9×18mm Ultra
Pistol cartridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 9×18mm Ultra is a German pistol cartridge.[1] It is often interpreted as an intermediate round between .380 ACP (9×17mm) and 9×19mm Parabellum, fit for simple blowback pistols.[2] However, as actually loaded, the cartridge's working pressure and velocities are much closer to those of .380 ACP than to 9×19mm.
| 9×18mm Ultra | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
| Type | Pistol | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany | |||||||||||
| Service history | ||||||||||||
| Used by | West German police | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designed | 1936 | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimless | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | 9.01 mm (0.355 in) | |||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | 9.65 mm (0.380 in) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | 9.81 mm (0.386 in) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | 9.37 mm (0.369 in) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 17.85 mm (0.703 in) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 25.27 mm (0.995 in) | |||||||||||
| Primer type | Berdan or boxer small pistol | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
History
The 9x18mm Ultra was originally developed in 1936 for use by the Luftwaffe, but was not adopted at that time.[1]
In 1972–1973 Walther introduced the Walther PP Super chambered in 9×18mm Ultra for the West German Federal Police.[1] The choice might have been influenced by the success of the Soviet Makarov pistol, a design heavily based on the original PP and chambered in 9×18mm Makarov, which has similar dimensions to the 9x18mm Ultra, but a slightly wider and shorter projectile; the design of the Makarov cartridge is itself based on the Ultra. However, with the rise in far-left terrorism (Red Army Faction, Revolutionary Cells), it was decided that the new police sidearms should instead be chambered in the more powerful 9×19mm Parabellum, so the 9×18mm Ultra was not adopted.[3][4]
The cartridge was made available to the civilian market in 1975,[1] but did not gain lasting popularity. The Walther PP Super was discontinued in 1979.[citation needed]
In addition to the Walther PP Super, the SIG Sauer P230,[1] Mauser HSc-80,[5] and Benelli B76[1] were also produced in 9×18mm Ultra.