old is the ammo and in what conditions was it stored? For that kind of money, I would pass.
 
A few years back, +P+ 9mm Hirtenberger(sp.?) surplus ammo appeared on the market. Pressure was so high that the ammo damaged many pistols. Also, I've seen some IMI 9mm that was designated by the importer for sub-machine gun only. He warned that it would destroy your pistol. Probably in every case, this type ammo is foreign made and not marked +P+.

Beware. Anyway $20 per box is too much.
 
Those 9x19mm NATO loadings are 124 gr bullets driven at 1260 fps out of a 4inch barrel. In the M9 this is around 1300 fps and part of the reason they were having breakage in the slides and locking blocks of the early military models.

That level of performance would put it in +P territory and possibly the higher +P+ level. It would depend on the powder used and you really can't be so sure as to what that may be.

Limited use would be ok, however for the price it isn't worth it for what it is to us as civilians. Nothing more than more pressure and muzzle blast for punching paper. As a FMJ round it has little value for self defense and would possess more penetration than desired in that role unless you don't mind the possiblty of hitting an innocent and having less stopping power and taking more time to recover shot to shot in a pistol.

In a rifle it is moot as this would be related more to the intended usage. It might prove to be useful in a limited role where something akin to a light .357 load might be useful with the aforementioned high penetration. Not sure what that might be but it is something to consider.

If you do use it keep a close eye on the rifle and the cases for signs of over pressure. Flat primers, bulged cases, etc. will indicate you may be getting more than bargained for. I'd be very cautious about it.
 
Cabelas has S&B 9mm Fmj for $9.97 a box. Safe accurate and easy to come by. I'd steer clear of an expensive ammo with unknown specs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
have to agree its not worth it, at 20 a box you could go buy remington or winchester ammo cheaper than that, why even bother with an unknown manufacturer.
 
Sorry, a little off topic, but when I was reading this thread i see +p and +p+...
What does +p and +p+ mean?
 
+P and +P+ are loads that have higher than normal chamber pressure. There is standard pressure, +P and +P+. Few 9x19 pistols are approved for +P ammo and even fewer for +P+ ammo. Most +P+ ammo in 9x19 is designed for sub-machineguns. Do not shoot +P or +P+ ammo unless the manufacturer of your firearm has stated in writing that this ammo is approved for your firearm. Shooting unapproved ammo could damage your firearm and/or cause personal injury to the shooter and others in the area.
 
All NATO ammo has the makers initials and year of manufacture headstamped on the case.

9mm NATO ammo is loaded to a somewhat higher pressure than standard US commercial ammo.

That box looks like standard USGI packaging. But I have seen those boxes reused for selling reloads.
 
I've seen Winchester 9mm NATO at Sportmans' Warehouse for $12.99 for a box of 50, so I'd have to say that ($20 FOR 50) is not a good price.
 
Last edited:
I bought some winchester nato 9mm some yrs ago for my 9mm colt sportier. was told the higher pressure helped cycle the gun better. it does.
was also told (winchester) it is loaded 10% higher pressure than US commercial loads.
if someone knows what pressures commercial loads are and what pressure +p and +p+ are, we can compare.
 
SAAMI is the governing body for ammo specs.

From my reloading manual


9mm Luger 35,000 PSI

9mm Luger +P 38,500

Saami doesn't list an official spec for +P+ to the best of my knowledge

edit: Wikipedia page on 9mm, it's a decent read
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top