It's a sign from above!

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WhoKnowsWho

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I finally went to fire my Makarov tonight. But as I opened up my second box of Wolf ammo, they looked kind of funny. Turns out the rounds are actually labeled 380 Auto. Should these be ok to fire later if/when I get a Kel Tec .380? (which getting the surprise box of rounds I consider a big "go buy" signal) Or should I contact Cheaper Than Dirt and exchange the box for a real box of 9x18?

The dimensions are the same except the case lenghth. The 380 is of course shorter.

So what should I do? Pull a bullet and weigh the charge? Go fire them?
 
Never fire .380 from a 9x18 Makarov.

Never ... never ... never!

Could damage gun, could damage you.


According to the makarov.com MakFaq
http://www.makarov.com/makfaq.html

Can I fire .380 ACP ammo in my 9x18M Makarov?

NO NO NO NO NO !!! There are those that disagree with me including an author of an article in Handguns magazine and gun dealers who wants to sell you a Makarov. The 9x18M cartridge is not a "true" 9mm because it's really 9.2mm. Therefore the bullets are sized .364" and .365" (barrel sizes vary...slugging yours is best to find out your bore size). Yes, you can probably get away with it a few times, but accuracy will suffer, you'll get gas blow-by, your barrel will wear out faster and for what? Save a few pennies? Hardly. 9x18M ammo is usually cheaper since you can get it surplus. If you absolutely want to shoot .380 ACP ammo from your Makarov, then buy a .380 Makarov or a .380 replacement barrel.


For a car analogy, have you ever seen or owned a car that burned oil? How long did the engine last after it started blowing blue smoke? Probably not long. The reason is that the pistons and rings are now smaller than the cylinders and each explosion sends gasses by-passing the piston ("blow-by"). You're literally burning the sides of your pistons now and engine death is imminent. That's basically what you're doing by shooting undersized bullets.
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Heck, I know not to shoot the .380 in the Makarov.

What I was wondering is there any chance, do you think, that these .380 loads were loaded with the powder for a 9x18 Mak round, and should I send them back! Or save them for the Kel Tec later!
 
WhoKnowsWho, I'm just curious . . .what does the label on the ammo box say -- .380acp or 9mm Makarov?

If you want to buy a Keltec, buy a Keltec. You don't need to create a superstision about a box of ammo.

Sorry to be so boring.
 
I was wondering is there any chance, do you think, that these .380 loads were loaded with the powder for a 9x18 Mak
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NO! Not even an issue :banghead: Send the stuff back or use through an appropriate firearm!
 
Thirties: It's labeled 9x18 Makarov as all the other boxes were. And the other boxes were fine. I guess I will just hang on to it until the Kel Tec .380 becomes available. Or I can find an inexpensive PPK.
 
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