The Complete Guide & History of 9mm Pistols

• Complete Guide And History of 9mm Pistols Founding 9mm
• The Founding Of The 9mm Pistol
• The First 9mm Pistol Models
• The Rise In Popularity of 9mm Pistols
• Best 9mm Pistols Today
• What Are 9mm Handguns Used For?
• 9mm Handguns Through The Decades

Complete Guide And History of 9mm Pistols

9mm pistols have become the most popular caliber handgun in the United States, but this juggernaut in the firearms industry wasn’t always around. There is a rich history in 9mm pistols, and we want to help you along the way of finding everything you need to know about 9mm handguns from it’s beginning in Germany all the way to modern advancements and technologies in todays 9mm pistols. As one of the best overall firearms for everyone from beginning shooters to competition shooters, there is a 9mm for everyone and every shooting situation. At Fin Feather Fur Outfitters we have been selling affordable 9mm handguns since 1985, so leave it to us to take you down memory lane in this historic firearms story.

The Founding Of The 9mm Pistol

In 1902, Georg Luger invented the 9mm Parabellum, also known as the 9mm Luger. The cartridge was a 9x19mm cartridge developed by shortening the case of his previous 7.65mm Parabellum round. Additionally in 1902 DWM officially introduces the cartridge for the Luger pistol, the first 9mm pistol taking 9mm ammo. A few years the in 1904 the Imperial German Navy adopted the 9mm, with the German Army adopting it in 1908.

The First 9mm Pistol Models

Luger P.08

With Georg Luger inventing the 9mm cartridge in 1902, it was accompanied by the Luger P.08, which is often considered the first 9mm handgun, getting adopted by the German Navy in 1904. The Luger P.08 was originally designed in 7.65mm but was adapted to shoot the new 9mm round based on military demand at the time, becoming an iconic firearm just like that.

Walther P.38

In 1938 the Walther P.38 was invented, began military production in 1939, and became the standard German Army pistol all by the year 1940, replacing the initial Luger P.08. In 1945, WWII had ended, halting the production of the Walther P.38, but not before over one million models were produced.

Browning Hi-Power

In 1935, production began on the Browning Hi-Power, despite designs starting as early as the 1920s, by firearm designer John Browning. Dieudonne Saive completed the design of the Browning Hi-Power for FN and called it the P-35. It then became the world’s most used military pistol, getting issued for both sides of WWII, and continued production until 2018.

These three historic 9mm pistols paved the way for what would become one of the most popular calibers of all time, not only for military applications, but for law enforcement, and civilian purchases as well. This opened the door to firearm manufacturers innovating and creating well balanced, light, mild recoil, and high capacity 9mm pistols.

The Rise In Popularity of 9mm Pistols

Since it’s beginnings in 1902, 9mm pistols have grown to be the most popular handgun in the United States dominating the market, representing half of all handguns produced. According to the Accurate Shooter Bulletin, “between 2010 and 2020 15,111,566 9mm pistols were produced. That’s roughly twice as many as the next largest category, .40 up to .50 caliber, with 7,661,896 produced.” Showing that not only are 9mm handguns dominating the handgun market, but the entire firearms industry. There are a few specific reasons why the 9mm handgun has had such a dominating rise to power; a few key features of 9mms are the manageable recoil, affordable pricing, easy availability, and a high magazine capacity, all worked together to form an absolute juggernaut of the firearm industry in the 9mm handgun.

Manageable Recoil

A benefit of the cartridge design on 9mms is that it doesn’t have as much force as a .45 creating a shot that has a “snap” feel to the recoil, while still limiting how much recoil it actually generates. On top of that, modern pistol designs and physics have created a firearm that delivers effective power and performance without generating an over abundance of force, making the firearm easy for the shooter to control. This has significantly helped grow popularity of 9mm pistols among beginner shooters, as well as law enforcement who depend on accurate and fast follow up shots. Overall, the manageable recoil of 9mm is a significant part of why their popularity has grown so wide and so fast.

Affordable 9mm Models

9mm handguns are incredibly affordable. Just like anything there is a high end market of them with prices as high as almost $3,000 like the Sig Sauer P211-GTO. However, there are also tons of options $600 or less that make these firearms incredibly affordable. Some of my personal favorites in that price range are the Ruger Security 9, Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield Plus, and the CZ P-10 C, which are all awesome, reliable, well-performing 9mm pistols under the $600 threshold. Obviously, when things are more affordable, it makes them more accessible to a large market of consumers, which is exactly what happened with 9mm handguns

Wide Availability

9mm pistols are so easy to find if you are looking to purchase a handgun, odds are you can find them without even looking really. In fact, according to 24 7 Wall Street, “Now, over 61% of all American-made pistols are chambered in 9mm.” This just goes to show how popular these firearms have become since just 1902. The 9mm handgun itself isn’t the only thing that is accessible, the 9mm ammo is also impressively stocked on store shelves with just as many options in brands, types, grain, etc the 9mm ammo market is just as vast as the 9mm pistol market. There are ammo types for every type of shooting situation, and every price range, and at stores like ours, you will never have a problem finding what you need. The combination of firearm and ammo both being so available and popular, being able to find them in essentially any store, especially Fin Feather Fur Outfitters, is a major contributor as to why the 9mm pistol has exploded in popularity.

High Magazine Capacity

Since the 9mm round is smaller, it gives the firearm the ability to chamber more rounds in a magazine than some other handgun options. A full size capacity magazine for 9mm handguns holds 15-17 rounds, compared to a .45 ACP magazine that typically holds about 7-8 rounds in a classic 1911 single stack magazine. The large magazine capacity is excellent for shooting drills on the range or in training for law enforcement and military. This allows shooters practicing spending more time working on their shots instead of reloading their magazines. The large magazine capacity is also very attractive to competition shooters who value the extra shots so they can spend less time reloading and saving valuable seconds on their shooting competition run times.

Best 9mm Pistols Today

We have come a long since 1902 with the Luger P.08 with countless models and variations of the 9mm there are great options for every shooter type and every shooting situation. There are iconic models still on the market today, and with modern advancements, technology, and things like optics readiness there are constantly new models breaking into the market that 9mm pistol fans love. 3 of my favorite current models are the iconic Glock 19, the Sig Sauer P365, and the HK VP9, all of these firearms bring consistent, reliable performance to the table at a good price, and trustworthy brand recognition, you can NOT go wrong with any of these.

Glock 19

The Glock 19 9mm pistol has both name recognition, and silhouette recognition as it is trusted by law enforcement and military, and when they trust it with their lives, citizens tend to follow along in that trust. It has the “Goldilocks” feel that is just right for many people, it’s in hand feel isn’t too big, not too small, and has a full firing grip that most shooters find very comfortable. The Glock 19 is a simple gun, easy to maintain, and what some consider “near perfect reliability” which work to make this one of the most popular 9mm handguns ever.

Sig Sauer P365

The Sig Sauer P365 was a real game changer when it hit the market. It brought maximum shooting power to a smaller framed handgun, with a huge marketing hype train from Sig, and a 9mm handgun that delivered, the P365 maximized capacity with minimal size, making conceal carry easier and more accessible to the public. It was, and is so popular it made the rest of the industry catch up with full sized capacity 9mms that still had a slim and balanced feel.

HK VP9

With one of the best overall hand feels on the market, the Heckler and Koch VP9 9mm is considered one of the best 9mm handguns as far as ergonomic feel, and out of the box triggers come. HK is known for superior mechanics and construction, making no exceptions with their VP9, a full sized 9mm handgun that is as reliable as they come. The full sized capacity and smoothness of the trigger make the functionality of this gun one of the best “natural shooters” making follow up shots fast and accurate.

What Are 9mm Handguns Used For?

The 9mm might just be the best overall gun, which you can count on for any shooting situation. The most common uses for 9mm pistols are self-defense, concealed carry, range time and training, competition shooting, and law enforcement or military applications.

9mm For Self-Defense

9mm handguns are an excellent choice for self-defense due to their light weight, low recoil, and full-sized capacity magazines. These traits allow for fast, controlled, and multiple follow up shots. This is an ideal set up for self-defense situations.

Concealed Carrying 9mm Handguns

A concealed carry situation, is also commonly a self-defense situation, so everything mentioned in the self-defense is applicable here. In addition, 9mm pistols can have a small, lightweight frame allowing them to be small and concealed in a holster not resulting in any major discomfort while carrying. The slim profiles of 9mm pistols make them excellent options for concealed carry.

9mm Pistols For Training

There are many training drills, and other fun games you can do at a shooting range with a variety of target options. However, if your handgun has a low capacity magazine, then you’ll likely spend a good chunk of your range time reloading your magazine. 9mm handguns, equipped with a full sized magazine (15-17 shots) allows for plenty of shots between reloading, making them a great option for range drills and training. Additionally, the manageable recoil allows for fast and accurate follow up shots.

Competition Shooting With 9mm Handguns

Competition shooters love using 9mm pistols again due to their high magazine capacity, their lightweight and ergonomic frames, and manageable recoil. When speed is important, you want to spend less time reloading, and less time lining up your next shot. The build of 9mm pistols takes care of both of these issues by letting the competitors fire a quick next shot and hold plenty of shots in the magazine for minimal reloads while competing.

9mm Handguns For Law Enforcement

Your local law enforcement probably uses 9mm handguns, and agencies across the country use them due to their modern advancements in technology and ammunition make them incredibly effective with sufficient stopping power and ample accuracy. The 9mm handgun and ammunition, since it is so popular and available, is easy to provide at scale, making it a reliable option for law enforcement. Finally, in high stress shooting situations, law enforcement needs a reliable firearm, and with 9mm pistols being so consistent and easy to maintain it is almost an obvious choice.

9mm Handguns Through The Decades

As we mentioned previously 1902 brought the 9mm handgun into the market with the Luger P.08, and in 1935 the Browing Hi-Power came to market solidifying the 9mm handgun in the market as a serious player. In the 1970s the S&W Model 59 was adopted by law enforcement as a serious option for local police forces. In the 1980s, the same decade that our Fin Feather Fur Outfitters began, Glock introduced the Glock 17, starting the “Wonder Nines” era, a time when people were describing the 9mm as almost not real how good they were because 9mm handguns were starting to have full sized capacity (12 – 18 rounds) light, balanced, chambered in 9mm, double and single action triggers, and having the incredible reliability of a semi-automatic weapon. In the 1990s the military started to seriously adopt the 9mm handgun with the Beretta M9 becoming the standard sidearm of the U.S. Military. In the 2000s is when the full sized capacity was combined with smaller more compact frames, soaring 9mms popularity in concealed carrying, and today we see modern technical innovations with 9mm pistols including pic rails, and optics ready firearms right out of the box.

In closing, the 9mm handgun was not always the perfect darling we have come to love today, but rather through decades of improvement, technical advancements, and great marketing, the 9mm pistol has become and industry legend, and market dominating presence that almost all gun owners have or have certainly thought of having. What some consider the best overall handgun you can buy, we at Fin Feather Fur Outfitters think it is one of the best guns money can buy. If you have any questions, please let us know!

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