New guy, new P64

[lowercase]

Hi

I'm a new P64 owner, and even though my gun is having some feeding problems (separate thread), the little gun was fun to shoot. I didn't mind the recoil at all, and have to say that my S&W seems to recoil at least twice as hard as my P64.

My P64 was made in 1972.

[Curly1]

Welcome aboard bro.

[badgerjfr]

Welcome aboard. These are fantasiac little guns. I had an issue with feeding a round into the chamber the first time I shot it too. My ammo had aluminum casings and i loaded and unloaded the clips a few times before I actually got to the range. I was very excited to shoot my new weapon. I think the clip scratched the casing enough that it wouldn't feed properly. Didn't have any more problems with the new untouched bullets. Basically a rule of thumb for me was once they're in the clip. Leave them. Unless you have to take them out. Good luck.

[DoubleTap]

Clips?

[badgerjfr]

Sorry, magazine.

[tjmo]

Hello,

New to this forum, and new owner of a 1975 Polish made P-64. Picked it up at a gun show while looking for a 9mm to use for concealed carry. After doing some research I am finding I have a few questions and this sure looks like the place to get them answered for the P-64.

- In ignorance I thought a 9mm is a 9mm. My question now is: Is 9mmx18, which is noted on my gun, the same or compatible with 9x19?
- I had picked up some Federal & Remington 9mm Luger at Wal-Mart before my gun purchase anticipating my need for ammo and I am now questioning if this is the proper ammo for my P-64. ???

Any help will certainly be appreciated.

Regards,
tjmo

[RobsTV]

Hello,

....

My question now is: Is 9mmx18, which is noted on my gun, the same or compatible with 9x19?
.....

Any help will certainly be appreciated.

Regards,
tjmo

Hello, and welcome to the forum. You picked the right place to look for info on your P-64. I too am new here, but already learned a ton from all the great members here.

No, the 9mm (9x19) Luger ammo is not the same as the 9x18 Makarov ammo. Do not try to use 9mm luger in place of 9x18 mak.

The 9x18 case is shorter, which affects how the round is chambered, fired and ejected, and the 9x18's bullet is also fatter, closer to a 9.2mm round.

Even if you could get 9x19 to shoot, there would be no accuracy with the smaller 9mm bullet spit out of the P-64's larger diameter 9.2mm barrel.

The 9mm Luger round also about 50% more case pressure than the 9x18 mak, which in itself could cause a very bad day if shot in a P-64.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9%C3%9718mm_Makarov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9%C3%9719mm_Parabellum

[DoubleTap]

Firing 9x19mm out of a P-64 would be an incredibly bad idea. I saw someone doing something similar once on Youtube, with what I believe was a PA-63. The guy is (assuming he’s still around) an idiot. The best you could probably hope for is a ruined pistol. Maybe a free ambulance ride if you’re not so lucky.

9x18mm isn’t always the easiest stuff to find, but accept no substitutes when it comes to your little Polish gem!

[Curly1]

Welcome to the forums Mo.

You can get it online here. Also known as the Makarov round.

http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=9 ... Makarov%29

Also do not be tempted to shoot 380acp even though it will chamber.

[tjmo]

Thanks for the info all. I am glad I looked into to this - it sure saved me a lot of trouble!

[superferrite]

Keep reading, stay SAFE, and get shooting.
Welcome!

[jstarck]

www.cheaperthandirt.com has Hornady Critical Defense ammo that I'm using in my P64. They also carry Brown Bear, Silver Bear, Tula, and a few others. For practice, I'd use one of the "Bear" ammo lines, just because the price is right. For carry, I prefer the Hornady, which is naturally more expensive. I've run all of those brands through my P64 with no failures to feed/eject/fire. That included both full metal jacket and hollow point rounds, so buy a few and see which one you like. Enjoy your P64. It really is a good little gun.

As a side note, I hit the range the other day to test it out with the Hornady ammo and found it to be pretty darn accurate at 25 yards (keeping the rounds in the rings on the target). I wasn't dead on of course, but I thought the gun and ammo performed very well.