Makarov - Recoil and price

G

gsl

New member
Before denfoote has a chance to say it, I will say that I am getting pulled into the Makarov Collective!!!! :)

I am looking at buying a Mak. A local shop has a Bulg. one, unissued, 2mags, etc. for $189. Is this a good price?

I am also wondering about the recoil on it. I am not worried about me, but it is my wife and oldest son (11). I don't want them to have a bad experience and not want to shoot again. I shoot a SIG 226 9mm :D regularly and thought that might be too much for them in the beginning (bigger gun, recoil, etc.), so I was thinking about the Mak since it seems like a good deal.

Also, someone had mentioned changing the recoil spring on the Mak to a 18# Wolf to tone it down. Is that necessary?

Thanks in advance for the input.
 
I can't comment on the Bulgarian Mak, as I don't own one, but the recoil of the 9mm Mak round is not very heavy but is sharp. Some people are bothered by it when they have no problem with the 9mm Parabellum in a pistol that is only slightly heavier or of a different shape.

Jim
 
You can do better on a Bulgie Mak. They are going for around $125 max. Check the usual suspects, SOG, AIM, etc. The felt recoil of the 9MM Mak round is light, but with the stock Makarov plastic grips can be sligthly uncomfortable. Aftermarket Pearce grips make it very comfortable, much like a .380. Great pistol! Check out http://makarovpistol.com
 
You can do better than what you are going to pay. In my area you are looking at $150 for a Bulgie Mak.

As for recoil, it can be a bit sharp. The mildest load that I've run through my Mak has been the Hornady XTP's. There is a noticeable difference in recoil when firing Russian ammo through the maks.

Grip shape has a lot to do with the percieved recoil in your Mak. The Bulgie that I have has the black thumbrest type grips installed. These are a bit thicker than the traditional type grips and help spread the recoil out a bit. I've shot a Russian and a Bulgie side by side and found that the Russian with standard grips recoiled a bit more.

In my opinion your Sig with 9mm ammo will have less recoil than the straight blowback 9x18 Makarov. My wife prefers the 9mm Hi Power over the Mak and complains that the recoil is a bit sharp in the Makarov.

Good Shooting'
RED
 
That price is a bit much.

The recoil is a little sharper than one might expect and might be a little uncomfortable in the web between the thumb and forefinger due to the standard grip shape. Aftermarket grips or an Uncle Mike's slip-on grip help.

The Mak's are good. As far as the 9x18 goes, remember it has served com bloc military and police for years satisfactorily.

More info:

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...id=71405&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

Get a Mak and enjoy it!

-10CFR
 
The general consensus is that blowback .380s and 9x18mm Maks have relatively nasty recoil, quite a bit worse than a locked-breech 9x19mm, but not too prohibitive. Now those aluminum-frame PA63s are supposed to be horrible to shoot. Had a friend try one and say, basically, "don't do that!" By the way, he shoots .44 Magnums for fun. :eek:
 
Regarding the price, a year or so ago you could order Bulgarian Maks for around $105 each (dealer cost). They are harder to find now, and I think dealer cost has risen to around $125 or so. If you figure that you'll have to add shipping (maybe $10) and an FFL/dealer markup (maybe $30), I don't think your dealer's price is so bad. I agree that you could probably do a little better by shopping around or ordering it through an FFL, but it's worth something to be able to see and hold the gun before you buy. Also, the lowest cost Maks sometimes come with only one magazine. I'd probably try to talk your dealer down to around $170 or so, but, depending on what your time and trouble are worth, even $190 may not be too bad these days. On the other hand, I think I saw somewhere that there may be more Maks coming into the market. IF this is true, then prices may come back down.

Regarding recoil, I have Pearce grips on one of my two Maks, and I don't find it uncomfortable to shoot. I think the larger grip helps. That said, I'd start your wife and 11-year-old with a .22 and work up only when they feel comfortable with heavier recoil.

Regarding the PA-63, I also have two of these, and I guess they recoil a little more than the Makarovs (due to their lighter weight), but I don't think it's a big deal. I like them almost as much as the Maks. Decent guns for a great price.

Doug
 
I'll say it anyway!!!:D Resistance Is Futile!!!!;) You will be assimilated!!!!!:cool:

That seems to be the going rate nowadays for an unissued Mak. Some have filtered into the country, but not enough to lower the price to those of the good old days.

Still, Welcome to the Mak Collective!!!!
 
On the other hand, I think I saw somewhere that there may be more Maks coming into the market. IF this is true, then prices may come back down.
Click to expand...

DougB: Was this source reliable? I hope it's true because I've been looking to pick up another Mak or two. I've just been waiting to find one of those great deals around $100 that people sometimes report here.
 
Price? In my neck of the woods that's a fair price, not great, but fair. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

The recoil, as said in some posts above, is 'snappy'. Pierce or Makawrap grips will help out on this but for some odd reason, I like the issue grips.

For a good buy on ammo, check out Dan's at:

http://www.dansammo.com/

and for all kinds of neat accessories, check out:

www.makarov.com

The owner, Dr. Karl, is in the process of moving so his 'store' is closed but he'll be open again in a week or two.

You can buy stronger springs from him but I really don't think it's necessary. One thing that I always recommend in the plastic magazine loader gizmo he sells for 4 or 5 bucks. Buy one of these, trust me on this. Or, just wait until the magazine lips slice up your thumb - THEN you'll buy one.

Enjoy your Mak, you will.

Owen
 
denfoote, Thanks for the welcome to the collective. Didn't mean to steal your thunder!!

Sounds like a Mak is for me. I just need to see if I can get the dealer down a little. I am headed over this morning and see if he will take $170. I'll let you know.

Thanks for all the input. What a great place to get info from those that know. Thanks TFL!
 
My experience with Makarov's is that the slide is difficult to manipulate without practice as the recoil spring is quite stout for less experienced shooters. I recently had a friend leave one with me and the brains of the operation had a difficult time with it and she handles Berettas, SIGs and 1911's adeptly. If you do not mind loading it for family to shoot each time or investing the time to teach them how to master it, they are quite fun to shoot.
 
The Maks are great little pistols. I just shot my new Bulgie at the range yesterday. I paid $183 plus tax for mine with 3 boxes of Barnaul HPs, so the price is not great but not bad either.

With the hotter Russian ammo the recoil is a bit snappy, and i found that the stock grips had several sharp spots, as did the safety, that nipped at me is i wasn't careful. The gun shot very well, and it is going to be sent off and have better (i.e. nightsights) but on it and then it will go into my carry rotation.

I suspect that if you were to hunt down some of the lower powered 9mmp ammo (Federal Ballisticlean 100gr sp, anybodies 147gr FMJ) your wife and son would probably find that yor Sig kicked a bit less, and the Sig's bigger, easier to see three dot sights might also help their shooting.
 
I guess that I'm the odd man out here, but I don't find the Mak to have sharp recoil at all. I shoot mine quite a bit, and it still has the black Bulgie grips on it and everything. But then again, I'm that guy that thinks the recoil on M44 Nagants is highly overrated as well.

My wife used the Mak for her CCW class and she was the best shot in the class. Little side note, at the beginning of class the instructor told her that she needed to get rid of it and get herself a real gun. She then proceeded to outshoot everybody armed with all manner of more expensive guns including some really nice Sigs. :) At the end of class he retracted his statement. (Really good instructor too).
 
My $.02-

I don't recall what I gave for my Arsenal last year sometime but it was more than $105 but less than $189.

I shoot .44 mag in a 629, .44 special in a Charter 2000, and .22 mag in an NAA mini. I did find the odd-feeling recoil of the straight blowback operation a little stinging at first, but it's not the kind that affects control. I'm used to the gun now any and have put Pearce grips on as well.
 
Ok, went to the local shop today. They had 2 Makarovs. They were nice, but probably not $189 nice. They also had a Manurhin (Walther). I held both. Have to say I liked both, but I liked the feel of the Manurhin better.

I found a local FFL that can get me a better deal on a Mak, so I will wait on that until he finds a good one for a good price.

Any comments on the Manurhin? I am only looking at it for target shooting and plinking. Not to carry, so not worried about stopping power.

Thoughts? Comments? Flames?
 
Last year I bought two unissued Bulgies $140.00 w/tax out he door.

I like mine a lot. 9mmM may not be the most potent caliber out there but I think my Maks are an absolute blast to shoot.
Low recoil, accurate, cheap but very well made . All of these qualities make them my second favorite handguns. ;)
 
In November I bought an Unissued Bulgie with two mags, the funny leather holster and the cleaning/disassmbly rod for $120 + FFL transfer fees. The prices today seem to be higher, but it's still a fun and great little shooter for the price.

Recoil is short and snappy but not at all unpleasant, though the bakelite grips are less than comfortable. I put a pearce rubber grip on mine and it is more comfortable to shoot. Stock sites are teeny but still somewhat functional. The fit and finish was not as good as the East German Maks, but is still good. The first couple of times removing the slide was a little tricky -- it helps to remember that the Makarovs can take whatever you throw at them so don't be afraid to get physical with them. It shoots much more accurately than I'd have initially thought and 9x18 practice ammo is very affordable.

All in all it's on a very short list of under $200 pistols that are worth owning and are fun. If you get any complaints about the recoil of the Makarov, simply have them try a CZ-52 :)
 
I don't think that any "new" surplus Maks will be coming in unless the current administration changes some of the import restrictions imposed by Slick Willy. Prices will only go up.

Two ways to help control the snappy recoil of the Makarov are Pierce grips and use of a shooting glove.
 
gsl,

I assume you are talking about one of those (cough cough) French PPK's!!!:eek: Unless it is chambered for 9mm Kurtz, the Mak is a better gun!! Most of the PPK's were chambered for 7.65mm. (.380ACP) The 9mmMak is still a better round. ;)
 
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