9×18mm Makarov
Encyclopedia
9×18mm Makarov is a Soviet pistol
and submachine gun
cartridge. During the latter half of the 20th Century it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the Soviet Union
and the Eastern Bloc
, analogous to the 9×19mm Parabellum in NATO and Western
military use.
, the 7.62×25mm Tokarev was the standard automatic pistol round for the Soviet Union and its satellites in Eastern Europe. This ammunition is still in use by many of these countries today. During the war the Soviet army had found a few shortcomings of its 7.62mm TT-33 pistol, one of which was a tendency to inadvertently drop its magazine while in operation. The army wanted something that was lighter, with a heel release instead of a button and different ammunition. A direct blowback design was chosen for the pistol's operation, since it would be quick and cheap to manufacture, as well as accurate, due to the fixed barrel design allowed by direct blowback operation.
The 9×18mm round was designed by B.V. Semin in 1951, and was intended to be the most powerful round that could function safely in a direct blowback pistol. It was based on the 9mm Ultra cartridge which was developed by Germany toward the end of WWII, as a more powerful alternative to the 9×17mm
used in the Walther PP, also a blowback design. Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov went on to design the Makarov PM
pistol around the 9×18mm round in 1948.
The Soviet military required that their ammunition should be incompatible with NATO firearms, so that in the event of armed conflict a foreign power would be unable to use captured Soviet ammunition supplies. 9×18mm ammunition uses a slightly larger diameter bullet than other common 9mm rounds. 9 mm Parabellum is 9.017 mm (0.355 inches), however 9×18mm rounds are loaded with bullets measuring 9.220 mm (0.363 inches). Many 9×18mm blow-back pistols can fire 9×17mm ammunition (.380 ACP) at some loss in accuracy. Generally, however, firearms should only fire the ammunition they are chambered for. After its introduction in 1951, the 9×18mm round spread throughout the militaries of Eastern Bloc
nations.
inferior to the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. While there are no official SAAMI
pressure specs for the 9×18mm cartridge, tests indicate that surplus ammunition develop pressures in the mid 20,000 psi
, significantly less than the 35,000 psi
or more generated by 9mm Parabellum loads. As such it is designed to be used in low powered blowback
semiautomatics, much like the .380 ACP
cartridge, rather than locked breech designs encountered, but not always required, for higher pressure cartridges like the 9 mm Parabellum.
The 9×18mm cartridge is not interchangeable with the more powerful 9 mm Parabellum or 9 mm Largo
, and its ballistic performance is much closer to the .380 ACP
.
are designed for pistols and submachine guns. Currently (2003), there are several variants of 9×18mm Makarov produced for various purposes. All use clad metal as case meterial.
The 57-N-181S cartridge is loaded with a steel-core bullet and is designed to kill personnel at a range of up to 50 m (55 yd). The bullet has a clad metal envelope totally covering the core. The bullet’s nose is spherical with no distinguishing color of the tip. It can penetrate a 1.3 mm thick St3 steel plate or 5 mm ordinary steel plate at 20 m (22 yd).
The RG028 cartridge is loaded with an enhanced penetration bullet and is designed to kill personnel wearing body armour. The bullet has a core of hardened steel.
The SP-7 cartridge is loaded with an enhanced stopping effect bullet and is designed to defeat live targets. The bullet has a black tip.
The SP-8 cartridge is loaded with a low-penetration bullet and is designed to engage personnel.
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
and submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
cartridge. During the latter half of the 20th Century it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
, analogous to the 9×19mm Parabellum in NATO and Western
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...
military use.
History
During the Second World War and the early Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the 7.62×25mm Tokarev was the standard automatic pistol round for the Soviet Union and its satellites in Eastern Europe. This ammunition is still in use by many of these countries today. During the war the Soviet army had found a few shortcomings of its 7.62mm TT-33 pistol, one of which was a tendency to inadvertently drop its magazine while in operation. The army wanted something that was lighter, with a heel release instead of a button and different ammunition. A direct blowback design was chosen for the pistol's operation, since it would be quick and cheap to manufacture, as well as accurate, due to the fixed barrel design allowed by direct blowback operation.
The 9×18mm round was designed by B.V. Semin in 1951, and was intended to be the most powerful round that could function safely in a direct blowback pistol. It was based on the 9mm Ultra cartridge which was developed by Germany toward the end of WWII, as a more powerful alternative to the 9×17mm
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...
used in the Walther PP, also a blowback design. Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov went on to design the Makarov PM
Makarov PM
The PM is a semi-automatic pistol design. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it became the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991.-Development:...
pistol around the 9×18mm round in 1948.
The Soviet military required that their ammunition should be incompatible with NATO firearms, so that in the event of armed conflict a foreign power would be unable to use captured Soviet ammunition supplies. 9×18mm ammunition uses a slightly larger diameter bullet than other common 9mm rounds. 9 mm Parabellum is 9.017 mm (0.355 inches), however 9×18mm rounds are loaded with bullets measuring 9.220 mm (0.363 inches). Many 9×18mm blow-back pistols can fire 9×17mm ammunition (.380 ACP) at some loss in accuracy. Generally, however, firearms should only fire the ammunition they are chambered for. After its introduction in 1951, the 9×18mm round spread throughout the militaries of Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
nations.
Performance
9×18mm is ballisticallyBallistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
inferior to the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. While there are no official SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
pressure specs for the 9×18mm cartridge, tests indicate that surplus ammunition develop pressures in the mid 20,000 psi
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
, significantly less than the 35,000 psi
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
or more generated by 9mm Parabellum loads. As such it is designed to be used in low powered blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
semiautomatics, much like the .380 ACP
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...
cartridge, rather than locked breech designs encountered, but not always required, for higher pressure cartridges like the 9 mm Parabellum.
The 9×18mm cartridge is not interchangeable with the more powerful 9 mm Parabellum or 9 mm Largo
9 mm Largo
The 9×23mm Largo centerfire pistol cartridge was developed in 1901 for the Bergmann Mars pistol. The round was considered powerful for the day, producing a muzzle energy of between 330 and 430 foot-pounds depending on the loading...
, and its ballistic performance is much closer to the .380 ACP
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...
.
Basic specifications of 21st century Russian service loads
The 9×18mm Makarov rounds in use with the Armed Forces of the Russian FederationArmed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
are designed for pistols and submachine guns. Currently (2003), there are several variants of 9×18mm Makarov produced for various purposes. All use clad metal as case meterial.
The 57-N-181S cartridge is loaded with a steel-core bullet and is designed to kill personnel at a range of up to 50 m (55 yd). The bullet has a clad metal envelope totally covering the core. The bullet’s nose is spherical with no distinguishing color of the tip. It can penetrate a 1.3 mm thick St3 steel plate or 5 mm ordinary steel plate at 20 m (22 yd).
The RG028 cartridge is loaded with an enhanced penetration bullet and is designed to kill personnel wearing body armour. The bullet has a core of hardened steel.
The SP-7 cartridge is loaded with an enhanced stopping effect bullet and is designed to defeat live targets. The bullet has a black tip.
The SP-8 cartridge is loaded with a low-penetration bullet and is designed to engage personnel.
| Cartridge designation | 57-N-181S | RG028 | SP-7 | SP-8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartridge weight | 10 g (9.00009000090001E-07 gr) | 11 g (9.90009900099001E-07 gr) | 8 g (7.20007200072001E-07 gr) | 8.5 g (7.65007650076501E-07 gr) |
| Bullet weight | 6 g (5.40005400054001E-07 gr) | 6 g (5.40005400054001E-07 gr) | 6 g (5.40005400054001E-07 gr) | 5 g (4.50004500045E-07 gr) |
| Muzzle velocity | 298 m/s (978 ft/s) | 325 m/s (1,066 ft/s) | 420 m/s (1,378 ft/s) | 250 m/s (820 ft/s) |
| Muzzle energy | 251 joule | 317 joule | 529 joule | 156 joule |
| Accuracy of fire at 25 m (27 yd) (R50) |
32 mm (1.3 in) | 32 mm (1.3 in) | 32 mm (1.3 in) | |
- R50 at 25 m (27 yd) means the closest 50 percent of the shot group will all be within a circle of the mentioned diameter at 25 m (27 yd).
Firearms chambered for 9×18mm PM
- Makarov PMMakarov PMThe PM is a semi-automatic pistol design. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it became the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991.-Development:...
- Stechkin APSStechkin APSThe Stechkin APS is a Russian selective fire machine pistol. It bears the name of its developer, Igor Stechkin.-Adoption:The Stechkin pistol was originally chambered for 7.62x25mm Tokarev...
- ČZ vz. 82
- Škorpion vz. 65 and vz. 82
- FEG PA-63FEG PA-63The FÉG PA-63 is a semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by the FÉGARMY Arms Factory of Hungary.-History:FÉGARMY Arms Factory of Hungary started producing Walther PP/PPK clones in the late 1940s starting with their Model 48 which differed from the Walther PP only in minor details...
- P-83 WanadP-83 WanadThe P-83 Wanad is a 9 mm Polish semi-automatic pistol, chambered for the 9x18mm Makarov cartridge and designed by Ryszard Chełmicki and Marian Gryszkiewicz of the state research institute Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy in Radom...
- P-64 pistol
- PM-63 RAKPM-63 RakThe PM-63 RAK is a Polish 9mm submachine gun, designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc in cooperation with Tadeusz Bednarski, Grzegorz Czubak and Marian Wakalski...
- PM-84 GlauberytPM-84 GlauberytThe PM-84 Glauberyt is a Polish submachine gun. It is a personal weapon intended for combat and self-defense at ranges up to 150 m with single shot or fully automatic fire mode. It features compact design, minimum overall dimensions, small weight, very good accuracy, and fire stability...
- R-92
- OTs-01 Stechkin (RSA)OTs-01 KobaltThe OTs-01 Kobalt is a 9 mm Russian revolver designed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau for private security firms that require concealed firepower.-External links:*...
- OTs-27OTs-27 BerdyshThe OTs-27 Berdysh is a Russian semi-automatic pistol developed in the early 1990s by TsKIB SOO as a candidate to replace the standard Makarov PM service pistol in service with the Russian Armed Forces.-External links:...
- OTs-33
- PP-90 Penal
- PP-91 KEDRPP-91 KEDRThe PP-91 KEDR is a 9mm submachine gun developed from a prototype from the 1970s and later adopted by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs .- External links :*...
- PP-93
- OTs-02 Kiparis
- PP-19 Bizon
- PP-19-01
- Fort 12
- VEB MaschinenpistoleVEB MaschinenpistoleThe VEB Maschinenpistole is a machine pistol of East German origin. It is chambered in the 9x18mm Makarov round and is capable of select-fire. The VEB also has a foregrip to control accuracy as well as to hold a spare magazine....
- BARZBARZThe BARZ is a silenced submachine gun of Transnistrian origin. The weapon uses straight blowback operation and is chambered in the 9x18mm Makarov round....
- Policeman submachine gunPoliceman submachine gunThe Policeman SMG is a submachine gun of Transnistrian origin intended for Police use hence its name. The weapon uses straight blowback operation and is chambered in the 9x18mm round. Used to control crowds of people....