9×18.com

Welcome!  I started this site because of my obsession with the 9×18 Makarov cartridge and the guns that use them.  I purchased my first East German Makarov in 1995 for $119.00 as I recall, along with two Chinese SKS for $80 each and a Chinese MAK-90 for $150 at a Miami gun show.  I liked the size and feel of my East German Makarov and enjoyed shooting it.  I was hooked.  It took me another 9 years to discover the world of the Makarov and all the resources available to shooters and enthusiasts.

While I just happened to like the pistol when I first handled it, little did I know it was the Soviet standard sidearm for many years, or that it was manufactured almost identically in factories in Russia, East Germany, Bulgaria, and China.  The parts are almost perfectly interchangeable between the four major manufacturers and the gun is simple, having only 26 parts, or 27 if you count the small spring on the safety, plus 4 parts in the magazine. 

I then discovered a world of different guns that used the 9×18 cartridge, such as the Polish P-64, the Hungarian made FEG PA-63, the SMC-918, and the Czech CZ-82.  The deeper I dug, the more I found.  Why is it interesting?  Not a single gun in the USA is made in 9×18 Makarov caliber that I know of as of this writing.  It takes research to learn about them and digging through data, books and websites to learn about them and makes an interesting research project.

The .380 ACP (9x17mm) has become popular as a self defence handgun, but has been widely criticized as too weak to provide effective penetration.  The 9mm parabellum / Luger (9x19mm) cartridge has also been criticized as penetrating too deeply in ball ammo.  Others say the 9mm parabellum does not have enough stopping power.  The 9×18 Makarov is right between them in stopping power and widely available.  And the guns that use them are also inexpensive, well made, and easy to find. Some agree it is a very effective personal defense round, superior to the .380 (9×17) and not as powerful as the common 9mm parabellum (9×19).

Here you will find many interesting resources.  I would like to thank http://www.makarov.com  as an inspiration to creating this website and I recommend you visit http://www.makarov.com as another source of excellent information.

Webmaster Dan