In Europe, since the First World War, the 9mm Luger has remained in constant use. It's a desireable cartridge both because of its size and it versatility - it can be used in both pistols and submachine guns. There are now a large number of retail outlets - on the main street and online - with 9mm ammo for sale.

Since the United States adopted the M9 Beretta pistol and 9mm Luger (M882) cartridge for service use, interest in the cartridge has increased greatly. Law enforcement agencies are switching from the old standby .38 special, and ammunition manufacturers are developing new loads and bullets for a cartridge that is actually older than the .45 ACP it replaced in service use.

Ammunition for the 9mm is loaded by virtually every manufacturer in the world, and within the U.S. there are at least 25 different loads produced by the five major companies that market factory ammunition.

Extensive research has been done on 9mm ammo and bullet design, and it is probably the one handgun cartridge that has received more attention than any other in history. This has led to the great variety of cheap 9mm ammo being available, sometimes in bulk od 1000 roubds, and the obvious question of which one is best. Obviously, each manufacturer would claim its loads to be superior to everyone else's. But the topic of ammunition and bullet performance is somewhat short of objective information. Much of the information circulated, even in informed circles, is simply based upon subjective observation or opinion and there simply is no clear winner for best gun or load.

It's a widely accepted belief that increased bullet velocity improves performance this has led to the development of high velocity and +P+ loads for the 9mm that are similar to those developed for the .38.

The major manufacturers like Special, Remington, Winchester and Federal all market controlled-distribution loadings that are only sold to the U.S. government or law enforcement agencies. These are loaded to pressure levels that are above those accepted as standard by the industry.

This raises the question of what the civilian shooter can use in his gun. Despite the lengths the ammunition manufacturers go to to ensure that special law enforcement loads do not circulate in the civilian arena, some will inevitably "leak" out and may be offered for sale.

But the bottom line is that is doesn't matter how fast the bullet is if the shooter misses the target. Surely markmanship is paramount. First be able to hit what you aim at; then worry about whether you need to hit the target harder in future or whether just hitting it is enough.