Handloading for the 9x18mm Makarov

Hand loading for the 9x18mm Makarov is almost as easy as hand loading for the 9mm Luger. The 9mm Mak case is a little shorter than the 9mm Luger but the head dimensions are similar enough that one can use shortened 9mm cases for use with the 9mm Mak.

There are several manufacturers of 9mm Makarov ammunition, e.g. Sellier & Bellot and Silver Bear but most imports are Berdan primed and hence their cases are not suitable for reloading. Sellier & Bellot cases are Boxer primed, and those cases can be reused for handloading.

Though the Starline Brass makes 9mm Makarov cases suitable for the handloader they are more expensive than 9mm Luger brass. Hence, the thrifty handloader has two choices:

1. reuse Sellier & Bellot cases
2. trim and resize 9mm Luger cases

So, let's focus on the process needed to turn 9mm Luger cases into 9mm Makarov cases. We see that the head dimensions of both are similar.

A 9mm Luger case is approximately 19mm long, whereas a 9mm Makarov case is approximately 18mm long.

To trim the 9mm Luger case down to 18mm, we use a RCBS Trim Pro. The model used is the manually cranked one, though RCBS sells a motorized version too.

To hold a 9mm Luger case in place while trimming we use a RCBS #16 Trim Pro shell holder and a 35 calibre pilot.

Once trimmed to 18mm, the cases must be full-length resized using 9mm Makarov resizing dies. I chose a Lee 3-die set for my 9mm Makarov reloading needs, though other manufacturers make 9mm Makarov dies also. The same shell holder is used as for 9mm Luger. I use RCBS shell holders to fit my RCBS hand-priming tool, a #1 in this case.

From here on, the reloading process is the standard one for straight-walled cartridges.

1. Depriming and full-length resizing using the FL-resizing die.
2. Belling the case mouth using the expander die.
3. Priming the cases.
4. Charging the cases with powder.
5. Bullet seating, using the seating die.
6. Crimping of the case mouth using the seating die.

The advanced reloader can use a progressive press, but the novice or beginner should stick with a single stage press until he is familiar with each step of the reloading process, and the die adjustments needed at each step. I use a RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press.

After resizing and belling the cases, we prime the cases. The 9mm Makarov (like the 9mm Luger) uses a small-pistol primer. I use a RCBS hand-priming tool, and CCI 500 primers, though other manufacturers make equivalent products also.

After priming, we charge the cases. I used Alliant Bullseye powder. The recommended weight for 95gr bullets is in the range 3.5gr and 3.9gr. [Warning: when working up a load, always start with the smallest weight and work upwards, always watching for signs of overpressure]. Bullseye powder has a good volumetric consistency, so a RCBS Uniflow powder dispenser is used. The dispenser was calibrated using a RCBS electronic scale.

Bullet selection is quite good for the Makarov, though one should note that unlike 9mm Luger loads, where the bullet diameter is .355", the Makarov is not a true 9mm and the bullet diameter is .364". I use two bullets; a 93gr lead round-nosed bullet from Meister Cast for practice and target use, and a 95gr jacketed hollow-point bullet from Hornady (XTP/HP) for defense use.

I seated the round-nosed bullets to an over all length of 0.980" and the XTP/HP bullets to an over all length of 0.930". The bullets must be taper crimped. The crimping is necessary to remove the bell in the case and to hold the bullet in the case mouth so it doesn't move. Since the Makarov headspaces on the case mouth, care must be taken to not over crimp the mouth as this can lead to "short chambering" and inaccuracy. Essentially, crimp just enough to remove the bell and no more.

Testing the above loads in a Hungarian PA-63 resulted in remarkable accuracy. Both loads were built using only 3.5gr of Bullseye powder. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chronograph with me so could not measure the bullet speed.

Tests were fired, standing shooting unsupported and one handed, at a 8" circle target hung 15 yds from the muzzle. The lead bullets grouped to about 2", about 2" high off POA.

The hollow-point bullets didn't group as well, but well enough for defensive use. The general center of the group was about about 2" high off POA.

The next steps are to increase the powder weight and measure speed with a chronograph. The goal is to preserve accuracy while achieving/maintaining a speed of 1000ft/s.

The prof has 'coffed

I met Paul Downham in the summer of 1985. I was about to start my senior year in college and was searching for a room in a house to rent.

This was to be a serious year of study for me. I was doing a double major in Physics and Computer Science and an independent thesis was required for completion of the Physics major. That summer I had decided upon a thesis topic while traveling up to Vancouver and observing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the, still under construction, Fraser River Bridge. My topic would be on the analysis and simulation of the vibrational modes of suspension bridges.

I needed a quiet place to study. The house at 143 Carl Ave. in Santa Cruz seemed to fit the bill. It was 7 miles from campus, close enough that I could easily ride my bicycle. When I visited, Paul welcomed me into his house despite my being a Physics major. He told me that he liked to have regular meals with all house mates, meaning I should pencil in Sunday evenings. Seemed reasonable. His heavy English accent and rather eccentric demeanor were welcome changes.


After I moved in, I learned that Paul didn't really own the house, but was rather the primary tenant and was subletting to college students. The house had 3 bedrooms, a shed in the back and a drafty and cold garage converted (subverted) into a bedroom. There were five of us living in the house, with Paul in the garage and a German Rastafarian surfer, Robert, in the shed outside.

On Sundays Paul would cook up his trademark roast chicken with roast potatoes a la Paul and steamed vegetables and he insisted that we all join him. I grew to enjoy this togetherness and would bring my girlfriend along. The evenings were typically followed by wine drinking by all and brashy monologues by Paul who was convinced of the inherent fascism of the United States for which Santa Cruz style socialism was an appropriate palliative. I never held that against him. Naked ping-pong tournaments were often held in the living room. No one was excluded, regardless of aptitude or rectitude. The only requirement was that players and spectators rid themselves of clothing and play, or watch, as God created them.

Despite his faith in the convalescent qualities of socialist policies, Paul was remarkably shrewd with money. I discovered how much the landlord was charging him for to rent on the house and quickly realized that the four of us were subsidizing his accommodations. Again, I never held it against him because the arrangement was comfortable and I never felt like Paul was taking advantage of anyone. My father, however, thought Paul was evil and a bad influence. If only he knew to what extent Paul was a bad influence.

After I graduated I tried to visit often, but grad school and employment kept getting in the way. I didn't see Paul as much anymore, but his lawn and living room floor were always available for overnight bicycling trips a privilege I took advantage of often.

When he retired, in 1997, he moved back to England hoping to benefit from expansive British social programs. Much to his dismay, however, he wasn't eligible as, although he remained a British citizen, he was no longer considered a resident.

He returned to Santa Cruz but by then the owner of the house on Carl Ave. had sold the house and Paul was forced to find an "affordable" apartment. After several places, he ended up in a comfortable one-bedroom apartment in a "senior citizens" complex across the San Lorenzo River off Soquel Ave. At times he resented all the "old people" living there, with their fatalistic hopeless outlook, and longed for the times when he shared houses with energetic and dynamic college students.

I visited him in 2003, shortly after the birth of my daughter. While we watched my children play in the park near his apartment, Paul told me about the silly politics of living in a retirement community and the fatalistic attitude of its residents.

I learned of his cancer in November, 2006. He started chemo-therapy treatment. That same year he lost his twin brother, Peter.

His good friends Robert, Andreas, Jeff and Donna organized a 80th birthday party for him at his apartment complex. He looked tired and had lost most of his hair, but he strutted his stuff in front of the other foggies of the complex. The attention showered on him that one day added 8 months to his life.


Paul died in September of 2007, eight months after his 80th birthday. He suffered a heart attack in his apartment. The chemo had done him in. I don't know who found him, or how long he'd been dead. But I hope he died giving the editors of the The San Jose Mercury News and The Santa Cruz Sentinel the middle finger, as he often did with his "stern letters to the editor".

Unlike others, I never considered him a father figure, but he was more than a friend. I guess I came to think of him as an older brother. A fragile, vulnerable but savvy brother. At times eccentric, but always honest and dependable.

Some memorable Paul quotes:

• Grades are a means of sorting vegetables.
• Silence, when you speak to me.
• No, not that bag! That's my wife.
• You are pretty, kind and good. Pretty ugly, kind of stupid and good for nothing.
• 'cof you pigs.
• Dear Sir or Madman.
• Don't look at me in that tone of voice.
• I am sitting in the smallest room of the house with your letter before me. Now it is behind me.
• "No! Not the whip! Anything but the whip!" .... "Anything?" .... "The whip!"
  

Paul, or Prof. Downham as we used to call him. An accomplished pianist and organist, baritone vocalist and teacher. He had a degree from UCSC and the love and admiration of many friends.

Paul. I'm glad to have known you and I'll miss you.

R.I.P -- 23 Jan. 1927 to 13 Sept. 2007

Update: Donna informed me that Paul did not die alone and was able to summon help:

Just so you know, Paul did have a heart attack in his apartment, but managed to ring the emergency bell in his room for help, which arrived promptly in the form of an ambulance to transport him to the Dominican Hilton where he stayed for 2 or 3 days. Rasta Robert and I arrived to visit just a few minutes after they had transferred him to the Driftwood Nursing Facility so we went right over. He was unconscious when we got there and his breath was rattling. We stayed for a while talking to (at?) Paul and petting him but couldn't manage to wake him, so after a while we kissed his cheeks and said goodbye. Paul was dead within 2 hours after we left. It fell to Robert to dismantle his dear friend's life. What a sad and sorry job that was.

Save the Polar Bears

"Global warming is leading to death of Polar Bears!" sniffs the hand-wringing set. Poo! I'm just trying to figure out how to make money out of this whole global warming thing. Shoot, if the Great Goreacle can earn $50,000 for every speech he makes, surely I can make a few bucks. Maybe this bumper sticker is a start. For only $4.95, it can be yours too.

Plus, the delicious double-entendre is icing on the cake.

You'll look so dashing and sophisticated sporting it on your truck.

The observatory at the end of the universe

If the world ended, and I was sitting on the edge of it, would I be howling at the moon? Apparently.

As is a tradition of mine going back several years, I do an annual moonlight/sunrise (bicycle) ride up Mnt. Hamilton, the goal being to be up there in time for sunrise. Mnt. Hamilton is the tallest peak in the Bay Area with the famous Lick Observatory at the top. The ride up isn't strenuous; about 4000' of climbing in about 20 miles. It's the getting up at 2am to be up there for sunrise that's getting harder to do as I age.

This year I did it with by good buddy D, and his two neighbours P and J. Though the 26th of August is close to a full moon, it wasn't perfect. Unfortunately, Sunday morning is the only day I can do it. The moon set at 4am rather than being overhead or mostly-overhead for most of the time, so bike lights were needed.

The valley was overcast when we left, but it was a low fog that hovered at around 1000'. Once we climbed through it, the air temperature rose to a very mild and pleasant 70F and stayed that way for most of the ride. I say "most" because if you're familiar with route (HWY 130) you'll know about the infamous dip around the CDF fire station, where the temperature drops a good 20F due to the relative location of the fire station. Brrrr .....

Despite the lack of an overhead moon, there was sufficient light to enable me to ride without lights, allowing my eyes to adjust to small changes in light intensity. I counted about a half-a-dozen shooting stars, which appeared to be moving really slowly and brightly, leaving long-lasting trails in their paths. And apparently human eye visual acuity is directly proportional to available oxygen. Stars appeared bright enough while riding in the dark, but when I stopped and stood still for a while, the "lights really came on", almost as if someone cranked up the stellar brightness knob.

There was a storm over the Central Valley, so the rising sun was obscured by clouds. The sun rose red and the cloud edges were burning golden.


We reached the top about 45 minutes before sunrise.


The valley was completely obscured, except for the peaks of well known landmarks. That's Loma Prieta just over my right shoulder.


And when the sun rose, Mnt. Hamilton cast a shadow over the valley below.


I blew a rear tire on the way down. According to J "It's because you were hotdogging, going too fast, jig-zagging between the Bot's Dots and leaning your bike over so much". :-) He lent me his CO2 inflater. Rather than spending 10 minutes fucking around with a manual pump, the whole operation took about 3 minutes. I'm a CO2 convert.

Attribution: All pictures courtesy of J and P. Thank you very much!

Global Warming heretic

Yes, I'm a global warming denier, and hence a heretic to the church of the Great Al Gore and the faith of the Cataclysmic Global Warming.

Ever found yourself talking with someone who claims that global warming is a scientific fact? If so, ask them the following list of questions and then sit back watching the fuses blow.

1. When you claim that there is consensus among scientists, can you please list me the names, affiliations and funding sources of said scientists? How about just the top 6? How about just ONE?
2. When you claim that average global temperatures are rising, can you list the sources of your claims, because I doubt you took measurements yourself? Can you list the locations of the temperature sensors? Do you realize that if these sensors are located in urban areas, that urbanization (and not "global warming") may be the cause of higher temperature readings?
3. When you claim that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are the cause of global warming, please take a moment to clarify, at least in your own mind, the difference between CORRELATION and CAUSE AND EFFECT.
   
4. When you claim that polar bear deaths and glacier melting is proof positive of the dire consequences of global warming, please take a moment to ponder whether the plural of ANECDOTE is really DATA. [Hint: It isn't]
5. When you claim that climate models predict temperature increases in correlation with rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, please tell me WHICH model(s) you are referring to and note that there is more than one, none of them agree, they vary wildly in temperature increase predictions (by orders of magnitude), and NOT ONE of them could predict the weather 7 days ago, if I fed it the weather data from the last year.
6. When you claim that observed weather extremes (e.g. hurricanes, snow storms, floods, etc) are proof positive of global warming, please explain to me the process(es) that causes a snow storm in Johannesburg South Africa (first in 21 years) when the global temperatures are INCREASING?
   

And since the "believers" and global hand-wringers are hellbent on destroying western civilization as we know if ("We consume 50% of world's resources", "We produce most of the worlds CO2 emissions") just so we can be just like the rest of the 3rd world, I think I have the right to demand actual linear (that whole cause and effect thing, again) proof before I'll even listen to their demands that we change our ways. So a few more questions to ponder, and demand answers to:

1. Is the average global temperature actually rising or falling? Proof please.
2. If yes, then is the rise directly caused by human activity or by some other processes we haven't even considered or don't completely understand? Which activity? Why?
   
3. If yes, then is it actually a bad thing? The last "heating" was correlated with the Renaissance in Europe which I can't say was such a bad thing. Proof please, and don't use anecdotes.
4. If yes, is there anything humans can do to reverse the effects of said process?
   

And since governments seem on the verge of declaring CO2 to be a "pollutant":

1. Please compare the specific heat (yes, the thermodynamics definition which means the capacity to absorb heat) of H2O with that of CO2. You'll find that the former's is 4 times the latter's.
2. Please compare the percentage constituents (say by volume) of various gasses making up the atmosphere, and then ponder why if H2O makes up far more of the atmosphere than CO2 that the effect of CO2 is so much greater than that of H2O?
3. And, finally, describe the process by which CO2 results in global warming, when H2O results in stabilization of temperatures -- it's that whole heating, rising into the upper atmosphere where it condenses and either reflects UV or precipitates into rain resulting in cooling, etc. thing.
   

And finally, the apparent coup-de-grace from the "believers" when they have exhausted all arguments, goes something like this:

"OK, I agree we don't have proof but let's assume that global temperatures are rising, the increase is caused by human activity, that we can reverse it, and that if we don't act now cataclysm will result with the end-of-mankind-as-we-know-it just around the corner. Don't you think it behooves us to do something now, just as an insurance policy, or a hedge?"

OK, I'll play that game. My answer would be the following:

"Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal saviour? No? Why not? I know we have no proof of the existence of God, but assuming He-who-goes-by-the-name-of-I exists and only believers will be saved, don't you think you should accept Christ as your personal saviour just as an insurance policy, or a hedge?"

"What?"

"No? Then why should I buy into your fucking faith?"

Dangers of squib loads, part 2

In this post we examined 45ACP squibs. Here we examine powder-less squibs in 9mm Luger and 357 Magnum. The goal of the experiment is determine whether the squib is merely annoying or dangerous. By definition, if the squib allows unobstructed chambering of another round, in a semi-auto, or rotation of the cylinder, in a revolver, it's a dangerous squib; it allows the firing of another round right behind the squib if one is not paying attention.

For the 9mm, I constructed a powder-less round from a Winchester 124gr FMJ bullet and a CCI 500 (small pistol) primer. It was then fired in a CZ-75B.

The bullet lodged just inside the lands, so another round could not be chambered behind the squib.


For the 357 Magnum, I constructed a powder-less round from a Remington125gr JHP-GS bullet and a CCI 550 (small magnum pistol) primer. It was then fired in a S&W 686.

The bullet lodged well into the forcing cone, WAY past the cylinder gap, thus allowing rotation of of the cylinder. NOT GOOD!!!

The lusting is over and the deed is done—Glock 21 range report

Took my Glock 21 to the range today. I’d installed a Wolff guide rod and 17lb Wolff spring.

Let’s just say it was anticlimactic. I was expecting fireworks and the earth to move, and instead all I got was 100% reliability and excellent accuracy. I was shooting standard 230gr RN jacketted loads (around 830fps), unsupported, one- and two-handed at a target 15yds away. This target was shot two-handed,

and this target was shot one-handed (strong hand).

What I LOVE about the pistol:

• The weight is great
• The balance is great, not muzzle heavy
• It’s very pointable and the sights (white outlined rectangle for the rear, white dot for the front) are awesome for flash shooting- “FRONT SIGHT!!! FRONT SIGHT!”
• The ergonomics of the grip are perfect for me, i.e. big, bear pawns for hands.

What I don't much care for:

• The sharp edges of the mag. release cut into the meat of the thumb of my left (supporting) hand. It’s nice to have an extended mag. release, but does it have to be so friggen sharp?
• Takedown is not great. Those little tiny serrated tabs on either side of the frame that have to be pushed down are difficult to activate. Not sure I could take down a Glock under pressure, if my fingers were covered in sweat or blood and my life depended on it.
• Without a butt-plug, the hole in the butt makes the gun look .... unfinished. Get a butt-plug.

I fired about 60 rounds (yes, barely broke a sweat) and didn’t experience a single failure. Mind you, they were my handloads so I’d have been surprised if I had experienced a FTE or a FTF.

The heavy trigger took a little getting used to as all my 1911s have 2lb triggers, or lighter, but for a combat trigger it’s not bad. There’s a fair amount of take up, but the trigger is smooth and even.

Is it my favorite 45 pistol? Don’t know, but I don’t hate it.

The dangers of squib loads

What's a squib load you ask? It's when, instead of a bang following the squeezing of a trigger, one hears nothing or a pop. Typically, the situation is associated with a barrel obstruction in that the bullet of the round just "fired" hasn't cleared the barrel and is now obstructing it instead. The danger of the situation is that someone who isn't paying attention will simply eject the just "fired" case, chamber another round and squeeze the trigger again. Kaboom!

The most common manifestation of a squib is a round constructed without a powder charge; primed case, bullet, but no powder. Apparently, the pressure developed by a fired primer in the small space of a pistol calibre cartridge is sufficient to drive the bullet partway down the bore. The question I always had: will the bullet be driven far enough down the bore to allow the unobstructed chambering of another round in the chamber? Here we find out.

For this experiment, I built a powderless 45 ACP squib using a Remington 185gr JHP bullet and fired it in a model 21 Glock. Note, that this should not shed poor light on Glocks. This was an INTENTIONAL squib. After chambering and firing the squib, I disassembled the weapon and looked into the bore. Sure enough, the bullet was stuck slightly ahead of the chamber.



How far in is the bullet? To answer this question, we use some high tech measuring equipment; a chopstick, a black, felt-tipped marker and a measuring tape.

We first insert the fired case into the chamber, and ascertain where the base of the case sits with respect to the barrel.


We then remove the case, stick the chopstick into the breech-end of the barrel as far as it will go (until it touches the barrel obstruction) and mark the chopstick at the point where the base of the case would be.


Finally, we remove the chopstick and place it on a tabletop alongside the tape measure. We now remove the bullet obstructing the barrel by placing a wood dowel into the muzzle end of the barrel and then gently tap the dowel into the barrel until the obstructed bullet pops out the breech end of the barrel. We then line up the case alongside the chopstick so that the base of the case is flush with the black mark on the chopstick, and the end of the chopstick is flush with the base of the bullet. Tada! We have a measure of how far the bullet traveled down the bore before it stuck.


By my measure, the bullet was forced down the barrel a good half-an-inch past the case mouth ... JUST ON PRIMER PRESSURE ALONE. That's certainly enough to allow an unobstructed chambering of another round behind it, potentially leading to a dangerous kaboom for one who is not paying attention.

You have been educated ... and warned. Be safe and remember: the only safety you can rely one is the one between your ears.