Was thinking about getting one. Any insight?
Some random Makarov stuff.
9mm (9x19) brass can be trimmed back one mm and used to reload 9x18 (Mak) ammo.
In a tight pinch, 38 (.357) and 9mm (.355) light weight bullets can be used in Makarov reloads. There is loss of accuracy but the reloads are still accurate enough for normal pistol shooting distance.
Since the history of the used Makarovs is unknown, it's a good idea to replace the recoil spring with a 19 pound Wolff spring.
Makarovs are accurate. (consider that the shooter has 72 year old eyes and shaky hands, so the gun is a lot more accurate than these targets show)
This Bulgarian Mak shows a LOT of wear. It's not beat up but the hammer and sear were worn out. It is still accurate, as shown by this 52 yard target.
Standing , two hands.
100 yards. Russian Makarov. Standing, two hands. 7 out of 36 shots missed the silhouette, which of course is my fault, not the gun.
A .380 Russian Mak.
The Bulgarian Mak that was used in the above torture tests. It still shoots OK.
The Mak and Polish P-64 are almost the same size.