9×18 Makarov Conversions for Glock 42 and Ruger LC380

Lone Wolf Distributors is offering AlphaWolf barrels to convert your Glock 42 or Ruger LC380 from 380 ACP to 9×18 Makarov. I’m not sure there’s a demand for such a thing, but if so they have a solution.

Lone Wolf currently offers the stock length “AlphaWolf Barrel For Ruger LC380 Conversion to 9×18 Makarov” and has it in stock for $139.95 including shipping.

Their other current in-stock option is threaded for a suppressor: “AlphaWolf Barrel For M/42 Conversion to 9×18 Makarov Threaded 1/2 x 28.” This one is priced at $159.95 shipped and includes a knurled thread protector.

They do list an unthreaded barrel for the Glock 42, but it’s backordered until 9/19/2018 according to this page.

But Why?

Okay… so what’s the point of these conversions? Yes, I know it allows you to shoot a different cartridge in your gun and that’s always cool. But is it practical? Most successful conversions are successful because they make sense, like allowing you to fire cheaper rimfire ammo in your full-size pistol, etc.

Their PR email says the 9×18 is cheaper, but I did some comparison online and I found little to no difference in price.

Now you can convert your .380 carry gun to the cheap and cheerful 9×18 Makarov cartridge!

Cheerful, sure. What ammo doesn’t make a shooter smile? But is it really cheap?

At any rate, the option exists to convert your stumpy little popper into a stumpy little popper that shoots different groceries.

Instead of going out and buying a whole new pistol in 9×18 Makarov, which these days costs $350-$400, you can just drop $140 on a new barrel, and it’s like having a whole new gun to play with. It’s affordable, it’s fun, and you’ll get to tell people that your G42 isn’t a .380, “it’s a 9×18 Makarov.”

I wasn’t able to find any cheap 9×18 Makarov ammo, and at some sites I found that 9×18 actually costs a little more than 380. Comparing the same brand and bullet weight, etc.

Am I looking in the wrong places? Or is Lone Wolf howling up the wrong tree here? From where I stand, this conversion doesn’t seem to make much sense.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.