.380 Makarov quesiton

[SabaII]

Wondering how these guys shoot compared to the standard 9x18. I did a search and saw brotherslims was selling one a few months ago. I kind of just realized the funds for the gun I want will not be available and I have always wanted a Makarov anyway. Basically either more or less accurate then the other? Sorry if its a stupid question. Pretty new to guns yet.

[gyrfalcon]

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.

If you've always wanted one, get one... I'll buy it off you if you really hate it and offer a good deal.

[SabaII]

If you've always wanted one, get one... I'll buy it off you if you really hate it and offer a good deal.

Cool. I saw some advertised as .380 so I was just wondering if they made different variances. I guess its just what they put in them.

[gyrfalcon]

Yeah just get one with good clean rifling... nobody wants a barrel that's been burned out.

[Seismic Sam]

If you've always wanted one, get one... I'll buy it off you if you really hate it and offer a good deal.

Cool. I saw some advertised as .380 so I was just wondering if they made different variances. I guess its just what they put in them.

As far as I know, what you ran into was some BS marketing by some idiot who didn't know what he was talking about. The term 9mm Mak is a complete misnomer, as has been said before, and it's a COMPLETELY different caliber, and a unique one at that. 9mm Mak is a Soviet bloc caliber, and the 9mm Kurz (.380) is a NATO bloc caliber. The Soviets would have NEVER chambered one of their weapons for some steenkeng NATO cartridge. You might as well try to shoot a .308 in a .303 British rifle (which actually takes .311 bullets!!) You think some drudge in the marketing department is going to be able to figure stuff like this out??

[Squib Joe]

B-West imported a large number of 380ACP Makarov-style handguns as the model IJ-70, I think this might be what he is talking about. These are true 9x17mm pistols.

[SabaII]

B-West imported a large number of 380ACP Makarov-style handguns as the model IJ-70, I think this might be what he is talking about. These are true 9x17mm pistols.

Yep thats what I saw. Darned guns can be confusing some times.

[DeanC]

There are conversion kits too.

[Shipyard]

pay attention to the caliber marked on the gun and/or barrel. there are .380 ACP and (9x18, 9mm markarov) cartridges. makarov is the design of the gun.

there is no such caliber as 380 Makarov. there are however, Makarov PISTOLS that have been CHAMBERED (usually just a drop in replacement barrel) to shoot the .380 ACP cartridge. this was done way back in the day for if you wanted to shoot a "defensive" cartridge made by top notch ammo manufacturers instead of surplus garbage. whatever...

i rememebr 15+ years ago you could pick up a russian makarov for like $70 and ammo was practically given away. it made sence for a plinker because the ammo was everywhere in bulk and was cheaper than 9mm. i don't really see the appeal of them anymore - ammo is only $1 cheaper than 9mm and a cheap 9mm pistol can be had for another $70 brand new in box for something low end...

best of luck and hope you find something you like

[Seismic Sam]

I stand corrected! Despite reading many CDNN catalogs, I had never come across a real .380 version of the 9mm (sorta) Mak.

[DeanC]

I stand corrected! Despite reading many CDNN catalogs, I had never come across a real .380 version of the 9mm (sorta) Mak.

To be fair - there are a number of dumbasses who do shoot .380 in the 9x18 Makarovs. They just haven't killed themselves yet.

[flyhigh511]

Here's a CZ 82 I picked up recently.
I liked it because it's been refinished. A lot of these surplus 82's are pretty rough. The tan grips look great.
Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.

[traveler]

Oh, hell, a millimeter here, a millimeter there. It's not something serious like .04 of an inch. It is just splitting hairs. If the ammunition is marked with a 38 or 9 put it in and fire away.

[David]

I happen to reeeeeeally like my Russian Makarov PM in 9x18. It's a great caliber, and a great gun. My 12-year-old son was shooting it this morning, in fact. He loved the thought that it was a cold war relic.

[MnHornet]

I re-barreled my Bulgy Mak to 380. It's a nice little carry piece.