ARTICLE

May 2003

Czech Designer Introduces Armor-Penetrating 9 mm Ammunition

by Virginia Hart Ezell

An advanced 9 mm pistol round introduced last month at an international arms show has the capability to penetrate body armor, the manufacturer says.

Dubbed the “Snail,” the bullet is a variant of the 9 x 19 mm pistol round. It is made by Libra a.s., a company based in the Czech Republic.

The firm displayed the round at the Internationale Waffen Austellung, an arms show in Nuremberg, Germany.

The designer of the round, Vlastimil Libra, took a standard 9 mm Lugar design—similar in appearance to a wad cutter round—and added a tip.

With an outer layer of brass and inner core of steel, the result is a round with “managed deformation,” according to Libra. The combination of materials and the construction gives it high penetration capability.

Libra said he began working on the design more than a year ago. He saw a need for a higher-performance round that could be used in existing weapons and that would penetrate hard targets—particularly newer types of body armor.

The “Snail” 9 mm ammunition can be used in standard 9 mm caliber pistols or submachine guns. Libra claims that the bullets can penetrate any armor plate, including titanium. Early tests have been at close ranges: 8 to 15 meters. The company currently is testing the same ammunition at 25 to 100 meters and achieving similar results, says Libra.

The company plans to limit sales to the law enforcement and military markets.

It has colored the outer layer of the bullets to help establish provenance if the ammunition finds its way into unauthorized markets.

While Libra admits this will not prevent the ammunition from being purchased illegally, the colors will help law enforcement determine how it got there.

The current “Snail” comes in two bullet weights: 6.5grams and 2.9 grams, with velocities of 500 and 700 meters per second, at three meters (approximately 100 yards), respectively.

Libra says he could apply the same design concept to any caliber ammunition. He is working on a 7.62 x 39 mm version for the Czech Republic army.—by Virginia H. Ezell

The 9 mm Lugar “Snail,” seen here on display at a Nuremberg arms show, can penetrate modern body armor, says the manufacturer, Libra a.s.

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