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Can I shoot 9x18 Makarov in a 9MM handgun?
nyforester
Member Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
Buddy said yes.....My gut tells me NO !
Any ideas ?
Any ideas ?
Abort Cuomo
Comments
Although the 9mm Luger cartridge, is to long for the Makarov magazine and chamber. It's possible to chamber and shoot the.380 cartridge, in the Makarov. But not vise versa.
Neal
Is it possible that you could load a 9mm Makarov round into a 9mm luger gun and get it to fire?
As already mentioned, you're probably not going to be able to just drop any normal factory 9mm Mak round into any normal 9mm luger pistol and get it to fire. In short, 9mm Mak uses physically larger cases and bullets and it simply "shouldn't" fit.
But, I think under the right (ie wrong) circumstances, it might be *possible*. I'd also be pretty surprised if (in the history of the world) someone hasn't accidentally (or deliberately) done this.
9mm Mak cases are straight walled, not tapered like 9mm luger, and a bit wider at the mouth than 9mm luger. Still, the dimensions are close enough that people do use cut down 9mm luger brass to make 9mm makarov cases. Mak case heads are just a hair smaller than 9mm luger, but effectively close enough that this isn't an issue. 9mm Mak overall case length is 1mm shorter than luger, so there is enough front-back room in a luger chamber for a Mak case.
As mentioned above, nominal Makarov bullet diameter is .366" and nominal 9mm luger is .355". Supposedly the Russians deliberately make the Makarov cases and bullets slightly oversized on purpose specifically so that the "other guys" couldn't run Russian ammo through their guns. . .but they could still run .380, if they had to.
But all that said, in reality some factory Makarov ammo goes down to .363". Meanwhile, many 9mm luger guns come out of the factory with .357" bores by design, and with so many different 9mm guns out there, I'd be surprised if there weren't at least some guns out there that had larger ones (either from sloppy factory tolerance, or just normal wear and tear). One reference I saw showed nominal external difference in case diameter at the mouth between 9mm Makarov and 9mm luger as only .01".
Specs here look close enough that I think if you had a 9mm with a loose/large chamber you might be able to cram a Mak round into a luger gun, especially if you used force to ram the slide shut, and especially if the Mak round was on the smaller side.
Once you got the round chambered, it would most likely fire, and the slightly oversized bullet would almost certainly just get squeezed down in the bore enough to exit. Since 9mm luger guns tend to be pretty strong, and since 9mm luger normally runs at much higher pressures than 9mm makarov, I think you probably wouldn't blow up your gun this way. "Probably".
That said, for obvious reasons this kind of thing should be considered intrinsically unsafe, and short of a life-or-death emergency, I see no reason to try it. Bottom line, even IF you "can", doesn't mean you "should".
No. Makarov is actually 9.3mm. Approximately .366 in diameter. Won't chamber in a 9mm, which is .355.
Although the 9mm Luger cartridge, is to long for the Makarov magazine and chamber. It's possible to chamber and shoot the.380 cartridge, in the Makarov. But not vise versa.
While at an indoor range and shooting my Mak, I noticed a man shooting one too except he was having problems with FTEs. Picking up a few of his cases, I noticed that they were dirtier than mine and looking a little closer, most were split. Yes, they were 380s. Afterwards he told me that he was taking the gun with him to Iraq and his father, a cop, said 380s were correct. I had him check what the barrel said (9mm Makarov) and then showed him a box of my ammo and said these would correct the FTEs. Ended up selling him a box at my cost.
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
No. Makarov is actually 9.3mm. Approximately .366 in diameter. Won't chamber in a 9mm, which is .355.
Although the 9mm Luger cartridge, is to long for the Makarov magazine and chamber. It's possible to chamber and shoot the.380 cartridge, in the Makarov. But not vise versa.
While at an indoor range and shooting my Mak, I noticed a man shooting one too except he was having problems with FTEs. Picking up a few of his cases, I noticed that they were dirtier than mine and looking a little closer, most were split. Yes, they were 380s. Afterwards he told me that he was taking the gun with him to Iraq and his father, a cop, said 380s were correct. I had him check what the barrel said (9mm Makarov) and then showed him a box of my ammo and said these would correct the FTEs. Ended up selling him a box at my cost.
Not always true unfortunately. Most all the East Bloc military Makarovs were descent quality. Not so the Russian commercial imports with adjustable sights.
Bought one years ago. That must have been either a Friday afternoon or Monday morning build. Before the Vodka wore off.
Although it was marked .380, on the barrel. The fired brass was oblong in cross section. And so oversized that it couldn't be resized and reloaded safely. It almost appeared that the chambering reamer, was forced in at a 30 degree angle from the center line.
Even with the bad chamber, it worked like a champ. Fired and functioned 100%. This is why I have no qualms what so ever. About shooting .380's in a 9mm Makarov, YMMV.
I'd either get a load of Mak ammo or search for a barrel made for the 380.
By the way, I carried a Remington 51, 380 in a shoulder holster or field jacket pocket in Korea in the 50's. Ammo was a problem though one of our officers had a small source. Today, I'd take a small pocket 9mm to be sure of an ammo source.
Bull buyer