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Note:  Due to a lack of digitized photos, this article is presented as text only.  I’ll search the files for the original pictures, however, and insert them if found and scanned.

 

 Mak Attack: The Soviet 9mm

 

 Some of the best bargains in today's gun world are pistols chambered in 9mm Makarov.  The official service pistol round of the former Soviets and allies, the 9mm Makarov is chambered in a variety of pistols, including Hungarian-made clones of the famous Walther PP and PPK pistols. 

 These well-made pistols are now available through U.S importers at true bargain prices.  The under $200 retail price is causing a surge of interest in the Makarov cartridge.  Surplus military ammunition is being imported for these guns, but the demand increasingly exceeds the supply.  As a result, many shooters are seeking reloading information on this little-known but highly useful round.

 In his classic, Cartridges of the World, Frank Barnes says the 9X18mm Makarov round falls between the .380 ACP and the 9mm Luger in both size and power.  Except for rim dimensions, it is very similar to an even lesser-known round, the German 9X18mm Ultra police cartridge.  The Ultra was designed about 1936; the Makarov shortly thereafter.

 To determine cartridge measurements, I put my micrometer to a .380 ACP, a 9mm Ultra, a 9mm Makarov and a 9mm Luger.  All four cartridges are distinctly different, but show some interesting relationships.  For example, the .380 and the 9mm Ultra share the same rim dimensions, while the Ultra and the Makarov have identical case bodies.  Meanwhile, the Makarov and the Luger share the same rim dimensions, while their cases differ primarily in length and taper.  Except for the fact that it's actually a 9.2mm (0.364-inch bullet diameter), the Makarov is simply a shortened, less-tapered 9mm Luger.

 I pulled bullets from Chinese 9mm Makarov (made by Norinco) and determined that it is loaded with 2.8 grains of a greenish-gray extruded powder with very tiny kernels.  The hemispherical-nose FMJ bullets have a slightly cupped, exposed lead base and weigh 95.5 grains.  The copper-washed steel cases are Berdan-primed.  Most European Makarov ammo uses corrosive primers, but Norinco ammo is labeled non-corrosive.  Quoted as firing a 95-grain FMJ at 1115 fps, the diminutive round should develop 262 ft/lbs at the muzzle.

 At the range, Norinco ammo clocked 995 fps with a standard deviation of 11 over my Oehler Model 35P chronograph on a sub-freezing day.  That's on a par with most .380 loads.  I doubt that this ammo would hit 1100 fps even under warmer conditions.  But accuracy drew no complaints.  Five-shot groups at 10 yards averaged 1.2 inches fired single action from a rest, centered perfectly about an inch above point of aim.  A final group fired at 25 yards measured three inches.  That's certainly acceptable for defense purposes; not bad for a compact military service auto with a heavy trigger.

 Recently, I also tried some ammo now being produced by CCI on a limited basis.  The non-reloadable aluminum cases hold a 95-grain Total Metal Jacket bullet by Speer (more on this later).  At the range, they were accurate if unspectacular in velocity.  Averaging 927 fps, the standard deviation was only seven.  It is excellent practice ammo at a good price.  Let's hope it becomes a regular Blazer load.  If CCI is open to suggestions, may I humbly request a +P Blazer load at 1100 fps?  A 95-grain Speer "Gold Dot" bullet in 0.364 diameter would be perfect for defense purposes.

  There was one other enjoyable aspect of military and CCI ammo:  I didn't have to search for empties.  Non-reloadable cases are wonderfully expendable.  On the down side, factory FMJ ammo seems underpowered and also lacks versatility.  To improve on both counts we need to reload.

  Responding to increasing demand, Lee Precision, Lyman, RCBS and perhaps others have added 9mm Makarov dies and bullet moulds to their lines for 1993.  RCBS hit the market first, and RCBS product manager Art Peters told me their carbide dies will be regular Group B items.  Their moulds drop a 100-grain bullet patterned after the military hemispherical-nosed FMJ.  For this article, Peters was kind enough to offer me the use of prototype sets of both dies and moulds.

 You may be wondering if Makarov pistols can fire other ammo or if cases can be made from other brass.  Yes and no.  Some Mak pistols will fire rebated-rim 9mm Ultra ammo, but Ultra cases may not reliably extract or headspace and can be even harder to come by than genuine Mak ammo.  You can't use .380 ammo: it's smaller in all dimensions.  But reforming cases is very simple.  Simply trim 9mm Luger cases to 0.700-inch in length, chamfer lightly, then size and load as normal.  Peters says that's exactly how RCBS proceeded when they developed their dies.  The expander and larger Makarov bullet remove most of the taper from the Luger brass, and normal firing finishes the job.  

 But far better is to use brass made for the caliber.  Enter Starline, which now carries Makarov brass in regular stock.  According to Starline's Barbara Hayden, their brass is custom-drawn to Makarov case specifications, and isn't simply 9mm Luger brass that's been trimmed back.  My measurements show that the Starline product does indeed match factory cases in dimensions, but may have slightly less powder capacity.  I noted higher pressure indications in loads assembled in Starline brass, calling for additional caution.  But it's excellent stuff.  I intend to order lots more.

 Loading Data

 Before any reloading, I slugged the four-inch barrel of my  Hungarian-made FEG Model PA-63.  I expected the micrometer to reflect the 0.364-inch diameter of the bullets I'd measured.  Surprise!  The groove-to-groove measurement of my barrel is exactly 0.3665 inch.  That's a full two and a half thousandths over bullet diameter.  I don't know about other Makarov pistols, but mine is definitely on the upper limits of allowable bore dimensions.  Guns with tighter bores might get better groups than mine, but pressures would almost surely run higher as well.  With that in mind, the usual caveat about reducing published reloading data needs added emphasis - especially since the data presented here was developed without access to pressure measuring equipment. 

 LOADS LISTED ARE THE AUTHOR'S TEST LOADS ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SAFE IN ANY FIREARM OTHER THAN THE AUTHOR'S.  Reduce ALL listed loads by at least 10 percent and work up slowly, watching for signs of excessive pressure. 

 To gain an approximation of normal pressures, I measured fired cases of Norinco and CCI loads.  With both, the maximum case diameter just forward of the web area averaged 0.3935 inch from this individual gun.  My policy with blowback pistols is to allow case expansion no more than 0.0005-inch greater than produced by factory ammo.  Reloads that expanded to 0.3940 were therefore considered maximum for this particular pistol.  Although not yet finalized, preliminary SAAMI standards for the 9mm Makarov call for a maximum of 24,000 psi.

 Next, I cast several hundred lead bullets using the RCBS mould.  As-cast diameter measured 0.366-inch.  Rather than run them through the 0.364-inch sizer RCBS provided, I left the slugs as is and tumble-lubed them with Lee Liquid Alox.  My wheelweight alloy resulted in bullets of 105 grains.  I did not separate bullets by weight, but did cull those with obvious defects.  Doubtless I'd have gotten better groups with sorted bullets, but I don't view the Mak as a target round.  I believe that most shooters will use cast bullets for inexpensive practice.

 Because my cast bullet tests took place before Starline brass was available, I next converted Federal nickeled plus Winchester and Remington 9mm Luger brass cases to Makarov as described above.  Frank Barnes lists one handload recipe of 5.0 grains of Unique under a 95-grain jacketed .380 ACP bullet, but advised that the load hadn't been verified.  This recipe reportedly delivered 1100 fps.  I backed off ten percent and seated the RCBS cast slug.  When I pulled the trigger on the first test shot,  I knew something was seriously wrong.  Dramatically increased recoil and muzzle blast made me apprehensive, but a glance at the chronograph printout gave me the willies.  The shot had hit 1374 fps, nearly 300 fps higher than expected, and higher than some 9mm Luger +P loads.  Cast bullets often deliver higher velocities and lower pressures than jacketed slugs due to their reduced friction, but not THAT much.  The micrometer showed a case expansion of 0.3945, or double my pre-calculated redline.  Nothing came apart, which is a testimony to both pistol and American-made brass, but this load was WAY too hot!    After that experience, I became very circumspect about load data.  Because the Mak uses bullets of the same weight as the .380, but has about 10 percent greater powder capacity, I resumed load development using .380 recipes and worked slowly upwards.  After comparing data from several manuals and the Load From A Disk computer program, I elected to work with Hercules Bullseye, Red Dot, Unique and Blue Dot plus Accurate Arms Nitro 100, Winchester 231 and IMR 700X.  There are numerous other powders in that burning range which might also prove useful.  A recently published chart of approximate powder burning rates shows more than 30 powders from super-fast Norma R-1 to Blue Dot.  For all loads, I used Winchester standard primers, and seated all bullets to 0.95 or 0.96 inch overall length. 

 I resumed loading with Unique, but backed off to 3.7, 3.9 and 4.1 grains.  These were among the most accurate cast bullet loads tested.  They also had moderate case expansion and better than factory velocity.  See the accompanying tables for full details.  With these more reassuring results, I moved to other powders. 

 Bullseye, Red Dot, W231 and Nitro 100 all produced fair to good groups and moderate case expansion with 105-grain cast slugs.  Nitro 100 gave slightly larger standard deviations and groups, but was still acceptable.  Even with such small charges, bulky Red Dot filled the case to the base of the bullet. 

 IMR 700X gives excellent results in the .380 ACP, so I anticipated good performance in the Mak.  But although it gave high velocity, accuracy was disappointing.  It also exhibited a sharp pressure rise when the charge was upped from 3.6 to 3.7 grains. 

 Finally, I tried a much slower powder: Hercules Blue Dot.  Blue Dot is an outstanding powder in the 9mm Luger but it is inefficient in the Mak.  Velocity actually decreased with the heaviest load I tried, probably due to incomplete burning.  Case expansion was a mild 0.3921 with the top load.  Five-shot groups averaged 2.5 inches or so, but every five-shot group contained a tight three-shot cluster and an equally cozy pair farther away.  I strongly suspect that my grip varied between shots due to the mid-winter cold. Under less arduous circumstances, I'm sure that accuracy would improve.  In any event, it was clear that Blue Dot is inefficient with cast bullets in the Mak.

  Correct-diameter jacketed bullets weren't available when I began testing, so I experimented with 90-grain JHP slugs intended for the .380 ACP.  Miking 0.356-inch, they would literally freefall through my pistol's barrel.  Rather than detail all my efforts, I'll just summarize: accuracy was awful to worse.  Evidence of keyholing was common.  In addition, recovered bullets showed signs of gas blowby.  The obvious conclusion is that severely undersized bullets are unlikely to perform in this (or any other) pistol. 

 Just as I concluded testing came a deluge of announcements from the industry.  In fact, so many manufacturers are announcing products for the Makarov that I had to revise and add to this article twice in order to cover new items.  At the 1993 NRA Annual Meeting in Nashville, Sierra trumpeted not one but two new 0.363" bullets.  One is a 95-grain JHP and the other is a 100-grain Full Profile Jacket.  Soon, Hornady and Speer also began producing bullets for the Mak.  I quickly requested samples of all four.

 Resuming work, I chose Hercules Red Dot and Unique,  Accurate Arms Nitro 100, Winchester 231 and IMR 700X.  I eliminated Bullseye and Blue Dot due to their performance with cast slugs.  Just as the jacketed bullets started arriving, so did a sample of Hodgdon Universal Clays, so I added this propellant to the test series.

 Sierra bullets have a reputation for accuracy, and the 95-grain JHP (catalog #8200) certainly lived up to that reputation.  Four grains of Unique would cluster five into just over an inch.  The largest five-shot group I fired (using 700X) went 2.2 inches, but four of the five went into only 0.65-inch center to center.  The pulled fifth shot was "pilot error" due to range noise.  Other loads averaged 1.1 to 1.8 inches. 

 The 100-grain FPJ (#8210) is a flat-point design with lead exposed at the very tip.  It's sort of an "unhollowed" JHP.    This bullet didn't seem quite as accurate as the JHP except at reduced velocity.  Pressures peaked rapidly with small powder increments as well, especially with 700X powder.  With this bullet, back off a full 0.5 grains from charges suitable for 95-grain bullets.  Both Sierra bullets mic 0.3633 diameter.  To get sufficient neck tension, I had to back the expender stem out until it just barely entered the case.  The 100-grain slug also had two feeding failures, with both rounds hung up at the rear of the chamber. 

 The Hornady design is a 95-grain JHP in their XTP series (#36500).  The bullets are labeled as being 0.365 in diameter, but average 0.3643.  Nonetheless, they were noticeably tighter to seat than other bullets in the virgin, but expanded, Starline brass.  Accuracy and velocity were quite good with this bullet, but pressures also tended to rise rapidly.  I didn't test bullet expansion, but it should be acceptable at the velocities I was able to reach.  Incidentally, a note accompanying my order said that Hornady will offer loaded ammo for the Mak in late 1993.  No description was offered, but rumors are it will be loaded with this excellent bullet. It should make an ideal defense load.

 As mentioned above, Speer developed a bullet for CCI's Mak ammo, and was kind enough to send me some.  Weighing 95 grains, it features a swaged lead core and an electrically bonded jacket.  I found them extremely uniform at 0.3643 diameter.  And they also produced the tightest group of the tests, a 0.9-inch average under 4.1 grains of Unique.  I hope Speer makes them available to reloaders.

 Except as noted, feeding was flawless with all bullets.  The major difficulty came in trying to seat such short-waisted slugs straight in the case.  Unless the case mouth was flared just right the bullets would tip, sometimes badly.  A properly profiled seating stem would probably have helped greatly.

  Looking at my overall results, I'd have to judge the Makarov as a relatively easy cartridge to reload compared with other pocket auto cartridges.  It doesn't seem to be overly temperamental with most powders, it handles cast and jacketed bullets well, and it can be loaded up to surprisingly powerful levels with apparent safety (subject to laboratory tests).  I found Unique to be the best all-round powder, with Universal Clays and Red Dot close behind.

 Reasonably accurate, moderately powerful and inexpensive to reload, the 9mm Makarov is neither too small for its job nor too big for comfortable use.  The pistols that fire it are a tremendous buy for the money.  And manufacturers are racing each other to provide ammunition as well as components and supplies for reloading.   That alone will make it a popular offering.

 Originally published in  American Rifleman, January 1992

 

Loading Data

9x18 MM Makarov

Jacketed Bullets

Loading Data 9X18mm Makarov

RCBS 105 gr RNL Cast Bullet

Note:  All loads seated to 0.96-inch OAL and used WW primers.  Bullets loaded as cast from RCBS moulds, tumble lubed with Lee Liquid Alox.  Groups at 10 yards.  Test gun:  FEG PA-63, 4" barrel.

Note:  All loads seated to 0.95-inch OAL and used WW primers. SRA = Sierra  HDY=Hornady  SPR=Speer SL=Starline  Groups at 10 yards. Test gun:  FEG PA-63, 4" barrel.

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