Yesterday I did a little trading culling a few unwanted guns out of my arsenal. I ended up getting almost twice what I had anticipated (I love it when that happens) so after grabbing a SIG522 I had enough left over to pick up some odds and end that included an East German Makarov.
The shop had a number of Makarovs (some in .380), all Russian, except for one. I'm no Makarov expert but when I see "Germany" stamped on a Mak I know that it's East Germany. Thanks to a recent thread here I knew that the East German was most likely the pick of the litter. As I drove home with the top down on my Jeep and the gun laying on the seat next to me I couldn't help but notice the finish on the gun. I was amazed that a COMBLOC gun could have such a great finish, but then again it is German.
This one turns out to be an Ernst Thaelmann of 1964 vintage in 9x18 Mak. While the photo doesn't show it (that streak is from my gun cloth) the gun is in 90%+ condition, probably closer to 95%, conservatively. It came with a holster and extra mag. Unfortunately the number etched in the spare mag doesn't match the gun's serial number. The other mag does. All other serial numbers match.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this acquisition. I paid $300 for it which seemed reasonable. I wasn't up on Makarov prices, but it felt like found money so I didn't feel the need to go onto the Net from my PDA to research pricing. I've never shot 9x18 Mak and look forward to it. A CZ-83 that I once had was in .380 (which seemed pretty pointless to me despite being a very nice gun). I could see a few more Maks in my collection, next time a Russian.
The shop had a number of Makarovs (some in .380), all Russian, except for one. I'm no Makarov expert but when I see "Germany" stamped on a Mak I know that it's East Germany. Thanks to a recent thread here I knew that the East German was most likely the pick of the litter. As I drove home with the top down on my Jeep and the gun laying on the seat next to me I couldn't help but notice the finish on the gun. I was amazed that a COMBLOC gun could have such a great finish, but then again it is German.
This one turns out to be an Ernst Thaelmann of 1964 vintage in 9x18 Mak. While the photo doesn't show it (that streak is from my gun cloth) the gun is in 90%+ condition, probably closer to 95%, conservatively. It came with a holster and extra mag. Unfortunately the number etched in the spare mag doesn't match the gun's serial number. The other mag does. All other serial numbers match.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this acquisition. I paid $300 for it which seemed reasonable. I wasn't up on Makarov prices, but it felt like found money so I didn't feel the need to go onto the Net from my PDA to research pricing. I've never shot 9x18 Mak and look forward to it. A CZ-83 that I once had was in .380 (which seemed pretty pointless to me despite being a very nice gun). I could see a few more Maks in my collection, next time a Russian.