Markarov 380 Conversion Barrels

gunpaq

Do the aftermarket 380 conversion barrels work in the Markarovs?

Any experience?

Wehrmacht_45

I have seen it done before. the 9mm mak mags work fine.

MC78

Had to some fiting with mine. Not worth the cost IMHO.

Wolf.

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I have four single-stack magazine, Baikal-made, US export model Makarov pistols. Two of them are caliber 9x18mmRussian and two are in caliber .380acp. (They had to install an adjustable rear sight to make it eligible to import into the US.)

You may already know the following, but for those who don't....

The 9x18mm Makarov cartridge is known variously as:
--9x18 Russian
--9x18mm R

The .380acp cartridge is also known, mostly outside the US as:
--9mm Short
--9mm Kurz ("kurz" is German for "short")
--9x17mm
Here in the United States, we don't often consider the .380acp as a "9mm" cartridge, but they do outside the US, I suppose.

The point of the above is to show that the Makarov was chambered, at least after the breakup of the Soviet Union anyway, for both 9x17mm and the .380acp rounds and to show nomenclature and size of the two cartridges. The 9mm Makarov (9x18mm) cartridge is 1mm longer than the .380acp (9x17mm) cartridge.

The same magazine may be used in either caliber pistol, but the cartridges may not EVER be interchanged, safely anyway, in opposite caliber-chambered Makarov pistols. (DON'T EVER DO IT!!)

There are aftermarket- and factory-chambered barrels available for the Makarov so you can switch from one caliber to the other.

There are gunsmith fixtures (tools) available to make switching out the barrels easier. I understand doing it without the fixture is more difficult. I have not had to perform this switch...yet. Like any other gun parts changeouts, fitting is often required. If you haven't done it before, it should be a fun project to take on.

It's your call as to if it is financially worth it to you. Consider costs and expenses against the cost of the gun and make your decision.

Oh yes! This isn't Makarov info, but just to round out the 9mm cartridge information, the other common 9mm cartridges (for which the standard Mararov pistol IS NOT chambered) are:
--the 9x19mm Parabellum (a.k.a. 9mm Luger)
--the 9x25mm Tokarev (a.k.a. 9mm Mauser, or 9mm Bottleneck)

dcs shooters

Another thing to remember is the 9mm MAK bullet is a largre diameter than any other 9mm.