simonrichter
New member
Hi Folks,
Maybe some of you has an answer to this issue that has long been puzzling me: The Russians managed to not only create the 9x21 AP round, but also to put more or less the same AP capability in a 9x19 as well (the 7N31).
In the light of these developments, I always wondered about the NATO PDW trials stacking standard 9mm against 5.7 and 4.6. While I see the benefits of the latter two in terms of recoil, weight and mag capacity, it's absurd to claim that they are better in piercing armor when no AP variant of 9mm was ever tested in these trials.
Even more, after most NATO countries opted to stick with 9mm at least as a pistol round anyway, why didn't they try a variant better against helmets and ballistic vests when this was obviously an issue in the PDW segment? Afaik, the new M17 / M18 doesn't make use of any kind of ammunition that has enhanced capabilities against soft body armor...?
Maybe some of you has an answer to this issue that has long been puzzling me: The Russians managed to not only create the 9x21 AP round, but also to put more or less the same AP capability in a 9x19 as well (the 7N31).
In the light of these developments, I always wondered about the NATO PDW trials stacking standard 9mm against 5.7 and 4.6. While I see the benefits of the latter two in terms of recoil, weight and mag capacity, it's absurd to claim that they are better in piercing armor when no AP variant of 9mm was ever tested in these trials.
Even more, after most NATO countries opted to stick with 9mm at least as a pistol round anyway, why didn't they try a variant better against helmets and ballistic vests when this was obviously an issue in the PDW segment? Afaik, the new M17 / M18 doesn't make use of any kind of ammunition that has enhanced capabilities against soft body armor...?