German sub-machine gun ammo

[Kyrie]

Hi Lonnie,


A â??sub-machinegunâ?� is nothing more than a fully automatic weapon that fires a pistol cartridge. By and large, there is no such thing as â??sub-machinegun ammunition" and sub-machineguns fire standard pistol ammunition. Apparently people see the higher muzzle velocities produced by sub-machineguns and wrongly attribute these velocities to higher chamber pressures. In reality the higher muzzle velocities are due to the longer barrels of sub-machineguns.


There are some exceptions to this general rule.


In WWII the German ran short of critical materials (like lead and cartridge casing brass) and made 9 mm Luger ammunition with steel cases and sintered steel bullets. These cartridges did not function well in the P.08 and the ammunition was issued in boxes labeled â??For sub-machinegun onlyâ?� and/or â??Not for use in P.08.â?�


Another exception was a lot of 9x19 ammunition made in Israel that had a cartridge LOA that was too long for use in most pistols. It isnâ??t known why the ammunition was made - it just appeared on the surplus market. Rumor has it that this ammunition was made for use in the Uzi sub-machinegun but that may be nothing more than rumor. My best guess is it was a manufacturing error, the ammunition was rejected by the Israeli government, and the manufacturer dumped it on the surplus market.


Yes another exception was a lot of 9x19 ammunition manufactured specifically for use in the artic. In temperate or tropical climates this ammunition produced chamber pressure that were dangerous in *any* firearm. This ammunition was also dumped on the surplus market, but ATF and Customs were able to keep it out of this country.


The bottom line to all of this is two-fold. Firstly, there is really no such thing as â??sub-machinegun ammunitionâ?�. The second is milsurp ammunition can be very risky.


Hope this helps!


Best regards,


Kyrie