9×23mm Winchester
The 9×23mm Winchester is a pistol cartridge developed as a joint venture by Winchester Ammunition and Colt's Manufacturing Company. The 9×23mm Winchester has a convoluted development history, but was commercially introduced by Winchester in 1996. Marketed primarily to competition shooters as a replacement for .38 Super for International Practical Shooting Confederation, United States Practical Shooting Association and International Defensive Pistol Association competition, the cartridge failed to find significant market success despite a high-profile introduction.
| 9×23mm Winchester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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9×23mm Winchester (left) compared with 9×21mm (center) and 9×19mm Parabellum (right) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Pistol | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer | Winchester Ammunition (John Ricco and Anthony Valdez) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1992–1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1996–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | 9mm Winchester Magnum | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimless, straight | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | 9.04 mm (0.356 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | 9.68 mm (0.381 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | 9.93 mm (0.391 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | 10.01 mm (0.394 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case length | 22.86 mm (0.900 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 33.02 mm (1.300 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primer type | small pistol *Some people use small rifle primers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum pressure | 379 MPa (55,000 psi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test barrel length: Varied Source(s): xmlschemas-instant.Winchester Ammunition; C.I.P.<fsx>"C.I.P. decisions, texts and tables - free current C.I.P. CD-ROM version download (ZIP and RAR format)". Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-17.</ref> SAAMI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The critical design feature of the 9×23mm Winchester is a much-strengthened case that does away with the semi-rimmed case design of the .38 Super which sometimes caused feeding problems. In contrast to the maximum pressure of 36,500 psi for the .38 Super, the 9x23mm Winchester can operate under a higher internal pressure, 55,000 psi (measured with a piezoelectric transducer).38 Super (as of SAAMI standards currently). It has a slightly tapered but nearly parallel case which means that it has greater magazine capacity for the same 9 mm bore diameter relative to the necked down cases of the .357 SIG, 9×25mm Super Auto G, or 9×25mm Dillon. To achieve enough propellant capacity for the power needed, the 9×23mm Winchester is longer than the 9×19mm Parabellum or .357 SIG and so requires the extra magazine front to back length of an M1911 style magazine.