9 X 39 MM

The '9 x 39 mm' cartridge is a subsonic rifle round used in Russian firearms. It was based on the 7.62 x 39 cartridge, but with the neck opened up to accommodate a 9 mm bullet. The intent was to create a cartridge suitable for snipers. The bullet is heavy, approximately 16 grams, double that of the 7.62 x 39, and is subsonic, avoiding the sound of a sonic boom. However, the low velocity limits the effective range.
There are 3 versions of the 9 x 39 mm cartridge: the SP-5, the SP-6, and the PAB-9. The SP-5 was developed by Nikolai Zabelin. It is a conventional lead bullet, but developed for accuracy. The SP-6 was developed by Yuri Folov. It has a dense metal core, designed to be armor piercing. It can penetrate 2 mm of steel at 500 meters or 6 mm of steel, 2.8 mm of titanium + 30 layers of Kevlar at 200 meters. The SP-6 bullet is expensive, so an attempt was made to make a lower-cost version, the PAB-9, but it sacrificed too much performance to be usable.
The weapons that use the 9 x 39 mm cartridge include the AS Val, AK-9, and OC-14 Groza assault rifles, the SR-3 Vikhr and 9A-91 carbines, and the VSK-94 and VSS Vintorez sniper rifles.

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References

External links

References

★ Jane's Infantry Weapons 1997-98, , , , Jane's Information Group, ,

External links

★ Modern Firearms - Special Purpose Cartridges of USSR and Russia