I love my Makarov!

[logjam]

About ten years ago I walked into a gun store in Sacramento, Calif. They had just received a box of East German Makarovs. They were all like new. They came with the East German arms room documents, and a record of who had inspected the gun as it hung in the arms room rack some place in East Germany.

I paid $147.00 for the gun.

My gun came with a holster and extra magazine. The store also offered scores of boxes of ammo for $8.50 a box. I bought five.

While the gun looks sorta like a Walther PK it is heavier and it is a true blow back gun. So the slide is heavy.

But the gun shoots extremely well. It hits right on the "X" ring and to date it has never failed to fire. No stove pipes, no failures to feed, no jams.

Today, ammo is hard to find, but I still love the gun and it's one of my favorite pistols.

Any of you guys shoot one? If so where do you find ammo?

BTW: if you want one of these buy the German one. The Russian and Chinese versions are not nearly as nice as is my gun.

 

[tigger2]

Mak

Russian cold wr special. Reliable mid sized weapon. The ammo is not the same
as the 9mm we are used to. Ammo will probably need to ordered online.
www.sportsmansguide.com ammo
www.cheaperthandirt.com ammo
http://www.bobtuley.com/makarov/ info

 

[Snowdog]

I had a Russian Makarov (IJ-70) for several years until it was stolen from my car a couple years ago. It was a solid pistol; reliable and robust. Sometimes I still miss it.
The East German Maks were a bit more expensive than the IJ-70 when I made the purchase, though the price increase afforded a superior finish, less tool marks and a smoother trigger. I agree that the East German Maks are the "best" of the Maks, though one can hardly say it's mechanically superior to the rest, just more refined.

Now I have a CZ-82 that I absolutely love and easily my favorite platform of the 9x18 caliber. I paid $189 and used my C&R to purchase the fine CZ-82 (vz.82) from SOG that features a push-button ambidextrous magazine release (12 round mags), ambidextrous manual safety (placed in the proper position, IMHO) and sights I prefer over what my Mak offered. It too came with a spare magazine and you guessed it, an ambidextrous leather holster. This allowed me to use the ammunition I bought for the Mak years earlier.
I don't know if it's the ergonomics, sights or sweet trigger, but I find I'm just a better shot with this pistol.

Though there may be a bit of a wait, you can still find ammunition decently priced for your Mak. It wasn't long ago that I purchased 500 more rounds of recently manufactured non-corrosive Barnaul brass-plated 9x18 FMJ ammunition for around $8/50 online.

 

[neal7250]

I have a Bulgi Mak, that has to be one of the greatest deals in the world. I have put tousands of rounds throught that thing. At any cost, what else can you ask a gun to do?

I load the 95 gr hornady with the starline brass.

I also feel the love

 

[logjam]

The thing that amazes me about my MAK is that it absolutely never jams. Now even very good guns occasionally jam. My High Power does sometimes, my 1911 from time to time grabs one at the feed ramp, or shucks a stovepipe.

That MAK just keeps banging away.

It's a little heavy for conceiled carry, but it's great car or pack gun; until some yahoo steals it.

 

[bluetopper]

logjam, have you been to the Mak forum on gunboards.com?

I've been a Mak fancier for years. I once had 11 of them at once, five EG's. All the EG's are now sold. I sold them at a substantial profit to buy other gun toys. I've been into other type of guns for a while but Maks are wonderful.
One thing I love to do is grind a little off the sides of the mainspring to give them a very nice DA pull.

 

[novaDAK]

My bulgi mak has never failed EVER. Wish I could find another one so I can carry it and put my current one away (not a scratch on it).

 

[logjam]

Parisite:

No, I don't know about the MAK site.

Funny, but I seldom hear about anyone using one. I have only seen a few at gun shows. I seldom see one being shot on the range.

They are the most reliable semi auto pistol that I have ever shot.

I like other guns better, but that MAK has it's place, and that place is when you need a totally reliable auto pistol.

 

[denfoote]

I have seven. At least one from each country that made them, including China.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I have had good luck with the Makarov and recently purchased ammunition for it here:

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/index.php/cName/pistol-ammo-9x18-makarov

As others have mentioned, reliability has been splendid and despite the small sights in this age of "high-visibility sights", surprisingly decent shooting seems to be not all that difficult.

While I am not a real fan of the pistol's ballistic capabilities, neither would I want to be shot with any 9x18mm round. I use the Maks primarily as neat shooters to have fun with; I rate "fun" right up near the top of my Things-that-are-Important list. That said, I certainly do not consider the 9x18mm incapable of effective "serious" work, only that I prefer a bit more. However, were there a "Galactic Decree" or some such that I could only use my Makarovs for protection, I wouldn't consider all lost. I'd just practice with them more.


Here is a picture of my Russian IJ70 Makarov with a set of Marschal grips on it. I wouldn't have spent the money had the pistol not proven itself to me. (I wish I'd bought more of these things when they could more readily be found and at better prices.)


I have found the little things to be better-than-expected shooters and have really come to respect the design as both reliable and durable.

If interested, here are some observations on the Makarov pistol that you might find of some interest or use:

http://hipowers-handguns.blogspot.com/2008/06/makarov-gem-worth-money.html

Best and I hope that you really enjoy your pistol.

 

[TulaTime]

Hello all,

I purchased my first Makarov PM about 5 handguns ago and I shoot it quite often. In my experience, I have yet to find an auto that is as simple or reliable as these pistols. Nice ones are getting harder to find... It's cool to see that I'm not the only crazy one out there.

I just love my Mak's for CCW. "Red Storm" makes this really nice IWB fitted piece that just begs to be carried. Factory Hornady XTP's are a popular load with Mak shooters and I find them to be outstanding. I can consistently shoot one small "rip" with these loads. Its just scary.

My Mak-addiction has carried over into reloading too. I would consider this if you are serious about practicing with your gun. I scrounge 9X19mm brass at the range and then trim it down to 9X18mm. I then load my own from bulk bullets and go nuts. This seems to be my current solution as Wolf and Barnaul is seemingly getting more expensive in this current mania.

 

[outerlimit]

Personally I prefer something a little more powerful, like at least a 9x19mm.

Internet discussion about the Mak over the years has caused the price to rise to the level of them being far from a "deal".

I would pick one up for a car gun if C&R ones were still in the $147 price range. Unfortunately they have not been that price for many years, even the Bulgarian ones.

Honestly I'm glad 9x18 ammo is not as common anymore, easy to mistake 9x18 cases for 9x19 when picking up brass or reloading.

I don't like the 45GAP for the same reason.

 

[woad_yurt]

I love my Mak, too. It always delivers and it's quite a tack driver.

 

[1858rem]

who sells good ammo in brass cases? dad really likes his so i think ill order up like ten boxes or something under 150 bucks and that way we have some to shoot and a better chance to find cases to reload.

any recommended bullets/powders(i have titegroup universal and trailboss)?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Under the link in my original post, you can find Sellier & Bellot ammunition for the Makarov. It has brass cases and boxer primers so that it can be reloaded. Ten boxes cost $143.95, but you'd have to check on S&H at the site.

 

[1858rem]

thanks

 

[Dr.Rob]

Haven't seen and East German Mak for sale in ages. That's (to me) the best of the lot, if i ever buy one I want an EG pistol.

 

[Gord]

I'd be happy with a Bulgie. Born too late; missed the boat on Maks. Someday I'll find one in a pawnshop somewhere, dusty and priced under $250, and take it home with me to pet and cuddle and...

 

[woad_yurt]

1858rem:
Watch out for S&B ammo. Lots of folks complain that the primer pockets are too tight. There was a big thread on some forum about that recently.

 

[ultradoc]

I have an E.G. Mak and love it. It's my first handgun. Got it about 18 years ago. I can't remember the price [maybe about $150] but it came with a mag,holster,ear plugs,target and maybe some ammo. It's still a solid gun and have had only two problems with it or maybe it was the ammo. It was some old chinese norinko ammo I believe. Two rounds were under powered and the gun didn't cycle.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I experienced the tight primer pockets with S&B .45 ACP ammo years ago, but in more recent times, the primer pockets don't seem as tight as perhaps a decade ago. I do not know if that is the case with the 9x18mm Mak or not. I never found any of the 45 that wasn't reloadable but some of it had the tight primer pockets you mention.

Best.

 

[usp9]

My only Makarov, an Ernst Thaelmann East German. These have a very nice trigger, crappy sights, a fine finish.

 

[TripleL]

logjam - here's the site for your reading pleasure. It's not hard to believe that you've had your Mak for ten years and not know about the Mak forum. I bought my first one in 1996 and only found the forum a little over three years ago. Also, check out Slim Tim's Trader in the same board. Not too long ago, there was makarovdotcom, an online store where Makarovniks could buy anything Makarov related. Sadly, they're no more.

http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46

 

[krs]

I would pick one up for a car gun if C&R ones were still in the $147 price range.

Uh, huh. And I'd pick up a 1965 Corvette for a gun car if they were still in the $3000. price range like they were when new.

 

[SSGMike]

I took mine to a show-and-tell handgun National Guard drill a few years ago, and my buddies were impressed with the way the "Commie-Bloc hunk of steel" performed. (above quote from my Master Sergeant) Fine shooter that served the Red Army for about 40 years or so, right?