9×18mm Makarov The 9×18mm Makarov ( designated 9mm Makarov by the C . I . P . and often called 9×18mm PM ) is a Russia n 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 . History . During the Second World War and the early Cold War , 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 Red 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 Makarov round was designed by B . V . Semin in 1946 , and was intended to be a relatively powerful round with modest bolt thrust 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 , as a more powerful alternative to the 9×17mm used in the Walther PP , also a simple blowback design pistol . Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov went on to design the Makarov PM pistol around the 9×18mm Makarov 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 Makarov ammunition uses a larger diameter bullet than other common 9mm rounds . Indeed 9mm Parabellum is 9 . 017mm ( 0 . 355 inches ) , however 9×18mm Makarov rounds are loaded with bullets measuring 9 . 27mm ( 0 . 365 in ) . After its introduction in 1951 , the 9×18mm Makarov round spread throughout the militaries of Eastern Bloc nations . Dimensions . The 9×18mm Makarov has 0 . 83 ml ( 12 . 8 grains HO ) cartridge case capacity . 9×18mm Makarov maximum C . I . P . cartridge dimensions . All sizes in millimeters ( mm ) . The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240mm ( 1 in 9 . 45in ) , 4 grooves , ø lands = 9 . 00 mm , ø grooves = 9 . 27mm , land width = 4 . 50mm and the primer type is small pistol . 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 inferior to the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge . While there are no official SAAMI pressure specs 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 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 9×19mm Parabellum . Basic specifications of 21st century Russian service loads . The 9×18mm Makarov rounds in use with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are designed for pistols and submachine guns . In 2003 , there are several variants of 9×18mm Makarov produced for various purposes . All use clad metal as case material . < br > 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 color of the tip . It can penetrate a 1 . 3 mm thick St3 steel plate or 5 mm ordinary steel plate at . < br > 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 . < br > 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 . < br > The SP - 8 cartridge is loaded with a low - penetration bullet and is designed to engage personnel .