Makarov Recoil - Am I The Only One ?

For what it's worth I have found most Russian
ammo to be "hot" I won't use it because of the
effects on the gun more so then the recoil factor,
most american ammo on the other hand is loaded
fairly tame except some special loads. All in
all I have better results loading my own, its fun,
safe(if your careful) and you can tailor loads to
the gun, shoot more for less,and less wear on the gun.
 
Blowbacks kick too much (or snap, if you prefer). That's why I sold my perfectly fine 380's (Sig P230 and FEG PMK) and decided to stick with locked breach pistols. Although I've been tempted by Maks more than once, I'm just not going to own a pistol I'm not willing to practice with a lot.
 
First I think Oris was just being funny. I laughed.

Second, the H&K P7 is a blowback pistol, in 9X19, if I am not mistaken, granted however, it is a gas delayed blowback.

What type of numbers does Wolf post on their ammo? I'd be interested in just how fast they were running. I've said it before in an earlier thread, Europeans seem to like their ammo hot, anyone have a reason why?

-Morgan
 
What type of numbers does Wolf post on their ammo? I'd be interested in just how fast they were running. I've said it before in an earlier thread, Europeans seem to like their ammo hot, anyone have a reason why?
Click to expand...

Wolf claims a 109gr bullet at 1033fps.

I haven't found the recoil of my Bulgarian Mak to be a problem, though I haven't fired it for extended periods of time, and I have not tried any of the Wolf ammo (Novosibirsk only).
 
MIke, I had the same problem.

It's the lower corner of the safety lever that is opening up your thumb. Personally, I also got a bit of slide bite on the web of my hand to boot. I had to trim a lot of meat off of the tip of the safety lever and and blend off any corners with a Dremel. Some careful file and stone work took care of the corners involved with the bottoms of the slide rails. The metal sucked up the cold-blue like a sponge and turned a nice, dark black color.

I agree that the recoil was pretty snappy for me, at first. Several more sessions later, I was much more comfortable with it. I tried a friend's who'd installed Pearce grips, and it was admittedly FAR more comfortable. You have to decide if the extra bulk is worth it.

ORIS, ROTFLAMO.:D
 
It's nice to know some people still have real good sense of humor.
Mike H used to have it, but lost it all after firing 2 shots from his Mak. That's what Mak is for - to find out who is who...

Mike H, I'm really concerned about your injuries. I suggest you
use a great advantage of living in America - get a good attorney
and sue the Mak for being so "recoily" and for inflicting such a terrible injuries, I bet you will make at a few mils just like that..also, do not forget that you were abused in a childhood,
that's important for jury in this country to heat that...

Mike, by the way, what kind of activity at the range includes
casual shooting of 400 rounds from the pistol? Is it some kind of a secret shooting club that I'm not aware about, with unlimited
peanuts and bullets? Just very curious...
 
Nope!

I had a PA-63 and that thing would really sting the hand after a box of ammo. The alloy frame, small size, blowback, and relatively hot ammo combined to make for a pretty uncomfortable little gun. Sold it to finance some other stuff. Was very accurate and wouldn't jam on anything though.

Patrick
 
I'm with Oris, ya'll think a mak has RECOIL?

Ya'll probably shoot downloaded 185 grain wadcutters in yer 45's and use 'reduced recoil' "tacty-cal" buckshot and slugs too.

Ya'll probably put 44 specials in your 44 magnums too.

Maybe ya'll ought to back off and git yerself a .22 :p

On a serious note though, yeah the blowback design DOES make it kick a little harder. get a golf glove or batter's glove and work on your grip until you get it right. The mak has a nearly vertical grip, unlike most other autos, so you probably need to adjust your grip. Aftermarket grips help, but its the shooter that must master the weapon grasshopper. :cool:

The EG mak that I played with we usually shot norinco ammo.. pleasent to shoot. The FEG i have is a 380.. it doesn't kick as hard as a colt 380 imho, but then the grip is a lot bigger on a Pa-63.
 
Well, here's my mak experience...

After reading glowing report after glowing report on maks here and elsewhere, I finally saw one in a local shop and bought it - a "Bulgie", NIB for $119. So far, so good. Pistol looks good, I'm interested, although I'm not real impressed with the size of the sights.

Go to range the next weekend. Mak won't feed the last round out of either of the mags provided. Disassemble the mags, stretch the springs, reassemble, shoot a few more timjes with each mag. A few more failure to feeds on last round, but not every time. Stretch the springs again, shoot some more. Same deal...works part of the time, doesn't work part of the time.

Using TCW ammo, 109 grain FMJ, made in Russia, steel cases. Fire about 60-70 rounds all told. Hand becomes very sore in web between thumb and index finger. Next day, every time I put any pressure on indide of thumb, I get a searing pain out to the tip of the thumb. Lasts for weeks, over it now. Figure the nerves were brused by the mak recoil. Wow!

Okay, I been looking around here enough to know whats coming next, so let me just say that I've shot 100s of rounds at a time through powerful handguns for the last 30-something years, .40s, .45s, .44s, etc., and never had anything like this happen.

Handling the mak in the days after the shooting session, it triggered the nerve sensation just gripping the pistol.

Okay...the mak is a well made pistol for $119. I need new mags, the sights are too small, and the grip needs to be replaced, and probably need a Hand-all. It now is part of the non-shooting collection, a historical artifact, interesting design.
 
Hmmm, looks like we gonna split into 2 parties: those who
enjoy Maks and those who are hurt by Maks. In any case, rule of the thumb is: do not mess with Mak. Mak is definetely an effective weapon, lots of stopping power, as evidence shows...

O.K., I confess - I was once hurt by SMLE #4. I shot it 48 times
(1 box) , in summutum, wearing just a T-shirt, and my poor shoulder was somewhat off for couple of days. So, next time I was in the mood to waste another 48 rounds of marvelous WWII British cordite loaded MKVII ammo, I used medium size towel ($7.50 in KMart) between my still a bit sensative shoulder and idiot-proof brass tipped buttstock. This approach to the problem worked magically, and I was able to waste another 48 rounds of .303 w/o being wasted myself. So, I say to those who are so badly injured by the Mak - use towels, it really works. Beides all, towel will be very handy to wipe tears ASAP, so that fellow shooters would not notice that something is terribly wrong...
 
Oris I guess old Mike should sell that vicious heavy recoiling mac and buy a nice tame little 454 casull:rolleyes: Wipe that milk off your lip solder.
 
Mike,
I used to (so sad) own a PPK in 380. 9x17's not as snappy a 9x18, but it still gave a sharp kick.

Now a blowback design like a Mak or PPK does not lock up, but I found that if I got careless and locked *myself* up, I was rewarded with a sharp blow to the web of my hand. Next time you and your wife go to the range and get in a shooting stance, just before you're ready to fire ask a few questions:

1) Are my arms locked? If yes, put a slight bend in your elbows.
2) Are my knees locked? Same thing.
3) Am I leaning slightly back? If yes, lean slightly forward.

I was amazed at how much recoil my body could soak up instead of my hands soaking it up. If you or your wife are falling into a stiff shooting stance, there's no where for the recoil to go but right into the web of your hand. Let your body soak it up, not your hands.

Hope this helps.
 
Now before anyone else goes calling all Mak shooters who's hands hurt wimps, I'll have you know I do have some other handgun experience. Hardest kicking is my father-in-law's .445 Supermag Dan Wesson. I handload 325gn cast slugs to about 1400 fps and believe me, it will rock you right back. But it really is a push, not a slap. The PA-63 didn't hurt, it just made my hand numb, and then tingly, and then black and blue the next day. I guess the best description I can come up with is a very "snappy" or "sharp". Good shooting!

Patrick
 
This recoiling problem affects ALL blowback .380/Mak type weapons, Walther, Sig230, and Mak.

There is one brand that is less punishing, I think it was Winchester generic.

I tried Pearce grips, didn't help much. Now I'm just keeping the Mak as a backup. Come the revolution, it is going in the ground.
 
Just wanted to add that my Mak has been totally reliable, and is extremely accurate, except that the absurd little front sight disappears in low light.

I don't shoot the Mak much, or .44 Mag heavy loads. No need to put any flinch into my superhuman ability with 9mm/.40 S&W) and .45 ACP.

Like the immortal Eastwood says, "A man's got to know his limitations".
 
Let me join the chorus of those that find the MAK uncomfortable and often painful to shoot. I have gone the route of the Pierce grip and a glove. Shooting a 44 mag with 240 grain factory loads in a Smith 29 or a Ruger Bisley is more comfortable.
 
To those of you who have contributed suggestions regarding stance, grip and re-profiling , thankyou, I intend to look into each one.

I thought I had researched the PM thoroughly, recoil problems always seemed to be solved via the addition of a Pearce grip, it seems they run a little deeper than that.

Thanks again

Mike H
 
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Count me as one more person who doesn't like shooting Wolf ammo in my Maks. I like the Russian ammo that comes in green lettered boxes. It seems to have MUCH less recoil than the Wolf stuff.
 
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