9mm Para? Or 9mm Luger.

[Joey101]

Okay maybe this is a dumb question, but I bought a Taurus PT92 in 9mm Luger I thought. But I noticed on the side of the slide it says "9mm PARA". Is 9mm PARA the same as 9mm Luger?

My gut tells me there's no difference but I have bought the wrong caliber before so I hope I didn't screw this up. But I have not fired anything through it yet, so if it is different than 9mm Luger than I can take it back and get a 100% refund.


BTW, I have been gone for a while and I will be gone in a couple of weeks for quite a while since I'm moving.

 

[Rexrider]

They are both the same. No need to worry. You may also see 9x19 as a name for 9mm.

I don't know the history of the two names but maybe someone else can give us a quick history lesson.

 

[Alex45ACP]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9mm

 

[1911 guy]

9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum, 9X19mm

9mm Luger because the Luger has been the most distinctive firearm this caliber has been matched with.

9mm Parabellum because it was developed as a military cartridge and parabellum means "for war" or something close. I don't speak latin.

9X19mm because those are the actual metric dimensions of the round.

 

[45crittergitter]

Parabellum - ...as taken from the work De Re Militari by the 4th century A.D. military strategist, Vegetius, the saying "Qui Desidererat Pacem Praeparet Bellum." Commonly quoted as "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" or, in English, "if you wish peace, prepare for war."