The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Can a 9x19 firearm chamber (not fire) any other caliber??

**Aguila Blanca** · July 20, 2013, 03:24 PM

9x18 Makarov cannot chamber in a 9x19 pistol. Both the bullet and the case diameter are too large.

I have fired .380 ACP through both 9x19 and .38 Super barrels. Doesn't work well at all out of the 9x19 -- the .380 case is actually enough smaller in diameter that there's a lot of blowback, resulting in not enough recoil energy to cycle the slide. It worked a little better in the .38 Super barrel because that chamber is slightly smaller than the 9x19 (but still larger than the .380 should be).

I don't know of anything other than .380 that can be fired through a 9x19 barrel/firearm.

July 20, 2013, 03:24 PM	#6
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,458	9x18 Makarov cannot chamber in a 9x19 pistol. Both the bullet and the case diameter are too large. I have fired .380 ACP through both 9x19 and .38 Super barrels. Doesn't work well at all out of the 9x19 -- the .380 case is actually enough smaller in diameter that there's a lot of blowback, resulting in not enough recoil energy to cycle the slide. It worked a little better in the .38 Super barrel because that chamber is slightly smaller than the 9x19 (but still larger than the .380 should be). I don't know of anything other than .380 that can be fired through a 9x19 barrel/firearm.