7.65×21mm Parabellum
Encyclopedia
The 7.65×21mm Parabellum (also known as .30 Luger and 7.65mm Luger) is a pistol
cartridge that was introduced in 1898 by German
arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM) for their new Pistol Parabellum
. The primary designers were firearms designers Georg Luger
and Hugo Borchardt
, who developed the round from the earlier 7.65×25mm Borchardt
while working at DWM.
'). The 7.65mm Parabellum cartridge uses a shorter cartridge case than the 7.65×25mm Borchardt, 7.63×25mm Mauser, and 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridges, which are the about same length.
(14.3 grains
H2O) cartridge case capacity.
7.65×21mm Parabellum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
The common rifling
twist rate for this cartridge is 275 mm (1 in 10.83 in), 4 grooves, ø lands = 7.62 mm, ø grooves = 7.83 mm, land width = 3.05 mm and the primer type
is small pistol. This cartridge headspaces on the shoulder of the case.
According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives) guidelines the 7.65×21mm Parabellum case can handle up to 235 MPa (34,083.9 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every pistol cartridge combo has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
The 7.65mm Parabellum was replaced by the German army
with the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge
. This involved simply expanding the bottleneck of the 7.65mm Luger cartridge to accept a 9mm bullet. Due to the almost identical case width, rim width, and overall length of the cartridges, most 7.65mm Parabellum firearms can be converted to 9mm Parabellum with only a change of barrel, and vice versa.
With the adoption of the Luger pistol in 1900, the 7.65mm Luger became the standard pistol cartridge of the Swiss Army until the late 1940s. The later sidearm of the Swiss military, the SIG P210
, was also manufactured in this caliber, but only for civilian use; Swiss military issues of the P210 were chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum.
The Luger pistol in 7.65mm was adopted by the Finnish in 1922 with the designation M/23. 8000 pistols were delivered, but few survived the war. Many of these pistols were rebarreled to 9mm, and a limited quantity remained in storage until 1980 for arming non-combat personnel.
Several handguns have been manufactured in this caliber for commercial sale in countries that restrict civilian ownership of firearms in military calibers. Examples include the Benelli
B80
, Browning Hi-Power
, Astra A-80
, Beretta 92
, Mamba and Ruger P94.
A handful of submachine gun
s have been manufactured in this caliber, notably the SIG Bergmann 1920 (the licensed Swiss version of the Bergmann MP-18/1), the Swiss M/Neuhausen MKMS, the Austrian MP34
and the Suomi M-26.
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
cartridge that was introduced in 1898 by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM) for their new Pistol Parabellum
Luger pistol
The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole , popularly known as the Luger, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J...
. The primary designers were firearms designers Georg Luger
Georg Luger
Georg Johann Luger was an Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the 9 x 19mm Parabellum cartridge.-Early life and military service:...
and Hugo Borchardt
Hugo Borchardt
Hugo Borchardt was a firearms inventor and engineer, born in Magdeburg, Germany. He is known for his inventions of the Borchardt C-93 pistol and the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 rifle....
, who developed the round from the earlier 7.65×25mm Borchardt
7.65x25mm Borchardt
The 7.65×25mm Borchardt cartridge was designed by Hugo Borchardt. It was the ammunition of the Borchardt C-93 pistol. This cartridge provided the basis for the 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge, which has similar dimensions but a stronger powder charge...
while working at DWM.
History
Georg Luger developed the 7.65mm cartridge from earlier 7.65 mm rounds. As mentioned, it was used in the DWM Pistole-Parabellum ('Luger pistolLuger pistol
The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole , popularly known as the Luger, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J...
'). The 7.65mm Parabellum cartridge uses a shorter cartridge case than the 7.65×25mm Borchardt, 7.63×25mm Mauser, and 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridges, which are the about same length.
Cartridge dimensions
The 7.65×21mm Parabellum has 0.93 mlLitre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
(14.3 grains
Grain (measure)
A grain is a unit of measurement of mass that is nominally based upon the mass of a single seed of a cereal. From the Bronze Age into the Renaissance the average masses of wheat and barley grains were part of the legal definition of units of mass. However, there is no evidence of any country ever...
H2O) cartridge case capacity.
7.65×21mm Parabellum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
The common rifling
Rifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
twist rate for this cartridge is 275 mm (1 in 10.83 in), 4 grooves, ø lands = 7.62 mm, ø grooves = 7.83 mm, land width = 3.05 mm and the primer type
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
is small pistol. This cartridge headspaces on the shoulder of the case.
According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives) guidelines the 7.65×21mm Parabellum case can handle up to 235 MPa (34,083.9 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every pistol cartridge combo has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
Usage
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
with the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
. This involved simply expanding the bottleneck of the 7.65mm Luger cartridge to accept a 9mm bullet. Due to the almost identical case width, rim width, and overall length of the cartridges, most 7.65mm Parabellum firearms can be converted to 9mm Parabellum with only a change of barrel, and vice versa.
With the adoption of the Luger pistol in 1900, the 7.65mm Luger became the standard pistol cartridge of the Swiss Army until the late 1940s. The later sidearm of the Swiss military, the SIG P210
SIG P210
The SIG P210 is a locked breech semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured in Neuhausen am Rheinfall by Swiss Arms AG, formerly SIG Arms AG .It is of all steel construction chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and 7.65x21mm Parabellum...
, was also manufactured in this caliber, but only for civilian use; Swiss military issues of the P210 were chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum.
The Luger pistol in 7.65mm was adopted by the Finnish in 1922 with the designation M/23. 8000 pistols were delivered, but few survived the war. Many of these pistols were rebarreled to 9mm, and a limited quantity remained in storage until 1980 for arming non-combat personnel.
Several handguns have been manufactured in this caliber for commercial sale in countries that restrict civilian ownership of firearms in military calibers. Examples include the Benelli
Benelli (firearms)
Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian firearm manufacturer founded in 1967, located in Urbino, Italy, best known for high quality shotguns used by military, law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Particularly famous is the Benelli M3 12 gauge, used extensively by American SWAT teams...
B80
Benelli B76
The B76 is a pistol manufactured in Italy by Benelli. It operates on the lever-delayed blowback system that Benelli called an "inertia lock". Despite the name, the system of operation is pure lever-delayed as explained in . Manufacture has been discontinued....
, Browning Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
, Astra A-80
Astra A-80
The Astra A-80 is a double-action, semi-automatic pistol at one time produced in Spain by Astra-Unceta y Cia SA. The design is similar to the Sig-Sauer P220 and features a decocking lever....
, Beretta 92
Beretta 92
The Beretta 92 is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The model 92 was designed in 1972 and production of many variants in different calibers continues today...
, Mamba and Ruger P94.
A handful of submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
s have been manufactured in this caliber, notably the SIG Bergmann 1920 (the licensed Swiss version of the Bergmann MP-18/1), the Swiss M/Neuhausen MKMS, the Austrian MP34
MP34
The MP34 is a submachine gun that was manufactured by Waffenfabrik Steyr and used by the Austrian police and subsequently by units of the German army, including the Waffen SS, in World War II...
and the Suomi M-26.
Synonyms
- .30 Luger
- 7.65mm Luger
- 7.65×21mm
- 7.65×21mm Luger
- 7.65mm ParabellumParabellumThe word Parabellum is a noun coined by German arms maker Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken and is derived from the Latin saying si vis pacem, para bellum, meaning If you wish for peace, prepare for war...
- 7.65mm Para
See also
- 7 mm caliber7 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge....
for other cartridges of similar diameter (7.0 - 7.99 mm diameter)