Sparky the Mak

[Kalos]

Hey all! I just picked up a Bulgarian Mak the other weekend--per the faq at makarov.com, it's an '85, with a perfect like-new finish and excellent bore.

When I took it out to the range, with Wolf 109gr FMJ, it did its thing quite admirably--though the ammo itself was somewhat inconsistent. But it left me with two big questions: First, in addition to the typical muzzle flash, I tended to notice some sparks flying 'round with each shot. Is this normal, just an effect of break-in, or something else? Second--the DA pull is -really- frickin' heavy. I know the trigger's supposed to smooth out after a bit of break in, but is there anything that can be done to reduce the weight? If not--well, I guess I'll get some tiny barbells for finger curls...

 

[Zundfolge]

Your title should be "Wolf the Sparky"

Wolf is the dirtiest ammo I've ever shot and it sparks out of my Mak and my Steyr M40.


go to http://www.makarov.com/tech.html and scroll down to "Improving the Trigger"

 

[denfoote]

Wolf is dirty ammo, but the Mak was designed to fire it.
The D/A trigger pull is what it is!! The gun was not designed as a target pistol. It was made to shoot prisoners in the back of the head!!
You don't need a great trigger or fancy sights to do that!!

 

[Kalos]

Hey, I've got no problems with the dirt--just curious about the sparks.

And as to the trigger pull--I'm not looking for a target-type pull; personally, I'm as happy or happier with a military type trigger than light target one. The SA trigger is fine--it's the DA one that was giving me fits. But I'm sure I'll get used to it if it can't be changed.

 

[alamo]

I tried dryfiring my unissued Bulagarian to loosen up the DA trigger, 2,000 dryfires later, very little result. I tried polishing the parts recommended at makarov.com and still no noticeable improvement, just a tad smoother but still heavy.

A friend tried something that worked well for me too. Remove the mainspring and get a dremel with a grinding wheel. Grind down the sides of the DA "prong" of the mainspring. I ground for awhile, reassembled it and compared the DA trigger to my EG Mak which has a light and smooth DA trigger. I kept grinding till the DA pulls were about equal.

I then smoothed the sides out with some sandpaper and re-blued the mainspring. It is now approx. 6 pounds or so vs. about 13 lbs. when I started. I've got about 150 rounds through it since this modification - no problems at all.

In the unlikely event you take off too much metal, you can always get another mainspring cheap from Makarov.com. You really have to grind for awhile to have a noticeably result. I wasn't using the Dremal at the highest speed but probably could have initially for a bit. You lose some control though at high speeds. I started just a bit below the top where it curves and worked by way down and stopped where it turns round at the bottom.

I tried a new EG mainspring from Makarov.com but this didn't help. A used one would have probably worked better.

 

[RON in PA]

Pistols (Maks and Polish P-64s) chambered in 9x18 seem to spark in my experience and that's with several brand of Russian ammo.

Both my Maks improved their DA trigger pull over time. Both are better than my Walther PP and if you want a DA trigger that requires a gorilla hand shoot a Polish P-64.