Let's see if yet another perspective can add to the confusion.
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Originally Posted by softouch
When looking for ammunition I see:
9 mm
9 mm Luger
9 mm Luger +P
9 mm Luger (9 x 19 mm Parabellum)
9 x 19 mm Lug
Correct me if I am wrong, but all 9 mm are parabellum, & the +P is a little more powerful, & 9 x 19 mm is a European size & Luger is Luger.
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Wrong.
All the 9mm cartridges you listed are the same physical dimensions and all can be fired in any firearm that says it is chambered for 9mm Luger or 9mm Parabellum. As discussed in your revolver thread, though, +P is more powerful and probably should not be fired in older firearms that aren't rated for +P ammo.
But ... your list doesn't include all the 9mm cartridges. The two others you might encounter are 9x18 (also called 9mm Makarov) and 9x17 (also called .380 ACP or .380 Automatic). The 9x18 Makarov is actually larger in diameter and won't chamber in a firearm intended for 9mm Luger, so that's not a concern. The 9x17 fires bullets of the same diameter as the 9mm Luger, but usually lighter in weight. The case is 2mm shorter. It is possible to chamber 9x17 ammunition in pistols designed for both 9mm Luger and .38 Super. It's not a good idea, for a variety of reasons, but it generally won't blow anything up. I have done it, intentionally, for testing purposes under controlled conditions.
With all that out of the way, by far the most prevalent of the three is 9mm Luger (in one of its several names), and if you walk into any gun shop and ask for "9mm" ammo ... that's what you're going to get.
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Then there are the .45 caliber rounds...
45 ACP
45 ACP +P
45 Auto
45 Colt
45 Long Colt
45 GAP
45-70
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The "ACP" in .45 ACP stands for "Automatic Colt Pistol." The 1911 purists will tell you that there is no cartridge named .45 ACP, that the correct nomenclature is ".45 Automatic." So .45 ACP and .45 Auto are the same thing, and .45 ACP +P is just loaded to more power.
.45 Colt and ".45 Long Colt" are the same cartridge. It's the cartridge for the Model 1873 Colt Single Action Army revolver -- the cowboy six gun.
The .45 GAP is a cartridge created by Glock. "GAP" stands for "Glock Automatic Pistol." Glock found that their pistols in .45 Automatic were too big for people with small hands to shoot comfortably, so they decided to create a cartridge that fires the same bullet as .45 Automatic and has the same ballistics (velocity), but in the same (shorter) length as the 9mm Luger. So that's what it is. To get "standard" velocity out of the shorter cartridge, they had to load it to pressures pretty nearly what would be +P in .45 Automatic, so there is no +P in .45 GAP.
.45-70 is a rifle cartridge.
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I have a Glock 19 and a Kimber Stainless Pro Raptor II. The Wife & I took Basic Pistol and qualified using the Glock 19 during CHL qualificationTraining. Instructor said don't use any ammunition with an animal's name & stay away from "White Box" and anything made in China.
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The "animal" stuff is eastern European or Russian and is usually steel cased. Steel cases can be very hard on extractors. I know people who use it and it seems to function for most of them. I shoot 1911s and I won't allow steel cased ammo near them. "White box" refers to the Winchester USA ammo sold at Wal-Mart (and other places). It comes in a white box, hence the name. It's a (comparatively) budget priced ammo. I've shot tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds of the stuff, in practice and in competition, and I have not had one single problem with it. Never.
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All shooting that I have done is at an indoor range using full metal jacket target loads, and when not at the range the Glock 19 is loaded & carried with Hornady Critical Defense in 9 mm. Haven't decided what to carry in my Kimber; owners manual says round nose bullets - does that negate hollow points?
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The 1911 was originally designed to fire round nose bullets. Some 1911s don't like hollow point and won't feed it. If yours will feed it -- you can use it. Just make sure you shoot enough to be certain it will feed reliably. How much is enough to prove this depends on who you ask. many instructors say 500 rounds -- personally, I'm good with 200. But that's 200 rounds of the same JHP ammo with zero malfunctions. One stoppage, and the count starts over.
FWIW, Remington Golden Saber is a JHP with a bullet shaped more like a FMJ projectile. Golden Sabers will often feed reliably in 1911s that choke on any other JHP ammo.