Tokarev vs. Makarov
- Thread starter keko
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Cheapshooter
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LOL
Yeah, I bought a CZ 52 a couple years later, and knowingly over paid. $175. But at the time while others were selling them fifty bucks or more less, I knew this one was like new, maybe never fired, so I didn't mind.
I think my East German Mack was under two hundred, and my Polish, Romanina, and Yugo M57 Tokarevs were just ove a hundred.
Oh, the good old days!!!
I actually typed out a decent comparison of the Tokarev and Makarov until I realized this thread was more than a decade old.
Same here. I paid around $150-175 for my CZ52 back in the day. There were $100 CZ52's available, but I wanted one in the best condition. I think I might have even paid a hand select fee.
I wish I had bought more ammo, though. I think it was my second firearm, the first being a 10/22. I was used to rimfire ammo prices, so I didn't realize 7.62x25 was so horrifyingly cheap at the time. I think it was a nickel a round or something absurd like that. Maybe less? That seemed about right for pistol ammo, I thought. I figured I'd never shoot 1000 rounds at a time, so I'd save a lot of money by only buying a box or two at a time instead.
You'd be surprised. Deals on Makarovs can still be had since 9x18 is obscure and unpopular. I picked up a Russian commercial Mak last year for $175, and that's from a real gun shop! In the last couple years, I've seen $250-300 East German and Russian commercial Maks at gun shows.
Right now, we are bottoming out on a wave of recent Bulgarian imports. Sportman's Guide has them for $200. There's also all kinds of Tokarevs out there, but I haven't been keeping up on them.
Nope.
First, such a conversion is basically impossible. 7.62x25 is not even close to fitting in the gun. It looks like my CZ52 magazine might actually be longer than the Makarov's frame. So it would require a new frame entirely.
Also, 7.62x25 is a spicy cartridge and it wouldn't work in a blowback pistol with such a light slide and springs. And it doesn't fit. So there's a new slide. And a new barrel.
So with a new frame, slide, and barrel, you now have a new Makarov-like pistol that accepts some Makarov trigger parts, some of which will need to be stretched to function in the new longer frame.
Finally, cheap 7.62x25 dried up more than a decade ago (much like this thread). These days, it costs maybe $.31-.36 a round. That's twice as much as 9x19, or about as much as 10mm. That's not terribly compelling.
Same here. I paid around $150-175 for my CZ52 back in the day. There were $100 CZ52's available, but I wanted one in the best condition. I think I might have even paid a hand select fee.
I wish I had bought more ammo, though. I think it was my second firearm, the first being a 10/22. I was used to rimfire ammo prices, so I didn't realize 7.62x25 was so horrifyingly cheap at the time. I think it was a nickel a round or something absurd like that. Maybe less? That seemed about right for pistol ammo, I thought. I figured I'd never shoot 1000 rounds at a time, so I'd save a lot of money by only buying a box or two at a time instead.
You'd be surprised. Deals on Makarovs can still be had since 9x18 is obscure and unpopular. I picked up a Russian commercial Mak last year for $175, and that's from a real gun shop! In the last couple years, I've seen $250-300 East German and Russian commercial Maks at gun shows.
Right now, we are bottoming out on a wave of recent Bulgarian imports. Sportman's Guide has them for $200. There's also all kinds of Tokarevs out there, but I haven't been keeping up on them.
Nope.
First, such a conversion is basically impossible. 7.62x25 is not even close to fitting in the gun. It looks like my CZ52 magazine might actually be longer than the Makarov's frame. So it would require a new frame entirely.
Also, 7.62x25 is a spicy cartridge and it wouldn't work in a blowback pistol with such a light slide and springs. And it doesn't fit. So there's a new slide. And a new barrel.
So with a new frame, slide, and barrel, you now have a new Makarov-like pistol that accepts some Makarov trigger parts, some of which will need to be stretched to function in the new longer frame.
Finally, cheap 7.62x25 dried up more than a decade ago (much like this thread). These days, it costs maybe $.31-.36 a round. That's twice as much as 9x19, or about as much as 10mm. That's not terribly compelling.
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I have an East German Makarov and Romanian Tokarev. I like the Mak better, but it is a later design (Just after WWII, with the Tokarev being a just after WWI design).
The Mak is a blowback pistol loosely based on the Walther PP. The barrel is fixed to the frame. It has a slide mounted safety with a decocker. The trigger is DA/SA (double action on first shot, single action on all following shots) Recoil of 9x19 Mak is fairly negligible with the weight and size of the gun. Mine has a nice trigger in SA mode and it's pretty accurate.
The Tokarev is loosely based on the 1911 with the same tilting barrel lockup. Takedown is almost identical to the 1911. The guns didn't originally have a safety, but one was added on importation. It simply blocks the trigger. The gun is very thin and feels good in the hand despite the fact that it has a nearly 90 pistol grip instead of an angled grip we see in modern guns. The gun is simple, reliable and well made. The 7.62x25 round is very light (about the same bullet weight as .380) and very fast which means it has flat ballistics and you can have fun trying to make long range shots with little bullet drop.
As a cool C&R guns, they are interesting fun to shoot. As defensive arms there are much better choices in the size and weight of these guns. The sights are crude and the ammo is not the easiest to find. They are very old designs that basically dead ended with these two examples. I highly recommend getting one of each.
Romanian TTC Tokarev pistol
East German Makarov (at top right) along with Walther PP, CZ70 and S&W J-frame handguns
The Mak is a blowback pistol loosely based on the Walther PP. The barrel is fixed to the frame. It has a slide mounted safety with a decocker. The trigger is DA/SA (double action on first shot, single action on all following shots) Recoil of 9x19 Mak is fairly negligible with the weight and size of the gun. Mine has a nice trigger in SA mode and it's pretty accurate.
The Tokarev is loosely based on the 1911 with the same tilting barrel lockup. Takedown is almost identical to the 1911. The guns didn't originally have a safety, but one was added on importation. It simply blocks the trigger. The gun is very thin and feels good in the hand despite the fact that it has a nearly 90 pistol grip instead of an angled grip we see in modern guns. The gun is simple, reliable and well made. The 7.62x25 round is very light (about the same bullet weight as .380) and very fast which means it has flat ballistics and you can have fun trying to make long range shots with little bullet drop.
As a cool C&R guns, they are interesting fun to shoot. As defensive arms there are much better choices in the size and weight of these guns. The sights are crude and the ammo is not the easiest to find. They are very old designs that basically dead ended with these two examples. I highly recommend getting one of each.
Romanian TTC Tokarev pistol
East German Makarov (at top right) along with Walther PP, CZ70 and S&W J-frame handguns
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Pond James Pond
New member
A decade too late doesn't automatically mean it is not interesting to read, so I'm glad you took the time to type!!
BearBrimstone
New member
Too bad we can't still get Tokarevs and Maks at the prices they were when this thread was started.
Mike Irwin
Staff
There's no reason for this thread to have been resurrected after nearly 13 years.
Closed.
Closed.
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