How many of you guys carry a Makarov

[gym]

Just curious if any carry the 9mm mak? as a SD gun or a BUG, have been looking at them, and the prices "just like everything else" are way up there.

 

[PabloJ]

I used to own Baikal IJ in what everyone that looked at it through was stainless steel. It proved to be very nicely done chrome plate. The gun was very reliable with all types of JHPs and FMJs. Traded it for S&W 457s.

If you get 9x18 make sure to get Pistolet Makarova or CZ82 as those are two of the best. Ukrainians make few more modern samples that externally look like CZ75s but those are not available in US.

 

[Three Gun Ken]

A poor man's PPK

If you look at their stats (PPK vs. Makarov) they are about equal in most respects however the 9mm Mak cartridge is superior to the .380, .32, or .22 the Walther is chambered for IMHO. And perusing Gunsamerica, GunBroker.com, and few others sites show the Mak to be around $400~ cheaper too.

 

[antiquus]

I have a CZ-82, and had a PA-63 I carried quite a bit. The maks as a group are reliable, simple, and the 3.5 to 4" barrels give the mak round a bit of advantage over the .380's typically using something shorter. The PA, sadly, has become hard to find and more expensive, since I sold mine to a good friend and wanted to replace it. I had it sighted at 50yd, and it would shoot well, even with the small sights. The small sights I preferred as less likely to snag on a draw. It's the lightest mak pistol out there because of the aluminum frame.

The CZ is the most sophisticated mak out there, but at 2 lbs it's a bit to tote. The trigger and grip are sweet though, and it's a joy to shoot.

I have also heard good reports about the Radom P-64, which is the smallest mak frame (6+1) and tends to muzzle flip a little, but springs help that.

For "tie it on a rope and drag it behind the truck" toughness the Pistolet Makarova is the most durable.

 

[hentown]

I, Vladimir Stravinsky, carry the preferred sidearm of the gendarmes of the Motherland!

 

[nathan]

I do with my all steel Russian IJ 18. It just conceals so well , thanks to the slimness of the design. Plus two mags in my pocket giving me 16 rds more as backup.

 

[Pilot]

I sometimes carry a Bulgarian Makarov. I find it superior to my Walther PP in almost every way. Dead nuts reliable, accurate, the safety operates in the proper way, and no slide bite.

 

[WardenWolf]

I used to carry my Makarov, but I downsized to its smaller brother, the Polish P-64. It was just easier for me to conceal. I like the Makarov better, though, and if I was a bit larger I'd probably carry it over the P-64.

 

[PRM]

There were about 20 of us bought the .380 Baikal Makarovs through our agency in 1994-1995 as back up/off duty guns. I had mine for about four years and eventually upgraded to a Walther (personal preference). Some of the guys still have them. I know of no issues any of the officers experienced with them. They were accurate, dependable and functioned pretty much flawlessly.

The finish was a little rough compared to some higher end guns, but at the time I think we got them for $125.

 

[Coyote3855]

I have a Bakail and a German. I carry the German now and then.

 

[fletcher]

When carrying IWB, my Makarov is #2 on the list, but not far behind #1 in terms of how often.

When I bought mine circa 2005, the prices were a bit lower, and I paid ~$160. As you noted, with today's prices, I could see it being a hard sell with some of the economy options out there now. Makarovs do have simplicity and reliability going for them, though.

 

[FMF Doc]

Whenever I was doing some work overseas on unclesam's behalf, and didn't want to leave an american foot print, I would pick up some sort of Makarov.

 

[bdb benzino]

I have a Russian Baikal in 9X18 and an E. German Mak that is a beauty. I sometimes carry the Russian since I recently got a good leather IWB holster made specifically for the Mak.

 

[pockets]

On occasion, I have carried my Bulgarian Makarov as a CCW.
I've carried my Radom P-64 and FEG PA-63 sometimes...both chambered in 9x18 as well.

.

 

[harmon rabb]

You can still get a true Makarov for $250 these days, which is still cheap for a dead nuts reliable all steel pistol. What else can you get for that price, a kel-tec? A Mak would laugh off torture tests that would leave a kel-tec crying.

I've carried a Makarov on occasion, although my 9x18 carry pistol of choice is the P64. They're almost identical in size to a kel-tec pf9 or a kahr cm9, they conceal under anything, and there are a ton of holsters that work for them. And as a bonus, after the necessary spring swap, their SA triggers are on par with a high end 1911. For about a $210-$220 total outlay, you can have yourself a high quality, reliable, all steel carry gun (P64 + shipping + new recoil and hammer springs) that has as many holster options as anything out there (any non-kydex Kahr, Kel-tec, or Walther PPK holster will work). Not bad.

I saw someone referred to a Makarov as a PPK clone. That's 100% false. First, it's the size of a PP, not a PPK. Second, not even one single part exchanges with a PP or PPK. The Mak is a clean sheet design, all Russian, that externally looks kind of like a PP. That's it.

Now if you want to talk about some of the other 9x18 pistols.. well, the P64 and PA63 are absolutely PP derivatives. I'm not sure if any parts actually interchange, but they're still very close in design. Based on size, you'd think the P64 is actually a PPK derivative but I've read otherwise. (the entire official line on the P64's creation is nonsensical anyway. In search of a DUTY pistol, they took a PP, which you know was such a large gun in the first place, chopped the grip down a bunch, chopped the barrel, slimmed out the grip frame and grips, installed snag free sights, then rounded off all edges. Maybe I'm crazy, but that kind of sounds like the treatment one would give when designing a concealed carry pistol... The P64 was adopted for duty use, but I don't believe that's what it was designed for. I think it was designed for the plainclothes warsaw cop)

 

[awayne]

i have a bulgarian that occupies my office desk drawer. really fine little handgun, very accurate for its genre, and comfortable to aim/carry.

and, it does have a certain mystique that keltecs, etc, just can't match.

 

[WardenWolf]

I always say that if you want a reliable carry gun, buy a milsurp. These guns were often in service for decades, and any kinks were long worked out. And handguns have the advantage of having been used very little, so they're often found in good condition. Getting a commercial .380 defense piece is often a crapshoot, and milsurps may be a little bit heavier, but they're much higher quality and much more reliable than any commercial gun. The extra power of the 9x18 round is just a bonus.

 

[harmon rabb]

I always say that if you want a reliable carry gun, buy a milsurp. These guns were often in service for decades, and any kinks were long worked out. And handguns have the advantage of having been used very little, so they're often found in good condition. Getting a commercial .380 defense piece is often a crapshoot, and milsurps may be a little bit heavier, but they're much higher quality and much more reliable than any commercial gun. The extra power of the 9x18 round is just a bonus.

The counterpoint is that, given a similarly sized gun, you can have a 9mm if you get a modern gun, and 9mm blows 9x18 away in terms of ballistics. I wager something like the new S&W Shield will be as reliable as anything. But of course, that Shield will have zero panache compared to a cool old milsurp.

 

[Devonai]

Though it plays second fiddle to my S&W 3913, my Russian Mak does get carried whenever I venture into The Zone.

 

[Jaymo]

I have, and I was comfortable doing so. I was carrying it one day, when someone tried to carjack my dad and me.
The carjacker never mentioned that a hi-cap 9x19 would have been a better choice.
He was just as uncomfortable when I pulled it, as I was glad that I had it.

 

[Robbins290]

i carried a makarov for a few years. my favorite pistol to shoot. only reason I stopped carrying it was from (at the time) lack of ammo. still have that pistol. ammo is readily avaliable now. might considering carrying in the cold weather

 

[aliasneo07]

what sort if defensive ammo do y'all carry in your maks?

 

[WardenWolf]

Hornady Critical Defense XTP. Yes, Hornady makes 9x18 ammo now.

 

[Snowdog]

I've carried my Polish P64 quite a bit. When I did carry it (last summer), I carried 94gr Silver Bear JHP. It performed pretty much as a flat nose FMJ, which I was ok with as I was wanting penetration from this round.

I have a lot of respect for the P64 and still take mine to the range on occasion. The SA trigger is surprisingly nice, lending to excellent accuracy.

 

[snakeman]

I carry a cz 82 in my truck everywhere I go.