9mm vs 9x18 vs 380 Ballistics Test!

Hey everybody!

In this video I did a ballistic comparison of the 9mm, the 9x18 Makarov, and the .380 Auto. Now for those who don't know, 9mm is typically 9x19mm. That's pretty standard, but you can see 9x20mm and even 9x21mm in some cases. 

Now 9x18 Makarov is obviously just that 9x18mm. It's a Russian pistol and submachine gun cartridge developed in the 20th century for Eastern Bloc use. 

But what I bet you may not have known, is that .380 Auto is actually 9x17mm. That's right, 9mm lite.

So for this video, I compared the three different 9mm variants to see just how much difference there is. 

The Guns: 

I performed these tests with 3 different guns. Unfortunately they all had different barrel lengths. I'm still very early into building my channel and reputation so I'm not able to get ahold of many options for demo'ing firearms yet. 

380

Springfield 911

Barrel: 2.7"

Overview: 

This is a Micro-1911 style handgun. It is a very comfortable gun to shoot. It comes with a tritium night sight in front and white dot v sights in the rear. I recommend the extended magazine if you have large hands. I would really like this gun if it were a double action. The hammer is pretty small to try to thumb cock it quickly if you're carrying with the hammer down. There is an external safety, so that is an option to carry cocked with the safety on. 

9x18

FEG PA-63

Barrel: 3.9"

Overview: 

This is an awesome little handgun. It feels great in the hand and shoots smooth. The grip has a rest for your thumb which makes it very comfortable and easy to handle. It's double action so you can carry one in the chamber with the hammer down and still fire easily if you have to. The trigger pull is a little stiff which acts as a secondary safety to the decocker, but not nearly as stiff as some other firearms I've seen. The downside to this gun is the caliber, the shape, and the ejector. The caliber can be hard to find. The shape is challenging for specialized carry holsters. And the ejector spring comes out very easily if you aren't careful during takedown. Other than that, I love this pistol. I would love to pick one up someday, I would do my best to make it an EDC.

9mm

Smith and Wesson Shield Gen1

Barrel: 3.1"

Overview: 

Smith and Wesson did really well with this pistol. There've been some modifications with the gen2 and Shield plus, but I can't speak to those as I haven't used them. This gun is very comfortable, especially with the extended mag. It's got white dot sights front and rear and a nice crisp trigger pull. It's small enough to carry comfortably, but big enough to fit comfortably in your hands. It's a really well rounded pistol. This gen1 does not have an external safety which is the only negative thing I can really say about it. I think external safety is really important on hammerless autos. 

The Ammo:

380 Auto
Remington Ultimate Defense
102gr BJHP
Muzzle Velocity: 815 FPS
Muzzle Energy: 150 FT-LBS

9x18 Makarov
Silver Bear
94gr JHP
Muzzle Velocity: 1000 FPS
Muzzle Energy: 209 FT-LBS

9mm
Grizzly
115gr JHP
Muzzle Velocity: 1250 FPS
Muzzle Energy: 399 FT-LBS

Hey I hope you all enjoyed the video. Be sure to like and subscribe on YouTube. Click the notification bell and it should tell you anytime I upload a new video. You can also check out Idaho Rifleman on Facebook and Instagram. 

I hope you all have a great week!

God bless,

Idaho Rifleman