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Wonder Nine refers to any semi-automatic pistol that is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and has a staggered column magazine, as well as a double-action trigger for at least the first shot.
The term was coined by firearms author Robert Shimek, and became popular in American firearm-related magazines during the 1980s and the 1990s by those advocating their use by police forces. At the time most American police departments were still using revolvers, chambered in cartridges such as .38 Special and .357 Magnum.
The simplicity of being able to fire the first shot just by pulling the trigger (a prominent feature of double-action revolvers), larger ammunition capacity, and faster reloading of ammunition with the use of box magazines are the "wonderful" features of a semi-automatic pistol.
Examples include the Heckler & Koch VP70 (1970), Smith & Wesson Model 59 (1971[1][2]), CZ-75 (1975), Beretta 92 (1976), Steyr GB (1981), SIG Sauer P226 (1984), Walther P88 (1988), IWI Jericho 941 (1990), Heckler & Koch USP (1993), Bersa Thunder 9 (1994), and Walther P99 (1997)
Notes
- ^ Trzoniec, Stanley W. (1981). Modern American Centerfire Handguns. Tulsa, Okla.: Winchester Press. p. 49. ISBN 0876913419. OCLC 7572377.
- ^ Hartink, A. E. (2002). The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers (first ed.). Edison, N.J.: Chartwell Books. p. 279. ISBN 9780785815198. OCLC 51024327.