9X18 or .380 Makarov ?

S

Sarge55

New member
Thinking about purchasing my first Makarov, however, I'm still somewhat undecided about which caliber I should get. 9x18 or .380?
Looking for all the pros and cons of both loads. Many thanks in advance!

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DAH BIG DAWG'S ON DUTY
 
I got my Mak in .380 because at the time Comrade Clinton had just done his "trade agreement" with Russia, banning pistol imports. I thought that the ammo would become scarce, hence .380. I wish that I had gotten the 9x18 now. I know, just buy a new barrel, and have both calibers!! :)

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Glocks may come, and Glocks may go, but WALTHERS are FOREVER!!!


Off my meds (quit smoking), armed to the teeth, and loose on an unsuspecting society!!!
 
Sarge I just purchased a 9x18 E. German. If push comes to shove and ammo gets scarce I'll
just change the barrel. But I wanted the E. German because I heard they were the best and thats the way it came.
Hope this helps.

Happy Shooting :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
 
Go with the 9x18 Makarov. Ammo is cheap and available. US mfr's make JHP's for it, even CorBon! And, it's a little hotter than the .380.
 
Get the 9x18 you be disappointed. I've had my EG for a year and have had no probs. Russian TCW ammo costs $5 sometimes $5.50 and is considered to be a hotter load than other brands. This is what I shoot and have found the recoil to be less than my Glock 26. Also the Mak is the same size as the 26 making it easy to conceal.
 
I can not figure out why but I have never been able to find a .380 that was suitably accurate for me -- and I've tried HUNDREDS of Walthers, some Berettas, some Sigs and some FEGs and Makarovs. Some say the .380 is not capable of accuracy???????????

Nevertheless, the Makarov is dependable, accurate and the ammo is easily available and cheaper. And as has been stated before, it is more powerful than the .380.

The Makarov is the most dependable pistol I've ever had -- probably the most dependable ever made -- and is usually capable of accuracy, out of the box, that is equal to some competition pistols.

My advice; buy Makarov 9x18, buy several and buy often. :) They are the best there ever was!!!! :) My opinion... certainly; but we've sold about 600 of them in the shop where I work and the opinion here is usually shared by the owners. We still keep buying other guns of course. But all three of us who work in the shop carry only the Makarov when working.

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Talk is cheap; Free Speech is NOT.
 
I bought my first Mak in 9x18 and liked it enough to buy another one just like it. I think it's a wonderful gun. Kind of klunky, bites a little when you shoot it, but reliable and very cleverly designed. The .380 is too weak to be an effective round; the 9x18 is the max power that is possible in a blowback design (that's what they claim, anyway) and is very close in energy to a .38 special in a 2" barrel. There's lots of ammo available. There are a couple of downsides: the magazine release is the European style with the little flange at the bottom of the mag well; and the spring that returns the slide is pretty stiff and hard for some people to operate. I'd stay away from the Russian double-width stack. Be careful of rust: I was handed a "new" gun that was pretty rusty in the innards.

Dwight
 
If you're in the market for a Makarov, then get a 9x18 for the reason's mentioned above.

Now which flavor pistol? Russian, East German, Bulgarian, ....

A new group of East German's are hitting the market so, now is a good time to buy if you want one of this flavor. East German's generally are the most expensive because of manufacturing quality.

Bulgarian Military/Police Unissued are a little cheaper (~$25 to $50 less) and, while I have not bought one yet, they seem to have all the qualities people like about the East German guns without the higher price. I will note these were made years ago and are NOT marked ARSENAL.

Arsenal marked Makarov's are new production commercial pistols and are thrid best choice IMHO right now.

Finally, you might want to checkout: http://www.makarov.com/wwwboard/index.html

Sid
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FFL

[This message has been edited by Sid Post (edited March 05, 2000).]
 
sid post,

where is a good source for the east german maks? what do you consider to be a good price for one?

thanks
 
I got mine from SOG in Ohio, I paid $183. which included shipping. I paid a $10. handpick select. It came with an extra mag,an extra set of grips and a shoulder holster.
It was in very nice condition, had some holster wear on it. Internals were in excellent condition. It was worth the money spent.
Hope this helps :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous

[This message has been edited by loknload (edited March 05, 2000).]
 
The current crop of East German pistols start @ $150 dealer plus shipping etc. In most markets, I would think $200 plus taxes is going to be fair market value if you are a retail customer. Even an FFL like myself will have a hard time putting one in my pocket for $175. If you find a really cherry pistol with little to no finish wear, expect something in the range of $225 to $250.

Dan's will overnight a Bulgarian Military unissued pistol for $140

Sid
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FFL
 
With all this talk about Makarovs I found myself getting tempted. Looking into it I am concluding they are not safe. Not only is there no firing pin block, which many consider unnecessary, but no firing pin spring. Wouldn't this render a loaded, hammer down, Makarov prone to firing if dropped on its muzzle? Somewhere on http://www.makarov.com it says you would have to drop the gun 3-4 feet for it to fire. To me that's not very far. The fact it would fire downward is little consolation. Let me know I am wrong, and I will run out and buy one.
 
Glockdoc the posting you're refering to was done last year by a Ca. poster. At the time Ca. was proposing a ban on all guns that could not meet a test of being drop from a specific height. The Mak poster had done his own test drop with a loaded Mak in various forms with pistol passing based on the Ca criteria. The only other test I've heard of was done by a well known magazine who's tests have come into question. It seems that like most magazines, companys that advertise with them get favorable results those that don't get poor results. The Maks don't have a manufacturer advertising with them. Hint: if you do get a Mak a prob with first time owners is that the guns don't get cleaned enough. Make sure that the firing pin and exstracter is cleaned and free of any cosmoline or grease. The firing pin should rattle when the slide is shaken.
 
i like 9 x 18, i've been shootin my mak for 5 years and i'm not afraid of ammo scarcity. even if we quit getting the cheap stuff from china, russia, etc, and where S and B's stuff comes from, Fiocchi has some GREAT FMJHP's for the gun. ( i think it costs, get this now, 12 or 13 dollars for fifty rounds of it, lol, as opposed to the 5 or 6 bucks for fifty rounds of ball ammo). its true you could get a barrel and then have both, but...i like the 9 x 18.
with regards to the safety issue, i think slam fires and that drop fire stuff is kinda overblown, sure it may happen, but if you keep your gun clean, its kinda a remote possibility. I do recommend the Makarov Book, or some other manual.
have fun!
 
i like 9 x 18, i've been shootin my mak for 5 years and i'm not afraid of ammo scarcity. even if we quit getting the cheap stuff from china, russia, etc, and where S and B's stuff comes from, Fiocchi has some GREAT FMJHP's for the gun. ( i think it costs, get this now, 12 or 13 dollars for fifty rounds of it, lol, as opposed to the 5 or 6 bucks for fifty rounds of ball ammo). its true you could get a barrel and then have both, but...i like the 9 x 18.
with regards to the safety issue, i think slam fires and that drop fire stuff is kinda overblown, sure it may happen, but if you keep your gun clean, its kinda a remote possibility. I do recommend the Makarov Book, or some other manual.
have fun!
by the way, the makarov i have is a single stack, hmmm, its just preference, i like it better than the double stack kind.
 
Just received my East German Makarov from Dennis Kroh at Empire Arms. This thing is beautiful: must be 98% plus. Won't be able to get to the range until this weekend. Already scouting out loads and components, cause if I shoot it, I got to be able to reload it, too. Will start watching the Cole's ads for cheap fodder. :-)
 
Got a Russian model this weekend nib from big bear out of Dallas. Paid $180 including tax. Has adjustable sights. Finish is a little crude, but interior of gun is well made and fitted. Very tight gun. Works like a champ, but I sure am having trouble finding ammuntion cheap. Very accurate pistol. Do not care for the double action. It is a little heavy for my taste.
 
Got a Russian model 9X18 this weekend nib from big bear out of Dallas. Paid $180 including tax. Has adjustable sights. Finish is a little crude, but interior of gun is well made and fitted. Very tight gun. Works like a champ, but I sure am having trouble finding ammuntion cheap. Very accurate pistol. Do not care for the double action. It is a little heavy for my taste.
 
The slightly heavier and slightly faster Russian ammo is readily available everywhere... with or without a dealer.

The Norinco is not as easily available but is still my favorite by far.

Prices? $7 to $9 per box of 50 is usual. I just picked up recently a case of Norinco however at $5 a box!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No explanation for that. I couldn't afford it at the time but bought it anyway. :)

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Talk is cheap; Free Speech is NOT.
 
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