Can you shoot 380 in a 9×18?
No, the 9×18 and 380 are not interchangeable
.
The . 380 ACP cartridge’s caliber is . 355” while the 9×18 Makarov’s caliber is .
380 ACP (9×17mm) (
Automatic Colt Pistol
) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case.
The
9×18mm Makarov
(designated 9mm Makarov by the C.I.P. and often called 9×18mm PM) is a Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge.
The 9x18mm has a
9.27mm diameter bullet
; the 9x19mm has a 9.01mm diameter bullet.
| Makarov pistol | Width 29.4 mm (1.16 in) |
Cartridge 9×18mm Makarov .380 Auto |
Action Blowback | Muzzle velocity 315 m/s (1,030 ft/s) |
|---|
When thinking about 380 ACP vs 380 Auto, the short answer is…
there is no difference
! There’s only one . 380 cartridge, and it’s .
380 auto and 9mm ammunition are all the same caliber
. (Caliber is the size of the projectile, or bullet.) The different names are for marketing reasons or because of where the cartridge was developed.
they have similar bullet diameters
. . 38 special is designed for use in revolvers and the . 380 ACP is used in semi-auto pistols.
380 uses a
. 355-in diameter
bullet, just like 9x19mm. Bullet size is actually more universal than you’d think, incidentally; among rifle rounds, for instance, the 7mm-08 Remington, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm Shooting Times Westerner, . 280 Remington and 7mm Weatherby Magnum all use .
The 32 ACP vs 380 ACP power competition goes to the larger cartridge.
32 ACP is less powerful than the 380 ACP
, for all its curses and blessings. The biggest downside to choosing the 32 ACP is that it’s simply less equipped to overwhelm and neutralize its target.
9×18mm Makarov ammunition uses a larger diameter bullet than other common 9mm rounds
. Indeed 9mm Parabellum is 9.017mm (0.355 inches), however 9×18mm Makarov rounds are loaded with bullets measuring 9.27mm (0.365 in).
While the original Makarov was chambered in 9×18 Makarov caliber, a number have been chambered in
. 380 ACP
. This is primarily for the American market. While 9×18 ammunition is affordable and available, the .
By incorporating as few components as possible and sticking with highly-durable steel, the Makarov pistol is actually
a pretty solid handgun
. Furthermore, because they wanted to create an effective sidearm that was both concealable and compact, the PM uses a unique caliber, but more on that later.
Though
9X18 and 9X19 rounds are both 9mm
, they are not the same, and sometimes confusing to those less familiar with firearms.
Makarov Design and Features
Some commercial Makarovs are chambered for .
380 ACP, and there are even some double-stack variants that take 12-round magazines. But the standard, original, military Makarov has an 8-round single stack mag. The construction is all steel with a blued finish, except for the grips.
The double-action trigger is no picnic, but Makarov pistols are known for being rugged, reliable, accurate enough for government work and easy to pack in the bargain.
It does make a good CCW gun
.
Others simply enjoy the Makarov because of its excellent shooting qualities. For all of these reasons, the price of these pistols continues to rise, with typical specimens selling
between $350 and $500
. The East German Makarov is an intriguing pistol that is emblematic of the bygone Cold War era.
Automatic Colt Pistol
(ACP) denotes various John Moses Browning cartridge designs primarily used in Colt and Fabrique Nationale de Herstal semi-automatic pistols. All of these cartridges are straight-sided and appear similar. The . 32 ACP, .
45 ACP (
Automatic Colt Pistol
) or . 45 Auto (11.43×23mm) is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it was adopted as the standard chambering for Colt’s M1911 pistol.
No doubt, due to its advantage in velocity and energy, the
9mm Luger is the clear winner in terminal performance
. But for the same reasons, the . 380 wins in shootability, with one caveat. Because the 380 has 94 percent less recoil (if fired from an equal-weight gun), it’s easier to shoot.
380 ACP is good for women’s concealed carry
. First is that . 380 ACP often has softer felt recoil, meaning the kick you get from the gun is less than from more powerful calibers…for the most part.
There’s no difference between a . 38 and a 38 special
. The former refers to a caliber with a . 357 inch bullet diameter, while the latter is a cartridge variant under the .
22 LR is a rimfire round, and 380 ACP is a centerfire cartridge. In addition to this,
both the caliber (aka diameter of the bullet) of a 22 round and the size of the shell casing are significantly smaller than a 380 ACP round
. A 22 LR case is just over 0.6 inches long, with a bullet diameter of 0.223 inches.
| .32 ACP |
Bullet diameter .3125 in (7.94 mm) |
Neck diameter .3365 in (8.55 mm) | Base diameter .337 in (8.6 mm) | Rim diameter .358 in (9.1 mm) |
|---|
Such examples are
9mm Luger; . 458 Win mag in the . 458 Lott; Smith & Wesson Model 48 and 22 Magnum; and Glock 20 and 10mm Auto
. These are just a few of the examples of multi-caliber guns/interchangeable bullet calibers.
Rebecca writes about personal care and style, covering beauty, fashion, grooming, and self-care tips for every lifestyle.