Mak recoil comparison?

K

KelBench400

New member
I only have one pistol...a Glock 19. I'm thinking about getting 2 bulgies since they are so cheap. One for me, one for my girlfriend. That is why I need to know how much a mak recoils! Is it more, less, or about the same as a G19? How about muzzle flip? More, less, or same? I can take it no problem, but she won't want the pistol if it's not fun for her to shoot.

Thanks,
Kel
 
Recoil is a subjective thing. All I can say is that the 9x18mm cartridge recoils much like a .380ACP. I don't think it is bad at all. Of course, I am used to shooting the Taurus PT145 which is chambered in .45ACP, but on a Glock 26 size frame. I may not be the one to ask!!!;)
 
denfoote,

I have an East German Mak and really like it. I've found that the recoil is greatly dependant on what I feed it. I purchased some comercial reloads that are fairly tame and really enjoy shooting them. Then I bought some Wolf ammo and wow! I had to alternate a magazine of the reloaded stuff just to keep my hand from stinging so bad. I have the factory grips on it and I hear that the Pierce grips help reduce the felt recoil. I've also heard that putting a 19# Wolff spring on the pistol helps reduce frame battering and felt recoil.

A good friend has a G19 that I've shot and IIRC the Mak (with the right ammo) has a little less recoil but a little more flip than the G19. There are other brands of ammo available that I haven't tried yet so YMMV.

As far as the pistol for the girlfriend, if she doesn't like it I don't think you'll have any problem selling it. In fact, if that happens, let me know, and I'll take it off your hands for what you paid for it.

PropellerHead
 
Mak recoil is stout, and while I love mine I would not recommend it as a womans gun (if we are still allowed to speak the truth these days).

Never, ever use Wolf ammo, fit a Pearce grip (or Makawrap for smaller hands), the 19# spring is a route I'm going to take myself, but forget it for your girlfriend as the standard 17# is difficult enough to rack.

Get her a P32, women love them as purse guns and only $60 more.


Mike H
 
My girlfriend was using a P32. I let her shoot the Glock 19 and the Makarov. She fell in love with the Makarov and about two days later she bought her own first gun, an East German Makarov. She liked the way it shot best of all the guns she's shot. She LOVES her Makarov!
 
I'd put Mak recoil on par with standard pressure .38 spl. out of a k-frame 4" S&W. I don't find it harsh at all (and I consider myself to be recoil-sensitive, whatever that means). My 5 year-old niece shoots my EG Mak with no quarrel - she just giggles:) . My experience leads me to believe that the vaunted Mak recoil has more to do with anticipation and preconception than "actual" recoil (again, whatever that means).
vanfunk
 
Mike H: While I've had my share of bad experiences with Wolf ammo in non-Makarov calibers, I found that their 9x18 ammo worked flawlessly in the well over a dozen Maks I've owned. If you go to the Makarov.com discussion board, you'll find that most other Mak owners have had good experience with it too. I don't know why it functions in Makarovs so well, but it does.

On the other hand, however, for the same amount of money you can get Barnaul JHP ammo. Good velocity, reliability, and expansion out of an inexpensive round.

Take care. Marko
 
Hey Marko!

Mark is correct as ususal. Put a Pearce grip on the Mak and even the hotter loads are no problem. I like the green box "LVE" Russian ammo made by Novosibirsk for plinking.
 
I shoot LVE/Novosibirsk through my EG with Pearce grips and find the recoil very mild. Honestly, mild. And I have a 17# recoil spring. I even shot some corbons through my mak this morning and didn't think anything of the recoil. One jammed (I think it's the bullet profile) but that's another story. I've never shot my mak with the cheap plastic grips that came with the gun. I've never shot Wolf/TCW. I've never noticed anything other than mild recoil.
 
I don't really know "gun talk" yet, but as far as shooting a Glock or a Mak, go for the Mak!!! The recoil is much less ( in my terms-it doesn't move so much when I pull the trigger!) I had a Kel-Tec P32 also, but once I got that Mak in my hands, it was no comparison! :)
 
Call me recoil sensitive. I think that the MAK has a very sharp snap of recoil. The MAK is not the best first gun for a women. The only ammo that I've shot that didn't have stout recoil is the green box LVE stuff. FWIW, I use the standard grips. My advice, buy one Mak and let the GF try it first. With a set of Pierce grips and the LVE ammo, your GF might like this gun.
 
I would not let any man tell me what gun should be my first gun. A woman generally has such a smaller hand and sensitive grip that a woman's perspective is much more relevant. And I have a much more "manly" grip then most women because of all of the calouses that I have ( three rows that I am PROUD of) because of my many years of weight lifting ( and I AM strong, very....)
Makarov!!!
 
As you can see, one person feels the Mak's recoil is quite stout, while another finds no problem with it. My wife and daughter don't care much for the "kick", although neither shoot often. I just installed a 19# spring in my EG, not for the recoil, but to save wear & tear on the slide. I shoot LVE Russian military and Barnaul hollow points, and find it comfortable with stock grips.
 
I love my Bulgie and would have picked up a Russian to replace the one I sold years ago if they guy at the Gunshow would have come down on the price. $200 for a used Russian in Good/Fair condition is crazy.

Anyway, my Bulgie recoils less than my fathers Russian. His has the Red Star type grips and mine has the black commercial grips. Both weapons a nearly identical except for the sights, so grips do indeed make a difference in felt recoil.

As for what a woman can or cannot handle, I won't go there! Just this friday I went through annual qualifications. In the shotgun stage I held it kinda wrong and it rattled my teeth for me. I'm a pretty stout guy, but right then I'd had enough for the day. The lady officer next to me was perhaps all of 120 lbs and she was shooting with no complaints. I think she actually enjoyed it!

So there ya go..

Good Shooting
RED
 
Marko - I have no problems with the Wolf ammo's functionality, the problem IMO is that the 109 grain round has above average recoil compared to other 9x18 rounds. I have yet to find anyone who disagrees with that sentiment.

LVE is my personal favorite, but it is getting harder to find so I use Barnaul JHP at present.

As far as recoil is concerned, the Mak is on the power limit for a blowback pistol, and blowbacks are notorious muzzle flippers.

The question was, is this gun suitable for lady shooters, and I would still contend that it is a poor choice. It has a very heavy DA trigger, difficult mag release and kicky recoil. Hey but some girls fix trucks, so I guess it depends on the girl :eek: .

Let's just say that I'm pleased my wife doesn't find our Mak easy to handle.

Mike H
 
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