Found a Makarov

S

stonewall50

New member
Yep. I've never seen one in real life. It is in the crazy caliber too. It was at a local pawn shop. I don't know much about them, but it was pretty nifty looking. So does anyone know much about them? This one was cheap too.
 
What crazy caliber are you referring to? If it is 9x18, then that is not crazy at all. It is the normal caliber for all Makarovs. Great guns. Built like tanks. The whole thing breaks down to 27 pieces.
 
Great little guns. What country did it come from? Most agree that the East German Makarov is the nicest finished of all. The Bulgarian is very popular as well. A Russian Mak has a bit more collector interest just because they are from "Mother" Russia.
The cartridge it is chambered in isn't all that crazy. The bullet diameter of the 9X18 Makarov round is .365 VS the .355 of the more common 380acp, but the two are nearly ballistic twins in performance. 9X18 Makarov ammo isn't all that hard to find either.
Here is some more informative reading about the Makarov than my basic knowledge of them.
http://makarov-pistols.com/
Also, a forum, one of several, dedicated to the 9X18 Makarov.
http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?46-The-Makarov-Forum/page2
 
Makarovs are great guns. I was very surprised at how accurate mine was for such a small gun. It is one of the few guns that I regret selling.
 
Original Maks can be broken down into 2 major groups and 2 subgroups.
  • Original military pistols, formally known as the PM or Pistolet Makarov. (Some people call it the Makarov PM, but I find this silly and redundant, as this would mean "Makarov Pistolet Makarov." :rolleyes:) These pistols always have a simple drift-adjustable rear sight and are characterized by an absence of original non-Cyrillic markings; the only Roman-alphabet markings will be importer-applied identification stamps and serial numbers. Original grips were dark red or brown Bakelite, but military pistols are frequently found with commercial-style rubber grips, and vice versa. As explained above, these guns came from East Germany, Bulgaria, or Russia.
  • New-production pistols made in Russia for U.S. commercial sale before the ban on Russian pistols was enacted. These usually but not always have a screw-adjustable rear sight, and are characterized by prominent Roman-alphabet markings. Grips were usually black rubber, but refer above. Brand names vary - Izhmash, Baikal, and Big Bear Arms are common - but the pistols are all basically the same. Some pistols were chambered in .380; only the barrel is different, the recoil springs and even the mags are the same! :)
    • The first subgroup of commercial pistols are single-stack guns that are fundamentally similar to the original PM. The mags are the same.
    • The second subgroup are double-stack guns that take a 12rd mag or a Clinton AWB-era 10rd mag. These pistols do NOT have a military equivalent. The mag is a queer 2-into-1 merged design that uses the same feed system as the single-stack mag, and single-stack mags will actually function in the double-stack pistols. While nifty in theory, the double-stack pistols have two major drawbacks - the grip is quite bulbous, and spare double-stack mags are notoriously hard to find because the pistols were generally sold with a single mag and the importers did not bring in many spares.
East German and Russian military guns are typically at the top of the value pyramid, followed by Bulgarian military pistols, single-stack commercial pistols, and double-stack commercial pistols respectively. However, there's quite a bit of variability depending on local market conditions.
 
Doyle said:
What crazy caliber are you referring to? If it is 9x18, then that is not crazy at all. It is the normal caliber for all Makarovs. Great guns. Built like tanks. The whole thing breaks down to 27 pieces.
Click to expand...


Lol. I'm American. That is a bizarre caliber to me. Lol.
 
Lucky me! I got my EG Mak years ago for $105 buckos.

I have about 10 mags to and maybe 500 rounds of military ammo along with RCBS dies, boxer primed brass, and 400 rounds of XTP Hornady slugs for the 9x18.

For those who don't know the 9x18 is 9.2 mm, that is .360 diameter.

Deaf
 
"Makarov.com".
I only have one and no matter What my wife:rolleyes: was told, this Mak needs a friend who speaks fluent German, Bulgarian or Russian.

Schlaf gut und nimmt's leicht.
 
My Russian Mak is very accurate and totally reliable. I have used it successfully for small game hunting, and occasionally carry it concealed (I usually prefer a larger caliber for CC, but my experience with the Mak inspires total confidence. You need to get one.

gary
 
Maks are great. I have owned and have been shooting them for over 20 years. 9x18 is a common caliber in the U.S. and widely available.
 
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