9X19 and 9X18 Makarov?

Question

is it safe to shoot 9x18 out of a 9x19 pistol its just 1mm shorter so it should work right? it seams to me that it would be like a .38 special in a 357

got it 9x18 in a 9x19 is a no no and vica verca

Answer 1

NO! IT IS NOT SAFE TO ATTEMPT TO SHOOT 9X18 MAKAROV AMMO IN A 9X19 (9mm Luger) AUTO! The bullet diameter of the commie 9x18Mak. round is actually .363, where the dia. of the 9mm Luger, and most of its' cousins, is .355! In fact, I doubt that a Mak. round would even chamber properly in a Luger caliber weapon.

However, if one knows the proper procedures, a substitute can be made with reloading equipment and correct knowledge. In the early 90's, when the Makarov pistols first came on the market, and 9mm Mak. ammo was scarce, I shortened Luger cases by the 1mm difference and, loaded with 125gr. .357 dia. bullets, both JHP and cast SWC lead, these rounds functioned in my East German STASSI Makarov just fine, with no malfunctions and no noticeable loss of accuracy.

Answer 2

NO! I cannot emphasize this enough, do NOT shoot 9x18 Makarov out of pistols chambered for 9x19 Luger. Unlike .38 Special/.357 Magnum, the two are not related. The 9x19 Luger uses .355" diameter bullets and a .380" diameter case. The 9x18 Makarov uses .365" bullets and .390" diameter case. This is a significant difference in diameters. Dimensionally, they are incompatible.

Answer 3

No, the diameter of the 9x18 is larger and it probably won't chamber in a 9x19, and if it does the bullet is too big for the 9x19 bore and might blow up the pistol. Just get the right bullets for the gun.

Answer 4

I would say NO don’t do that.
Stop to remember that this round is not rimed like the 357 magnum and the 38 special.
Where as the auto is head spaced off the case length so here we have a problem 1 mm is a lot of extra room for a firing pin to travel and if it does fire, the case will slam back against the bolt face with the same force as the bullet leaving the case.
And that is not what it was designed for, that kind of violent impact is hard on anything.
A normal shell is in contact with the bolt face at all times to avoid this kind of impact.
There for I would say I would advise against the use of short ammo in this situation.
Hope I was of some help.

D58

Answer 5

NO! The reason you can shoot a .38 Special in a .357 Magnum chamber is because they headspace off of the rim. The 9x18 WILL NOT headspace properly in a 9x19 chamber.

Answer 6

NO! There are two differences. Bullet diameter is larger in the Mak round. The 9X19 forcing cone and barrel are too small and the results are dangerous, You can't shoot .380-9X17 in a Mak chambered barrel without trouble, either.
9X18 bullet could get stuck in 9X19 bbl. and if fired again, can and has blown up destroying guns and injuring shooter and bystanders.

Answer 7

No!!!! The revolver rounds headspace off the rim, so they're fine with all dimensions except length being the same. The rimless rounds, even if all other dimensions were the same (which they aren't) headspace off the case mouth, so they have to be the right length. Before you think yourself into an accident, it's time for you to learn a little about handloading. Buy a couple of manuals, even if you don't plan to reload. It'll make a world of difference in your knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the shooting sports.

Answer 8

Asie from the headspacing issue, automatic handguns are not supposed to shoot sub-loads like a magnum revolver. Even if headspacing was not an issue, it is veru unsafe to even attempt any nonsense like that. Shoot ONLY the shell intended for the gun-period.