Conclusion...
.....
Observations: My Bulgarian Mak is fitted with the popular rubber Pearce grips and I expected that the considerably thinner plastic originals on the E. German to deliver more "snap" or felt recoil. Perhaps in a side-by-side test, I'd note a difference, but all of the rounds fired today, including the "hot" 115 gr JHP did not have significant felt recoil to me. To me, it's a toss up as to which is the best stock; the originals are thinner and easier to conceal, but the rubber ones do feel better to me.
Here's another surprise for me and it's related to the LVE 115 gr JHP, a load in which I'm developing interest. It was
not reliable. On occassion, this round would fail to feed from the magazine. This always occurred when the magazine contained 7 or more rounds of it. I tried another surplus magazine with the same result. Those of you who are into Makarovs might have noticed the finger extension shown in the 25 yard group picture. It's one of the "concealed carry" Mak magazines sold through
www.makarov.com and is a sound, factory magazine that's been refinished in a dark, matte finish, has a Wolff extra power spring, has a brass magazine floorplate w/extension and has reportedly been tested for function. The LVE JHP failed in it, too.
Even in a gun known for its reliability, this shows that ANY weapon considered for personal protection MUST be tested with the chosen defensive load! Never forget this...even if using a weapon having a reputation for flawless function.
Contrasting this was the perfect performance of the Hornady and Corbon JHPs. I THINK that the LVE round may be a tad too long or perhaps just this pistol doesn't "like" it. I don't know.....yet.
I checked the Speer No. 12 reloading manual where they advise that with a 95 gr ball, the LOA should be 0.984" at max and list the LOA for their ball round @ 0.980". I also measured a couple of S&B 95 gr ball rounds @ 0.970."
Today, I received a shipment of Hornady 95 gr XTP in this caliber and these rounds have not been cycled through my pistols at all. I measured the LOA of a box of twenty-five.
LOA:
12 measured 0.938"
12 measured 0.940"
1 measured 0.935"
So, except for 1, they're within 2/1000th's". The max variation was 0.005."
I then measured 25 of the Brown Bear 115 gr JHP.
LOA:
4 measured: 0.959"
2 measured: 0.961"
3 measured: 0.960"
2 measured: 0.958"
1 measured: 0.955"
3 measured: 0.953"
6 measured: 0.951"
2 measured: 0.950"
2 measured: 0.952"
Not so consistent as the Hornady. How much this inconsistency contributes I don't know, but max variation was 0.011."
Still, the stuff worked so long as no more than 6 were in the magazine.
Also, while the LVE load definitely has my attention, it should be noted that much more extensive expansion/penetration tests would be needed before trusting it for protection. Forced to choose today, I'd go with either the Corbon or Hornady JHPs, probably the latter.
If you have a Mak and use it for protection with JHPs, you might want to stock up on your favorite brand right now as Corbon's discontinued it and I'm told that Hornady's recently done the same thing as well as Federal. I THINK CCI/Speer still offers their Gold Dot Hollow Point in this caliber.
I'm no Makarov expert, but I do think the E. German guns are likely at the top of the heap in terms of finish and smoothness. Having said that, I did not note this being a better shooter or besting the Bulgarian in terms of shooting. It remains a very nice pistol if one likes Maks and one I'll likely leave stock and appreciate for what it is.
Best.
PS: Recalling the way that the "lip" of the jacket around the hollow point in the Brown Bear JHP round kind of extend, I gently "broke" the lower edge at the feed ramp. I cleaned the gun and reassembled. It now cycles by hand with the Brown Bear JHP ammo, but I've not fired it yet. Before, it would about half the time, but I didn't notice this as I'd not cycled it through other than when loading for the report. We'll see and I'll report back if it actually worked or not. It also cycled smoothly through the Bulgarian and I'll fire it from that, too. It may be that there's an easy "fix" should one want to fire this ammunition. We'll see.
At the bottom of the one-piece feedramp, you can see the broken, smoothed edge.
Hope this helps with your question on Maks.
Best.
