Post by XavierBreath on Mar 14, 2004 23:38:52 GMT -5
A decade ago I made an error in judgment. In 1993 it seemed as if Makarovs were plentiful at any gunshow. Ammo was not all that plentiful back then, and a lot of people were claiming that .380ACP could also be shot through the Makarov.Back then it did not sound like a deal to me, although you could buy Russian and East German Makarovs fot $100 each. I passed. I kicked myself for several years later.
Then, in 2003, the Makarov again began appearing on our shores, this time from Bulgaria. These range in price from excellent examples costing $124 to unissued, still in cosmoline pistols for between $150 and $180. The Bulgarian Makarov can be recognized by the "Circle 10" military proofmark beside the slide release on the left side of the pistol. In general, the Bulgarian pistol is considered to be high on the Soviet Bloc fit and finish scale. I found an unissued Bulgarian Makarov at a gunshow for $150. It came with two magazines, a holster and a cleaning rod. I did not make a mistake this time, I bought the gun.
The Makarov is a blowback operated, double action pistol of all-steel construction. A manual safety is located on the left side of the slide, and, when engaged, safely brings hammer down from cocked position, and then locks the hammer, sear and slide. The hammer can be cocked manually for the accurate first shot in single action, or can be cocked automatically by the longer and heavier trigger pull in double action. Field stripping is accomplished by pulling down the trigger guard and pulling the slide to the rear, like a Walther PPK. The Makarov magazine holds 8 rounds. The magazine release is in the heel of the pistol's grip. The Bulgarian Mak is fitted with small military style sights. Unloaded weight is 1 pound 8 ounces. The Bulgarian barrel appears to be chrome lined. While other pistols may have more panache, the Mak has a well earned reputation for rock solid reliability.
My Makarov came with the red commie grips. These are my prefered grips. There are several grips available for the pistol. Follow the link to makarov.com below. My Mak has the CAI buzzpen import marks on the right of the slide. The date code indicates my pistol was made in 1984. I detailed the gun, removing plenty of cosmoline, and revealing an unblemished pistol. I lubed it and took it to the range.
9X18 Makarov ammo is now plentiful. The Mak was designed for steel cased ammo, so Wolff ammo will not harm the pistol. I shot Wolff and Blazer ammo. I shot 300 rounds with no failures. The DA trigger was heavy with noticeable stacking. The SA trigger pull was creepy. Still, the gun fit my big hands well, and I achieved fair accuracy. I shot at 25 feet, and grouped shots between 2 & 3 inches. I was constantly pulling my shots due to the pistol's trigger. With less stacking in DA and less creep all around, I feel the pistol could have been more accurate in my hands. Recoil was controllable, but noticeable. Muzzle flash? Yes.
If a person needs a CCW pistol, and has less than $200 to spend, then the Makarov may be the best deal going. The caliber is the only potential drawback, as it is sandwiched between the 9mm Parabellum and the .380ACP. If the pistol still makes the cut after caliber considerations, the shooter will find it to be easily concealed, easy to use, and almost boringly reliable. Obviously a steel pistol's weight will be more than that of a polymer pistol, but with a good holster (and they are available for the Mak) the weight difference is easier to deal with. Novak type sights are available. www.hipowersandhandguns.com/makarov.htm Eventhough I do not carry my Makarov, I'm glad I did not pass it up again.
History:
The Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova) evolved from the post-WW2 Soviet Army requirements for a new pistol, which should be more compact, more safe and with greater stopping power, compared to the then standard Tokarev TT-33 pistol. First, Soviet designers developed a new cartridge, about as powerful as possible to use in a simple blowback design. apparently, this work was based on a similar cartridge, developed prior to WW2 in Germany as the 9mm Ultra. But, it must be noted that the Soviet 9x18mm PM ammunition is incompatible with either 9x18mm Ultra or similar post-WW2 9x18mm Police, due to larger projectile diameter of Soviet cartridge. The design of the new pistol was loosely based on the German Walther PP, one of the most successful small DA pistols of its time. In 1951, the Soviet Army adopted the Makarov pistol as its new sidearm, and it continued to serve in this role until the end of the century. In 2003 it was officially declared obsolete with the adoption of the new Yarygin PYa pistol as a new Russian army sidearm, but it seems that it will see much more service before it will be finally phased out of service with Russian military and law enforcement.
During the last decades of 20th century there were numerous attempts to improve some of deficiencies of Makarov, most specifically its relatively low stopping power and lethality, and low magazine capacity. First, an improved version of the cartridge, with lighter bullet and hotter powder charge, was developed as 9x18 PMM. This cartridge developed muzzle velocity of 430 meters per second as compared to 315 meters per second of original 9x18mm ammo. A large capacity version of the Mak was developed along with the new ammo, which included a slight grip frame redesign to accommodate thicker magazine. Grip panels also were improved. The Makarov was offered for both military and law enforcement buyers but apparently found no luck. Instead, Russian Army finally went for a new, more promising pistol, developed at the same state-owned Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, the Yarygin PYa.
makarov.com/index.html
Then, in 2003, the Makarov again began appearing on our shores, this time from Bulgaria. These range in price from excellent examples costing $124 to unissued, still in cosmoline pistols for between $150 and $180. The Bulgarian Makarov can be recognized by the "Circle 10" military proofmark beside the slide release on the left side of the pistol. In general, the Bulgarian pistol is considered to be high on the Soviet Bloc fit and finish scale. I found an unissued Bulgarian Makarov at a gunshow for $150. It came with two magazines, a holster and a cleaning rod. I did not make a mistake this time, I bought the gun.
The Makarov is a blowback operated, double action pistol of all-steel construction. A manual safety is located on the left side of the slide, and, when engaged, safely brings hammer down from cocked position, and then locks the hammer, sear and slide. The hammer can be cocked manually for the accurate first shot in single action, or can be cocked automatically by the longer and heavier trigger pull in double action. Field stripping is accomplished by pulling down the trigger guard and pulling the slide to the rear, like a Walther PPK. The Makarov magazine holds 8 rounds. The magazine release is in the heel of the pistol's grip. The Bulgarian Mak is fitted with small military style sights. Unloaded weight is 1 pound 8 ounces. The Bulgarian barrel appears to be chrome lined. While other pistols may have more panache, the Mak has a well earned reputation for rock solid reliability.
My Makarov came with the red commie grips. These are my prefered grips. There are several grips available for the pistol. Follow the link to makarov.com below. My Mak has the CAI buzzpen import marks on the right of the slide. The date code indicates my pistol was made in 1984. I detailed the gun, removing plenty of cosmoline, and revealing an unblemished pistol. I lubed it and took it to the range.
9X18 Makarov ammo is now plentiful. The Mak was designed for steel cased ammo, so Wolff ammo will not harm the pistol. I shot Wolff and Blazer ammo. I shot 300 rounds with no failures. The DA trigger was heavy with noticeable stacking. The SA trigger pull was creepy. Still, the gun fit my big hands well, and I achieved fair accuracy. I shot at 25 feet, and grouped shots between 2 & 3 inches. I was constantly pulling my shots due to the pistol's trigger. With less stacking in DA and less creep all around, I feel the pistol could have been more accurate in my hands. Recoil was controllable, but noticeable. Muzzle flash? Yes.
If a person needs a CCW pistol, and has less than $200 to spend, then the Makarov may be the best deal going. The caliber is the only potential drawback, as it is sandwiched between the 9mm Parabellum and the .380ACP. If the pistol still makes the cut after caliber considerations, the shooter will find it to be easily concealed, easy to use, and almost boringly reliable. Obviously a steel pistol's weight will be more than that of a polymer pistol, but with a good holster (and they are available for the Mak) the weight difference is easier to deal with. Novak type sights are available. www.hipowersandhandguns.com/makarov.htm Eventhough I do not carry my Makarov, I'm glad I did not pass it up again.
History:
The Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova) evolved from the post-WW2 Soviet Army requirements for a new pistol, which should be more compact, more safe and with greater stopping power, compared to the then standard Tokarev TT-33 pistol. First, Soviet designers developed a new cartridge, about as powerful as possible to use in a simple blowback design. apparently, this work was based on a similar cartridge, developed prior to WW2 in Germany as the 9mm Ultra. But, it must be noted that the Soviet 9x18mm PM ammunition is incompatible with either 9x18mm Ultra or similar post-WW2 9x18mm Police, due to larger projectile diameter of Soviet cartridge. The design of the new pistol was loosely based on the German Walther PP, one of the most successful small DA pistols of its time. In 1951, the Soviet Army adopted the Makarov pistol as its new sidearm, and it continued to serve in this role until the end of the century. In 2003 it was officially declared obsolete with the adoption of the new Yarygin PYa pistol as a new Russian army sidearm, but it seems that it will see much more service before it will be finally phased out of service with Russian military and law enforcement.
During the last decades of 20th century there were numerous attempts to improve some of deficiencies of Makarov, most specifically its relatively low stopping power and lethality, and low magazine capacity. First, an improved version of the cartridge, with lighter bullet and hotter powder charge, was developed as 9x18 PMM. This cartridge developed muzzle velocity of 430 meters per second as compared to 315 meters per second of original 9x18mm ammo. A large capacity version of the Mak was developed along with the new ammo, which included a slight grip frame redesign to accommodate thicker magazine. Grip panels also were improved. The Makarov was offered for both military and law enforcement buyers but apparently found no luck. Instead, Russian Army finally went for a new, more promising pistol, developed at the same state-owned Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, the Yarygin PYa.
makarov.com/index.html
