9x18_Walther said:
If we are talking strictly for practical use, then no. A Makarov is a poor choice. Straight blowback instead of short recoil, hard to find parts, low magazine capacity, hard to obtain magazines, obscure ammunition, questionably heavy DA pull. There are much better choices at this price range for a practical handgun.
Are we talking about a range pistol for someone who likes milsurps and oddities? Hell yeah!
Really depends on your intended use.
I disagree strongly with most of this post:
1)The blowback design, while it may not be commonly used today, was picked for it's simplicity and reliability, both of which are still valuable qualities today. It also allows for a fixed barrel design, which improves accuracy tremendously.
2) Parts are not that difficult to find, especially on milsurp sites like:
www.buymilsurp.com, which is where I got all the parts I needed to fix my non-functioning Makarov a few years ago. There were a lot of these pistols made, and there are still plenty of parts. Inaddition, a cursory search of eBay will give you plenty of options for parts for the Makarov.
3) The Makarov has an 8 rd magazine, which is fairly normal for single stack pistols that many people choose to carry.
4) Original fagazines are easily obtainable on eBay (typically around $20-$25 each) and there are companies making replicas and aftermarket options as well.
5) While you don't find much in terms of ball ammo in stores, most big box stores will have defense ammo, and multiple options. As for FMJs, if yous local big box store doesn't have it, it can be found fairly cheaply online for steel cased wolf/brown bear varieties, which actually work very well in the Makarov.
6) The trigger pull is decent for a SA/DA pistol, but I'll give you this one.
In short, no, the Makarov is not a Glock. What you get, in my opinion, is a smaller, more compact carry option in a steel frame that will serve you just as well as any other pistol of it's size. It's a reliable, accurate shooter, even with those teeny little GI sights. With 27 parts, you should never need a gunsmith, as most people with two hands should be able to make any repairs that need to be made, aside from working on the frame. The 9x18 round is a quality defensive round, especially with great options from Hornady, BUffalo Bore, Underwood, etc for carry.
Personally, I think a Makarov is a good carry gun, but an even better bugout bag gun. The simplicity in design means that it will go for as long as you need it to. Like most Russian firearm designs, this gun was made for extreme environments, and mine has yet to disappoint from the day I fixed it.
All that said, I don't carry mine very often anymore. I have a few others that I prefer to carry, and honestly don't get to carry very often due to my work. That said, I have carried mine, and wouldn't hesitate to put it back in it's holster while I'm out tomorrow.
Do people not know about, or pretend to be unaware of E-Bay?