9mm Glisenti

History and usage

The 9mm Glisenti was developed for the Italian Glisenti Model 1910 pistol, first used in World War I. It was also used in other Italian weapons such as the Beretta Model 1915 and Beretta M1923 pistols.

All weapons of the Villar Perosa family, including the O.V.P. submachine gun and Revelli-Beretta carbine, were originally intended to fire a variant of the 9mm Glisenti cartridge, known as Glisenti M.915 "Per Mitragliatrici" ('For Machine-Guns'). This was a higher-velocity version of the standard Glisenti cartridge with an over-powder wad, designed to improve the penetration abilities of the weak base cartridge.

The Medusa M47 revolver can also fire 9mm Glisenti ammunition along with many other .38 and 9 mm cartridges.

Specifications

The cartridge was based on the German 9×19mm Parabellum; in fact, both cartridges are dimensionally identical. However, the powder charge of the 9mm Glisenti cartridge is reduced compared to a typical 9×19mm cartridge, making it significantly less powerful, as it is also meant to be used in blowback pistols, which are easier and less expensive to manufacture than locked breech firearms. This means that 9mm Glisenti cartridges will chamber and fire in 9×19mm firearms, at the risk of not cycling properly and causing malfunctions, but it also means that 9×19mm cartridges will chamber and fire in 9mm Glisenti, presenting a significant risk of catastrophic failure to the firearm, and a risk of injury to the shooter.

The cartridge is now obsolete, but Fiocchi Munizioni occasionally produces batches.

References

References

1. Frank C. Barnes. (5 October 2012). "Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges". Gun Digest Books.
2. David Miller. (2008). "Fighting Men of World War II: Uniforms, Equipment and Weapons". Stackpole Books.
3. "Revelli OVP submachine gun".
4. (2007-06-13). "Medusa M47, el revólver multicalibre más versátil del mercado".