The 9×18mm Makarov (designated 9mm Makarov by the C.I.P. and often called 9×18mm PM) is a Soviet

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...

and

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

cartridge Cartridge may refer to: Objects * Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition * ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device * Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators Other uses * Cartridge (surname), a ...

. During the latter half of the 20th century it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

and the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

, analogous to the

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun ...

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

and

Western Bloc The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by ...

military use.

History

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and the early

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, the

7.62×25mm Tokarev The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge (designated as the 7.62 × 25 Tokarev by the C.I.P.) is a Russian rimless bottlenecked pistol cartridge widely used in former Soviet states and in China, among other countries. The cartridge has since been repla ...

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 Red Army had found a few shortcomings in its 7.62 mm 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 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 gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge. Several blowback systems exist wit ...

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 Boris V. Semin in 1946, and was intended to be a relatively powerful round with modest

bolt thrust Bolt thrust or breech pressure is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms (whether small arms or artillery) that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech wh ...

that could function safely in a simple or direct blowback pistol. It was based on the 9×18mm Ultra cartridge which was developed in 1936 by Gustav Genschow & Co. for the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

, as a more powerful alternative to the 9×17mm used in the Walther PP, also a simple blowback design pistol.

Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov (russian: Никола́й Фёдорович Мака́ров; – 13 May 1988) was a Soviet firearms designer, most notable for his Makarov pistol. He was given the title Hero of Socialist Labour in 1974. Biograp ...

went on to design the Makarov PM pistol around the 9×18mm round in 1947. In 1951 both the Makarov pistol and the round were accepted by the Soviet Army, hence the round became commonly known thereafter as the Makarov as well (it is not its official designation).Erenfeicht, Leszek (2018) (in Polish). ''From Russia with Love. Pistolet Makarowa''. „Strzał.pl” No. 6/2018. III (19), p. 25-26. ISSN 2451-4942 Calibers in the USSR were measured between the lands in the rifling and not the grooves. As such, 9×18mm Makarov ammunition uses a larger diameter bullet than other common 9 mm rounds, measuring 9.27 mm (0.365 in), compared with 9.017 mm (0.355 in) for 9×19mm Parabellum. After its introduction in 1951, the 9×18mm Makarov round spread throughout the militaries of

nations.

Cartridge dimensions

The 9×18mm Makarov has 0.83 ml (12.8 grains H₂O) cartridge case capacity.

9×18mm Makarov maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm). The common

rifling In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the ...

twist rate In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the pr ...

for this cartridge is 1 in 240 mm (9.45 in), 4 grooves, ø lands = 9.00 mm, ø grooves = 9.27 mm, land width = 4.50 mm and the primer type is small pistol.C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 9 mm Makarov
/ref> According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives) rulings the 9×18mm Makarov case can handle up to piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every pistol cartridge combo has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers. The 9×18mm Makarov is

ballistically Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...

inferior to the

cartridge. While there are no official

SAAMI The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several America ...

pressure specifications for the 9×18mm Makarov 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 9×19mm Parabellum (+P) loads. As such it is designed to be used in low-powered blowback semiautomatics, much like the

.380 ACP The .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.Wilson, R. K. ''Textbook of Automatic Pisto ...

cartridge, rather than locked-breech designs encountered, but not always required, for higher pressure cartridges like the 9×19mm Parabellum.

Basic specifications of 21st century Russian service loads

The 9×18mm Makarov rounds in use with the

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

are designed for pistols and submachine guns. In 2003, there were several variants of 9×18mm Makarov produced for various purposes. All used clad metal as case material.
The 57-N-181S cartridge is loaded with a steel-core bullet and is designed to kill personnel at a range of up to . The bullet has a clad metal envelope totally covering the core. The bullet’s nose is spherical with no distinguishing colour of the tip. It can penetrate a 1.3 mm thick St3 steel plate or a 5 mm ordinary steel plate at .
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 half plastic and half lead core jacketed hollow point bullet and is designed to defeat live targets. The bullet has a black tip.
The SP-8 cartridge is loaded with a lightweight half plastic and half lead core low-penetration jacketed hollow point bullet and is designed to engage personnel.
The 7N25 is a high-velocity cartridge loaded with a steel core bullet. It can penetrate a 5 mm thick St3 steel plate at .
* R₅₀ at means the closest 50 percent of the shot group will all be within a circle of the mentioned diameter at .

Firearms chambered for 9×18mm Makarov

Pistols

* Makarov PM *

Stechkin APS The Stechkin or APS (''Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Stechkina'' = ''Автоматический Пистолет Стечкина'') is a Soviet selective fire machine pistol chambered in 9×18mm Makarov and 9×19mm Parabellum introduced into ser ...

* MP-448 Skyph * ČZ vz. 82 *

FEG PA-63 The FÉG PA-63 is a semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by the FÉGARMY Arms Factory of Hungary. History FÉGARMY Arms Factory (FÉG) of Hungary started producing Walther PP/PPK clones in the late 1940s starting with their Model 48 ...

, SMC-918, R-61, RK-59 *

P-83 Wanad The P-83 Wanad ( Pl. Vanadium) is a single-action and double-action Polish semi-automatic pistol, chambered for the 9×18mm Makarov cartridge and designed by Ryszard Chełmicki and Marian Gryszkiewicz of the state research institute Ośrodek Badaw ...

* P-64 pistol *

R-92 R9 or R-9 may refer to: Military * R-9 Desna, a Soviet ICBM * , a United States Navy submarine in commission from 1919 to 1931 and from 1941 to 1945 Transportation * Camai Air, IATA airline code * R9 (New York City Subway car) * Radial Road 9 or ...

* OTs-01 Stechkin (RSA) * OTs-27 *

OTs-33 The OTs-33 Pernach (''ОЦ-33 Пернач'', Russian for "pernach") is a Russian 9x18 Makarov machine pistol, derived from the 5.45 mm OTs-23 Drotik machine pistol. The Pernach is an automatic pistol designed to replace the Stechkin APS in va ...

* Fort 12 * Grand Power P9M * ZVI KEVIN M * SilencerCo Maxim 9

Submachine guns and machine pistols

* Škorpion vz. 65 and vz. 82 * PM-63 RAK *

PM-84 Glauberyt The PM-84 Glauberyt is a Polish submachine gun. It is a personal weapon intended for combat and self-defence at ranges up to 150 m with single shot or fully automatic fire mode. It features a compact design, minimum overall dimensions, small ...

* PP-90 Penal *

PP-91 KEDR The PP-91 KEDR is a 9mm machine pistol developed from a prototype from the 1970s and since 1994 adopted by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Overview The PP-91 is a simply designed, easy to manufacture selective fire submachine gun desig ...

* PP-93 * OTs-02 Kiparis * OTs-33 Pernach * PP-19 Bizon * Arsenal Shipka *

Borz The name Borz ( Chechen: Борз, "wolf") is an umbrella term applied to all improvised submachine guns produced during the years of independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. It was produced in small numbers from 1992 to 1999. The initial ...

, used by

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (; ce, Нохчийн Республик Ичкери, Nóxçiyn Respublik Içkeri; russian: Чеченская Республика Ичкерия; abbreviated as "ChRI" or "CRI") was a ''de facto'' state that ...

during the

First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also known as the First Chechen Campaign,, rmed conflict in the Chechen Republic and on bordering territories of the Russian FederationФедеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995 (в редакц ...

Gallery

Image:9mmMakarov-vs-22LR.jpg, 9×18mm Makarov compared to a

.22LR The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smoothb ...

hollow point Image:9x18mm casing.jpg, 9×18mm Makarov case Image:9x18mm MAK.jpg, 9×18mm Makarov Image:Makarov and Luger cartridges.jpg, 9×18mm Makarov compared to a

full metal jacket Image:380 ACP cartridge compared to 9x18mm Mak cartridge.jpg, .380 ACP cartridge compared to a 9×18mm Makarov cartridge Image:9x18mm_Makarov_HTX_Round.jpg, 9×18mm Makarov FTX hollow point

Synonyms

*9mm Makarov *9×18mm *9×18mm PM *9mm Mak *9×18mm Soviet

References

External links

9x18 pistol cartridgesC.I.P. TDCC datasheet 9 mm MakarovGunboards Forums, 9x18 Ammunition Data
{{765borderivatives Pistol and rifle cartridges Military cartridges * Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1951 Soviet inventions