[mrming]

Just fired a Bulgy makarov this past weekend and was impressed by it. Last time I had fired one it was grossly inaccurate, and tried hard to chew up the webbing between my thumb and index finger.

This one however, suffered none of these problems. 25 feet and I was putting two and three rounds into the same hole. My only compliant was that it stung more than it should for the caliber. Has anyone found a decent replacement for the stock grips that reduces this?

[SouthpawShootr]

Just the Pearce rubber grip. Adds quite a bit of girth to the gun. These rubber grips should help with the stinging.

Personally, I prefer the Russian standard "Red Star" stocks and have them on my two Bulgies. I'm thinking about getting some East German plastic stocks, though. Profile is about the same as the Red Star grips, but they're black, without the lanyard loop and no star.

[Zundfolge]

Most comfortable are the Pearce rubber grips.


However they are fat so if you plan on carrying the gun you might want to consider some nice wood grips from www.makarov.com (assuming they stll have any in stock..which I doubt)


I have a set of African Blackwood grips done by the guy who used to supply makarov.com with their grips (however I believe he's retired)

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8325


There have been guys who have taken the stock "red star" grips and sprayed or dunked them with "grip dip" ... the stuff you use to dip screwdrivers and other hand tools to give them a rubberized grip, and this seems to make them more comfortable to shoot (and its cheap too)

[mrming]

Hrms. I'm handy enough to produce my own wood scales if it came to it.

I do happen to have about a liter worth of liquid latex laying around.. Wonder if i I could mold something up..

[wingman]

Still some "makawrap" out there on ebay, etc, dont think they are produced
now, rubber, squared back. Not to pretty but helps with recoil.
Try finding ammo with 95gr, such as blazer, ww, white box, etc, wolf and such is in my opinion hot for the 9x18.
The Mak with proper loads is a fun, accurate pistol, one short coming I
believe is the lack of good quality ammo, I reload so not a problem for me.

[MrTuffPaws]

The Pearce girps are fat. I own one, and moved back to the red star grip.

I think you will find though that being a blow back design, the Mak just has a heavy snappy recoil and there is little that you can do about it.

[lee n. field]

Hrms. I'm handy enough to produce my own wood scales if it came to it.

Pure wood grips are probably going to be too prone to breaking. You might be better off trying to make some wood panels to fit cheap and readily available stock grips.

I used Pearce grips for a good long time, but I've gone back to stock plastic grips.

[rde]

Well....you coul just drop in a heavier recoil spring as well which will help some.. Available a Makarov.com I think.

[grimjaw]

If you're not opposed to the idea, you can rebarrel your Makarov to .380ACP. Makes the recoil much easier to handle with any grip.

I don't like the Pearce grips at all, too spongy, but they do sting less over sustained periods of fire. I am partial to the Red Star grips most of all.

jmm

[Teakwood]

I strongly suggest that re-barreling the Mak to .380 is not the best way to go.

There are several things that contribute to inaccuracy and heavier-than-expected recoil/shock.

The simple causes are:
hold, grip-to-gun-fit, grip, recoil spring

1) Hold
If you do not hold the pistol properly and firmly, it will tend to jerk around and go off target.

2) grip-to-gun-fit
Make sure the grip fits the frame well and the grip screw is tight,

3) grip
Some of the grips for Makarovs work better than others. I have tried most all that are available. The Pearce grip is nice and cushy, but a little fat foricarry. If you remove the lanyard rung from the red star, it is a very suitable grip. The East German grip works well also.
I have found that what works best for me is a de-horned red star or EG grip, with an Agrip wrap from Brookstactical.com.

4) recoil spring
Remember that the Maks are mostly milsurp. The condition of the recoil spring can vary greatly. I have 18 Maks and I installed Wolff replacement recoil spriungs on all but 1.
The first time I installed a 19# replacement spring, the pistol was immediately easier to handle and displayed improved accuracy.
If you shoot the heavier bullets (105 gr, 109 gr, 115 gr, 120 gr), a 21# recoil spring should be considered de rigeur.