Affordable, reliable pistol.

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Rasputin747

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Alright guys, here is the deal.

I am looking for an affordable, reliable gun for CCW purposes. My first thought is a Makarov. How much are those and could Makarov owners tell me of its reliability?

Any other suggestions?
 
I was going to say a used S&W Model 10, but since this is in the Auto Pistol board, I assume you mean a self-loader. Hmm. Some of the Taurus pistols are pretty reliable without being too expensive. Rugers also work well though they are big and clunky. You can sometimes get police trade ins for reasonable money and these can be any number of makes and models - S&Ws, Berettas, Glocks. Don't have enough experience with the Mak to make a recommendation one way or the other. The one I shot, shot pretty well, better than I thought it would, but I don't know how it would be down the line. The CZ83 would probably be the way I'd go. I don't know which of the Soviet Bloc guns are good and which are not. It is a fairly reliable design and I wouldn't feel bad about owning one as long as I shot it enough to know that it would work.
 
If you want a reliable Makarov size gun, I'd look at metal frame S&W police trade ins. You can find single stacks that are about the size of a Makarov just a bit more money, but in more potent calibers like 9mm Parabellum, 40 S&W, and even 45 ACP at times.

In .380 ACP (very similar to 9x18 Makarov) you can get a truly pocket sized Kel-Tec P3AT or NAA Guardian new for just slightly more than a surplus Mak or CZ-82/83. I can't speak for the Guardian, but my P3AT has been totally reliable right out of the box.

Let us know if you're looking more for a small belt like a Makarov, or something tiny for really deep carry and folks can make more recommendations.
 
A Makarov will serve you well. Is it the "best"? No, but no gun is ever the "best". The Mak uses a less powerful cartridge and is heavy but the advantages of a Mak are a time proven design, reliable, accuracy, inexpensive ammo and just the "coolness" of it.:D
 
the advantages of a Mak are a time proven design, reliable, accuracy, inexpensive ammo and just the "coolness" of it.
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That is why I wanted one. I bought an M44 for the same reason. It's reliable, accurate, and time proven. I don't look for fancy toys. The only thing really wanting me to halt off of the Makarov is the less-powerful ammo. But this is confirming my trust to a Makarov.

As for old police trade-ins, I will look into those more.
 
Too Many Choices

I think there are too many choices, I have a Taurus Mil Pro a lot of gun for the money, Kel Tec's are also good for the money, Bersa seems to have a lot of pleased customers, and if you don't mind some used guns there are Glocks, Sigs, CZ's(new and used) and many more. Buy as much gun as you can afford but what fits you and works for you.
 
I agree with bb21.

Maks usually shoot nice, and seem reliable. I'm not a fan of the magazine release being on the bottom of the grip.

Taurus makes some nice handguns that are reasonably priced. Glocks can be picked up for a decent price, but if you plan on shooting at the range much, I'd go with a G19/23. The G26 conceals well, but with the shorter grip, I don't handle it as well. Of course you can add magazine grip extensions, but then it's the same size as the G19 & G23.

A 4" 1911 conceals nicely. My choice is a Kimber Compact in stainless.

If you can, go rent some, or find somebody that shoots in your area and try some of theirs. That is THE best way to find what works for you. And lastly, buy as much gun as you can afford, but keep in mind, you are betting your life on that purchase.
 
Makarov are excellent guns. Not as refined as others but mine has always been reliable (.380 russian). If you have the $$ I would go with the glock 26. Someone said something about a ruger p95. I am actually looking into getting a p95 for myself. They are decently priced and from what I understand extremely reliable. I have a kel-tec 9mm which is really good for a CCW. Kel-tec makes a quality product for a pretty decent price. There are alot of options out there. What kind of $$ amount are you willing to spend?
 
Glock is right in that range. I dont own a glock, but I hope to soon. Cant go wrong with a glock. I would go for that if you can spend up to $600. Other people here may have other opinions and know more about handguns than me, but I dont hear too much about glocks being un-reliable.
 
If you decide upon a Makarov don't get the other pistols that shoot the same 9x18 cartridge that some advertise as Makarovs, such as the Polish P-64 and the FEG PA-63. An East German Makarov is a helluva gun. You can find as new examples on the auction sites for about $300 and the 40+ year old German craftsmanship is hard to beat.
 
How much are those and could Makarov owners tell me of its reliability?
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Somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. All mine were less than that, but I read that prices have gone up lately.

Extremely reliable.

Any other suggestions?
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What by you is "affordable"? The more money you can put into this project, the more choices you have. Get up in the $400 range, and you've got lots of choices.
 
I would go with a Glock 19. Simple, easy to use, reliable, cheap mags, cheap ammo...great gun.

Take a look at www.summitgunbroker.com and see what Mark has available. He usually has a decent selection of police trade guns for pretty good prices.

You mentioned the Makarov. While I have ZERO experience with one, it does seem that many people like them and carry them. I think there is a forum just for them, try a search if you are leaning that way.

Good luck, be safe.
 
CZ82, far better than any MAK at a better price Aim has them around $209 or so, read the threads about these guns. Also check em out in the Czech weapons forum on gunboards.com as well as in the Mak forum, many folks are sellin their bulgarian and even east german (the non-disputed best Mak ya can get) to replace them with the CZ82s
 
I carry a East German Makarov, the 9x18 will put out a little more than a .380 acp 20-30 ft/lbs. The mil-surp Maks have small sights but this can be changed $, mine points well for me. the mag. release takes some getting used to, but you will be less likely to drop your mag in the heat of battle :)
I think the CZ 82,83 would be a fine choice as well as the Bersa Thunder, but I doubt either would outlast a real Makarov.

Sorry to mention the CZ 83 it may not fit the "affordable" criterion, and come to think of it Makarov's ain't so cheap anymore, and 9x18 ammo is more expensive and harder to come by.

Things change.
 
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The Bersa's are a good buy. They are a good quality gun at a reasonable price. They are a decent size for CC and mine has been totally reliable. The factory mags are kind of pricey though.
 
For a true carry gun the Kel Tec P11 with a $7.00 belt clip is hard to beat. Light, 10 + 1 rounds, very easy to conceal & well under $300. If you start looking at high capacity 9's you can carry a .45acp Taurus PT145 in stainless for under $350.
My personal carry is a KT P32 when I can't reasonably carry a real gun, a P11 for intermediate & a P145SS when I can.
 
Shoot, for that kind of money, ($400-1000 you said?) get a Glock, XD, or whatever else you like AND a Mak.

I paid a little less than $200.00 for mine, (a Bulgarian) including tax and such. I understand they're getting hard to find, so if you want one, get it now.

I like mine enough that it's my main carry gun. It's a little heavy for it's size, being all steel, but that's about all I can say "bad" about it.

As someone else said make sure you get a "real" Makarov. Nothing wrong with the others that I know of, but they're not Maks.
 
Rasputin747
I am looking for an affordable, reliable gun
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Makarov.
I have 15 and I wouldn't hesitate to pick any one at random and carry it.

I purposely tried to get a new from the box Makarov to fail and I couldn't do it.
I had a couple feeding failures caused by a old bad magazine and one failure to fire because the firing pin was blocked by mud. It fired with the second double action trigger pull, mud and all.:D

My larger caliber choice is a 45 Kimber.

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=294814
 
May be too late, but ...

I purchased a Springfiled XD 40 Service model in .40 S&W about 3 months ago. I've got small hands and had to go with one of the slimmer grip styles. XD fit the bill well. The gun is light, accurate, very reliable and reasonably priced. Brand new with the XD gear package (mostly useless stuff) it was $460. I hadn't shot in years, took it out to the range and started filling the 9 ring at 15 yards consistently after the first couple of mags. Very little recoil and nice standard sights (although I would prefer, and will get, some Tritium night sights before it's all over).

Good gun for decent price.
 
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