[Shoots High]

I have four Maks, but I don't shoot them much, and when I do, it's fmj ammo. Someone recently told me that Maks don't like hollow points. Seems they don't feed well. What is your experience?

 

[lee1959]

I have four Maks, but I don't shoot them much, and when I do, it's fmj ammo. Someone recently told me that Maks don't like hollow points. Seems they don't feed well. What is your experience?

Mine likes most HP right as I got it. I cannot remember what brand gave me a bit of trouble. A few minutes with a tiny piece of 1000 wet or dry paper and then a piece of cloth with Flitz and they have all worked like charms. I used the eraser on a pencil, put the paper on it and lightly, LIGHTLY, sanded down the feed ramp until there were no grooves or roughness on it. Then used the cloth wrapped around the eraser and dipped in the Flitz to polish it. Took maybe 10 minutes slow careful work, cleaning it off often and inspecting it. Done this on a number of pistols, but be careful of aluminum frames and feed ramps on some pistols (I think FEGS have them)as the hardening might be thin and you go through.If there are no visible ridges or roughness all I use s the Flitz.

Now it feeds everything I put in it, even in mixed magazine loads.

 

[North Bender]

+1 on everything lee wrote. Maks can feed any type of commercial ammunition once they're polished and/or shot a lot.

 

[beasleydano]

I have only used Silver Bear 94 gr HP & Hornady Critical Defense 95 gr FTX but they work well in my Maks.

 

[Teakwood]

Frankly, I never liked JHP in my Makarovs. Every one I had would only take them if I polished the feed ramp.
I still polish the feed ramps, but I do not see any great advantage to the JHP in 9x18.

... but then, each to his own.

Oh, and my FEG PA-63 still does not like JHP.

 

[Tom Norton]

I used a jewelers saw on my reload cast slugs to make 'dum-dum' bullets. quite a wound in stacked wet cardboard. I have one 'down the spout' in my russki commercial model. don't know about barrier penetration though.

 

[North Bender]

Hello Tom,

It's not hard to find info on the internet concerning the effectiveness of "Dum Dum" bullets. I haven't found a source after 1930 that thinks that you can make a bullet now that's better in performance than modern hollow points.

 

[jonny c.]

I've run most brands of JHP through my DDR and USSR Maks without any issues. I never had to polish or modify anything.

 

[Looter]

I've never had to polish anything in my Arsenal to get it to feed HPs. My theory is that this is due in part to the fact that it's a 9x17.

My rule of thumb is try the ammo first, a couple of boxes, before you start polishing or sanding.

 

[Jonnin]

Hello Tom,

It's not hard to find info on the internet concerning the effectiveness of "Dum Dum" bullets. I haven't found a source after 1930 that thinks that you can make a bullet now that's better in performance than modern hollow points.

cheaper though. Defense ammo for $1 a shot gets old, and the current crop of 9x18 is lightly loaded (weak powder charge) to boot. I would think a 9x18 home-made dum-dum with a top end powder charge would equal if not outperform the JHP defense ammo being sold today. However, the internetz abound with rumors that handloaded ammo = lawsuits in a defense case. So it still is not recommended, but I still think it would penetrate better and make as good a wound.

All semi-autos can (on a per gun basis, really) struggle with various shapes and sizes of JHPs. A little roughness or variation in the angle of the feed ramp or chamber and that particular gun may choke on it, and mag problems can cause all sorts of strange issues with any gun. Apart from a damaged magazine issue I have never had a misfeed or other type of issue in my mak. That mag wouldnt feed anything including basic ball ammo.

 

[Simson-Suhl]

I am going to stand with TEAKWOOD, on this one, Makarovs were designed to use full metal jacket ammunition. I have not had one failure with S&B FMJ or my hand loads with the Speer 95gr. FMJ. I have loaded S&B and Starline brass with Hornady 95gr. XTP's, no problems, however at 50ft. the accuracy grouping was somewhat larger than with the FMJ. And for those who worry about over penetration, the expanding bullet only boys, I guess this means that if you really get into a shooting situation, not a single round that you fire is going to miss your target? No nicking of an ear trying for a head shot?
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of being invited to shoot a course with the Air National Guard Combat Team. The target is a charging soldier with what appeared to be an SKS with bayonet. Two shots the the body, and one to the head. The only problem was it started to rain rather hard. At 25yds. we were under cover. then the order was given to advance to 15yds. I know those young men were waiting to see if that old man was really going to go out into the rain with them. Finished shooting the course at 7yds, firing with both knees on the ground,(why we shot with both knees on the ground I do not know), looking over my glasses which were totally wet. The point is under the right conditions and stress, you can miss a shot!!!~

 

[Simson-Suhl]

Thank you for moving my reply to the proper thread.

 

[slavcio]

I have four Maks, but I don't shoot them much, and when I do, it's fmj ammo. Someone recently told me that Maks don't like hollow points. Seems they don't feed well. What is your experience?

I tried the following in my .380: Speer 'Gold Dot', Hornady 'Critical Defense', Fiocchi, Remington "Green-Yellow" box, Remington 'Golden Saber'. ZERO failures. Could not make that gun jam. That was in shiny-silvery commercial one with adjustable rear sight that people look down upon.