A bit of interesting info for all Makarov, PA63 and other 9x18 owners.

S

Snowdog

New member
FYI,
I just checked out the ammunition offerings from
www.cheaperthandirt.com
and noticed something quite unusual. A new line of ammunition that goes by the name of "SilverBear" offering 120gr 9x18 JHPs.
Before today, the heaviest commercially loaded 9x18 ammunition I have seen is Wolf's 109gr FMJ... needless to say, this caught my attention.

I don't know if this SilverBear ammunition line is a spin-off of Wolf or Barnaul, but I will find out the quality as I fully intend to buy a few boxes.
 
Oops, seems I didn't read all the info on the round.

PA-63 owners won't be able to use this 120gr round due to the OAL... but it's still a go for Makarov owners.

I just bought 100 rounds and look forward to receiving them.
They are also unusual in the fact that they have nickel-plated steel cases.
So, they should be pretty. :D
 
Do you think the steel cases will hurt your barrel, Snow? I have seen these on the same site, also. A buddy of mine just ordered and received a bunch of Russian .380 from them. It's not Silver Bear, though.

On a slightly different note, it seems that about all the Russian ammo is nicely sealed around the bullet and primer. Should be able to store it quite a while.

Let us know when you get the Silver Bear!
 
I've shot the Silver Bear ammo...

...and it's okay as far as I'm concerned. It's definitely hotter than the green box LVE ammo. It's also just as dirty as most Russian ammo.

I posted a thread several months ago about this ammo and got a number of negative replies. I ignored them. The Silver Bear ammo feeds fine in my Bulgarian Mak. Haven't had any problems with it. The price is right! At $5.49 per box, I got all they had at the show I saw it at. Cheaper Than Dirt is selling the stuff now too. Last time I checked their web site, they had 1000+ boxes.

The way I look at it, it's Russian ammo, through a Russian designed pistol. A match made in Russia IMO!
 
DragonDog,

I don't think the steel case will hurt anything. The Makarov seems to have been built around communist-block lacquered steel-cased ammunition. Due to this, I would imagine the extractor and ejector are up to par for the use of such ammo (hopefully, anyways).

I would imagine the bullet itself uses a conventional gilded copper jacket, not old Tula copper coated steel jackets. Even though there is no info pointing in this direction, I look at it from this perspective because it uses a JHP instead of FMJ, and a steel jacket wouldn't be conducive to expansion.
Also, if they went the extra mile to nickel-plate the steel cases, then maybe they would also realize the commercial benefit of using desirable copper jackets if aimed at Western markets.

Got my fingers crossed. Either way, I only bought two boxes just in case the quality of the ammunition was sub- standard.



2kiddad,

Was the Silverbear ammunition you tried the 120gr JHP stuff, or similar weight fodder?
At this weight, I somewhat suspect expansion isn't going to be reliable.
Did you ever get the chance to break out the chronograph?
 
Guys, check out the Mak board.
IIRC, most were recommending replacing the standard 17#
recoil with at least a 19# or 21# spring.
Less perceived recoil; may be harder to rack, though.
YMMV
 
by Snowdog...

2kiddad,

Was the Silverbear ammunition you tried the 120gr JHP stuff, or similar weight fodder?
At this weight, I somewhat suspect expansion isn't going to be reliable.
Did you ever get the chance to break out the chronograph?
Click to expand...

Yes, it was 120gr JHP. That was the main reason I bought it, since most everthing I'd seen up to that point was 95gr. I'm sorry about your other questions, I can't definitively answer them. I neither have access to nor the knowledge necessary to operate a chronograph to measure the velocities or M/E's. I'm not technical when it comes to this subject, so my comments are based on intuition and perception.

The bullet is a JHP design, but is much wider, deeper and more flared than other JHP rounds. The round IS hotter, but this opinion is based on back to back comparisons with Hornady 95gr JHP and LVE range ammo and each ammo's felt recoil when shooting the three types in the same session. The velocity of this round, (based on my perceptions from the felt recoil), combined with the more 'open' design of the JHP bullet would seem to cause a GREATER expansion than a more 'normal' JHP bullet like the Hornady 95gr. My understanding of the dynamics and design of ammo may, (and probably are!), flawed, but I have a decent knowledge and understanding of physics, so this is what I'm basing my statement on. Nothing more.

I can say this. The Mak is my 'car' gun. I load it with the Silver Bear ammo now. With a 33% larger round loaded than what I was using, I'm more comfortable having the Mak around than before.
 
Dad,

Your perception of more recoil w/ the 120 gr. stuff may have just as much to do with the extra weight of the bullet as it does w/ any additional velocity on the shot. I'm definitely no physics expert either, but I do remember something from 101 that said something about "equal and opposite reactions" and E = MC^2 or some such thing.;)

I too saw on the Mak board that they recommend the 19# spring to replace the standard 17#-er. For nine or ten bucks, seems like a cheap way to enhance your shooting pleasure!!

Based on Snow's reply, I'll probably try the SilverBear as well. The one plus is that if it has decent velocity, you would definitely get more penetration.

Be safe!
 
I just checked with a Makarov forum and found someone that has infact chronographed this particular ammunition with the following results:

Avg Velocity--953 fps That puts it into the 240 lb ME category.
Click to expand...

If accurate, this puts the round in more of a .38special rather than .380acp power bracket.

Of course, when the ammunition arrives, I'll give it a go against my PlayDough and see about expansion (as well as penetration to compare against already tested loads).
From the info received so far, this new load seems to be a winner.
Some on other sites said it was "awsome" though loaded quite hot (enough to need heavier springs for extended use).

And again, at $5.49 a box... who could complain?
 
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