makarov pistol advice

[daddy-o]

Need a little help/advice. I really don't know to much about these but thinking about getting one. Maybe for cc. Anyway is there a difference between countrys. Is one better then other I've seen them from poland, and bulg.
Thanks
daddy-o

 

[bigfug]

From a reliability standpoint, I dont think there is a difference. Some collectors prefer one over the other. Buy one and shoot the hell out of it.

 

[ldp4570]

Need a little help/advice. I really don't know to much about these but thinking about getting one. Maybe for cc. Anyway is there a difference between countrys. Is one better then other I've seen them from poland, and bulg.
Thanks
daddy-o

This is how they break down;
Russian military maks/not the civilian with adj. sights.
East German, more because of the rarity.
Bulgaria, some of your best shooters.
Polish, yet I don't think they made any PM's just the PA63's and 64's.

Your Russian, and East German ones are costly, and as far as I'm concerned not worth what folks are willing to pay for them. All the Bulgarian ones I've seen and shot(I also own one) have been of very good quality, and very accurate.

 

[Perplexed]

This is how they break down;
Russian military maks/not the civilian with adj. sights.
East German, more because of the rarity.
Bulgaria, some of your best shooters.
Polish, yet I don't think they made any PM's just the PA63's and 64's.

Your Russian, and East German ones are costly, and as far as I'm concerned not worth what folks are willing to pay for them. All the Bulgarian ones I've seen and shot(I also own one) have been of very good quality, and very accurate.

I'll agree with all these, except for the East German comment. From what I've heard - and from the several EG specimens I've owned or fired - I'd say the EG Makarovs are of excellent quality, and worth the money some people are asking. However, if you're just getting into the Makarov market, a Bulgy Mak would probably be the best way to start.

 

[criticalbass]

One more player is the Chinese Maks. PA 63 and P64 just shoot the Mak ammo, but are not Makarov pistols.

There are some commercial Maks with "target" sights put on for import points. These are a product of Russia (post Soviet). They are otherwise all Makarov, though some of them shoot .380 ammo. (Do not shoot .380 in a 9x18 gun, by the way . . .)

Most Makarovniks (Mak nuts) like the East German guns best for fit and finish. Function is reliable in all four countries of origin. I have some from all four countries, and find them all to be very reliable. I almost always carry an old East German gun I have had for many years.

These are simple, robust, uber reliable guns. I have a ton of spare parts I never expect to need. There is also an elegant little .22 conversion kit floating around for these. I have a couple of these on dedicated frames, and they are fun to shoot.

Over on Gunboards.com there is a Makarov forum, and there is also a site called Makarov.com which has about everything you would want to know about Maks. They used to have a store, closed it, but are leaving theri very useful site up. CB

 

[StorkPatrol]

lpd4570 is close with his break down.

Bear in mind that there are true Makarovs of the original Pistolet Makarova design, and there are other Eastern European handguns that happen to share the 9x18mm calliber. Real PM's were made in Russia, Bulgaria, East Germany, and China. All are good quality. Some say the East Germans are the nicest. Some say the Bulgarians are the nicest. The Russians also made some commercial versions in .380 ACP. I have actually never seen one from China.

Other East Block 9x18 handguns you may encounter are...

--Hungarian Pa-63 which is actually more closely related to the Wlather PP. Has an aluminum frame and 7 round magazines. The light weight and oddly shaped grip cause a lot of complaints about recoil.

--Polish P-64 which is sort of a shrunken down steel frame Mak. Has 6 round magazines. The most common complaint is a very heavy double action trigger.

--Czech CZ-82 which is somewhat larger and heavier than the others. It has a double stack 12 round magazine. The extra weight and wider grip makes it very pleasant to shoot. Generally nice triggers in both double and single action. Also there is the CZ-83 which is the same gun offered commercially in .380 and .32.

Oh, and to answer your original question, the "true" Makarovs make great carry guns. I carry my Bulgarian Makarov whenever I don't feel like holstering up a full size handgun. Every once in a while I carry my CZ-82. The CZ-82 is more often used as a fun, cheap, and accurate range toy.

Hope this helps. --Stork

 

[AKguy1985]

if anyone is interested aimsurplus has some bulgarian maks right now

 

[GUN DOG]

Buy it & don't look back. I have 3 bulgi maks, 1 was carried by the bulgarian policia, prob 30% blue is gone, shoots great & I hardley even clean it Just keeps going bang, it also had a pierce grip on it, 2nd was almost new in box put a MAK rap grip on it nice & thin, 3rd is still new in the grease with 2 matching ser # mags in the wax paper & waxy cardboard box. Got them a number of years ago when the were cheap & I did,t have a clue what they were. After I got the 1st one with the missing blue the other 2 showed up in short order

 

[septic_shock]

Every once in a while I carry my CZ-82. The CZ-82 is more often used as a fun, cheap, and accurate range toy.

Agreed. I purchased one of these from OA this past weekend. Took it to H&H and was very surprised at the accuracy and butter-smooth trigger. I think I'm gonna try a carry rig for it.

 

[sleepyj]

I have a EG and a Bulgy the EG is a tighter made gun with a better finish but they both shoot equally. They are very accurate little guns.