The 9×39mm is a Soviet rifle cartridge.[2] The cartridge yields increased performance in shorter barrels and effective subsonic performance.

History and design

The 9×39 is based on the Soviet 7.62×39mm case but with the neck expanded to fit a 9.2mm bullet. The final design was completed by N. Zabelin, L. Dvoryaninova, and Y. Frolov of the TsNIITochMash in the 1980s. The intent was to create a more stealthy cartridge for suppressed firearms used by Spetsnaz and other special troops that had more power, range, and penetration than 7.62 US subsonic rounds tested at the time.

The subsonic round is originally designed to have an optimistic effective lethal range of 400 to 530 meters and a maximum penetration of up to 10 mm of steel. Like the 5.45×39mm cartridge, the 9×39mm SP-5 features an air pocket in the tip, which increases its tendency to yaw or "keyhole" upon impact, thus increasing soft tissue damage in human targets. The armor-piercing SP-6 cartridge is more effective against light armor, vehicles, or light barrier targets.[citation needed]

Commercial Wolf and Tula brand Ammunition that was being imported into the United States was subsequently banned on September 7, 2021 by then president Joseph Biden as part of sanctions against Russia for poisoning of Aleksey Navalny.[3]

While the 9×39 is very popular in several European countries, many of which had previously been under the control of the USSR, it was only introduced in the United States in late 2018.

Since there are many users in the U.S. that had adopted the 9×39 round prior to the import ban, were forced to reload their own ammunition. However, there are multiple companies worldwide who make 9.3mm (.366") Mauser bullets which are suitable for reloading in the 9×39, including Hornady, Barnes, Nosler, Prvi Partizan, Lapua, and others.

Redding Reloading produces a set of full size reloading dies.

Lehigh Defense briefly made prototypes that had limited distribution of their maximum expansion and xtreme penetration copper bullets designs for subsonic rounds.

KAK Industries sold bullets which include 125 gr solid copper, and 140 gr slitted copper projectiles capable of being fired at supersonic velocities.

There are companies such as NOE and LEE which make cast bullet molds for the 9.3mm Mauser cartridge. Powder coated cast bullets generally work exceptionally well at subsonic velocities and have decent expansion in gel targets too.

Roswell Manufacturing has developed and tested what they are calling the 9x39US though it has different specs than the original 9x39 Russian.[4]

During development, Roswell Manufacturing identified significant inconsistencies in existing 9x39mm ammunition and tooling specifications, with some tooling even mislabeled. As a result, Roswell opted for a combination of standards.[5]

Variants

Cartridge SP-5(7N8) SP-5UZ SP-6(7N9) SP-6UCh PAB-9 SPP BP(7N12)
Type Sniper Test (increased charge) Armor-piercing Training Armor-piercing Sniper (increased penetration) Armor-piercing
Bullet weight [g] Up to 16.8 About 16 Up to 17.3
Muzzle velocity [m/s] 280–320 280–290 280–305 280-320 280-310
Muzzle energy [J] 658-860 678-886
Maximum penetration Up to 8 mm of steel Up to 8 mm of steel[6]

SP-5 (7N8) – The SP-5 (СП-5) (SP: Spetsialnyj Patron; "special cartridge") was developed by Nikolai Zabelin. It is a conventional lead core FMJ bullet, developed for accuracy.

SP-5UZ – The SP-5UZ (СП5-УЗ) is an SP-5 variant with an increased charge intended for a factory-specific strength testing of the weapons.

SP-6 (7N9) – The SP-6 (СП-6) was developed by Yuri Frolov. It has a hardened metal armor-piercing core. It can penetrate 2 mm (0.079 in) of steel at 500 meters or 6 mm (0.24 in) of steel, 2.8 mm (0.11 in) of titanium or 30 layers of Kevlar at 200 meters. At 100 meters it can penetrate 8 mm (0.31 in) of steel or GOST 3 rated body armor, while retaining enough power to inflict damage to a soft target behind it.[6][7]

SP-6UCh – The SP-6Uch (СП-6Уч) is an SP-6 variant intended for training.

PAB-9 (7N12) – The SP-6's bullet is expensive to manufacture, so an attempt was made to make a lower-cost version of the cartridge. The PAB-9 (ПАБ-9) used a stamped rather than machined steel core. It sacrificed too much performance to be usable. As of 2011, its usage by Russian troops is prohibited.[6]

SPP – The SPP (СПП) (SPP: Snaiperskiy, Povishennaya Probivaemost; "sniper – increased penetration") is a sniper round with increased penetration.

BP – The BP (БП) (BP: Broneboinaya Pulya; "armor-piercing bullet") is an armor-piercing round. Three modernizations of PAB-9 were created under the designation of BP to remedy its unusable performance.

Weapons

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The 9x39 – A New Cartridge from Russia". RifleShooter Magazine. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  2. ^ Николаев, Андриан. "Патроны для стрелкового оружия" [Ammunition for firearms]. Militaryparitet.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  3. ^ "Fact Sheet: United States Imposes Additional Costs on Russia for the Poisoning of Aleksey Navalny". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. ^ "9x39 Russian C.I.P."
  5. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions".
  6. ^ a b c "Специальные патроны СП-5, СП-6 и ПАБ-9" [Special bullets SP-5, SP-6 and PAB-9.]. artillerist.ru (in Russian). 2008-04-02. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
  7. ^ F., Nathaniel (2017-11-03). ".300 Blackout vs. 9×39mm: Russia's Subsonic Brute". The Firearms Blog. Retrieved 2020-12-12.

Bibliography

  • Jane's Infantry Weapons 1997-98 (23rd ed.). Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. 1997. p. 458. ISBN 0-7106-1548-5.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9%C3%9739mm
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