Single stack 9mm?

[jack_the_sailor]

Why are single stack 9mm only 8 rds & not 10? If you layed 8-45 rds on a table like they where stacked in a mag then you put 10-9mm stacked next to the 8-45 rds. wouldn't they be the same lenght? I put my Glock 17 hi-cap on a table then put 10-9mm rds stacked next to it. Both where the same lenght. Not because of the rd limit. Why don't pistol maker make 10 rd single stack full sized pistols for shooters that have small hands or short fingers?

 

[bad_dad_brad]

Good question Jack. Imagine a thinner Glock 19. I suppose it is a matter of economics. A hi-cap G19 manufactures the same as a 10 rounder, just a different mag so why should Glock go to the bother, although, they did come out with that neat slim single stack .45 the G36.

Hands small? Me too. Try a Kahr K9 (or the new T9).

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. The 9x19mm is a slightly tapered round and I suspect that as the number of rounds add up, it becomes difficult to get them to seat right in a magazine beyond 8 or 9 rnds without being excessively long for existing handguns for that extra shot or so.


Just a thought.

Best.

 

[jack_the_sailor]

I mean a 10 rd single stack so the grip would be thinner on a full sized pistol. Why didn't they make 10 rd single stack to begin with instead of 8 rd?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Don't know that one.

Best.

 

[schutze]

Don't the 1911 9mm's hold 10 rounds?

 

[RON in PA]

I think that a single stack mag of more than 8 rounds presents a loading and reliability problem, it just works out that way.

Luger
P38
Astra 400
Radom
Star Model B
Tokarov
Sig 225
Makarov
Mauser 1914
Cz 24
Cz52

I own or have owned all of the above with the exception of the Sig. Different cartridges, but all 8 in the mag. It's either tradition or something basic to mag design. The only exception seems to be in .22 mags where they go to 10.

 

[Mike Davies]

Both my Norinco 1911 9mmP and my SIG P-220 9mmP's mags hold 9 rounds. But for literally a couple of thou, I could get a 10th round into the SIG's mag....I wish they'd make an "extra round" follower similar to the .45cal P-220 mags...
Mike

 

[denfoote]

The 8rd single stack magazine was specified by the West German Police commission as a design specification for the then brand new handgun which was to replace the Walther PPK. Who knows why they decided on 8 rounds!! It sort of became traditional, I guess. The Walther P5, Sig P6 (225) and the famous HKP7 all have 8 round magazines. This does seem odd, since the Browning High Power was known to them and already in use!! Maybe it was a political thing!!

 

[Laz]

Smith and Wesson briefly made a pistol in their value series called the 909 which was a single stack full size alloy framed 9mm that had a 9 round magazine. I "think" the earlier full size single stack, steel framed 3906 had an eight round magazine. I liked the size and feel of the 909 with it's curved backstrap much better than it's sibling 910 with a double stack 10 round mag. Didn't buy either one though and apparently was not alone.

 

[nemesis]

Sig P-239

I have a Sig P-239 single stack 9mm which normally uses an 8 round mag. I also have several Sig factory 10 round single stack mags for it. Does that qualify?

 

[GunGeek]

The 8rd single stack magazine was specified by the West German Police commission as a design specification for the then brand new handgun which was to replace the Walther PPK. Who knows why they decided on 8 rounds!!

I DO, I DO!! All police qualifacation drills in Germany are based on round multiples of 8. This is why the P99 holds 16 (8*2)... Textbook example of designing the gun around training instead of designing training around the gun!

 

[Bompa]

For some reason 1911 magazines in 9mm amd 38super are nine
rounds just like 45acp's were and still are seven,for the most anyway..There are available ten round mags for the 38super and
they can be used in 9mm..Some guns will feed great and some not at all..Perhaps with the 9mm being used more in IDPA and IPSC someone will come out with a ten rounder..
Perhaps if enough people were to inquire a manufacturer just might make some..I understand Metalform has made limited runs
of special sizes in the past. The order has to be large I would assume..
Perhaps someone with the need could get info and then take orders from forum members and get a bunch made up...

 

[Onslaught]

Here's a single stack 9mm that holds 10 rounds

http://www.taurususa.com/pt911.html

Of course, to add to the image that 8 rounds of 9mm is the standard in a single stack, the "911" replaced the "908", which, you guessed it, held 8 rounds.

I hear good things about this particular Taurus offering, so I guess it's not impossible to make 10 rounds of 9mm feed from a single stack after all...

 

[bountyh]

The SS 1911 in 9mm has a stndard mag capacity of 9 rounds and can be increased to 10 rounds using a "increased capacity" follower so the mag length is the same, but it holds 10 rounds. Pain in the butt to convert for one extra round.

 

[Blackhawk]

4 inches for the 10 rounds plus about 2.4 inches for the spring plus another inch to the top of the slide would end up with a 9mm being 7.4 inches tall.

Wouldn't want one...!

 

[Handy]

Since 8 rounds of .45 at 11mm in diameter is 88mm and 9mm X10 rounds is 90mm, the total space probably isn't the problem.

I have an HK with a single stack 9 round mag-no problems.

There could be a feed problem as someone else mentioned. Straight MP5 mags aren't as reliable with all ammo as curved.

It probably comes down to size and the market. Why make a gun big enough for 10 rounds and not 15? The US civilian market is not a good answer-it's a global market.

In terms of capacity vs. grip size, this has rarely been a major concern for a gun manufactorer. Kahr and Browning BDM are the only guns I can think of that really attempted to minimize the grip.