WAY OT: Anyone want to weigh in on a Makarov?

[JReed]

I saw a Makarov at Gander Mountain on Friday neat looking gun. I have never dealt with one but the price was tempting. What are y'alls opinions of them as a plinker and CCW?

[shooter]

Some people like them, some don't. If the price is right, for another plinker in the collection I don't think they're too bad. IMO, for a concealed carry piece I think they're too heavy and underpowered as a first choice. But as a truck gun? Not too bad, if the price is right. A cheap plinker or something to leave in the truck and not be too upset if it got stolen would be my recommended uses for this gun. Who knows, you may love the way it shoots? Only one way to find out

[Streetstar]

I like 'em. Kind of a "poor boy's PP". Had one 14 or 15 years ago when you could get 'em for 125 bucks or so (along with 80 dollar SKS's and the like) --- back then 9x18 Makarov ammo was tough to get though so i traded it for something else

[AJMD429]

Around here I know several folks who keep them as 'truck' guns; they may carry another heavier-hitting gun for CCW, but for the times they "leave home without it", they at least have something.

That's NOT to say the guns are 'bad' - it's just the use they tend to get put to around here (kind of the handgun-equivalent to the .30 Carbines you could buy for $20 when I was a kid).

[awp101]

JReed, put a few mags through one first if you can. My buddy had a Bulgy Mak and after a couple of mags through it I decided I needed one. After getting mine, I found more than a couple mags at a time wasn't comfortable. I think it had to do with the grip itself.

It went down the road and was replaced by a cz82 in 9 Mak which is a much better fit for me.

[Paul Jenkins]

I have the Russian Baikal converted to .380 It also has adjustable rear sight. Iv'e found it reliable and accurate. I read an article about it in the American Rifleman about 12 yrs ago that claimed it to be the handgun equivalent to the AK47. Cheaply made of stamped parts , but of the highest quality engineeing. I reload and the only problem I have found was when the O.A.C.L was way short. I have a small hand and it's narrow frame and small size is what attracted me to it. Absolute reliability is what matters most ,so I carry a.357 S&W 60. The Baikal sits next to me in my truck loaded with 90 gr Sierras at just under 1000 fps. I also like the Baikals double action. After the initial shot , I have a good trigger pull for accurate follow ups. I love mine!

[1historian]

I have an former East German Mak....changed the century arms grips for a set of originals..changed to wolff springs for the recoil spring and 1 mag.....now absolutely reliable...serbian ammo...wolf ammo, barnaul, Federal, S&B..all work fine...very easy to disassemble...maybe a little heavy for caliber but the recoil of the 9mm is snappy...points better with the original stocks..a little recoil feel also...fits the uncle mike's holster I have for my 3" model 65 s&w..hope this helps...

[2ndovc]

I've had them all and the East German guns are by far the best of the bunch.
Stay as far away from the Polish P64s as you can.

Right now the only one left of the buch is my CZ 82 which is a little bigger but an excellent shooter.


jb

[Windjammer]

I've bought four of 'em. Totaly relieable. Changed to Pearce grips on them.

I replaced the front site also......for the money, you can't beat 'em.

[1historian]

Windjammer

1. How did you replace the sight
2. what did you use for a replacement?

[Windjammer]

I cut a dovetail where the old site was. At the time several of us were buying Makarovs. I made new front sites on a CNC milling machine and installed them into the dovetail that I had machined.

I don't have a CNC mill......I did this on a Sunday at the place I worked. I will admit I made the programs on company time.

The rear site is adjustable. I put white dots on it and the front site also. The front is the only complaint I had with the gun. All mine are .380.

[Terry Murbach]

I HAVE OWNED AND SHOT THE DICKENS OUT OF A MAKAROV FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS NOW. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THE EAST GERMAN MADE MAKS WERE THE PICK OF THE LITTER. THE RUSSIAN AND BULGARIAN PISTOLS SEEM TO HAVE HAD THE MOST PROBLEMS. THE RUSSIAN ONE - I THINK..] THAT HAD ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS WAS A REGULAR P-I-T-A FOR LOTS OF FOLKS AND THOSE ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS WERE ONLY A STEP OR TWO ABOVE WORTHLESS. ON THE OTHER HAND THEY WERE THE ONLY RUSSIAN RED I EVER HEARD OF WITH ANY SELF START IN HIS SOUL AS THESE SIGHTS LIKED TO SELF ADJUST THEMSELVES.
PS: I FORGOT TO NOTE HERE THAT RUSSIAN DESIGNED PISTOLS WERE BASICALLY DESIGNED TO EXECUTE PRISONERS AS IT DOES NOT TAKE FINITE ACCUARACY NOR ANY SKILL TO PUT A BULLET BEHIND THE EAR OF PRISONERS. WITH THAT NOTED MY GERMAN MAK 9MM MAK WOULD ROLL TIN CANS ALL OVER THE 100 YARD BACKSTOP.

[Hobie]

Well, I've got one, too. I kinda like it. Ammo isn't as cheap as it once was but it seems that nobody loads for it so some places still have cheap components on hand. One can get a barrel press and .380 ACP barrel for it "just in case". My Bulgarian has yet to hiccup with any of the loads or magazines except some of those Silver Bear 120 gr. bulleted loads. Even my handloads ran without a bobble. I do think my 80 yard shot on the groundhog was more of a fluke now though! Still, I can really worry a 12" steel plate at 150 yards even with ball.

It would be a good thing to be familiar with the pistol given your profession.

[Windjammer]

Hobbie.......All 4 that I bought were .380. I bought my first, then had the oppertunity to buy one in Hi-Cap.

I liked them so well I bought both my sons one each......I fixed the sights on all of 'em as well as others for friends.

[JReed]

Hobie cool write up. I have seen Maks at gun shows for years but never was very interested in Autos. But I have been looking since I have my CCW in the works. I like the looks of them kind of no frills with good lines much better looking then the M9 that I have to carry for work.

Thanks for the info Gents I will have to go back and give it another look.

[Hobie]

I should add that while the shop I work at once sold a bunch of these (including mine) we never see them come back. They don't come back for repair. They don't come back as trades. They don't come back as sales to raise critical dollars. I think they are valued.

I also think they are a little on the large size compared to ballistic output but no more so than a S&W K-frame .38 Special snubby.

[JReed]

That makes sense after reading other write ups and articles. I was wondering why I wasn't seeing many on the auction sites.

[MrMurphy]

The Makarov fits the European role for pistols, where they tend to be more status symbols than anything else. Only recently has Russia adopted a real fighting pistol (the "Grach", a double action 9X19mm with 17 round magazine) after extensive experience in Chechnya.

It's a nice little shooter, and they're generally accurate little guns. The Czech CZ82 and 83 are a cleaner design and generally better built but all the little 9mm Mak/.380s do well.

I'd rather have something bigger, having carried either a Glock .45 or 9mm M9 for the last decade, but it's better than nothing.

Interestingly the two former Russian troopers I've known (both of whom were Soviets, and then fought in Chechnya the first time around) with experience late in their Afghan adventure..... both replied the Makarov was "good for committing suicide.....not much else. For fighting, get an AK".

But both had a high regard for the Stechkin machine pistol, which is still 9X18mm but has a 20 round magazine and is full auto. Odd.....

The larger-capacity (12 shot) Makarovs do a little better as a CCW piece.

[stretch]

I LIKE Makarovs! A lot!

My Russian export model (adjustable sights) in 9X18 Makarov
is the ONLY gun I own that has NEVER had a malfunction!
Steel-cased, aluminum-cased, roundnose, hollow-point, Czech,
Russian, American - it just doesn't care what you feed it. I've
put thousands of rounds through it, and it frequently lives in the
truck. I put some rubber grips on it, a stouter (Wolff) recoil spring,
and it shoots just fine. The fixed-barrel design is quite accurate with
good ammunition. 2" to 3" groups at 25 yards offhand are pretty
much normal. A REALLY good shooter could probably halve that. The
safety is on the slide, and while not QUITE as convenient as that
of a 1911 or P35, at least it's DOWN to fire, unlike the Walther PPK,
which it's mostly a copy of.

On the down side, the sights are a little bit small, and the trigger
isn't all that, but whaddya want for 200 bucks?! Note that it's also
a blowback design, and it gets FILTHY inside after a long range session.
Wicked easy to field-strip, though. Fobus used to make
a paddle holster for it (maybe they still do!) that works really well.
The 9X18 round is between the .380 ACP and the 9X19 - closer to the
.380 methinks. It's also small enough to carry in a coat pocket with an
inside-the-pants holster. There's also a special tool to remove the
extractor which is definitely worth having if you come across one. It's
actually a combination screwdriver, extractor tool, and cleaning rod.

I'd buy another in a heartbeat. There is a double-stack model available,
but magazines are quite hard to find for it, and the mags have a plastic
piece that can break. The single stack mags are indestructable and steel.
They used to be very cheap - like $10 bucks a pop. I think Wolff makes
spare springs for 'em, too.

They're definitely worth having at the price.

-Stretch

[JB]

Neat guns to plink with or collect. I have a Russian military, high capacity Russian, East German, Chinese, and Bulgarian.

[Hawkeye2]

2ndohvc (2nd OH Vol Cav?) what have you found wrong with the Polish P64? I have one which I have only fired a few magazines through but I like it. I never benched it but a 2 hand hold at 15 yards showed it was more than accurate enough for a defensive pistol and it digested Chinese, XTP, & +Ps with no problems. The double action pull is increadibly hard but the single action pull is so light and creep free that it is scarry, too light for a tense situation. It's reasonably comfortable to hold though I was supprised at the level of recoil. Fit/finish are quite good by todays standards. Ejection of empties is awsome! I police my range (lawn) with a metal detector after each session and was begining to wonder why I couldn't find any empties. The first one showed up 15 paces to the right of the firing point with one being 21 paces (30" pace for me) away. You wouldn't have to worry about slipping on them in a defensive situation but you might take out your partner with an empty if he were on your right. If the P83 comes down in price to the P64 level I'll grab one of them too.

[txpete]

my east german.I also have a bulgarian circle 10 mak.
both of these pistols I have "NEVER" had a FTF/FTE .I have some colts,walther, sig and a glock I can't say that about.

now ammo....
for mak brass all you have to do is run a 9mm luger brass thru the mak sizer die and trim.everytime I go to the range I pick up all the 9mm luger brass laying around and I get free 9mm mak brass .
I cast a 95 gr lrn size .365 straight ww are just fine for alloy.for the first firing I use 3.0 grs bullseye with that bullet.
some will tell you they are heavy for CCW but I would rather carry my mak than a cheap plastic 380 any day.I know that if I do need it it will go bang everytime its accurate and if 8+1 doesn't get it done you should have bought a shotgun.

[Lawyer Daggit]

I would have thought the Makarov would be a good military pistol for second echelon troops- light, and only a little behind the 9mm para.

Infact if loaded down with kit, I would rather carry a Makarov and a granade than a full size pistol, as the pistol on the battlefield is really only a last ditch tool anyway.

[MrMurphy]

If you're going to bother carrying a pistol, carry a real one. Both Russian troops I've known who saw extensive combat saw it as a badge of rank for officers and good for committing suicide....not much else.

[PaulB]

Well, it is slightly better than a .380. However good or bad you think that is.

I walked into a gun show and saw a guy selling Russian Maks (with holster) for $129 each, new. I bought one of course. Then I played with it for a while, slicked it up some using that info on makarov.com. Put a nice aftermarket grip on it, painted the tiny front sight white,etc.

Only real regret is I wish it had the fixed sights on it, not those silly "target" things to satisfy idiot bureaucrats.

It would be excellent for CC except it is a blued gun which means struggling with rust. Nice and flat though. The recoil is more than one would expect because it is a blowback gun, so it's not that fun to shoot. The barrel is chrome lined so you can shoot corrosive garbage in it.

It's sitting in the safe now. It would do for a loaner or truck gun or any other such thing you can think of. Nice not to have a lot of dollars into it, so you don't worry about abusing it. More or less the equivalent of buying an old .38spl police turn-in gun... No reason to sell it!

[JReed]

txpete
Nice set up you have there.

I am still looking around for one local at a decent price. Thanks for the input folks.