Just got my Makarov in last week and took it to the range today. Actually two ranges, one outdoor (Grand River Wildlife area) and one indoor (Stonewall Range). Very little wind, 80+ degrees, high humidity.
I have to admit to having a little fear that something would break on this pistol, but everything worked. Recoil was mild, and I was able to reacquire the sight picture quickly once I got used to firing. I would rate recoil at less than the Glock 19 firing standard 9mm.
The sights are off a bit. At 25 yards, aiming for the bullseye, all my shots were hitting 8 or more inches high. I think the effective range of this pistol is closer than 25 yards, though, which is why I went to the indoor range later (fixed vs adjustable target distance). After 100 rounds of CCI Blazer 95 grain FMJ, there were no FTF/FTE incidents. Everything functioned on the pistol as it was supposed to.
There was a scare, but it was human negligence and nothing to do with the Mak. I asked the range officer and another fellow to shoot the Mak to see if they had any better accuracy than I was having. They agreed to split one magazine (4 shots each) at 25 yards. The RO only fired three, then handed the Mak to the other guy. He fired four and thought he was done. Fortunately he's a wise man and very familiar with firearms, had the Mak pointed downrange when he pulled the trigger on the last one. His eyes got *really* big, and he talked for fifteen minutes about how much he prefers revolvers.
Anyway, the both hit high as well, so it wasn't just me.
At the indoor range I had much better accuracy. Shot 50 rounds of CCI Blazer as above, and 50 rounds of Wolf 109 grain FMJ. The Wolf had less muzzle flash, and was accurate at the ranges I used (10-15 yards). It also spit sparks. CCI had much more flash, but was also accurate. I kept loading and firing without breaks until the Mak became almost too hot to hold. Still no FTF/FTE, and accuracy remained about the same. I was able to keep 95% of my shots on a 10" target at various rates of fire. I didn't try grouping, and I hardly used double action.
I've got 1000 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ inbound, will be interesting to see the difference, if any, with brass. I believe the CCI is aluminum cased and Wolf is steel.
A different grip would have been helpful, something more tactile. The grip screw looks aftermarket, and when I went to clean the gun awhile ago, it had worked itself loose. It's possible I didn't tighten it enough after initial cleaning. The split keyring extension on the magazine spring is also helpful, This is an easy magazine to load. There's a small protrusion on the carrier at the top of the magazine spring. It sticks out the side of the magazine, and can be easily hooked on wood (i.e. range benches) and pressed down. Makes loading the mag a snap. The rear sight might need to be replaced or filed down. The sights are miniscule anyway, I prefer to think of them as more of a 'guide'.
jmm
I have to admit to having a little fear that something would break on this pistol, but everything worked. Recoil was mild, and I was able to reacquire the sight picture quickly once I got used to firing. I would rate recoil at less than the Glock 19 firing standard 9mm.
The sights are off a bit. At 25 yards, aiming for the bullseye, all my shots were hitting 8 or more inches high. I think the effective range of this pistol is closer than 25 yards, though, which is why I went to the indoor range later (fixed vs adjustable target distance). After 100 rounds of CCI Blazer 95 grain FMJ, there were no FTF/FTE incidents. Everything functioned on the pistol as it was supposed to.
There was a scare, but it was human negligence and nothing to do with the Mak. I asked the range officer and another fellow to shoot the Mak to see if they had any better accuracy than I was having. They agreed to split one magazine (4 shots each) at 25 yards. The RO only fired three, then handed the Mak to the other guy. He fired four and thought he was done. Fortunately he's a wise man and very familiar with firearms, had the Mak pointed downrange when he pulled the trigger on the last one. His eyes got *really* big, and he talked for fifteen minutes about how much he prefers revolvers.
Anyway, the both hit high as well, so it wasn't just me.At the indoor range I had much better accuracy. Shot 50 rounds of CCI Blazer as above, and 50 rounds of Wolf 109 grain FMJ. The Wolf had less muzzle flash, and was accurate at the ranges I used (10-15 yards). It also spit sparks. CCI had much more flash, but was also accurate. I kept loading and firing without breaks until the Mak became almost too hot to hold. Still no FTF/FTE, and accuracy remained about the same. I was able to keep 95% of my shots on a 10" target at various rates of fire. I didn't try grouping, and I hardly used double action.
I've got 1000 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ inbound, will be interesting to see the difference, if any, with brass. I believe the CCI is aluminum cased and Wolf is steel.
A different grip would have been helpful, something more tactile. The grip screw looks aftermarket, and when I went to clean the gun awhile ago, it had worked itself loose. It's possible I didn't tighten it enough after initial cleaning. The split keyring extension on the magazine spring is also helpful, This is an easy magazine to load. There's a small protrusion on the carrier at the top of the magazine spring. It sticks out the side of the magazine, and can be easily hooked on wood (i.e. range benches) and pressed down. Makes loading the mag a snap. The rear sight might need to be replaced or filed down. The sights are miniscule anyway, I prefer to think of them as more of a 'guide'.
jmm
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