Opinions on Makarovs?

[Datamancer]

I was considering picking up a Makarov from J&G the next time I'm in AZ and was wondering what your opinions are on this pistol. Is it worth getting a PMM version? I heard there were some reliability issues after the 10-round conversion. Are they all C&R or just some of them? One I was looking at was a Bulgarian....this one- http://www.jgsales.com/product_info....oducts_id/4118.

Is the 9x18 hard to come by? I know there's always the internet (at least until they ban internet ammo sales in CA) but I mean more of "oh crap I forgot I'm out of those...let's run to Big 5 and get a few boxes" kind of availability.

Thanks!
-~Doc~-

[mls343]

They are actually pretty good shooters. Mine is rough (Russian), but it seems pretty rugged. For me, the 9x18 is on the small side of what I like for a pistol cartridge (I'm a .45acp kind of guy), but you can still pick them up at a reasonable price.

Again, it's a no frills kind of Soviet Bloc weapon as far as function, fit and feel, but it's reliable, easy to maintain, and the 9x18 is not too bad.

One friend referred to his as his "toilet tank weapon" in that this was his back-up for a back-up weapon and that he didn't mind it sitting in plastic hanging in his toilet tank and he knew it would go bang every time.

It's a decent little weapon.

[Rule .308]

They are good shooters, I think the 9 Makarov round is a little light in butt, but I too am a 45 kind of guy.

The Bulgy that you are looking at is not C&R, the Russian and E. German ones are. To pick one up from J&G you will need some AZ ID.

Ammo can often be found at Turner's, I do not recall seeing it at the local Walmart, I have never looked for it at Big 5 but somehow I doubt it. You can catch it on sale for about $200.00 per case, plus S&H.

Not entirely sure what you mean by the PMM model

The Makarov is a classic cold war era pistol and no collection is complete without one but if you are just looking for a good shooter in the same caliber I would take a close look at the CZ82 pistols. Fantastic pistol, it is C&R, shoots the same caliber, and is just an all around great handgun.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I like mine. It shoots well enough. I long ago replaced the barrel with a .380 ACP one, because at the time, 9x18 was a bit uncommon. It can be changed back by swapping barrels if I want to. Mine is a Bulgarian one. Standard capacity, no frills. It makes a nice, solid shooter if you get a decent one. I used to hear about bad magazines a lot, but not in the past 10 years or so. If you can pick up a C&R one, they are decent collectables. The bulgarians aren't as collectable, but are still nice.

[Datamancer]

Thanks for the info, guys. How does the 9x18 compare to 9mm Luger in stopping power? I see an East German one on gunbroker that looks like its about to sell for $300ish. Is that about the going rate for the C&R Russians and Germans?

Rule .308: The PMM is a modified PM (I'm not sure but PMM probably stands for Pistolet Makarova Modified or something similar) that was tweaked to take a double-stack magazine. I think they made some minor changes to the slide and hammer as well, but don't quote me on that.

-~Doc~-

[-hanko]

Thanks for the info, guys. How does the 9x18 compare to 9mm Luger in stopping power? I see an East German one on gunbroker that looks like its about to sell for $300ish. Is that about the going rate for the C&R Russians and Germans?

Rule .308: The PMM is a modified PM (I'm not sure but PMM probably stands for Pistolet Makarova Modified or something similar) that was tweaked to take a double-stack magazine. I think they made some minor changes to the slide and hammer as well, but don't quote me on that.

-~Doc~-

Stopping power is a myth. Your skill in shooting what you aim at is the main thing. If stopping power is what you want, start at .357 magnum or .45 acp and go up from there.

I've had a Russian PMM for more than ten years, no issue with feeding or anything else. It wasn't 'tweaked' for the wider mag, it was designed from the gitgo for more capacity. I'm not seeing differences between the slide and hammer, though I could be mistaken.

Mak's are great guns considering the price, as are cz-82's and cz-83's...Czech guns are priced right, always go bang, and are inherently reliable.

hth

-hanko

[mls343]

From my experience, the 9x18 has less umph than the standard 9x19 in a sterotypical scenario. It does, at least in my opinion, have a little more then the typical .380.

It's a decent round, although I've only fired factory ammo and have not tinkered with reloading yet.

[Mofo-Kang]

From my experience, the 9x18 has less umph than the standard 9x19 in a sterotypical scenario. It does, at least in my opinion, have a little more then the typical .380.

It's a decent round, although I've only fired factory ammo and have not tinkered with reloading yet.

Yeah, from what I can gather, the ballistics of the 9mm Makarov are just slightly hotter than the run of the mill .380. Difference looked to be small enough not to worry about. Makarovs are fairly little handguns, too, aren't they? Wikipedia gives dimensions that say they're smaller than the SIG P232.

[nick]

They're nice little handguns. The round is somewhere between 9x19 and .380. If you're looking for a primary handgun and can afford $500 or so, I'd go with something else, a Glock or a CZ-75, or an XD, or an M&P... There're lots of options out there.

Otherwise, it's a nice and cheap gun. It's pretty reliable, and the Macs I have feed pretty much anything I tried on them reliably, even the Chinese polycoated HPs. On the other hand, if you're looking at a CZ-82, mine had issues feeding somw hollow points (the Chinese and Hornady ones). The trigger isn't that great, especially in double action. It slaps back, too. The sights are ok, the Russian commercial model has adjustable sights. There isn't much recoil. Also, the mag release is European.

On the upside, it's quite accurate, especially for such a small gun, it's reliable, and the recoil is mild.

The ammo price is about the same as 9mm. I haven't seen it at Big5 or Walmart though.

[Datamancer]

Yeah, from what I can gather, the ballistics of the 9mm Makarov are just slightly hotter than the run of the mill .380. Difference looked to be small enough not to worry about. Makarovs are fairly little handguns, too, aren't they? Wikipedia gives dimensions that say they're smaller than the SIG P232.

Yeah, they're tiny. That's half the reason I was actually looking at them (aside from them being super-reliable and just looking really cool- love the red star grips). I think they'd make a great compact carry gun for the workshop. I was also looking for something that my fiancee could use occasionally because she is also tiny.

-~D~-

[Divernhunter]

I have 2 and have not had trouble with either. Fun little guns. If I need a gun I would prefer to have a 45ACP but they would work ok if needed.

[Cos]

I have IZ-18 (Baikal) which is a commercial Russian Makarov (same as military issue except it has adjustable rear sight). Very accurate (despite its short barrel) but it is fixed thus compensate for its relative shortness. Highly reliable, feeds anything, ammo is widely available and cheap enough (under $0.20/round online). The round is less powerful than 9x19 and if you want to shoot IPSC you won't be able to use Makarov because of lesser round's energy.

Go for it: this is a lot fun!

[Alaric]

Yeah, they're tiny. That's half the reason I was actually looking at them (aside from them being super-reliable and just looking really cool- love the red star grips). I think they'd make a great compact carry gun for the workshop. I was also looking for something that my fiancee could use occasionally because she is also tiny.

-~D~-

Not a great carry gun due to the weight - they're heavy for their small size. You'd be much better off with a small polymer or better yet, titanium pistol if you can afford it. I stick mine in my backpack when I go hiking. It replaces the rocks I might otherwise carry for adding weight to my training routine.

My GF hates my Makarov, but then again she hates all autoloading pistols. She's more of a classic wheelgun type. She says it's too snappy.

Mak's are a ripoff of the Walther PPK in external design, though internally quite different and, again, heavier. I have a Bulgarian model, and I swear, if she was a woman, she'd have a mustache. Mine belonged to some Bulgarian police force before I got her at Turners. Turners also carries 9x18 ammo, but it's not the deal you might hope it would be. I've regularly found 9x18 going for $9/50 for brown bear (Russian mil-surp) online.

[Datamancer]

Not a great carry gun due to the weight - they're heavy for their small size. You'd be much better off with a small polymer or better yet, titanium pistol if you can afford it. I stick mine in my backpack when I go hiking. It replaces the rocks I might otherwise carry for adding weight to my training routine.

My GF hates my Makarov, but then again she hates all autoloading pistols. She's more of a classic wheelgun type. She says it's too snappy.

Mak's are a ripoff of the Walther PPK in external design, though internally quite different and, again, heavier. I have a Bulgarian model, and I swear, if she was a woman, she'd have a mustache. Mine belonged to some Bulgarian police force before I got her at Turners. Turners also carries 9x18 ammo, but it's not the deal you might hope it would be. I've regularly found 9x18 going for $9/50 for brown bear (Russian mil-surp) online.

Cool, thanks for the input, guys.

I have to admit, I kind of prefer a heavier handgun. Something about the weight evens out my hand when I'm pulling off a quick shot. I don't have a ton of experience with handgun shooting, but in my limited sampling of a few different guns, I've found that I'm a really decent shot with something heavy like a Taurus, but all over the place with a lightweight Glock. With the Glocks, I just feel like there's no mass to them, like I'm pointing a pencil at something, and every wrist or arm jitter feels like it gets magnified. Am I alone here, or does anyone else notice the same thing?

Granted, I'm sure it's still a PITA to lug around on your hip.

Haha I've known a few women with mustaches....not fun to look at, but decent to have in a fight, I'd imagine.

-~D~-

[PEZHEAD265]

The Bulgarian mac is on the DOJ approved list intil 12/06/2010 if it was imported by Century Arms Itl.From the pics it looks looks like the ones from J&G are but I would ask first just to be sure.