With all the millions of new gun owners that have joined the market since 2020, there’s little doubt that there are new 9mm owners among them. The 9mm Luger, AKA 9x19 Parabellum cartridge, is one of the most popular handgun cartridges that has ever been developed.
But, if you’re reading this and have just bought your first 9mm handgun, there’s a lot of detail to sift through. It can be downright overwhelming. So how do you know which ammo to buy?
The point is that not all 9mm cartridges are the same - far from it. This post will break down the details associated with one type of 9mm - full metal jacket.
What Is a 9mm Full Metal Jacket?
To make the most basic possible explanation, 9mm full metal jacket ammo is ammo that has been loaded with full metal jacket bullets.
Full metal jacket bullets have a relatively soft core of a dense metal - usually lead - that is completely encased by a harder metal alloy - usually copper.
The jacket is drawn down from the nose of the bullet and shaped around the lead core. Often full metal jacket ammunition is open at the base, where the lead core will be visible.
The harder jacket around the softer lead core gives full-metal jacket bullets superior ballistic stability, making them more accurate at greater ranges. They also offer more reliable feeding and maximum penetration characteristics, as they resist disruption (deformation) on impact.
This design creates a much more stable bullet that offers a large number of benefits of alternatives, such as jacketed hollow-point ammunition (see below).
Full metal jacket ammo was first developed in the late 1800s by a Colonel in the employ of the Swiss Federal Ammunition Factory and Research Center.
Apparently, the reason for the development of the first full-metal jacket rounds was to improve feeding and reliability in military arms.
What Options Are There In 9mm Full Metal Jacket Ammo?
When it comes to 9mm full metal jacket ammo, even that isn’t a precise enough qualifier. There is still a great deal of variety in this type of handgun ammo. These are some of the most popular types.
- Round nose: Round nose 9mm FMJ is more or less exactly what it sounds like. Round nose bullets feed smoothly and reliably and are fairly accurate for competitive shooting at close and intermediate ranges.
- Flat nose (wadcutter): Flat nose bullets, also known as wadcutters, have a flat nose. They are used by some competitive shooters because the flat nose punches a clean, round hole in paper targets, which makes scoring easier.
- Truncated cone: Truncated cone 9mm bullets are like flat nose bullets except the flat part of the nose is smaller. In fact, truncated cone bullets almost look like they have a point. These are also used for scoring as they, like flat-nose bullets, leave clean holes in paper targets.
- Boat tail: Boat tail 9mm bullets are somewhat rare, but some ammunition manufacturers do produce them. These bullets have a base that is somewhat attenuated, like the stern of a boat. This design minimizes the forces of drag at the base of the bullet and makes boat-tails the preferred round for long-distance shooting as they are the supreme choice for accuracy and stability.
Are There Advantages to Shooting FMJ?
The type of ammo you should shoot in any situation depends on what your goals are. There are situations in which shooting FMJ ammo is beneficial. Here are some of the advantages of shooting this type of ammo.
- Reliable feeding: Some types of ammo, like jacketed hollow point ammo, are notorious for producing feeding issues and jams because the sharp angles of the bullet noses can easily catch on the edge of a chamber or on a magazine’s feed lips. Jacketed bullets, both flat nose and (to a higher degree) round nose bullets, feed more smoothly and more reliably.
- Maximum penetration: Full metal jacket bullets are designed to deliver maximum penetration on contact with a soft target and should be used any time maximum penetration is desired.
- Maximum stability: Jacketed bullets, especially boat-tailed jacketed bullets, offer exceptional stability, especially over greater ranges. This makes them more accurate at extended ranges than alternatives like hollow points.
- Less fouling: Since the lead core of an FMJ round is entirely covered, FMJ ammo produces very little lead fouling. Since lead fouling can adversely affect accuracy over time, lower fouling is desirable.
Uses of 9mm Full-Metal Jacket
While 9mm full metal jacket ammo is not the best option in all situations, there are several in which it is, including the following.
- Training: Full metal jacket ammo is less expensive than high-end defensive ammo and other specialty ammunition, and since it feeds reliably, it is the ammo of choice for training and drilling.
- Target shooting: Because it is stable, reliable, and accurate, FMJ ammo is an ideal choice for target shooting and plinking.
- Competition: High-quality FMJ ammo such as wadcutters or boat-tailed bullets are accurate and enable easy scoring (while producing minimal lead fouling) making them ideal for competition shooting.
Two instances in which 9mm FMJ ammo is not preferable are defensive applications and hunting. In these situations, a bullet that will disrupt (expand) reliably and neutralize a hostile threat (or dispatch a game animal) more expediently is more desirable. For these applications, hollow point bullets tend to be preferable.
Get Your 9mm Full Metal Jacket Ammo Here
Looking for a good deal on 9mm full metal jacket ammo? We carry a wide range of ammo (including FMJ, target loads, and defensive loads) from the top manufacturers, including but not limited to CCI, Remington, Federal, Speer, TulAmmo, Winchester 9mm Luger ammo, and others. Take a look through our collection of 9mm full metal jacket ammo and while you’re here, don’t forget to check out our police trade-ins and other hot deals.
We also carry a wide range of ammo in other calibers, too, so if your new handgun is not a 9mm, we still probably have what you need.