makarov

Excellent carry weapon! Mine isn't all that accurate with the European ammo but will hold a handsized group with 95gr Hornady XTP's in my handloads. It's a little more potent than a 380 but with a good grip you can have "three in the air" at a time.

Most of my friends have multiple Makarovs. I'm a big Makarov fan. I have 16. About half are Bulgarian.


The guns are very tough and reliable. A little while back I did a non destructive torture test trying to make a new Bulgarian Mak malfunction in a thousand rounds.
There was not one gun caused malfunction in over 1,000 rounds.







ETC.........


I finished up testing the gun at 35 yards. The gun actually shoots much better than this but this is about all the 70+ year old shooter can do.



Standing plinking with a very well worn Bulgarian Mak at 52 yards.

M2...
why do you have to rub it in
or were you just showing off?

Someday I too hope to have a FEW of those...

Maks are sweet little shooters. I call them the AKs of the pistol world. Went back to carrying mine after the Sig FTF. Mags started jamming. Will be adding to my assortment asap.

There was not one gun caused malfunction in over 1,000 rounds.

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Is this to be interpreted that there were other malfunctions? Mag related perhaps? Torture tests are always fun to read so I'm curious.

The Bulgarian Makarovs are very well regarded. They are thought to be somewhat behind the Russian and E German ones in finish.

I still wish I had bought one back in 2004 when they were super cheap.

M2...
why do you have to rub it in
or were you just showing off?

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The way I present information is.............
from personal hands on experience if possible.........
if I have some info, especially something a little unusual, I pass it on...........
I always the tell the truth (as I see it) good or bad............
show pictures if available...........
show targets if available...........
show anything unusual (like putting your new gun in mud

Showing off? Not likely.
I do have a lot of guns that I might show if it seems approprate, but there's really nothing to show off about just because you have been able to buy stuff.

I usually explain that I am 73 with shaky hands and old eyes and in most cases a younger shooter should be able to get more out of the gun than I do.
So sometimes I'll say something like, "I could only shoot this well but I think the gun will hold a couple inch group in the hands of a better shooter".

There was not one gun caused malfunction in over 1,000 rounds.

Is this to be interpreted that there were other malfunctions? Mag related perhaps? Torture tests are always fun to read so I'm curious.

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There were a few malfunctions. One was a bad factory primer. As I recall the other was a bad reload (mine).

The third was when I picked the gun out of the mud (loaded, cocked, round in the chamber) and I pulled the trigger.
The space between the hammer and firing pin was full of mud.
The gun did not fire on the first pull of the trigger but did fire on the second (DA) pull of the trigger.
I continued to pull the trigger and the gun emptied the magazine. (above picture)

And when a couple rounds jammed feeding, I saw a magazine was cracked. Very unusual. Of course I threw the mag away and never had the problem again.



So, It depends on how you look at it. On the first trigger pull, when the mud blocked the hammer, the gun could not fire. Was that a gun caused malfunction or not?
I say NO, but I won't argue if others say YES.

yeah, I know, I'm just jealous.

I said it before. When I see a Mak thread I always look forward to the picks & coments of M2 Carbine . Thanks for them & Keep on posting.

Yes, Pachmayr makes a nice rubber grip for the Makarov. It is wider and cushions some of the gun's sharp recoil. A lot of people like that grip.
Last I saw, a few years ago, they were selling for about $15.

I gave 175 for the one I have , what have they been going for?

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I haven't seen many Maks at the gun shows in the last couple years. And haven't seen any Maks in good shape for under $300. I think nice East German Maks are bringing $400+ now.

Back in 2006 I bought this refinished EG Mak from a dealer who had it refinished for a personal gun. It turned out so nice he never used it. I paid $340 for it. I haven't used it either.



This one has a Bulgarian 22 Conversion. They were available from makarov.com for a short while.

I'd say the Bulgarian Maks are the second best made and third most valuable (the best are the East German and the most valuable are the Simson Suhl, post unification German ones). I'd put the Bulgies and Russian military Maks on the same level.

My Bulgie is one of the guns I've sold over the years that I regret selling the most (I had Novak sights installed by the guys at Makarov.com ... they're out of business now).

I got to thinking, the grips aren't Pachmayr, they are Pearce. It appearers they are still selling for around $15.

http://www.amazon.com/Pearce-Black-Grips-Makarov-Md/dp/B000NK0EGW

I have a Chinese Makarov, and love it. I tried a couple of .380's before it (Beretta Model 70 and Walther PPK), but never got any decent results from them. My Makarov is much more accurate than they ever were, and very dependable. It is my go-to carry gun.

Nice Gun, simple gun. For concealed carry, sure. However, there are better guns made nowadays with higher capacity, better round for the weight. Also, 9X18 MAK defensive ammo is limited to 2-3 loads tops.

Anyone else have any comments about the Chinese Mak's? I have one on a 60 day hold and my palms are gettin' itchy....

Nice Gun, simple gun. For concealed carry, sure. However, there are better guns made nowadays with higher capacity, better round for the weight. Also, 9X18 MAK defensive ammo is limited to 2-3 loads tops.

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eh, you're not going to get more capacity in a gun as slim as the mak. more powerful rounds, sure.

for about $230 though, the mak makes a serviceable, dead nuts reliable carry gun. i couldn't fault someone for carrying one.

M2 carbine: I have to say, I've always respected the Mak's for what they could do but never regarded them as anything special to look at, but I have to say that is one beautiful pistol. I been meaning to get SOMETHING chrome plated myself, but can't settle on a good candidate .

My first carry gun was a Bulgy Mak, now it resides in my nightstand. I think I paid around $120 for it in 2004. I still consider it the most reliable weapon I own. There are other choices for CCW out there that will give you more firepower in a smaller and lighter package, but for a first carry gun I figure a Mak is about perfect. They are accurate, too, although my FEG SMC-918 is even more accurate than the Bulgarian.

Anyone else have any comments about the Chinese Mak's? I have one on a 60 day hold and my palms are gettin' itchy....

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I've had 2 Chinese Maks, and both had pretty rough triggers, and rough machining inside. But they still worked 100%, as with all my Makarovs.

Based on my experience, I rate the order of Makarov fit and finish quality:
East German
Bulgarian
Russian
Chinese