I'd like to go into the Makarov issue a bit more. The .380 ACP and the 9mm (called by some 9x19, 9mm Parabellum, or even 9mm Luger) shoot what is normally considered to be the "standard" 9mm size bullet, which is 0.355 inches in diameter. That is why a revolver XL mentions that is chambered in 9mm can shoot the 380 ACP: The gun is strong enough for the more powerful round and, being a revolver, there are no feeding problems as with a semi-auto.
The 9mm Makarov was developed by the Soviet Union to replace the TT33 chambered in 7.62x25 round. Statistics show that very few battlefield casualties result from sidearms, and the idea was to have the most powerful round that can be chambered in a straight blowback action.
The Germans, during the WW2 era, had also identified this issue and had developed a "9x18mm" round, sometimes called the "9mm Ultra" and, like many German projects that were picked up after the war by the former allies, this one was picked up by the Bolshevik regime and developed into the 9mm Makarov cartridge.
One big difference between the 9mm Makarov, one one hand, and the 9mm P and 380 ACP on the other, is that the 9mm Makarov uses a bullet of 0.365 inch diameter. This means that there is NO interchangeability between it and the 9mm P or the 380 ACP.
Power-wise, the 9mm Makarov is in between the 380 ACP and the 9mm P, but it is much closer to the 380 ACP. For your comparison in the category of firepower, you can consider the 9mm Makarov to be about equal to the 380 ACP, and the TT33 in 7.62x25 would be equal to the 9mm P.
The pistol the 9mm Makarov is used in is based very closely on the Walther PP series. You can see that the Soviets did not wander too far from the original concept.
All of the Makarovs I've seen are well made and finished, and some are very very nice. They are a nice handgun.
The TT33 is much more crude. Some, like the Polish versions, are finished quite nicely. Some, like the Chinese versions, are quite rough. However, they are all strong enough and reliable enough for the cartridge.
The 7.62x25 cartridge is not only as powerful as the 9mm P round, it shoots a 7.62mm bullet very fast. Some security agencies worry about this, because the bullet can defeat the lesser types of body armor, and this is the basis of their trying to limit its availability.
I cannot comment on the availability of ammunition, however, for the purposes of self defense, the Makarov pistol is much superior to the Tokarev design. You cannot safely carry a Tokarev pistol loaded. The only way they can be safely carried is with the chamber empty. Some here in the USA, which mandates that these guns be modified to include a safety (the original design doesn't have one) feel that this means that the gun can be carried with a round in the chamber in the "cocked and locked" mode. Several have paid for this foolish assumption with their lives, by dropping the weapon. These weapons were dropped on the hammer, which caused the full cock notch to break off and discharge the weapon.
The guns modified for the USA have two types of safety modifications. One has a lever behind the trigger guard that blocks the trigger. Another is located in the M1911 position ahead of and under the hammer on the frame, and blocks the sear. Chinese models come from the factory with this second type of safety. However, when you consider that the hammer notch is what fails, you can see that blocking either the trigger or the sear will not prevent this kind of failure.
Also, you cannot carry the TT33 in "Condition 2", with the hammer down on a loaded round. (This requires that the hammer be cocked to use the weapon.) In this case, the TT33 does not have the inertia firing pin of the M1911, so when the hammer is down, the firing pin protrudes into the chamber. If a round is in the chamber, a blow to the hammer will fire the weapon.
However, the Makarov pistol is has a double action feature, so you can safely carry a round in the chamber. Read the wiki on the pistol here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_pistol
I have a TT33 like Chinese Norinco that is chambered in 9mm. I like it. So I'm not against this pistol's design. I am only pointing out that it has serious drawbacks as a self defense sidearm.
You can judge this information and its suitability for your needs, and others can give a better idea of the availability of ammo and other domestic issues for you.
