[JamisJockey]

Is 9x18 a true .380? Will an imported Makarov shoot the .380 acp ammo sold over the counter?
And lastly, is there surplus ammo for said pistols out there?

[wasrjoe]

9x18 and .380 are completely incompatable. 9x18 is... 9x18, .380 is 9x17. The diameter of the bullets is even different, 9x18 actually being fatter than 9mm.

There may be surplus ammo for 9x18. Not positive. I do know, however, that there is a lot of cheap ammo available for 9x18. Maybe not at Wal-Mart, but you can't find Wolf 7.62x39 at Wal-Mart and no one seems to complain about the availability of that round.

[JamisJockey]

I just spotted the 9x18 on cheaperthandirt.com something like $5 and a half bucks.
I guess its time to start watching out for a mak or two :P

[wasrjoe]

Fine guns. You will not regret it. Thanks to the fixed barrel, they are very accurate. They go bang every time. The recoil is very controllable. My one complaint would be the sites - however, I am very used to comblock weapons, so poor sights are not much of a hindrance for me. In fact, I use this pistol better than my father's Baby Eagle - even with its "good" sights. So, while the sights may hinder the performance of the pistol slightly, the performance of the pistol itself makes up for it.

Oh, PS: They're sexy, too. :D

[Gunnutz13]

Excuse me while I climb on my soapbox...ok, now...NEVER, EVER, shoot 380acp in a Makarov or visa versa...jumping off box...Ok good ! 9x17 (.380acp or 9mm kurtz [short] ) 9x18 (Makarov) 9x19 (9mm parabellum)...I seen a guy do it once, ruined a nice Makarov. Check out this site: http:www.makarov.com/ I myself have a East German Makarov, a Colt M1908 in .380 acp, and a Walther PPK/s in .380acp. I don't think the .380's and the 9x18 were ever at the range at the same time...and I keep the ammo in separate cans too. Enjoy... :evil:

[MrTuffPaws]

380acp is a true 9mm, while 9x18 is something like 9.2mm. Bad bad things can happen if you shoot 380 in a 9x18 barrel. The good thing is that I doubt 9x18 could chamber in a 380acp gun

[eagle45]

Aim Surplus (http://www.aimsurplus.com/) has Silver Bear ammo for the Maks. 92 gr FMJ and 115 gr HP, both for $5.25/box, $5.00/box if you buy case lots. They also have some nice Bulgarian Maks with 2 mags for $139. I bought one a couple of months ago. Very nice. The previous post mentioned makarov.com, it's a great site for Mak info/advice.

[ktd]

http://www.makarov.com/makfaq.html
go down a bit and there a section on caliber issues. As everyone said, not a good idea, and in my experience not terribly reliable. I had to keep a pencil in my kit to clear the occasional extraction failure.

k

edited for minor spelling error.

[standingbear]

silverbear..is it different?

it fed in my mak ok but wouldnt feed in another mak I was testing for a friend because the tips were getting hung up on the feedramp.It may be somewhat hotter as well.switched to barnaul as well and the recoil isnt as sharp.paid 4.50 a box last time I bought some barnaul jacketed hp.

Ive heard that there are kits that supposedly allow one to convert a 9x18 mak to a 380 mak...why,I dunno.the 380 seems more expensive and not quite the same velocity as a 9x18.

if its chambered in 9x18,dont try a 380.like trying a 45 gap in a 45 acp?

[lee n. field]

.I seen a guy do it once, ruined a nice Makarov.

Totally ruined, or "needs new barrel" ruined?

[JohnKSa]

In a jam (perhaps pun intended), .380 ammo CAN be fired in a 9x18. I'm not saying it's a good idea, reliability will suffer and it's not good for the gun, but it's not extremely likely to cause injury. I am NOT saying it's completely safe. It's nothing like shooting .38 in a .357, .380 in a 9mmMak is truly an ammo mismatch and is likely to cause damage to the gun and probably increases the likelihood of a dangerous incident.

What I'm saying is that if TSHTF and you have a Mak and all you can find is .380, then load up. There's really no reason to do this in a non-emergency situation.

Don't even think of going the other way around.

9x18 bullet diameter is 0.363"
9x17 (.380 ACP/9mm Browning/9mmKurz) bullet diameter is 0.355"

Also, some 9x18 ammo is loaded MUCH hotter than any .380 round. Putting a 9x18 round in a .380 is a real recipe for trouble.

If you want to shoot .380 in your Mak as a matter of course, you can buy a .380 barrel for around $50 and a barrel press for around $40. Swapping barrels isn't hard, but it is not nearly as quick as swapping barrels on an auto without a fixed barrel.

There are also a few Maks on the market that are already chambered for .380. There were some .380 Russian Maks that came with adjustable sights.

[Teakwood]

Commercially produced Makarovs have been imported from Russia, Bulgaria and China. All three had .380 versions. None of these are imported any longer.

Of these, the finest were the Miltex Special Edition Maks from the Arsenal facility in Bulgaria. Later, Miltex got out of the import business and some were imported directly from Arsenal. While very nice, the later Arsenal imports were not as nice as the Miltex SE.

The imports from China were a mixed bag, being some of the nicest and some of the worst finished Makarovs.

The Russian IJ70 imports were reliable and rugged, but had consistently low quality of finish.

None of the above should be confused with the military surplus Makarovs which were only issued in 9x18. However, people have been known to re-barrel them to 9x17, although I cannot follow why.

[NavajoNPaleFace]

(quote) "...it's not extremely likely to cause injury. I am NOT saying it's completely safe."

Yep, that's clear to me, LOL.

BTW, has anyone ever experienced a grip caused slide launch while live firing like I have? Now......THAT'S and interesting sight and experience. :what: