Pistol and revolver cartridges

Pistol and revolver cartridges in this category serve short-firearm owners with a valid permit: hunters who keep their marksmanship sharp between seasons, sport shooters training for matches, and people who keep a handgun for self-defense. Calibers run from the small 6.35 Browning up to the powerful .44 Rem. Mag, and most of the range consists of factory-loaded FMJ ammunition from GECO, Sellier & Bellot, Winchester, Federal and Fiocchi.

Who these cartridges are for

These cartridges are made for category B short firearms: semi-automatic pistols and revolvers. They are bought by hunters who train at the range in the off-season, by competitive shooters, and by self-defense permit holders. Under Lithuanian law, ammunition is sold only against a valid firearms permit matching the caliber you buy.

For a hunter, a handgun is usually a supporting tool. Regular pistol practice builds the same skills you need behind a hunting rifle: breathing control, a clean trigger press, fast target acquisition. A winter hour at the range with affordable pistol ammunition costs less than the same hour with hunting rifle loads, and the accuracy you bank there pays off in autumn, both in the high seat and on a driven hunt where targets move fast.

Calibers in the range

You will find every short-firearm caliber common in Lithuania here: 9mm Luger and 9mm Makarov for pistols, .45 Auto and .40 S&W for larger semi-automatics, .357 Mag, .38 Special and .44 Rem. Mag for revolvers, plus the small Browning calibers and 6mm Flobert for quiet close-range training.

9mm Luger and 9mm Makarov

9mm Luger (9x19) is the most widespread pistol caliber in Lithuania and across Europe. The range includes GECO 9mm Luger 8.0 g (124 gr) FMJ cartridges suitable for both training and carry. For eastern-pattern pistols such as PM-type handguns, GECO and Sellier & Bellot offer 9mm Makarov 6.1 g (95 gr) loads.

.45 Auto and .40 S&W

Shooters who prefer larger bores can pick Geco, Sellier & Bellot and Fiocchi .45 Auto cartridges with a 14.9 g FMJ bullet, or Sellier & Bellot .40 S&W 11.7 g (180 gr) loads. A heavier bullet flies slower, so recoil feels like a push rather than a snap, and many shooters find it easier to control than its reputation suggests.

Revolver calibers

Revolver owners get Sellier & Bellot .357 Mag and .38 Special cartridges with 10.25 g FMJ bullets. A .357 Mag revolver also fires the milder .38 Special, which makes training cheaper and more pleasant. The most powerful caliber in the category is GECO .44 Rem. Mag with a 14.9 g (230 gr) bullet, and for owners of older classics there are Winchester 32-20 cartridges.

Small Browning calibers

Owners of compact pocket pistols will find Sellier & Bellot 6.35 Browning 3.3 g and 7.65 Browning 4.75 g FMJ cartridges. These calibers produce little recoil, suit small-frame guns and are often chosen for discreet self-defense pistols. There is also a GECO .380 Auto (9mm Short) 6.15 g load, popular among compact pistol users.

6mm Flobert

Sellier & Bellot 6mm Flobert blunt-nose cartridges, sold in packs of 100, are a quiet and inexpensive choice for short-distance accuracy work. The light charge lets you shoot where a louder caliber would disturb neighbors, so Flobert is a frequent pick for beginners and for shooters who want short, frequent practice sessions.

Why FMJ dominates the shelf

Nearly every cartridge in this category carries an FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) bullet: a lead core fully enclosed in a metal jacket. Such a bullet does not deform in the barrel, leaves less lead fouling in the rifling, flies consistently and punches through the target without expanding. That makes FMJ the standard choice for range training and everyday loading of a carry gun.

A practical note for range visitors: FMJ bullets ricochet more readily than soft-point designs, so shoot only at proper targets and bullet traps. A hunter who uses a handgun to dispatch wounded game at close range, where hunting regulations allow it, can rely on FMJ up close, but always pick a shot angle with a safe backstop behind the animal.

How to choose cartridges for your firearm

Start with your firearm's documents and barrel markings, then match purpose, bullet weight and price. A wrongly matched caliber is dangerous, so check twice whenever in doubt. Work through the choice in this order:

1. Confirm the exact caliber in the firearm's papers and on the barrel. 9mm Luger, 9mm Makarov and .380 Auto are different cartridges and never interchangeable.
2. Decide on the purpose: pick cheaper FMJ loads for frequent training, and keep a fresh batch of the same factory load for carry.
3. Weigh up bullet weight: a lighter bullet flies faster and prints lower, a heavier one softens recoil and holds steadier in wind.
4. Shoot one lot: cartridges from the same maker and the same production lot group to the same point, so buy a larger quantity at once before a match or the hunting season.
5. Check your permit conditions: the shop will ask for a valid permit, and the quantity you buy must stay within its limits.

Practical field advice

Ammunition stays reliable for years when stored dry and cool, separately from the firearm, as storage regulations require. Moisture is the main enemy: it attacks the primer and the case mouth, so ammunition that got soaked on a wet hunt or an outdoor range day should be used up first.

Rotate your carry load regularly: cartridges kept in a magazine for months go through temperature swings and sweat moisture, so fire the old ones in training and reload with fresh stock. Before the hunting season, test your backup handgun with the exact ammunition you plan to carry in the field: every pistol has loads it likes, and you only learn which at the range.

Brands

European makers dominate the category. Czech Sellier & Bellot has produced ammunition since the 19th century and offers the widest caliber selection here, from 6.35 Browning to .45 Auto. German GECO is known for consistent quality in 9mm Luger, 9mm Makarov and .44 Rem. Mag. Italian Fiocchi and the American Winchester and Federal plants round out the range with .45 Auto, 32-20 and .357 SIG, so owners of less common firearms are covered too.

If you need ammunition for other purposes, see blank cartridges for starter and signal guns, gas cartridges for self-defense weapons, or air gun pellets. If you are unsure about caliber or compatibility with your firearm, write to us and we will help you choose.