9X18 Mak penetration

R

RedBowTies88

New member
So I took my new P-64 out yesterday to have some fun and figured I would do some very basic penetration tests...

I was shooing at a 3-1/2x3-1/2 board from point blank range and to my suprize it wouldnt penetrate it? My .38 with the 2" barrel will do that no problem from 10 feet with 125gr round nose.

The mak ammo i was using was hornady critical defence and FMJ cheapo russian stuff. Neither would go through.

Is this typical for this round? How would it stand up to .380? I was under the impression it would have slightly more umph then a .380. Also how would it do against .32acp?

Thanks
 
.38 special or .380? Not sure what your 2" barreled gun is shooting here. A .38 special has a fair more amount of powder as well as a heavier 125gr ball. It stands to reason that it would have the ability to penatrate more. I think the 95gr. 9mm Mak is very close in performance to the 95gr .380.
 
In testing the 9mm Mak cartridge I found that with standard factory loads re pentration thru spruce wood, the 32 ACP cut deepest, then the 380, and the 9mm Mak the shallowest.

The excellent Makarov PM makes for a decent apartment gun, where penetration thru walls can be somewhat mitigated.

If you want better penetration from the Mak cartridge, you must handload, and it can be improved significantly to near 9mm para levels.

If you do not handload you may want to check out Buffalo Bore Hard Cast 9x18 Mak ammo.
 
.38 spl


Thanks for the info guys... just seemed like something wasn't right with that little of penetration.

I'll have to look into possibly handloading for it. for CCW use however this little gun has a hell of a kick to begin with not sure if adding power will help me any in the real world.
 
I sure loved my old PA-63 and wouldn't mind using it as a carry gun. I should try and get it back someday, accurate as hell too!
 
i picked up my p64 for the sole purpose of a neat, reliable, accurate CCW and i think it will suite me... I just wasen't expecting such small piece of wood to stop the round so easily.

I think i'll try a box of the buffalo bore for carrying... long as the recoil isn't much worse
 
i like the cz-82 9x18mm makarov just cuz the czechs developed the gun and their own much higher powered round for it.....unfortunately the round they made for it is rare to buy but performance wise was way better

so i'd get a cz 82 and the best +p round available for it and she may perform better :)
 
I was looking at the Hornaday catalog today and noticed that they make the 9x18 Makarov round in Critical Defense and Custom line. They also list performance ballistics and the 9x18 outperforms the .380 in velocity and energy ft lbs which is good to know.
I would say the bullet isn't that rare as there are manufactors still making them including Federal, Buffalo Bore, Fiocchi, Winchester, and Sellier & Bellot as well as others. The trick is getting your local gun store to stock it.
 
Over at http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/9x18/gel9x18.htm the Wolf 9mm Makarov 109gr. FMJ was fired into calibrated ordnance gelatin at 1015 fps (using an E. German Makarov pistol) and recovered after it penetrated 21.9 inches.

I'd regard the 9mm Mak round much as I would a .380 and load it with FMJs since I want to ensure adequate penetration before everything else. JHPs in the 9mm Makarov seem to behave a lot like those in the .380; if they expand, they usually don't penetrate deeper than 9-11 inches.
 
The lastest test as shown in Concealed Carry Handguns 2012 magazine show the the .380 will penetrate 10" when shot through heavy clothing and 6 feet away while the 9mm Luger will go 13" to 15". So, if the numbers are correct according to the performance chart generated by Hornady, the 9mm Mak should fall right in the middle performance wise. I would CCW my PA-63 without a doubt if I needed to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top