9×25mm Mauser

Although Germany was not a primary user of firearms in this caliber, it was a major producer of it, both for commercial export and foreign military contracts. Pre-World War I production was for C96 Mauser pistols, but as war loomed, production was re-oriented towards calibers in official military usage. Demand for the cartridge returned in the 1930s, as it was used in several Austrian, Hungarian and Swiss submachine guns and machine carbines. German munitions companies DWM, Geco (Gustav Genschow & Co.) and RWS (Rheinische-Westfälische Sprengstoff AG) made this round through World War II. Various munitions factories in Austria and Hungary produced this round in the 1930s and 1940s as well as Kynoch, Fiocchi, Société Française des Munitions of Paris, France, and Greek Powder and Cartridge Co. of Athens, Greece.[2] In Italy, the round was manufactured at the Giulio Fiocchi plant in Lecco, both during World War II for military purposes and in the 1950s and 1960s for limited commercial sale.

Mauser C96 pistols in this caliber usually have an indentation milled into the upper surface of the magazine's follower to facilitate feeding of the straight-cased 9×25mm cartridge cases. The rifling in the barrel has a unique 13.8 twist. In addition, the flat surfaces extending around the chamber are longer, to accommodate the higher pressures of the 9×25mm cartridge. Examples of Mauser C96s in this caliber are rare, but are still occasionally found on the private collector's market.

In Africa, big-game hunter W.D.M. Bell carried a stocked C96 in 9mm Mauser Export as his personal sidearm, nicknamed "Bom-Bom". According to Bell, the "particularly vicious bang" of the 9mm Mauser intimidated hostile natives he encountered and "kept them dodging dust-bursts for four or five hundred yards".[3]

In 1940, Mauser officials proposed using the C-96 as the vehicle for an upgrade to the 9×25mm cartridge to match the ballistics of the .357 Magnum. The upgrade would entail increasing the velocity to 450 m/s and introducing a crimp around the mouth of the case. [4]

As the German Army seemed to show more official interest in DWM's P-08 Luger pistol than in their C-96, Mauser developed a new design in hopes of competing more successfully. This was the experimental Model 1906-08 (or C/06-08) pistol introduced in 1906, chambered in 9×25mm Mauser. This firearm had a similar layout to the C-96, with the magazine situated in front of the trigger group ( although in the case of the C/06-08 this was detachable, coming in 6, 10 or 15 round sizes ), but it used a flapper locking system that was considerably different. The pistol generated interest in some quarters including with the German and Brazilian armies but was never manufactured for commercial sale, and today only a few examples exist as museum or collector's pieces.

Originally known as the "Steyr-Solothurn S1-100", the Steyr MP30 and MP34 were adopted by the Austrian Army and police and manufactured until 1940 in several calibers, including 9×25mm Mauser.[5] In Greece, the MP34 in 9×25mm Mauser was issued to mechanized police units; production of the ammunition there continued through German occupation.

The Steyr-Solothurn S17-100 was a direct-blowback submachine gun in 9×25mm Mauser that was intended to be mounted on a tripod or vehicle, but did not see wider adoption in the armed services.

SIG automatic carbine models MKMO, MKMS, MKPO and MKPS were produced in Switzerland from 1933 until 1942 with 9×25mm Mauser caliber as an option.

The Scotti OM 42 was an experimental Italian submachine gun in 9×25mm Mauser.[6]

The Pál Király-designed Géppisztoly 39M and 43M in 9×25mm Mauser were produced by Danuvia in Hungary from 1939 through the end of World War II. These weapons remained in Hungarian service through the early 1950s.

Reloadable cartridge cases may be produced by resizing and trimming 9mm Winchester Magnum brass. A reasonable starting point for load development would be .38 ACP load data. The .38 Super data may possibly be more consistent with the original factory loading, as these had a claimed muzzle velocity of approximately 1,362 fps with a 128 gr bullet. The eighth edition of Cartridges of the World has a listing in the entry for 9mm Mauser using a 125 gr bullet with a heavier charge of Blue Dot powder than is normally listed as the maximum for 124 gr jacketed bullets in the .38 Super. Old loading data may incorporate more powerful loads than is intended with modern components. Excessively strong loads may crack the bolt stop in a Mauser pistol. Failure of this part, due to weak recoil springs may cause the bolt to fly back out of the barrel extension into the shooter's eye.

• List of handgun cartridges
• 9 mm caliber

• Hogg, Ian German Handguns, p. 311, Greenhill Books, 2001
• Barnes, Frank C. CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD 3rd Edition, 1972 Digest Books, ISBN 0-695-80326-3
• Kersten, Manfred; Moll, F.W.; Schmid, Walter C96 Geschichte und Modelle Vol. 2, 1904-1915, Service K,
• Moss, John L., "The 9 x 25 Mauser Export Cartridge," IAA Journal Issue 424, March/April 2002, pp. 6–20