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9×21mm

Israeli pistol cartridge

9×21mm

Israeli pistol cartridge

FieldValue
name9×21mm
image9X21 and 9X19 cartridges.jpgimage_size = 200px
caption9×21mm (left) and parent 9×19mm Parabellum (right) cartridges
typePistol
originItaly
Israel
designerFranco Benvenuti Agency (Italy) and Israel Military Industries (IMI)
production_date1980–present
is_SI_specsyes
parent9×19mm Parabellum
case_typeRimless, tapered
bullet9.03
land8.79
neck9.63
base9.93
rim_dia9.96
rim_thick1.27
case_length21.15
length29.75
case_capacity1.01
rifling254 mm (1 in 10 in)
primerSmall pistol
max_pressure235.00
is_SI_ballisticsyes
bwunitgram
bw17.45
btype1FMJ
vel1390
en1570
bw28.00
btype2FMJ
vel2360
en2518
balsrcC.I.P.

Israel

The 9×21mm pistol cartridge (also known as the 9×21mm GP, 9×21mm IMI, 9mm IMI, 9×21mm Italian, or 9mm Italian) was designed by Jager (Loano, Italy), then adopted and commercialised by Israel Military Industries for jurisdictions where military service cartridges, like the 9×19mm Parabellum, are or were illegal for civilian purchase (i.e. France, Brazil, Mexico as well as Italy until 2021, when the 9×19mm was legalized for civilian use).

History

Based on the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, the case was lengthened from 19.05 to. The bullet sits slightly deeper in the case, which results in almost the same overall length as the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge (29.69 to).

The cartridge was designed by Erasmus Giordano & Armando Piscetta to be used for civil purposes with large pistols (also those designed for .45 ACP). It was named "9 mm GP". The users were not enthusiastic at the very beginning for several reasons, such as the fact that barrels had to be modified.

During the 1980s, Israel Military Industries (IMI) started to use 9×21mm and received permission to import the UZI Defender (also called Micro Uzi) into Italy chambered for 9×21 IMI. It was the first official commercial launch for the 9×21mm. From that period on several companies in Italy started to sell 9×21mm pistols and ammunition. In just a few decades, the 9×21mm GP or 9×21 IMI became roughly 80% of the civilian small arms market in Italy.

Competition use

As it is a rimless round, the 9×21mm is used in USPSA/IPSC competition in open class firearms. A rimless case is preferred because, unlike semi-rimmed or rimmed cartridges, it will not tend to lock together with other rounds in a double-column magazine, resulting in a malfunction. As other .38 Super–based rimless cartridges became available, the 9×21mm decreased in popularity in the United States for competition use, but it is still widely used in many other parts of the world.

Synonyms

  • 9×21mm IMI
  • 9 mm IMI
  • 9mm Italiano
  • Winchester 9×21mm WIN [124-gr. bullet]

Cartridge dimensions

The 9×21mm has 1.01 ml (15.5 grains H2O) cartridge case capacity.

9×21mm maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions All sizes in millimeters (mm).

The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 8.79 mm, Ø grooves = 9.03 mm, land width = 3.80 mm and the primer type is small pistol.

According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives) guidelines, the 9×21mm case can handle up to 235 MPa piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every pistol cartridge combo has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.

References

References

  1. "C.I.P. decisions, texts and tables - free current C.I.P. CD-ROM version download (ZIP and RAR format)".
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