Makarov or bersa
- Thread starter miron
- Start date
I would rather have the Makarov. They are good quality all steel guns that will stand up to a lot of shooting. My Mak also has excellent accuracy.
You can get them just about anywhere. You can find them here in the Handguns for sale sections as well as online auction sites such as Gunbroker.com.
You can also check these places. They tend to sell very fast at $109.00 each.
http://www.jgsales.com/
http://www.southernohiogun.com/
Also check the Gun List and Shotgun News papers.
You should be able to find a decent Bulgarian for approx $150 on the market. The last time I checked the SOG site they did have the Maks back in stock.
Good SHooting
RED
You can get them just about anywhere. You can find them here in the Handguns for sale sections as well as online auction sites such as Gunbroker.com.
You can also check these places. They tend to sell very fast at $109.00 each.
http://www.jgsales.com/
http://www.southernohiogun.com/
Also check the Gun List and Shotgun News papers.
You should be able to find a decent Bulgarian for approx $150 on the market. The last time I checked the SOG site they did have the Maks back in stock.
Good SHooting
RED
FWIW
I haven't had any Maks but I do have an older Bersa 383A in .380 acp and it is one of the most accurate autos I have (read that as a consistent 2.5 - 3" @ 25 yards from a rest). It has digested everything from ball ammo to Win SXTs to Rems 102 BHPs without a hitch. My wife liked it so well I am in the process of acquiring another, used 383A. I don't know what the quality of the new Bersa/Llama guns are. I suggest you try both out if possible and go with seems the best..FWIW...RW
I haven't had any Maks but I do have an older Bersa 383A in .380 acp and it is one of the most accurate autos I have (read that as a consistent 2.5 - 3" @ 25 yards from a rest). It has digested everything from ball ammo to Win SXTs to Rems 102 BHPs without a hitch. My wife liked it so well I am in the process of acquiring another, used 383A. I don't know what the quality of the new Bersa/Llama guns are. I suggest you try both out if possible and go with seems the best..FWIW...RW
The new GUN DIGEST has an article on Makarovs, from all sources: East German, Soviet, Bulgarian. Very well done. Compares the Mak to several other guns, but not, alas, the Bersa.
The Bersas I've seen seem to be very well made. If someone here knows more about them, let us know what you think of Bersas. In general, other Argentine guns seem solid: FAL's, "Browning" HP's, Sistema Colts, Ballester-Molinas, etc.
Lone Star
The Bersas I've seen seem to be very well made. If someone here knows more about them, let us know what you think of Bersas. In general, other Argentine guns seem solid: FAL's, "Browning" HP's, Sistema Colts, Ballester-Molinas, etc.
Lone Star
hksigwalther
New member
My Bersa Thunder9 and (FireStorm) Mini 9 have work without a hitch. Even better than my Walther P88 from which they were derived from. Certainly not as high quality in fit and materials used as the Walther but they haven't choked on anything whereas the P88 has. Hmmm, better performance at 1/3 the cost. Doesn't sound like junk to me.
Eric Larsen
New member
As far as your comparison for accuracy I dont think there is a right answer. Each gun individually, can be accurate or inaccurate...depends on ammo etc....They are both well made guns and should do what ever you want them too.....
My remark about the Mak in .380 is Dont....why get SLIGHTLY less performance from a hard to find and more expensive gun, shooting higher priced ammo than the original? Get a 9x18 Mak.
Silver Bear JHP's are very common and have ballistics that are close to a 9mm Luger.....Sounds good to me....
Shoot well
My remark about the Mak in .380 is Dont....why get SLIGHTLY less performance from a hard to find and more expensive gun, shooting higher priced ammo than the original? Get a 9x18 Mak.
Silver Bear JHP's are very common and have ballistics that are close to a 9mm Luger.....Sounds good to me....
Shoot well
Between the two I would get the Mak, they're more robust -- but the Bersa is not junk by any means. I have two of them and they are very nice pistols for the money. The Bersa has an advantage over the Mak in that it is slimmer, if concealment is an issue. The Makarov is like the AK of pistols though, I would trust it more.
Pointblank2K
New member
Bersa's are junk? I own a Bersa .380 that shoots great! have NEVER had a problem with it...shot all types of ammo and it shoots very accuratly...having said that I have to agree that the Makarov is a best buy and that the 9x18 is a better choice of chambering...less expensive ammo with a little more punch...whichever you choose you will have made a good choice,
Tony.
P.S. - I have owned other handguns that cost a lot more than my Bersa and had problems.
Tony.
P.S. - I have owned other handguns that cost a lot more than my Bersa and had problems.
While I don't think the Bersa is junk, at least the couple that I've seen, I'd suspect that in a sample of 100's, you'd be better served with a Mak. The Mak is a military pistol designed to function in harsh environments, and it does that well. I also second the opinion of the EG Mak, here's one of the two EG Mak's that I have...
I went through the same dilema several months ago, Makarov or Bersa. The Makarov seemed to be sturdier and more durable, the Bersa had a PPK style mag release and better sights. I handled and shot both of them. My decision was to go with the Makarov, but only because of the price ($120 ANIB). If they both cost the same, I may very well have gone for the Bersa.
mlk18
mlk18
Eric Larsen
New member
Ewok....
Bersa's are junk" hmmmmmm. Sounds like you have had a bad experience with a Bersa...you may be the ONLY one. Shoot well
Bersa's are junk" hmmmmmm. Sounds like you have had a bad experience with a Bersa...you may be the ONLY one. Shoot well
Rickmeister
New member
I have never fired a Makarov, so I can't give my opinion on it.
The Bersa that I own, however, is far from junk. In fact, it's a hell of a lot more accurate than my 9mm Glock!
I theorize that it's the simple blow-back system (i.e., fixed barrel and no locking mechanism) but who knows.
It also eats virtually anything in .380; including Cor-Bons, although my personal favorites are Federal Premiums.
The Bersa is quite flat, too, making it ideal for concealed carry.
I'm going to buy another one soon; maybe a Mini Thunder 40.
The Bersa that I own, however, is far from junk. In fact, it's a hell of a lot more accurate than my 9mm Glock!
I theorize that it's the simple blow-back system (i.e., fixed barrel and no locking mechanism) but who knows. It also eats virtually anything in .380; including Cor-Bons, although my personal favorites are Federal Premiums.
The Bersa is quite flat, too, making it ideal for concealed carry.
I'm going to buy another one soon; maybe a Mini Thunder 40.
They're both good guns (the Bersa is NOT junk). I'd give
the Mak the edge though for it's stout construction, low
price, slightly more powerful in 9x18 chambering, reliable
simplicity and abundance of cheap extra magazines. Buy
a nice Bulgarian and I'll bet you won't regret it.
the Mak the edge though for it's stout construction, low
price, slightly more powerful in 9x18 chambering, reliable
simplicity and abundance of cheap extra magazines. Buy
a nice Bulgarian and I'll bet you won't regret it.
Sounds like both the Mak and the Bersa are both worthy of consideration. My advice would be to find an example of each and head for the range. Since both have excellent testimonials in this thread, the only observation I would make is that the Mak is a little larger. Mine is easy to conceal, is reliable and accurate. Its cartridge (9X18) is cheap, available and a little more powerful than the .380.
