9 mm parabellum cartridges. Military history, weapons, old and military maps
The 9 mm Luger cartridge (aka 9x19 Parbellum) was released in Austria at the very dawn of the last century. In 1902, the famous gunsmith G. Luger developed it specifically for the Luger pistol, which was released in 1900.
General view of the 9 mm Luger cartridge (9x19 Parabellum)
The ammunition has a wafer-shaped cylindrical cartridge case, in which a slight taper is allowed. It is a shortened version of the 7.65x21 Para cartridge, with some changes. For example, the bottle-shaped sleeve was changed to cylindrical, its high taper became barely noticeable and, importantly, the caliber changed.
Initially, the bullet in the ammunition was conceived as conical in shape with a rather flat head, however, this structure often caused delays during shooting, as difficulties arose in feeding the cartridge from the firearm's magazine into its chamber. In this regard, by 1915, a new bullet design was created with an ogive head. Its plating with tombak has been practiced since 1917. Previously, it had a lead core surrounded by a steel shell clad with cupronickel.
The main performance characteristics of the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge are presented in the table below:
The potential of the 9 mm Luger ammunition has not been exhausted. It is constantly undergoing changes and modifications. A huge number of small arms around the world are designed specifically for this ammunition. Below is a far from complete list of models using this cartridge:
- submachine gun;
- gun ;
- pistol, Glock 18, Glock 34;
- submachine gun;
- and its modifications;
- gun ;
- gun ;
- pistol and many others.
Marking on the bottom of the sleeve:
![](https://i0.wp.com/lockwork.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/9mm-lyuger-dontse.jpg)
Production of a commercial domestic version of this ammunition began in the 90s of the last century, exclusively for export. Closer to the 2000s, the defense department placed an order for the production of 9x19 mm cartridges as a new standard ammunition for the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The 9x19 cartridge, also known as 9mm Luger (after Georg Luger, the creator of the first pistol chambered for this cartridge) or 9mm Parabellum (after the trademark of DWM, the creator of the cartridge and the first pistols for it), is certainly the most popular pistol ammunition in the world. This cartridge was created in 1902 on the basis of the 7.65x 21 Parabellum cartridge case at the request of the Imperial German Navy, which was interested in the Georg Luger system pistol, but considered the 7.65mm bullet to be insufficiently effective. In 1904, the 9x19 cartridge, equipped with a jacketed bullet with a truncated cone nose, was adopted by the German Navy, and in 1908, together with a modified Luger P.08 pistol, this cartridge was adopted by the German Reichswehr (army). Since 1917, German military-style 9x19 cartridges were equipped with bullets with an ogival head, which increased the reliability of cartridge feeding in self-loading weapons. The cartridge turned out to be very successful, providing a reasonable balance between the size of the cartridge, the weapon under it and their effectiveness. During the interwar period, the creation of the FN Browning High Power pistol in Belgium in 1935, which gained popularity on both sides of the fronts of World War II, had a significant influence on the growth of the popularity of this cartridge. After the 9x19 cartridge was standardized within the NATO bloc in the mid-fifties, its future was finally strengthened. In 1985, this cartridge was adopted into service in the United States, and in 2003, 101 years after its creation, a version of this cartridge, with a reinforced charge and an armor-piercing bullet, was also adopted in Russia.
Currently, hundreds of variants of 9x19 cartridges are produced around the world, differing in equipment options, types of bullets, muzzle energy developed and peak pressures. Since in many countries of the world, in addition to pistols chambered for this cartridge, submachine guns were created that had a longer and more durable barrel, special reinforced cartridges for them were also produced. The use of such cartridges in conventional pistols, as a rule, leads to their accelerated wear and sometimes to the destruction of the weapon when fired. However, in a number of countries, reinforced cartridges were at one time standard for all army weapons, both pistols and submachine guns.
Military versions of this cartridge, like any other, have full-jacket bullets produced in regular, tracer or armor-piercing versions. Cartridge options for civilian and police use can have conventional (jacketed) or hollow-point bullets of various designs.
Chuck type |
Manufacturer |
Bullet weight, g |
Initial speed, m/s |
Muzzle energy, J |
Note |
KBP, Russia |
with an armor-piercing bullet |
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Hirtenberger, Austria |
with a low-ricochet expansive bullet |
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KSPZ, Russia |
with an armor-piercing bullet |
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TPZ, Russia |
with an armor-piercing bullet |
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MEN, Germany |
with an armor-piercing bullet with a tungsten core |
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RUAG, Switzerland |
with an expansive bullet with a streamlined plug in the nose, especially for the German police |
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KTW, USA |
With an armor-piercing bullet |
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Winchester, USA |
9mm NATO standard cartridge |
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Winchester, USA |
with an expansive bullet |
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Remington, USA |
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Radway Green, UK |
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Remington, USA |
with hollow point bullet, reinforced charge, for police use |
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with a shell bullet |
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Balle 'O' |
reinforced cartridge for submachine guns |
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Hirtenberger, Austria |
reinforced cartridge for submachine guns |
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Remington, USA |
with an expansive bullet with subsonic velocity, for use with a suppressor |
Note: For submachine gun cartridges, bullet velocities are based on FN Browning High Power (*) or MAC Mle .1950 (**).
The 9 mm Parabellum cartridge (on the North American continent better known under the name of its creator - Georg Lugger - 9 mm Luger, as well as under the designation 9 mm NATO pistol cartridge) is the only cartridge that, over its more than a century of life, has deserved to be called simply "cartridge 9 mm".
Georg Luger created the 9x19 cartridge when the Kaiser's German Navy showed interest in a "Parabellum" pistol of his design, but considered its original 7.65mm caliber insufficient.
9x19
(early version)
In 1902, to increase the power of the Parabellum pistol, Luger changed the shape of the 7.65 mm cartridge case from bottle to cylindrical, connecting it to a 9 mm cartridge bullet.
In 1904, the German Navy, followed by the German Army in 1908, adopted the Luger pistol and a new cartridge for it.
9x19
Initially, the 9x19 cartridge had a jacketed bullet with a flat head (in the form of a truncated cone). In 1915 it was replaced by a bullet with an ogive head. The bullet initially had a nickel silver-clad steel shell with a lead core. Since 1917, the steel bullet casing has been varnished with tombak.
Standard 9x19 Luger / Parabellum cartridges (cartridges with standard barrel pressure) have a bullet weight from 6 to 10.7 g, muzzle velocity from 300 to 450 m/s, muzzle energy from 450 to 550-600 Joules.
9x19 Luger
FMJ; FMJ nick; HP (R-P); HP (CBC); HP nick
(from left to right)
The 9x19 cartridge cases are available in both brass and copper-plated steel. The bullet can be of any type, including plastic. General purpose bullet - jacketed with a lead core. The shell is bimetallic or steel, clad with tombak.
Cartridges produced for civilian and police weapons were equipped with almost all types of bullets produced in the world.
The good ballistic properties of the 9x19 cartridge made it the standard ammunition for pistols and submachine guns in most countries of the world after World War II.
The 9x19 Luger / Parabellum cartridge is produced in almost all countries of the world.
9x19 Luger
different manufacturers
In principle, the clarification of the type 9x19 “Parabellum” or 9x19 “Luger” only gives an idea of the geometric dimensions of the sleeve. There is no identity between these designations: in some countries the first abbreviation refers to military cartridges, and the second to cartridges for the civilian market, while in Finland the first abbreviation refers to cartridges with cartridges with a Berdan-type capsule socket, the second to a Boxer-type capsule socket "(the successor to the Berdanov capsule, which almost replaced the Berdanov capsule). Some European companies still use the designation 9x19mm "Luger" for cartridges supplied to the American market, while for other purchasing countries the same cartridges are sold as 9x19 "Parabellum". Some produce cartridges with a main bullet mass of 7.5 g, and others with a mass of 8 g.
However, the external geometric dimensions of the cartridge case, identical within tolerance, unite thousands of the most diverse cartridges, developed in all corners of the world since 1902, into the 9x19 caliber family.
9x19 Luger
(standard option)
9x19 cartridges have several basic modifications that differ in power: 9-mm “parabellum” with a standard impulse (i.e. the pressure in the barrel bore does not exceed the norm), the so-called “standard” cartridge, 9-mm +P (i.e. pressure in the barrel bore is high (increased)), 9 mm +P+ (i.e. the pressure in the barrel bore is very high - this type of cartridge is used by the police, less often in “civilian” pistols), 9 mm NATO (used by armies NATO countries). There are also so-called “automatic” 9x19 cartridges intended for submachine guns, which in the West have the general designation “series B 3” (The use of such cartridges in any pistols is unacceptable, because due to much more, even compared to the 9x19-mm cartridge "NATO" maximum permissible pressure of powder gases can rupture the barrel. They can only be used in submachine guns.).
9-mm NATO cartridges in their characteristics are very close to 9-mm +P+ cartridges and the use of cartridges of this type in weapons designed for the standard 9x19 cartridge (for example, in old pistols such as “Parabellum-08” or “Walter P-38” ) is unacceptable because it can lead to the destruction of the weapon. Modern weapons, such as, for example, pistols “Glock-17”, “Beretta-92 FS”, etc., are produced taking into account the fact that 9-mm +P+ or 9 mm cartridges will probably be used for shooting -mm NATO. True, experts do not advise owners of such pistols as, for example, Glock-17, Beretta-92 FS, etc., to always shoot with 9-mm +P+ or 9-mm NATO cartridges; it is better to shoot with a “standard” cartridge 9x19, since in the case of firing with a “standard” 9x19 cartridge, the barrel life will be much higher than in the case of firing with 9x19 +P, 9x19 +P+ or 9x19 NATO cartridges.
The standard 9 mm NATO cartridge has a bullet weight of 7.82 grams at a muzzle velocity of 390-400 m/s or 8.43 grams at a muzzle velocity of about 375 m/s. Muzzle energy is about 600 Joules.
It is also worth mentioning the fact that Russia also switched to the “European standard”, accepting the 9x19 caliber cartridge (and its modifications) as one of the standard cartridges for military weapons (and also due to the fact that the 9x18 PM cartridge turned out to be powerless against modern means of personal armor protection ) at the Tula Cartridge Plant they developed its improved modification - the 9x19 PP cartridge.
The new 9x19 armor-piercing cartridge is equipped with a semi-jacketed bullet with a steel core. The head part of the steel core is flat, the diameter of the cylindrical part is about 6 mm with a length of 16 mm; the core is enclosed in an aluminum jacket and a bimetallic shell. A bullet with a total mass of 5.1 grams at a pressure in the barrel bore of up to 2200 atm. (220 mPa) has a speed of 420 m/s at a distance of 10 meters from the muzzle, which corresponds to a kinetic energy of 714 J. This energy is enough to penetrate 7 mm steel plate. True, only early 9x19 PP cartridges had such acceptable pressure.
7N21
However, later, manufacturers, having decided to “build up muscles,” seriously increased the working pressure of serial armor-piercing cartridges 7N21 (developed by TsNIITOCHMash, cartridge designer I. P. Kasyanov), which turned out to be higher than that of 9x19 caliber cartridges, designed for use only in pistols -machine guns.
7N31
The later 7N31 cartridge (developed by KBP) has even more “strict” levels of maximum permissible pressure, even compared to the 7N21 cartridge, which leads not only to unnecessary loads on the weapon, but also does not make it possible to achieve acceptable accuracy and accuracy of fire.
It is also worth noting that Russian ammunition manufacturers produce the 9x19 Luger cartridge with “standard” operating pressure with both brass, steel and bimetallic cases. It should also be noted that the cartridges produced by the Tula TPZ have external sealing of the bullet and an increased (compared to other Russian cartridge factories) thickness of the varnish layer at the barrel of the case.
- Ammunition » Cartridges » 9 - 10 mm
- Mercenary 29416 0
9mm Parabellum SSI Blaser Brass cartridges with jacketed bullets
9mm Parabellum Winchester +P+ Ranger Talon JHP cartridges with hollow point bullets
The most popular and widespread pistol cartridge in the world is the 9mm Parabellum, created in 1902 for the Georg Luger pistol based on the 7.65mm Parabellum cartridge with a bottle sleeve. At first, this new cartridge did not surpass in popularity the much more common 7.65mm Browning. But later the Germans abandoned pistol cartridges of 7.65 mm caliber in combat pistols and switched to 9 mm caliber as a result of combat experience gained during local clashes in African colonies and the suppression of the “Boxer” uprising in China (1899 - 1901). , which indicated the insufficient stopping effect of 7.65 mm pistol bullets. The 9 mm cartridge was first adopted by the German Navy in 1904, along with the Luger Pistole 1904 pistol, also known as the Naval Model, and then into service by the Reichswehr with the P.08 pistol. Adopted in 1904, the cartridge was loaded with jacketed bullets with a lead core and a truncated cone head. But in order to more reliably feed cartridges, in 1917 bullets began to be produced with an ogive-shaped head part. From that time to the present, this cartridge has been in service with the German army and police. It is widely used in armies, law enforcement agencies, special forces and ordinary citizens. 9mmParabellum is in service with NATO countries.
In 1985, the 9x19 cartridge was adopted by the US military, along with the M9 pistol. In Russia, pistols chambered for this cartridge, or rather variants created on the basis of 9x19, were officially adopted by the army and law enforcement services in 2003. It was a PYa pistol designed by Yarygin and GSh-18, created by Gryazev and Shipunov. The main distinctive feature and at the same time advantage of Russian cartridges lies in the design of the bullet. Armor-piercing bullets of the 7N21 cartridges, designed for PYa, and 7N31 - for the GSh-18, have heat-strengthened steel cores, the head of which protrudes from the bullet shell. In addition, Russian cartridges develop high pressure in the barrel, reaching 2800 kg/cm², which is 100 kg/cm² higher than the permissible value for Western +P cartridges. As a result, 7N21 and 7N31 have excellent bullet penetration, with a fairly good stopping effect, which compares very favorably with the high-velocity small-caliber bullets of the Belgian 5.7x28 cartridges. A huge number of variants of the 9x19 cartridge are produced all over the world, with very different data on muzzle velocity and bullet energy. The initial speed of the bullet varies from 300 to 450 m/s, and the energy from 400 to 600 J, depending on the size of the powder charge and the mass of the bullet. One of the most important qualities is the stopping effect of a bullet. Speer Gold Dot cartridges, used by the US FBI, have one of the best performance indicators due to the combination of high stopping and penetrating effects of the bullet. Federal Hydra Shock cartridges also have a high RPM. Of the new developments, the best in terms of EDP are the Winchester +P+ Ranger Talon JHP.
Due to the enormous popularity of this cartridge among civilians and police, a lot of data has been collected on the effectiveness of certain bullets. This allows you to get an objective picture of which bullets perform well in real-life street shootouts and which perform less well. Over the years, the Illinois State Police load, equipped with a 7.4 g (115 grain) expansion bullet, has proven to be the most preferable stopping effect. A variant of this cartridge, the Federal 9BPLE, is standard issue for police in the De Kalb County area surrounding Atlanta, Georgia. Their experience clearly shows that when you shoot a bad guy with a Beretta service pistol with a standard 7.4 g high-velocity bullet, the bad guy drops on the spot and does not try to shoot back at you. There are several loading options for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge that offer comparable stopping power. These are Ranger +P+ cartridges manufactured by Winchester, with 8.2 g (127 grains) bullet, as well as Speer cartridges with 8 g (124 grains) Gold Dot bullets, having almost the same muzzle velocity and +P pressure. The Chicago Police Department switched to the 8.0 bullet cartridge after a large number of failures using the 9.5 (147 grain) bullet at subsonic muzzle velocities. Orlando cops use Sig Sauer P226 pistols with Winchester +P+ cartridges loaded with 8.2 g hollow-point bullets. Their experience shows that this combination is as effective as other popular cartridges in this caliber.
Recently, a new generation of cartridges loaded with 9.5 g (147 grain) bullets with subsonic muzzle velocities has been introduced to the market, demonstrating excellent performance. The modern design ensures reliable opening even at low speeds. Currently, such cartridges are presented under the brands Federal HST, CCI Speer Gold Dot and Winchester Ranger. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have a 9 mm pistol as their standard duty weapon, and those officers who wish to carry a larger caliber weapon on duty have the opportunity to purchase one at their own expense. Now this opportunity is rarely used, since their new Winchester Ranger service cartridge, equipped with a 9.5 g bullet, has shown itself to be excellent in a number of cases where weapons were used by their colleagues. However, we must admit that higher velocity bullets have an advantage. A 9 mm bullet with a high muzzle velocity causes much more serious damage to the flesh along the wound channel. Autopsies after the use of such bullets show an effect that pathologists call “soaked flesh.” Human meat in this case looks like minced meat. You won't see this kind of damage when using bullets with subsonic muzzle velocities. But still, modern 9.5 g (147 grains) bullets, due to their design, can open up slightly more than lighter bullets, since they simply have more lead filling.
The reason for the popularity of this cartridge at present is not only its wide distribution in itself, but also to a greater extent its combat qualities. With relatively small dimensions, allowing the use of high-capacity double-row magazines, the cartridge has good ballistic properties, fairly high energy and muzzle velocity. Pistols with double-stack magazines using this cartridge have a handle of acceptable width, comfortable to hold and compact enough for concealed carry. Many special forces use the technique of high-speed suppression fire and high-speed fire in short bursts. In the first case, a large role is played by the large magazine capacity, which is characteristic of all modern 9 mm pistols. But more interesting is high-speed shooting in short series of three to four shots with high accuracy. Several accurate hits from a 9mm bullet like the Speer Gold Dot are more effective than a single hit from a .45 caliber bullet. With this shooting technique, the most important qualities are low recoil and bounce when shooting, and of course, magazine capacity. Modern full-size 9mm pistols are easy to control while firing and have a large magazine capacity. Another important advantage of using this ammunition is the widest range of options for its equipment. We produce military cartridges with armor-piercing and tracer bullets, police cartridges with high powder charges and high-performance expansion bullets with a large ROP, conventional cartridges with jacketed bullets used in a wide variety of applications, as well as high-quality cartridges for sports competitions. There are a huge number of variants of this cartridge on the civilian weapons market. This cartridge usually has a low cost, which is a determining criterion for constantly training shooters. In general, the 9mmParabellum cartridge combines high combat and consumer qualities, which is the most important reason for its popularity.
The Parabellum 9x19 mm unitary pistol cartridge was developed by the German gunsmith Georg Luger in 1902 for the Luger-Parabellum pistol. In 1904 it was adopted by the German Navy, and in 1908 by the German Army.
The name Parabellum comes from the Latin proverb “If you want peace, prepare for war” (Latin: Si vis pacem, para bellum).
The cartridge is a 7.65 mm cartridge case connected to a 9 mm cartridge bullet. Initially, the bullet had a conical shape with a flat head (in the form of a truncated cone). In 1915 it was replaced by a bullet with an ogive head. The bullet initially had a nickel silver-clad steel shell with a lead core. Since 1917, the steel bullet casing has been varnished with tombak.
The good ballistic qualities of the cartridge made it the standard ammunition for pistols and submachine guns in most countries of the world after World War II. Currently, this cartridge is produced in almost all countries of the world that produce ammunition, including Russia. There are options with steel and brass sleeves, with bullets of various shapes and materials, including plastic.
9 mmPistol cartridge with lead bullet
core
Characteristics of the cartridge
Caliber 9×19 “Parabellum”
Chuck length, mm 29.5…29.7
Cartridge weight, g 11.45…11.60
Loading density, g/cm3 0.86
Maximum pressure of powder gases, MPa 130.2
thickness, mm 0.242…0.286
Bullet characteristics
Jacket bullet type
Bullet weight, g 7.35…7.50
Bullet length, mm 15.7…15.9
Bullet ballistic coefficient, m2/kg 8.94
Bullet shell mass, g 1.6…1.7
Bullet core material: lead with an admixture of 1...2% antimony
Bullet core mass, g 5.8…5.9
Sleeve characteristics
Sleeve length, mm 18.9…19.1
Volume of the cartridge case with seated bullet, cm3 0.556
additional information
Cross-sectional area of the barrel bore 0.639 (Baikal-442 pistol), cm2
Initial bullet speed (Baikal-442 pistol), m/s 346…352
Muzzle energy of a bullet (pistol "Baikal-442"), J 445.9...464.6
9 mmPistol cartridge with a bullet of increased penetration
capabilities(7H21)
Characteristics of the cartridge
Caliber 9×19 “Parabellum”
Chuck length, mm 29.3…29.5
Cartridge weight, g 9.8…10.2
Characteristics of the powder charge
The type of gunpowder is smokeless, pyroxylin. Gunpowder grade Sf
Powder charge mass, g 0.50…0.52
Loading density, g/cm3 0.816
Maximum pressure of powder gases, MPa 162.6
Shape and size of the powder grain: cylindrical plate (flat cake)
outer diameter, mm 0.48…0.87
thickness, mm 0.242…0.286
Bullet characteristics
Bullet type semi-jacketed
Bullet weight, g 5.2…5.4
Bullet length, mm 14.0…14.3
Diameter of the leading part of the bullet, mm 9.02…9.12
Bullet ballistic coefficient, m2/kg 14.7
Bullet shell material steel, clad with tombac
Bullet shell mass, g 1.35…1.50
Bullet core mass, g 2.7…3.0
Sleeve characteristics
Shape and type of sleeve: cylindrical, flangeless
Weight of cartridge case with primer, g 3.54…3.60
Sleeve length, mm 18.9…19.1
Free volume of the sleeve, cm3 0.885
Volume of the cartridge case with a seated bullet, cm3 0.637
The sleeve material is steel, clad with tombac. Bullet mounting method: tight fit
additional information
Initial bullet speed (Grach pistol), m/s 450…460
Muzzle energy of a bullet (Grach pistol), J 526.5...571.3
9 mmPistol cartridge with armor-piercing bullet
(9 PP, RGO57)
Characteristics of the cartridge
Caliber 9×19 “Parabellum”
Chuck length, mm 29.4…29.7
Cartridge weight, g 9.1…9.3
Characteristics of the powder charge
The type of gunpowder is smokeless, pyroxylin. Gunpowder grade Sf
Powder charge mass, g 0.46…0.48
Loading density, g/cm3 0.93
Maximum pressure of powder gases, MPa 139.8
The shape and size of the powder grain is a cylindrical plate (cake)
outer diameter, mm 0.48…0.87
thickness, mm 0.242…0.286
Bullet characteristics
Bullet type semi-jacketed
Bullet weight, g 5.3…5.6
Bullet length, mm 15.8…16.2
Diameter of the leading part of the bullet, mm 9.02…9.12
Bullet ballistic coefficient, m2/kg 12.44
Bullet shell material steel, clad with tombac
Bullet shell mass, g 1.25…1.37
Bullet core material carbon steel
Bullet core mass, g 2.8…3.1
Sleeve characteristics
Shape and type of sleeve: cylindrical, wafer
Weight of cartridge case with primer, g 3.54…3.60
Sleeve length, mm 18.9…19.1
Free volume of the sleeve, cm3 0.885
Volume of the cartridge case with seated bullet, cm3 0.516
The sleeve material is steel, clad with tombac; varnished steel. The method of attaching the bullet is a tight fit.
additional information
Cross-sectional area of the barrel bore 0.639 (Grach pistol), cm2
Initial bullet speed (Grach pistol), m/s 416…420
Muzzle energy of a bullet (Grach pistol), J 441.3…458.6
The top of the bullet is painted black
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