Looking at Tarkov’s 9x19mm Ammunition Through the Real World　Part 6: Why Do RIP and QuakeMaker Exist?

First part available here:

In the previous part, we looked at 9x19mm rounds designed to increase penetration.

AP 6.3.
PBP gzh.

These two rounds are among the more clearly attractive 9x19mm rounds in Tarkov.

That is because, in Tarkov, whether a round can penetrate armor often directly affects whether you live or die.

AP 6.3 is, as the name Armor-Piercing suggests, a round focused on penetration.

The number 6.3 also becomes easier to remember when we connect it to the 6.3mm hard penetrator inside the bullet.

PBP gzh corresponds to the Russian abbreviation ПБП, carrying the meaning of a cartridge with a bullet of increased penetration.

Both are rounds that try to fight armor within the limits of 9x19mm as a pistol cartridge.

However, ammunition does not develop only in the direction of penetration.

This time, I want to look at rounds pushed in the opposite direction.

RIP.
QuakeMaker.
Luger CCI.

In Tarkov, these rounds are often seen as “flesh damage” rounds.

They do not penetrate armor well.

However, if they hit an unarmored body part, they can deal large amounts of damage.

In Tarkov terms, these rounds connect to ideas such as leg meta or aiming for unarmored areas.

But from a real-world perspective, there is an important idea behind them.

There is also meaning in not penetrating.

Penetrating Everything Is Not Always Ideal

In Tarkov, penetration often feels like justice.

As a game system, this is understandable.

Your opponent is wearing armor.
If your round does not pass through, the damage does not reach the target effectively.
If you are fighting head-on, ammunition with higher penetration feels safer.

Because of that, when we look at low-penetration ammunition, it is easy to think:

“This is weak.”

“This is hard to use.”

“This is useless against armor.”

However, in the real world, a round that penetrates everything is not always ideal.

For example, in police or defensive contexts, a bullet penetrating too much can become a problem.

A bullet may pass through the intended target and hit someone behind them.

It may go through a wall or door and strike someone who was not supposed to be involved.

In residential areas or indoors, the risk of collateral damage can become serious.

For that reason, some ammunition is designed to use its energy inside the target rather than continuing to penetrate.

Instead of increasing penetration, the design may focus on deformation, fragmentation, or energy transfer after impact.

That is the basic idea behind the rounds we are looking at in this part.

Inside Tarkov, this idea is expressed in a very extreme way.

They do not penetrate armor.

But they cause high damage when they hit unarmored body parts.

In game terms, they may look like “leg meta” rounds.

From the real-world side, however, they can be understood as rounds that give up penetration in exchange for a different kind of effect.

The Name RIP

First, let’s look at RIP.

The 9x19mm RIP round in Tarkov has a very memorable name.

RIP stands for Radically Invasive Projectile.

A fairly direct interpretation would be something like “an extremely invasive projectile.”

Tarkov Wiki describes 9x19mm RIP as a round with a 6-gram frangible bullet designed to create multiple wound channels and quickly incapacitate the target.

The name RIP has a very aggressive sound.

In English, “R.I.P.” is also commonly known as “Rest in Peace.”

As an ammunition name, it creates a very strong impression.

However, the important point is not only the impact of the name.

RIP is not a round designed to increase penetration.

It is a round designed to focus on what happens after it hits the target.

The projectile fragments.
It creates multiple paths inside the target.
It uses energy inside the target.
It focuses on effect against soft targets rather than penetrating hard armor.

That is the direction of this round.

G2 Research’s RIP product page also describes RIP ammunition as creating multiple wound channels.

In Tarkov, this character is expressed as high flesh damage and low penetration.

RIP is not a round for penetrating armor.

It becomes meaningful when you avoid armor and hit unarmored body parts.

Once we understand that, RIP is no longer simply “a weak round with low penetration.”

It is a round that gives up penetration and focuses on effect inside the target.

Seen that way, the name RIP also becomes much easier to remember.

The Name QuakeMaker

Next is QuakeMaker.

The name QuakeMaker feels quite dramatic, almost game-like.

Taken literally, it suggests something that creates a quake or causes a strong impact.

As an ammunition name, it seems designed to give the image of delivering a heavy shock to the target.

Tarkov Wiki describes 9x19mm QuakeMaker as an 11.9-gram hollow-point round made entirely of lead, with a lightweight steel case and a red anodized aluminum base. It is described as being intended for home defense and target shooting.

The important point here is the idea of a hollow point.

A hollow-point bullet has a cavity at the tip.

When it hits a target, the projectile is more likely to expand, making it a type of ammunition that focuses more on effect inside the target than on penetration.

Of course, real-world ammunition design and Tarkov’s damage calculations are not the same.

Even so, the character of QuakeMaker is easy to understand.

Not penetration, but stopping power.

Not defeating armor, but producing effect when it hits an unarmored area.

Not hard targets, but damage against soft targets.

Tarkov Wiki also describes QuakeMaker as having considerable stopping power and causing strong adverse effects on the target, while sacrificing penetration capability.

In other words, just as the name suggests, QuakeMaker is a round pushed toward delivering strong impact.

But that does not mean penetrating armor.

It means producing effect at the point of impact.

In Tarkov, it is easiest to understand QuakeMaker in the same way as RIP: as a round for aiming at unarmored body parts.

The Name Luger CCI

Next is Luger CCI.

Compared to RIP and QuakeMaker, the name Luger CCI is less dramatic.

However, once we break it down, it becomes quite easy to understand.

First, “Luger” is connected to 9mm Luger, another name for 9x19mm Parabellum.

As mentioned in Part 1, 9x19mm Parabellum is also called 9mm Luger.

This name comes from the cartridge’s connection to Georg Luger and the Luger pistol.

So in Luger CCI, “Luger” can be understood as indicating the cartridge family.

Next is CCI.

CCI is known as the abbreviation of Cascade Cartridge, Inc., an American ammunition manufacturer.

CCI is especially well known for civilian ammunition, rimfire ammunition, and primers.

Tarkov Wiki describes 9x19mm Luger CCI as a special heavy projectile with a blue bullet, manufactured by CCI. It is described as having a heavy bullet while maintaining an average muzzle velocity compared to other rounds of the same caliber, with considerable stopping power but sacrificed penetration.

From this description, Luger CCI is easiest to understand as a special civilian-manufacturer-type round within the 9x19mm family.

Luger = a 9x19mm Luger-family cartridge.
CCI = the manufacturer.
Heavy bullet = stopping-power-oriented.
Blue projectile = visually distinctive.

So Luger CCI can be remembered as:

a special heavy 9x19mm round made by CCI.

It does not have as dramatic a name as RIP or QuakeMaker.

But it can still be seen as a round focused more on effect after impact than on penetration.

Rounds That Do Not Penetrate Change Where You Aim

Rounds such as RIP, QuakeMaker, and Luger CCI have low penetration.

Because of that, if you shoot the chest of an armored opponent in Tarkov, they may not produce the effect you expect.

The important point here is that your point of aim must change according to the ammunition.

With AP-type ammunition, the idea is to pass damage through armor.

With flesh-damage ammunition, the idea is to avoid armor.

In other words:

Do not shoot the chest. Shoot the legs.

Do not aim for armored areas. Aim for unarmored areas.

Do not try to penetrate armor from the front. Fight according to the characteristics of the round.

This is the basic idea behind flesh-damage ammunition in Tarkov.

Of course, this is not easy.

The opponent moves.

You may panic.

Aiming at legs at close range takes practice.

There is also the psychological discomfort of using ammunition that cannot penetrate armor well.

However, if you understand the nature of the ammunition, at least you can understand why it does not work in certain situations.

If you use RIP or QuakeMaker and shoot the chest, only to have the armor stop it, you can think:

“This round is weak.”

Or you can think:

“This round was not meant to be used on that part of the target.”

That difference is very large.

Tarkov is a game where you change your fighting style according to your ammunition.

The ammunition chart is not simply a strength ranking.

It is information that helps you decide where to aim and at what distance to fight.

Defensive, Police, and Civilian Contexts

When thinking about rounds such as RIP, QuakeMaker, and Luger CCI, the real-world context is easier to see in defensive, police, and civilian use than in purely military use.

Military ammunition tends to emphasize penetration, mass production, legal constraints, long-term storage, and logistical compatibility.

Civilian defensive and home-defense use brings different problems.

A bullet fired inside a house may pass through walls.

A bullet may pass through the target and strike another person.

In a tight space, a round may continue traveling more than desired.

These risks can matter a great deal.

Because of that, some ammunition is designed to produce its effect inside the target and reduce excessive penetration.

Of course, real-world ammunition choice depends heavily on laws, region, and specific purpose.

This article is not saying which ammunition anyone should use in real life.

The point here is only to understand Tarkov’s ammunition through the ideas behind it.

Rounds such as RIP and QuakeMaker are easier to understand if we do not think:

“They are weak because they have low penetration.”

Instead, we can think:

“They gave up penetration in order to focus on effect inside the target.”

That is where their reason for existing becomes visible.

Tarkov Expresses This in an Extreme Way

Tarkov expresses these ammunition characteristics in a very clear and sometimes extreme way.

AP-type rounds have high penetration, but they come with other costs.

Flesh-damage-oriented rounds have low penetration, but deal high damage to unarmored body parts.

Standard rounds sit somewhere between them.

This also makes the system easier to understand as a game.

Real-world ammunition effects are much more complicated.

Human-body effects, projectile deformation, velocity, angle, clothing, barriers, and distance all interact in complex ways.

Tarkov does not completely reproduce all of that.

However, the idea that ammunition has roles is strongly reflected in the game.

RIP and QuakeMaker are clear examples.

They do not penetrate armor.

Instead, they are strong against unarmored areas.

Therefore, the place you aim changes.

In this way, the character of the round directly changes how you fight.

That is one of the interesting parts of Tarkov’s ammunition system.

Remembering RIP, QuakeMaker, and Luger CCI by Name

Finally, let’s organize the three rounds by name.

RIP stands for Radically Invasive Projectile.

It is an aggressive-sounding round designed around the idea of creating multiple wound channels inside the target.

QuakeMaker, as the name suggests, gives the image of impact or shock.

With its heavy hollow-point-style projectile, it is easiest to understand as a round pushed toward stopping power rather than penetration.

Luger CCI is a 9mm Luger-family round and can be remembered as a special heavy round made by CCI.

Its name is less dramatic, but it is also a round focused more on effect after impact than on penetration.

Seen this way, all three rounds point in a similar direction.

They are not rounds for penetrating armor.

They are rounds for affecting unarmored body parts.

They focus on what happens where they hit, rather than on passing through hard protection.

However, the impression of each name is different.

RIP suggests fragmentation and invasiveness.

QuakeMaker suggests impact.

Luger CCI suggests a manufacturer-linked special heavy round.

Keeping those differences in mind makes Tarkov’s ammunition chart much easier to organize.

Part 6 Summary

RIP, QuakeMaker, and Luger CCI are 9x19mm rounds in Tarkov that are generally seen as being focused more on flesh damage than penetration.

In Tarkov, low-penetration rounds often look weak.

However, from a real-world perspective, there is also meaning in not penetrating.

Avoiding overpenetration.
Using energy inside the target.
Deforming or fragmenting the projectile.
Producing effect against unarmored areas.
Thinking in defensive, police, or civilian contexts rather than purely military ones.

For these kinds of purposes, ammunition focused on effect inside the target rather than penetration can exist.

RIP stands for Radically Invasive Projectile.

As the name suggests, it is a round designed around the idea of creating multiple wound channels inside the target.

QuakeMaker is a round whose name suggests strong impact and stopping power.

With its heavy hollow-point-style projectile, it can be seen as a round focused more on target effect than penetration.

Luger CCI is a 9mm Luger-family round and a special heavy projectile made by CCI.

This can also be understood as a stopping-power-oriented round rather than a penetration-focused one.

If you use these rounds in Tarkov, you should not try to penetrate armor from the front.

You need to aim at unarmored body parts.

In other words, when the ammunition changes, the place you aim also changes.

That is one of the interesting things about ammunition choice in Tarkov.

In the next part, I want to look at a slightly different kind of round: Green Tracer.

Tracer ammunition makes the bullet’s flight path visible.

It helps you see where your shots are going, but it can also reveal your position to the enemy.

Convenience becomes risk.

Next time, we will think about the meaning of a visible bullet path through Green Tracer.

Part 7 is available here (may not be published yet)

Note: I also talk about the background behind this series, as well as what I am actually thinking during play, in the streams I do on Twitch almost every day.
Some things are harder to fully convey in writing alone, so watching the streams may help give a better feel for the atmosphere.
Past stream archives are also available on my YouTube channel, so if you are interested, please feel free to check those out as well.
▶ YouTube: B.K. Gaming
▶ Twitch: kaz_the_minotaur