In about three years I will be old enough to purchase and carry a handgun, and for my first I thinking about getting an East German Makarov as its widely considered a cheap and reliable handgun. Seeing as this model of makarov is running for around 350 to 400 dollars now, I was wondering if I should have my parents buy one now so that the price of these fine guns doesn't go up too much in the three years I'll be waiting. I'd like to know if I'm just being paranoid about price or if buying this gun early is a good idea, and I apreciate any and all advice.
Makarov pricing in a few years
- Thread starter monoceros
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350-400 is getting really close to the price you can get something like a glock or xd for.
The makarov is a cool piece of history but its also a heavy gun that fires a less than desireable caliber both in terms of good self defense loadings and easy to find rounds. Just wait a little longer and get something modern in more standard caliber like 9mm for carry and pick up the makarov of your choice down the road as a cool collectors piece.
The makarov is a cool piece of history but its also a heavy gun that fires a less than desireable caliber both in terms of good self defense loadings and easy to find rounds. Just wait a little longer and get something modern in more standard caliber like 9mm for carry and pick up the makarov of your choice down the road as a cool collectors piece.
M2 Carbine
member
I would imaging that if you wait three years to buy a EG Makarov you will be kicking yourself because you didn't buy it when it ONLY cost $350-$400.
If no more Makarovs are imported there's no telling how expensive they will be.
If no more Makarovs are imported there's no telling how expensive they will be.
If your parents are willing to buy you a Makarov now, dooo eeet!
I had an East German Makarov that was bought over seven years ago for under $200. I sold it to finance another project. Recently, I picked up another East German Makarov for $350, but that included shipping and a total of 5 magazines. Some are being sold for near the $400 mark. Either way, they're obviously not getting cheaper.
9mm Makarov is weaker than 9mm Para, but I still haven't found anyone willing to be shot by one. Ammo availability is not an issue now, so have your parents buy a couple of cases of ammo as well.
As for more modern design - Makarovs, regardless of country of manufacture are made from excellent materials. I've never heard stories of any of the KBing due to gun faliure. They have chromed barrels, which makes cleaning and maintanance a snap. They have very few parts, meaning less breakages, not that the parts that are there break often. Basically it's a fairly compact, very reliable sidearm, chambered in a reasonably powerfull cartridge. Seems pretty modern to me. About the only negative is rather poor sights.
This one is not going anywhere:
My brother in-law's EG Mak, next to my P225:
I had an East German Makarov that was bought over seven years ago for under $200. I sold it to finance another project. Recently, I picked up another East German Makarov for $350, but that included shipping and a total of 5 magazines. Some are being sold for near the $400 mark. Either way, they're obviously not getting cheaper.
9mm Makarov is weaker than 9mm Para, but I still haven't found anyone willing to be shot by one. Ammo availability is not an issue now, so have your parents buy a couple of cases of ammo as well.
As for more modern design - Makarovs, regardless of country of manufacture are made from excellent materials. I've never heard stories of any of the KBing due to gun faliure. They have chromed barrels, which makes cleaning and maintanance a snap. They have very few parts, meaning less breakages, not that the parts that are there break often. Basically it's a fairly compact, very reliable sidearm, chambered in a reasonably powerfull cartridge. Seems pretty modern to me. About the only negative is rather poor sights.
This one is not going anywhere:
My brother in-law's EG Mak, next to my P225:
nwilliams
Member
Buy one now, buy one later if they are still cheap. The fact is they are great little guns and I carry a Russian as my summer CCW. I love my Makarov, its accurate, reliable and easy to carry. I bought mine for $200 a few months ago and have put probably 500 rounds through it so far, mostly cheap Silver Bear but so far not a single hiccup. Personally I like the 9x18 more than the .380, it has just a bit more punch so I feel more comfortable about it as a defense round. I'm not kidding about its accuracy either, I would stack it up against any of my handguns that cost two or three times as much.
I'm not kidding about its accuracy either, at 15 yards I can make one hole groups with it and even at 20 yards I can place the shots pretty much where I want. I find the recoil is fairly mild and the gun points natrually. I also love the fact that the Russians have adjustable rear sights, what a great feature to have on a surplus gun, makes it look more expensive
I wouldn't pay much more than $350 for any Mak, but I feel the $200 I spent on my Russian was money well spent and I don't plan on ever selling it. I would pick up an EG if I could find one for $350 or less in decent condition and a Bulgarian for no more than $175.
To put it more into perspective, I was planning on buying a Sig 232 as a summer carry gun, however since I picked up this little puppy I no longer have the urge to spend the $500+ on the 232, the Mak works just fine and I can now put that extra money into other things like that Sig GSR 1911 I've been drooling over at my local shop
Here's a couple pics of my Russian.....
I'm not kidding about its accuracy either, at 15 yards I can make one hole groups with it and even at 20 yards I can place the shots pretty much where I want. I find the recoil is fairly mild and the gun points natrually. I also love the fact that the Russians have adjustable rear sights, what a great feature to have on a surplus gun, makes it look more expensive
I wouldn't pay much more than $350 for any Mak, but I feel the $200 I spent on my Russian was money well spent and I don't plan on ever selling it. I would pick up an EG if I could find one for $350 or less in decent condition and a Bulgarian for no more than $175.
To put it more into perspective, I was planning on buying a Sig 232 as a summer carry gun, however since I picked up this little puppy I no longer have the urge to spend the $500+ on the 232, the Mak works just fine and I can now put that extra money into other things like that Sig GSR 1911 I've been drooling over at my local shop
Here's a couple pics of my Russian.....
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Thanks for the great pictures and responses, they are really beautiful looking guns. It seems as though one of the only major problems with the mak is that they fire the 9mm makarov, and I would like to know if glaser safety slugs would alleviate the "weakness" of this round.
nwilliams
Member
Personally I like to carry a more powerful round for ccw, normally I carry a .40 S&W M&P. But now that jacket weather is nearly over I would rather carry something more concealable. I carry Hornady 95gr HP in mine as a defense load and I feel pretty comfortable with it. I have no experience with the Saftey Slug ammo so I can't really give you a good answer.
IMO the 9x18 is really stretching it in terms of a defense caliber, however many people carry less powerful .380's and .32's with confidence. I had to overcome the fact that I was sacrificing stopping power for concealability, but I think I'm ok with it now. This is also the first gun I've owned that I can comfortably carry IWB, so thats also helped in my decision to carry it.
IMO the 9x18 is really stretching it in terms of a defense caliber, however many people carry less powerful .380's and .32's with confidence. I had to overcome the fact that I was sacrificing stopping power for concealability, but I think I'm ok with it now. This is also the first gun I've owned that I can comfortably carry IWB, so thats also helped in my decision to carry it.
Marshall
Member
Cool gun! Buy now or pay more later.
kentucky_smith
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CZ82s are $200 right now, that's the bargain du juor.
M2 Carbine
member
Makarovs are accurate.
fletcher
Member
I can't give insight to the value of EG Makarovs, but I know that overall prices have been going up. Mine was $180 OTD about a year and a half ago, and all the ones that have come into the store since are sporting $250+ price tags. The price trend seems to be appearing on gunbroker also.
My advice: get it now if you can afford it.
My advice: get it now if you can afford it.
M2Carbine, I was going to write "You Suck!", until I saw the range on the target. Good shooting, and I especially like the head shot. What are the number near the holes? I'm going to guess that you were marking which magazine it was that you were shooting?
What are the number near the holes? I'm going to guess that you were marking which magazine it was that you were shooting?longeyes
member
One of the three "must-have" semi-auto handguns, the other two being the 1911 and the Glock. Just my opinion. The Mak is one of the great designs (27 parts), simple, reliable, and, with its fixed barrel, highly accurate. No, it's not as powerful as the other two but 'twill serve. I bought two a couple of years ago (they were about $150), and I'm glad I did.
wnycollector
Member
I just picked up an excellent condition (only a tiny bit of wear on slide!)Russian IJ-70 for $185 (PLUS $50 shipping/ffl transfer fee) on gunbroker and I feel like I stole it from the guy! Now I'm itching to get it a Czech cousing to keep it company
lee n. field
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The East German Mak is an expensive variant of a cheap and reliable handgun. If what you want is a shooter, get a Bulgarian milsurp.
They've been cheap, because they're surplus. No more are coming in, AFAIK, so the supply is fixed. People like you want them, and people like me don't particularly want to sell. Basic free market economics. You do the math.
M2 Carbine
member
At the time I shot that, at 100 yards, I was shooting a couple different Makarovs, Kimbers and several other "compact" pistols and even a Beretta Minx 22 Short, which made for some experimenting with the different sight pictures and aiming points.
The numbers are the strings (mag load+1) as they are fired. I'd walk down to the target and number each string.
Like string 2 and 3 were pretty centered but 4 was all over the place (getting tired maybe?).
Interesting that yesterday of 14 shots offhand the little Beretta kept 12 shots on the paper (I was shooting a little high) and 8 in the silhouette.
Anyhow, "monoceros" get the Makarov before I buy them all up.
I've got 14 or 16 now (lost count) and I still don't pass up a good buy.
I carry a Makarov in preference to a 9x19 because, in this size gun, my wrist can tolerate the recoil much better. (For pure shooting fun I prefer a Browning Hi Power, but those are too big for me to conceal well so I need the smaller guns for carry.) Lighter recoil lets me shoot a lot more without injury or pain, and that lets me get better (more accurate) with the gun I carry. As others have noted the Mak can be VERY accurate, and I'm a believer that if I put the rounds where I want them, 9x18 will be enough to do the job.
I had a KelTec P11 (9x19) that is about the same size as, and a little lighter than, a Mak, but I could NOT shoot it comfortably for more than a few dozen shots. As a result I was not nearly as accurate with it as with a Mak, and so did not have great confidence in my ability to use it well in extremis. I am MUCH more confident with the Mak.
BTW, unlike M2 I have not shot the Mak at 100 yards, but I routinely shoot at steel plates on the 50 yard line at my range. These are about a foot square, and it is routine to hit them about 8 out of 9 times. That's not quite a head shot, but is almost certainly a center of mass hit at that range. I can't do that well with any other small pistol that I've had the opportunity to try.
My suggestion would be to latch on to one when you can. It is very unlikely that you will regret it.
I had a KelTec P11 (9x19) that is about the same size as, and a little lighter than, a Mak, but I could NOT shoot it comfortably for more than a few dozen shots. As a result I was not nearly as accurate with it as with a Mak, and so did not have great confidence in my ability to use it well in extremis. I am MUCH more confident with the Mak.
BTW, unlike M2 I have not shot the Mak at 100 yards, but I routinely shoot at steel plates on the 50 yard line at my range. These are about a foot square, and it is routine to hit them about 8 out of 9 times. That's not quite a head shot, but is almost certainly a center of mass hit at that range. I can't do that well with any other small pistol that I've had the opportunity to try.
My suggestion would be to latch on to one when you can. It is very unlikely that you will regret it.
M2 Carbine
member
Do you use the 19 or 21 pound recoil spring in your Makarov?
They will help with the recoil a little, especially the 21 when shooting 115-120 grain bullets.
I use 21 pound springs in all my Makarovs, even the .380's but I think 19 is better for a carry Mak.
I haven't had rusting problems in any Makarovs.
One of my Bulgarian Maks has much of the finish worn off but still never rusts.
What you might try is wiping the gun down with Corrosion X when you aren't using it. The stuff is good.
I have 21 pound springs in both of my Maks. I figure it helps reduce the stress a bit, and I can still get reliable functioning with handloads down to about 650fps - these are VERY light recoiling, and just drop the cases on my feet which makes for easy case recovery
I mostly carry with 95-100g loads, not the heavier ones. I alternate Hornady 95g HP and Wolf 100g solids in the magazine. Have never had a failure of any kind with this ammo in either of the Maks.
I mostly carry with 95-100g loads, not the heavier ones. I alternate Hornady 95g HP and Wolf 100g solids in the magazine. Have never had a failure of any kind with this ammo in either of the Maks.
HorseSoldier
Member
Bulgarians are a good deal cheaper than the East Germans, and seem to run reliably, etc.
For the nearly $400-ish price tag, I'd have to agree with the other posters that a better first handgun might be a Glock or other weapons in that price category (XD, CZ, etc.).
For the nearly $400-ish price tag, I'd have to agree with the other posters that a better first handgun might be a Glock or other weapons in that price category (XD, CZ, etc.).
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