Which is better, .380 auto or 9x18 Makarov?
Which is better, .380 auto or 9x18 Makarov? If anybody has an opinion, please share it. I need info on price, stopping power, and good guns in the calibers.
I just love the way my M44's muzzle blast moves leaves 15 meters in front of me.
I just love the way my M44's muzzle blast moves leaves 15 meters in front of me.
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The Makarov is a slightly larger round. For muzzle energy, .380s run about 200 ft-lbs, while Mak usually closer to 250. (Comparable to .38 Spcl.) To get an idea of where this stands, 9mm Parabellum runs closer to 350.
So, these are small cartridges, not a lot of stopping power, but much better than nothing. As always, shot placement is more important than bullet characteristics. Both are suitable for CCW, but on the bottom edge of power.
The ammo itself can be had quite cheaply, $6 a box for practice ammo, up to $16 or so for carry ammo.
If you want to carry a Mak, carry a Mak pistol. They can be had for very little, are very reliable, and are quite accurate out of the box. A bit heavy/bulky for some, but I find it a comfortable choice. Custom grips and the like are available. There's also Hungarian guns, like PA-63, and SMC-918. Based on the Walther design, but less expensive.
For .380, you might try a Llama. Inexpensive, and reasonable quality. Also commonly chosen (for its small size) is the Kel-Tec, though some complain of the harsh trigger pull.
All these are inexpensive (under $250 retail) CCW choices. If you want to spend a little more, think about a Walther PP series in .380. Heavy, but pretty much made for the purpose, with people choosing it for over 60 years. They run maybe $350-$400 retail.
As for myself, when I carry one of these calibers, I usually opt for a Bulgarian Mak, with custom rubber grips, in an Uncle Mike's #16 IWB retention strap holster. If I have to surrender it, after using it to defend myself, the $149 I spent won't make me shed any tears. And make no mistake, it's plenty powerful enough to save your life. Accurate too. After only a little practice, you can do as I do, and easily put all 8 rounds into a target the size of a person's head at 30 feet.
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thanks for your help, i have been thinking of getting one of the $100 makarovs i have been seeing at gun shows.
I just love the way my M44's muzzle blast moves leaves 15 meters away.0 -
As far as ammo goes for the MAk, I try to use Hornady Custom. The HP projectile looks something like a flying ash tray and I have never had a failure to feed or eject with all the boxes I've put through my East German Mak.
In my opinion (and after lots of watemelon popping!) the 9 x 18 performs far better than one would expect in comparison to the .380 ACP; far bettert than the numbers would indicate. Seems to fall nicely between the 380 and the Parabellum, as pointed out earlier.
The DA trigger pull on most Maks is pretty attrocious, but MINE is really pretty good, and the SA is just fine; you can hit anything down to the size of a baseball at'60 no problem, and most "bad things" happen inside of '6 anyway!
The aftermarket grips I use on mine are Pearce and I think they cost around $10. Makes the gun much more pleasant to shoot. To sum up...I agree with the previous poster in about every way. The 9 x 18 hits hard for a mouse cartridge and is nearly as good as the 9 x 19, and the Makarov is a good choice for all the reasons mentioned by all here!
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Get the 9x18, appreciably more potent.
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