Have you or known anyone to carry the 9x18 cartridge for defensive carry ? I'm not speaking of any particular gun, like CZ or any Soviet, Chinese, or East German Makarov pistol or the like, just the cartridge itself.

Sure. They're not horribly heavy, they're surprisingly compact when you put them away, and they can be pretty easy to shoot well. In the old days the Sierra defensive loads were the ones to beat in the pistols I had, but nowadays Hornady seems to be the only game in town.

Some years ago, when I reloaded, I reloaded that cartridge. I used SR 7625 with what ever HP bullet I could buy. Back then the loading was on the hotter side.

But to answer your question, yes, I've carried various guns chambered for that cartridge. Modern loadings, for it, and the .380 ,, have vastly improved the ballistics.

Da.

I used to carry my Makarov quite regularly.

A number of years ago, two guys in our SD group shot and carried MAKs.

One of the two could keep up with the 1911's. Don't ask me how he did it. Must have been Russian or did finger strength training exercises.

Some. I have a couple of FEGs that are PP or PPK sized in 9x18. Georgia Arms used to load the Makarov cartridge with gold dot hollow points. I still have a few bags for carry, should I ever carry one again.

Very interesting fellas, thanks !

quote:

Originally posted by Nipper:
A number of years ago, two guys in our SD group shot and carried MAKs.

One of the two could keep up with the 1911's. Don't ask me how he did it. Must have been Russian or did finger strength training exercises.

I owned a Russian Makarov for a time and the SA trigger pull was surprisingly light and the non tilting fixed barrel (blowback action) made it quite accurate too.

When the Makarov was imported in great numbers in the 90's, it was often chosen by female shooters back then. High performance ammo, however took a while to catch up with the pistols popularity.

Later, other 9x18 chambered guns showed up, of course being Eastern Bloc origined. The only instance of a 9x18 American item made is a Makarov barrel by Lone Wolf for the Ruger LC 380, which was iffy in reliability.

Americans were too entrenched with the .380. I have a Makarov, a CZ-82,and a Polish P 83.
The P83 I like the least.

Yes, I still in warm months do carry an East German Mak loaded with the Hornady XTP but have tried the Silver Bear hollow point load, sometimes it opens and sometimes it doesn’t.

An easy piece to carry at 25+ounces, remarkably accurate and utterly dependable.
With Com-Bloc ammo it’s spicy, American ammo not quite.

But with the advent of the mini/polymer 9s its fast fading from the scene, pity too.

Among the many pities to be laid at Puto's door is the various bans on pistol imports. The Russians actually made several attempts to put the cartridge in a new pistol as a 'modernitzaiya' project, including a polymer Makarov that looked like a promising upgrade to the original pistol.

I gotta admit, though, I'm not sure even that would've been competitive with the new compact polymer 9mm pistols. Its big competitive point, for those not in love with Eastern Bloc pistols, was always that it's marginally faster and bigger than the .380.

I have an East German Makarov and two CZ-82s that I carried a few times years ago, but I can't say they were ever really my regular carry guns. There was a hybrid holster maker whose name I can't remember who made some pretty comfortable holsters for them.

don't forget the other 9x18, the 9x18 Ultra, also called the 9x18 Police. Lots of German and Swiss cops carried it. Hotter than the Mak and the .380 acp. Walther made them in the PP Super, and Sig in the 230. Ammo is readily available on line, but the guns are somewhat scarce.

quote:

Originally posted by LtJL:
don't forget the other 9x18, the 9x18 Ultra, also called the 9x18 Police. Lots of German and Swiss cops carried it. Hotter than the Mak and the .380 acp. Walther made them in the PP Super, and Sig in the 230. Ammo is readily available on line, but the guns are somewhat scarce.

Have seen a couple of the Pp Super's, and really liked them. They were just over shadowed too soon by the parabellum caliber.

I would imagine the 9x18 Ultra would be a mild recoil round.

Is anyone besides Fiocci making 9mm Ultra ammo these days? I keep thinking PPU might pick it up as part of its 'obscure cartridges' lineup, but so far no joy. (Then again, we're still waiting for PPU 5.45x39 as well, so it may be a long wait.)

Saying what others have been, any popularity that 9x18mm had was based on the availability, cheapness, and resulting popularity of comblock surplus Makarovs. As far as I'm concerned, the ammo was nothing to write home about for defensive purposes (largely FMJ.)

From what I've heard, the large supply of cheap Makarovs had been burned though, so they're not as cheap and available. I'd rather have a modern small 9x19mm as a carry gun than one of these. 9x19mm starts with better ballistics, and has received a shitton of terminal ballistics development. 9x18, if you can find it, is still largely FMJ.

I carried one a few times when they were the guns were cheap and plentiful.

An uncle of used to carry one for a close range varmint gun around his farm. He killed a number of skunks and groundhogs, although they were all at pretty close range.

Used to carry a CZ82 loaded with Corbon and a Wolff recoil spring, never felt under gunned.

I carry a CZ 82 in my walker when I go to the mail

pod in the evening