9X18 stopping power?

[Grunt]

I've been thinking of carrying my 9X18 Makarov in the summer fo concealed carry. Now I know there's a lot of information out there on how some of the more common calibers like the 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 Magnum, .45 ACP, etc. perform but not very much about the 9X18. Anybody ever heard anything of how well say the Russian hollow point ammo works?

 

[kokapelli]

Grunt, this link will take you to some good gelatin tests in a 9X18 Makarov.

http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/9x18/gel9x18.htm

 

[Marshall]

Any info on how they work on bad guys?

 

[kokapelli]

Not really, but I wouldn't want to get hit by one!

 

[jc2]

About the same as a .380--you can do a lot better.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Silver Bear has or had 115 and 120 grain JHP. 1000fps
That's getting pretty close to 9mm.

I've got several thousand rounds of each but haven't seen any lately.

Here's a pretty good write up on the Mak.
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/makarov.htm


I carry a Kimber 45 but I'de feel well armed with a Makarov.

 

[WonderNine]

When I think Mak I don't think .380 I think warmish .38 Special.

 

[Trebor]

The majority of Mak loadings are closer to high end .380 ACP than 9x19mm. The Silver Bear 115 gr and 120 gr loads are promising on paper, but there have been numerous reports from users that they cause functioning problems and don't feed reliably. I had a student in one of my CCW classes who used Silver Bear in a Bulgarian Mak who had numerous problems and finally had to switch ammo.

The bottom line is, if you are comfortable with a .380 ACP round, then the 9X18mm should do for you. Don't expect it to be what it's not.

 

[12 Volt Man]

Here is a link to an interesting "home expansion test" that a guy did on another forum.
http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162271


I don't think twice or feel undergunned when carrying my Mak.

 

[agtman]

"9X18 stopping power?"


Probably about the same as a 9x19, which ain't all that impressive anyway.

The 9mm Mak consists of a slightly larger "9mm" bullet (.365), housed in a case slightly shorter than the 9mm Parabellum.

However, Maks are cool little pistols for what they are.

 

[M2 Carbine]

"The Silver Bear 115 gr and 120 gr loads are promising on paper, but there have been numerous reports from users that they cause functioning problems and don't feed reliably."

True Trebor,
The early SB 120's were too long and would jam in some magazines and on the feed ramp.

I cured this by setting the bullets a few thousands deeper on the several thousand rounds I bought. They are 100% now (through 9 mixed brand Maks).
Of course everyone wouldn't want to, or can't "resize" their ammo but to me (and friends) it's worth it to use a 120 gr load instead of 95 gr for a defense load.

The last couple thousand SB 120 gr I ordered, when delivered were 115 gr.
I haven't shot them enough to trust them 100%.
I guess the 120 gr has been discontinued. Wish I had bought another 4 or 5 thousand when I had the chance.

BTW,
I use 21 pound Wolf springs in all my Maks and would advise anyone not to fire a steady diet of those heavy bullets with the factory 17 pound spring.

 

[cratz2]

Stephen Camp has done a couple posts on informal testing... The Barnaul (sp?) seem to expand pretty reliably. The thing about the 9x18 cartridge is ammo should be very easy to develop for... I mean, there isn't a huge range in barrel lengths so it should be pretty easy to make ammo that will expand reliably.

For reliability, Maks are pretty top notch. Never tried the Silver Bears but everything else has been 100% for me in two different Maks.

In general, I'd think that 9x18 would be about the same as standard pressure 9x19s using the same bullet design but I'd feel a lot better armed with a reliable 9x19 with +P+ Rangers than anything available for the Mak.

I'd assume (always a bad thing) that whatever comments applied to a 380 (9x17) would apply fairly directly to a 9mm Mak (9x18) and either of those should be pretty similar to reasonable loads from a 2" or 3" 38 Special .

 

[David4516]

I tend to think of 9mm Makarov/9X18 as .380 ACP +P+

It shoots a bullet thats a little bigger

It shoots a bullet thats a little heavyer

It shoots that bullet a little faster

I like the 95 gr Hornady XTP. My Mak is my carry gun and the XTP at about 1050 FPS is my carry load...

The Makarov pistol is 100% reliable. The caliber isn't .45 ACP, but it is big enough to be effective. So don't feel under-gunned with a Mak. If you do your part the bad guy will go down, and won't get back up again...

 

[NoScreenName]

Part of the Mak's charm is the 150% reliability and it is unusually accurate for what it is and how much it costs...If that doesn't inspire confidence...then what does? The pricetag? blah to the label-whores...

Personally I agree with the comparisons to +p+ 380 or standard pressure 9x19mm...so with some Barnaul HP's I would not think twice about any of the comments from some of the gun snobs about it being underpowered...

All I know is that when shooting my Mak around other people it makes me look like a much better and more accurate shooter... and a female friend (who had never ever shot before ) nailed a can 5/6 times out of 8 possible on the very first clip firing my not even broken in yet Bulgie...


How's that saying go again? I'm paraphrasing and I'm sure I'm butchering it but it's something to the effect of,


Fear more the man who is as one with his .22 than the jackass with a $1000 .45 who doesn't know how to use it...

 

[M2 Carbine]

My friends wife was almost a non shooter. A 38 once in a great while.
No semi auto experience.
My friend, no semi auto experience.

After a couple shooting sessions with a Russian Makarov she shot 243 and he shot 250 (out of 250) for their Texas CHL.

What was funny, the range owner/instructor was bad mouthing the Mak before the qualification shooting.

My friend's wife beat every other shooter (except her husband's 250) with that piece of junk Makarov.
Including a guy that was shooting the range owner's tricked out 45.


My friend and his wife insisted I sell them that Mak.


So I went and bought 3 more.

 

[cratz2]

M2, sounds you know a ranger owner/instructor that is several decades behind in his learnings.