The .32 NAA Conversion for the Makarov Pistol

This page remains on our website for Informational purposes ONLY, we no longer carry or plan to restock any of the items mentioned below.



What is the .32 NAA ?





Background

At the 2002 NRA Convention in Reno, NV, the partnership of North American Arms (NAA) and Cor-Bon Ammunition introduced the .32NAA, a new cartridge and gun combination designed for the law enforcement (backup) and personal protection markets. “As the only caliber to exceed 1000 feet per second [muzzle velocity] from a pocket pistol, we expect the .32NAA to attract some attention,” said Sandy Chisholm, NAA’s president. When asked about production plans and availability, Chisholm responded that both firms had already begun production and shipments to distributors from both factories were scheduled for the first week of May 2002.

The .32NAA was built from the foundation of an ordinary .380ACP case, necked-down to house a .32 caliber bullet. Behind the neck, all case dimensions and configurations, including the extractor groove, rimless case, cartridge diameter and bolt face engagement are identical to the .380ACP. Cor-Bon determined that a headspace on the shoulder allowed a solid crimp on the bullet, reducing the possibility of the bullet pushing into the case from recoil and chambering. After finalizing a case design which maximized case capacity of the cartridge as well as allowing sufficient case neck so that a bullet would be held securely, Cor-Bon spent several months testing a wide variety of bullets of different weights and configurations, finally settling upon a proprietary design from Hornady. The platform for this new system is the .380ACP Guardian, appropriately bored and chambered for this cartridge – no other mechanical changes were found necessary. (above information courtesy of the NAA and Corbon Websites)

.32 NAA Guardian Pistol

· Caliber: .32 NAA

· Magazine Capacity: 6+1

· Operation: Double Action Only

· Material: 17-4 pH stainless steel

· Barrel Length: 2.49"

· Height: 3.53"

· Overall Length: 4.75"

· Width: 0.930"

· Weight: 18.72 ozs. unloaded

· Suggested Retail Price: $449.00

· Trigger Pull: 10.0 LBS.

· Accessories Included: spare magazine, pistol pouch with belt clip, IWB holster, trigger lock.

· Must be purchased through an FFL dealer, contact your local dealer or gun shop

Makarov.com and North American Arms began working on the Makarov conversion barrels for this hot little round, with some ground work done by North American Arms, in Feb of 2003 at the 2003 Shot Show in Orlando, Florida.



The two completed Makarov pistols shown below were assembled by George Fisher, and included a custom built two tone 8rd Makarov with a stock length barrel, and a stock Russian IJ70-17AH (originally .380 ACP, Hi Cap) that only had the barrel changed out, and a new recoil spring installed.



Custom .32 NAA Makarov (Left), IJ70-17AH converted to .32 NAA (center), Muzzle view comparison of .32 NAA and 9x18 Makarov Barrels (right)

The original factory ammunition, for testing, was provided by Cor-Bon, by way of Ken Friel of North American Arms, and consisted of a 60 JHP at a quoted 1200 fps out of the cartridges original pistol, the North American Arms Guardian.

Makarov Performance Overview

First off, I gotta say, this setup performs much better than I could have hoped for. After a few rounds to figure out the proper recoil spring weight, both pistols worked flawlessly, feeding and ejecting without a hitch. Due to the limited ammo available for testing, the data is not as extensive as I would have liked (and it was a ball shooting it) but that will change when the next batch of ammo arrives, along with some handload data when the dies arrive.

The recoil is not as stout as the Makarov in 9x18, more like a .380 ACP recoil, however the muzzle blast and flash were more along the lines of a tame CZ-52. Accuracy was good considering the limited amount of shooting we got to do today, with Karl turning in the best group with 5rds in a nice 3 1/2 inch group fired @ 7yds.

Later testing turned up groups as small as 2 inches at 15yds (I think the barrel needed a few rounds to break in)

The velocity champ was the Extreme Shock 60 gr "Fang Face" load, which clocked an outstanding 1817 fps from the extended length Makarov barrel.

Below is a chart of various test results:

Caliber Cartridge Make Test Pistol Barrel Length Bullet Weight & Type Average Velocity Extreme Spread Standard Devation Energy Free Recoil Drop @ 50yds Notes Test 1 .32 NAA CorBon Makarov 3.65" 60 gr JHP 1444.2 FPS 91.0 FPS 29.8 FPS 277.8 ft-lbs 2.4 ft-lbs 2.1 inchs Test 2 .32 NAA CorBon Makarov 4.2" 60 gr JHP 1491 FPS 69.0 FPS 22.2 FPS 296.1 ft-lbs 2.5 ft-lbs 2.0 inchs Best group 2 inches @ 15 yds Test 3 9x18 Makarov Tiger / Barnual Makarov 4.2" 95 gr JHP 1060 FPS 53.0 FPS 21.9 FPS 237.0 ft-lbs 3.4 ft-lbs 3.9 inchs Test 4 9x18 Makarov Silver Bear / LVE Makarov 4.2" 120 gr JHP 997.6 FPS 53.0 FPS 15.9 FPS 265.1 ft-lbs 4.6 ft-lbs 4.4 inchs Test 5 9x18 Makarov Handload / Target Load Makarov 4.2" 100 gr LRN 861.7 FPS 57.5 FPS 20.0 FPS 164.9 ft-lbs 2.5 ft-lbs 5.9 inchs Light target load Test 6 .32 NAA Cor-Bon NAA Guardian 2.49" 60 gr JHP 1221 FPS 42.0 FPS 20.1 FPS 198.6 ft-lbs 1.8 ft-lbs 3.0 inches 3.5 inch 6 shot group @ 7yds Test 7 .32 NAA Extreme Shock NAA Guardian 2.49" 60 gr Fang Face 1309 FPS N/R N/R 228.3 ft-lbs 2.0 ft-lbs 2.6 inches Test 8 .32 NAA Extreme Shock Makarov 4.2" 60 gr Fang Face 1817 FPS 18.0 FPS 9.5 FPS 439.9 ft-lbs 3.1 ft-lbs 1.4 inches WOW!

Other tests performed with the .32 NAA Corbon 60gr JHP:

Penetration of water was about 14 inches, with Total Expansion of the bullet. (see picture)

Penetration of 3/4 Plywood with a pine 2x4 backing, Total penetration of both.



.32 NAA one gallon water jug shoot, download the video clip (yes, George forgot to put on his safety glasses...bad George, bad!)

32 NAA video in .mpg format (2.67 MB) - .32 NAA video in .wmv format (1.41 MB)

The Conversion Process, How hard is it ?

Changing the barrel on the Makarov is a fairly simple and straight forward process. See the online website for more info on this process. There are a few changes that are made when installing the .32 NAA Conversion barrels, due to the smaller bore diameter. The removal process is the same, but the normal practice upon installing the new barrel is to use a threaded rod through the center of the barrel to pull the new barrel in place. There has been some discussion in the past if this practice would damage or mark the rifling. George Fisher of Makarov.com devised a way to use the standard barrel press to push the new barrel in place, without use of any tooling intruding into the chamber or rifling of the new barrel.

The Barrel press is reversed and a spacer block is used between the rear of the barrel and the muzzle block, and the nuts tighten down evenly to push the new barrel in place. See Picture. This process can also be used with any caliber Makarov barrel. A standard socket can be used as the spacer, or one will be included with purchase of the .32 NAA barrels upon request. Once the new barrel is installed, the barrel pin hole must be drilled with a #31 drill bit, and can be done with a standard hand drill.

All other parts of the Makarov remain the same, including the extractor and Magazines.

Handloading the .32 NAA:

Reloading Dies

Currently reloading dies for the .32 NAA are being custom made by Lee Precision, and can be ordered directly from them.

Brass

Once fired brass can be used for reloads of course, and is the best choice for the proper headstamp. The good news is that since the .32 NAA is just a necked down .380 ACP case, brass can be made by just lubing .380 ACP brass and running it through the .32 NAA sizing die. Use of new brass is recommended for this, unless you know the history of the used brass you have on hand.

Bullet Selection

Just about any bullet suitable for reloading the .32 ACP will work for the .32 NAA. These include the popular 60 grain Jacketed Hollow Points, the 71 grain FMJ, 76 grain FMJ, and various cast bullets in the same bullet weight range.

Reloading Data - We have two PDF Files available for download, right click and "Save As" to your computer

AccuLoad .32 NAA Load Data for Speer 60gr JHP

Bullseye Powder Load Data for Various Bullets