9mm Makarov ballistics surprised me.

[Captain Waffles]

I don't have a Makarov, I thought it looked like an interesting little fixed barrel gun so, I looked up the ballistics of its proprietary caliber and was surprised.
it's actually a bit larger in diameter than 9x19mm, the Makarov is .362, whereas 9x19mm is .355. The Makarov's case length is shorter at 9x18mm.

It's strange how the .380 ACP is 9x17mm and the Makarov at 9x18mm seems to be almost identical in ballistics to the .380 ACP. The velocities are so close, it hits a little harder, because it is slightly larger but I'm surprised at how unimpressive the Makarov's ballistics are. I don't want to offend fans of the caliber, I just thought it would be more on par with the 9x19mm, but it's not. It's markedly slower and I'd assume the penetration and accuracy would be less as well. It's surprising to me that it's been so popular as a police and miltary gun in Russia for so long. The cold weather and those super thick winter coats they were, I'd think that they would have all sorts of penetration problems and apparently not.

Everyone knows I'm a big fan of .45 ACP, I carry my Springfield 1911 at least twice a week and with the right loads it's IMO the best autoloader caliber, 200 grains, plus p it is devastating and much flatter shooting than the 230 standard loading that it's typically evaluated at for some unknown reason. With that being said I do carry 9x19mm the most frequently, at 124 grains plus p is my preferred loading for that caliber.

[JoshIronshaft]

You're looking at these different calibers through the lenses of today. There is almost 100 years of history that explains why these calibers exist today and are still in use. There were technological limitations, politics, institutional inertia, and so on. Lots to be studied on this topic other than mass and velocity.

[GeneCC]

I don't have a Makarov, I thought it looked like an interesting little fixed barrel gun so, I looked up the ballistics of its proprietary caliber and was surprised.
it's actually a bit larger in diameter than 9x19mm, the Makarov is .362, whereas 9x19mm is .355. The Makarov's case length is shorter at 9x18mm.

It's strange how the .380 ACP is 9x17mm and the Makarov at 9x18mm seems to be almost identical in ballistics to the .380 ACP. The velocities are so close, it hits a little harder, because it is slightly larger but I'm surprised at how unimpressive the Makarov's ballistics are. I don't want to offend fans of the caliber, I just thought it would be more on par with the 9x19mm, but it's not. It's markedly slower and I'd assume the penetration and accuracy would be less as well. It's surprising to me that it's been so popular as a police and miltary gun in Russia for so long. The cold weather and those super thick winter coats they were, I'd think that they would have all sorts of penetration problems and apparently not.

Form follows function. Handguns for Soviets were meant as a disciplinary tool. To sanction wayward soldiers. Also as a badge of office. Any real fighting was done first with a radio, meant to call down artillery, mortars or air support on capitalist heads, followed by use of a rifle. The AK is a joy to shoot, reliable and easy to operate. Isn't too accurate but three shot bursts or controlled pairs can fix that problem.

The 9x18 Makarov round was roughly based upon the German "9mm Ultra", which was intended for Police use in Europe. The Makarov round uses moderate pressure, 22,000 PSI peak. Effective range is about 30 meters, then it drops off fast. Standard Soviet and Eastern Bloc rounds were full metal jacket. They easily penetrated most clothing. They did not work as well on either hard or soft body armor, which drove the design towards more potent rounds.

The base of the 9x18 is identical to that of the 30 Tokarev. They shared "cups" in the early phases of drawing.

The Makarov was designed by NF Makarov. The commission was to replace the Nagant revolver and TT-33. The Army wanted a better magazine retention, as TT33s tended to easily drop magazines. The hope was to make a handgun that was useful, could be mass produced by low skill labor and would require little training to use.

The pistol is based upon the Walther PP but had 40 percent of its parts eliminated by duplication of function and simplification of design. Machining steps were also reduced. Opening up a Makarov you can see how the underside of the slide has a rough machining cut, followed by application of finish. Where machining was required, it was done, where not it was glossed over. Parts kits were available to armorers to "refresh" the internals, especially springs and consumable parts.

Care of the firearm is trivial, it can be field stripped in under a second. Accuracy is quite good. The firearm can manage the California drop test.

The whole point of Soviet engineering after the end of the "Great Patriotic war" was to enhance volume of production. Everything for soldiers was meant to be easy to make and to use.

I'm not really that conversant on the Walther. I've never owned one. I've put hundreds of rounds through Makarovs. Accuracy is quite good.

Accuracy is good, sufficient to strike a disobedient soldier within ordering distance.

Downsides - the grips make two handed shooting tough. The double action trigger feels odd. Single action pull is great.

I carry my Springfield 1911 at least twice a week and with the right loads it's IMO the best autoloader caliber, 200 grains, plus p it is devastating and much flatter shooting than the 230 standard loading that it's typically evaluated at for some unknown reason. With that being said I do carry 9x19mm the most frequently, at 124 grains plus p is my preferred loading for that caliber.

I do not use P rounds in my 45 ACP. Reduces wear and tear. I prefer the 40 calibers or 9mm for self defense.


While I own Makarovs I do not use them on the street. There is a problem with slide bite because of handle geometry.

[Delkal]

The base of the 9x18 is identical to that of the 30 Tokarev. They shared "cups" in the early phases of drawing.

It is also identical to a standard 9mm. While the 9x18 uses a fatter 0.365 bullet the cases can easily be formed from 9mm by just sizing then with a standard 9x18 die and trimming the case 1mm. I shot at least 2000 rounds thru my Mak and I don't remember it ever jamming.

For fun look up some of the Makarov torture tests on youtube.

[GeneCC]

It is also identical to a standard 9mm. While the 9x18 uses a fatter 0.365 bullet the cases can easily be formed from 9mm by just sizing then with a standard 9x18 die and trimming the case 1mm. I shot at least 2000 rounds thru my Mak and I don't remember it ever jamming.

I sectioned a few cases - the webbing at the bottom of the case of a 9x19 is heavier. You have to adjust your loads accordingly.

My Makarov would consume anything, from aluminum case Blazers to Serbian hotrod rounds. Never had it fail one time.

In sad contrast the P64 Radom requires special handling.... from its brutal recoil (light weight and handle geometry) to the 17 pound trigger pull, it's a beast on the range. I needed to clean it very carefully to keep it in good function.

For a pocket pistol it's not bad, and used in single action the trigger is really nice. I'm told that heavier recoil springs lighten the thump, but unfortunately heavier recoil springs also reduce reliability. Allegedly new wooden grips will lighten the recoil to tolerable levels. I refused to change the hammer springs for similar reasons - I do not need a surprise moment if the primer strike is too late.

The P-83 Wanad fixed a lot of the problems of the P-64. I regret not purchasing one when I had the opportunity. It probably was much more manageable than the P64.

For fun look up some of the Makarov torture tests on youtube.

Provided that it's not like IraqiVet's set the Kalashnikov on fire I would like to see them. I didn't mind Kalashnikov concern trashing a AK-103 to show that it could hack it, but taking a booked or papered AK like over here in the US was nasty.

Here is the amazing 1400 round endurance of an AK12 in 7.62 combloc. After it cooled, 2 minutes of an angle at 100 meters off of sandbags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlKXn1yjQCc


We Americans could this kind of engineering and we might.... I don't know.

[GeneCC]

It is also identical to a standard 9mm. While the 9x18 uses a fatter 0.365 bullet the cases can easily be formed from 9mm by just sizing then with a standard 9x18 die and trimming the case 1mm.

The issue that requires careful attention is the internal volume of the case. When a load is developed one of the initial conditions is interior volume, including the projectile's space.

I know of people who make 9mm Mak from 9mm Luger. One has to be careful about loads because of smaller capacity of a 9mm makarov case made from 9mm luger.