[Kestrel]

What american manufacturers make a good, heavy HP for the Makarov?

(I know heavy is relative in this caliber, but I'd like to get the heaviest available in a good bullet design.)

Thanks,
Steve

[RON in PA]

To my knowledge no American manufacturer makes a HP bullet for the Makarov heavier than 95 grains.

The most readily available Mak HP cartridge other than CCI and Hornady seems to be the Russian Barnaul 95 grain HP. All three function 100% in my Maks.

I think that a good case can be made for using ball in the Mak as penetration with the HP is not all that deep. While Wolf makes a good, reliable 105 gr ball load, don't like it as well as the regular 95 grain load. The Wolf is hard on my hand and probably hard on the gun.

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. The heaviest I've seen is the 115-gr JHP and 120-gr JHP. The 115-gr that I have is made in Russia under the name, "Brown Bear." I THINK that the 120-gr is "Silver Bear." You might check over at www.makarov.com about this ammo and how well it works and if they have it available. I had problems with the 115-gr until I did some ramp work on my Makarovs. In the US, selection is a bit more limited and I think the heaviest bullets used are the standard 95-gr in either ball or JHP.

Best.

[makarov]

I have used Russian ammo that is 109 grain on a regular basis. I would tend to stick with a bullet close to what the pistol was designed for. Mine have been very reliable with the 95 and 109 grain ammo. Either FMJ or cheap HP. I don't really have them as self-defense weapons however. They are really just fun plinkers. I would feel comfortable with them if I did have to use one for self-defense though. They are accurate and reliable litttle guns.

[Kestrel]

Thanks for all the help and replies. Maybe I should rethink this and just use FMJ for the penetration. Hmmm....

Thanks again,
Steve

[Snowdog]

Yep, Silverbear offers a 120gr JHP that expands beautifully. Unfortunately, they have a horrible track record for reliability. My personal experience certainly verified that record IMO.

[KeysBear]

I bought 1000 rounds of PS Grand 95 grain FMJ ammo from makarov.com for $140.00 including shipping. It has a little more kick than the Winchester I was using before, but not much more. I've shot about 300 rounds of it so far, and for me it's a winner. I still keep Hornady JHP's loaded in my Maks when they are at at home.

Regards, Keys :cool: