9mm Mak

[wojownik]

... the Makarov is not all that heavy.

The most important things are the gun it fits your hand, is accurate,reasonably powerful, and reliable. And if for CCW, slim.

The above about sums it up ... It is a military firearm, after all, from a different era. It is slim, reliable as heck, surprisingly accurate, but those sights may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Trigger pull might merely need some cleaning or may smooth out after some range time. My Russian Mak PM has a smooth, very usable trigger pull to the break, and my Bulgy Mak a bit less smooth but still very usable. But, by no means, do either have a light pull weight.

My commercial Izh Mak's trigger is a bit rough and heavier than the military PMs, but that is still NIB, believe it or not. The German Mak trigger is smooth but a bit heavier than the Russian or Bulgy. Both the Izh and EG mak triggers stack up more noticably than the the military Bulgy and Russian, but that may or may not be something that improve with some use.

Outside of the core Makarov PM family, the Polish P-64 has an entirely unusable trigger, unless springs are replaced. The Polish p-83 is a rougher looking variant of the Mak PM, and has a usable trigger pull (a bit rougher at first, but smoothing out with use), and somewhat better sights (IMHO). Also a bit better grip. I don't think the p-83 pistols get enough limelight as they should, compared to their other 9x18 cousins.

Opinions please!

Back to the OP, a price of $298 from the LGS is not too bad (AIM had them for $279, but are out of stock, i think. Plus you would need to add shipping and FFL fees for an on-line purchase). Also, seeing it in person as a huge plus over on-line orders, without having to tack on a "hand select" fee. So, all in all, $298 may actually be a deal.

Hard for me to get too excited over a $300 Makarov, though, since I bought all of mine in the $150-175 range. The again, as my kids pointed out to me last night "hee hee ... your old ... hee hee". Wish I had bought more, back in the day.

 

[gillmeister692]

And a few personal comments;

All steel, battle proven reliability. I don't consider it to be clunky though.

The safety on the slide is somewhat different from American designs. When the safety is on it locks up the slide and trigger. For CCW mine has the safety off.

Since Silver Bear ammunition is so affordable it is one of the few cartridges I don't reload for. My shooting buddy and I both have Maks. He carries JHP's. I carry FMJ's. He prefers expansion and I prefer penetration. Both of us consider ourselves to be equally well armed.

I like to store my factory ammunition in the all steel surplus G.I. ammo cans. 12 50 round boxes of Silver Bear (600 rounds) fit perfectly in a 30 cal. can.

With respect to the safety lever on the Makarov I carry, I find it extremely easy to "wipe" off the safety with a downward motion of my left thumb. It's a natural, instinctive movement.

 

[Stringfellow]

First of all, I agree that there are way too many modern alternatives, so that the CZ82 isn't really a legitimate carry choice nor is it worthy of expensive customization.

But as a purely academic exercise, the pistol could be thin. Its grips are thick, but needlessly so. I had a pair of slim grips made for mine, and the result was barely over an inch thick.

Similarly, its ambi safeties and its slide release are waaayyyy overbuilt and could be reduced by almost half an inch without any meaningful impact to operation (I suspect they were built for gloved operation). Once again, it is financially not worthy of the expense, but custom G10 grips, slide release, and a non-ambi safety would make this a pretty compact carry pistol...

 

[Capybara]

CZ82 isn't a legitimate carry choice? I have mine on my CCW and carry it. Yes, 9x18 Mak is underpowered as a primary carry round and the CZ82 is a bit big and heavy but totally legit for those who want to carry it. Just not the best choice. Best choice for me is my Shield 9mm

 

[PabloJ]

Makarovs are great guns - very reliable and very accurate. I find its an enjoyable gun to shoot as well due to the fact that it is pretty light recoiling. The Bulgarians are the most common and aren't quite as well finished as E. Germans or Russians but are still very good. For a shooter you can't go wrong with a Bulgarian.

The 9x18 is similar to a hot .380 but does not have a great selection of defensive ammo in the Golden Saber, Gold Dot, PDX1 type loadings. That said, there are HP loadings from companies like Wolf etc. I tend to carry FMJs in my 9x18 weapons in a preference for penetration.

Makarovs typically fit well in Walther PPK marked holsters which makes it relatively easy to find a good holster.

Although not interchangeable for all practical purposes 9x17 and 9x18 have equal performance as 100fps or less difference in velocity makes no difference in performance. For Makarov Bersa Thunder .380 holster should be chosen insead of one made for the PPK.

 

[Ignition Override]

Cooldill:
Thinner grips are avail. for the CZ-82.

If somebody wants My nice wooden grips, send me a message. Exc. condition.
Can determine a price when home by Tuesday.