7.65x21mm Parabellum

7.65x21mm Parabellum
7.65mm Parabellum, Swiss manufacture (Thun, 1973)
Type	Pistol
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1898-1949
Used by	Germany, Switzerland, Finland
Production history
Designer	Georg Luger and Hugo Borchardt
Designed	1898
Manufacturer	Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken
Specifications
Case type	Rimless
Bullet diameter	7.85 mm (0.309 in)
Neck diameter	8.43 mm (0.332 in)
Base diameter	9.93 mm (0.391 in)
Rim diameter	9.98 mm (0.393 in)
Case length	21.59 mm (0.850 in)
Overall length	29.85 mm (1.175 in)
Case capacity	0.93 cm³ (14 gr H2O)
Rifling twist	275 mm (1 in 10.83 in)
Primer type	Berdan or Boxer Small pistol
Maximum pressure	235.00 MPa (34,084 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
6 g (93 gr) FMJ	365 m/s (1,200 ft/s)	400 J (300 ft·lbf)

The 7.65x21mm Parabellum (also known as .30 Luger and 7.65mm Luger) was a pistol cartridge 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 7.65x25mm Borchardt 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 pistol'). The 7.65mm Parabellum cartridge uses a shorter cartridge case than the 7.65x25mm Borchardt, 7.63x25mm Mauser, and 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridges, which are the about same length.

Cartridge dimensions

The 7.65x21mm Parabellum has 0.93 ml (14.3 grains H₂O) cartridge case capacity.

7.65x21mm 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.

According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives) guidelines the 7.65x21mm Parabellum case can handle up to 235 MPa (34,083 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

Swiss Army 7.65mm Parabellum last batch

The 7.65mm Parabellum was replaced by the German army with the 9x19mm 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 9x19mm 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, and Ruger P94.

A handful of submachine guns 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.

Synonyms

• .30 Luger
• 7.65mm Luger
• 7.65x21mm
• 7.65x21mm Luger
• 7.65mm Parabellum
• 7.65mm Para

References

• Barnes, Frank C CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD 3rd Edition pgs 153, 177 1972 Digest Books, ISBN 0-695-80326-3