Im an Infant !!!

[neilwest]

1. give me some information on the Makarov pistols. How about a brief history?

[8dDUCE]

They are a Communist Military sidearm. Short enough?? 8dDUCE. I no NOTHING!!! Scheultz.

[parrothead]

The Makarov (which is based on a Walther PP but fires a 9x18 cart.) was designed in the 50s by a Russian named Nikolai Makarov. It is a simple and reliable medium-powered pistol intended as the sidearm of the Soviet Forces. The pistol was accepted by the Russian forces in 1951 and has been the standard sidearm ever since . The 9x18 is a pretty stought little cart. The one I have has yet to malfunction. Tough, cheap and reliable through thick and thin.
Head over to www.makarov.com theres some pretty good info over there.

HTH

[Hoploholicxx]

Lets see. I think that Russia first began production in the 50's. The design was ultimately picked up by China, East Germany and Bulgaria. Later, Simon Suhl also started production in post unification Germany.

It is a blow back, DA/SA design that is chambered in 9mmX18mm. While the cartridge falls inbetween the 380 and 9 Para, its power factors are closer to the former than the later.

[hardcorps1775]

The Makarov Pistol

Known in eastern Europe as the "Pistolet Makarova", the Makarov is a semi-automatic (self-loading) pistol, designed in 1950 by Nikolai Federovich Makarov as a simple and reliable medium-powered pistol for the Soviet Army. The pistol was accepted in 1951 and has been the standard sidearm ever since. Recent developments and advancements in firearms technology may soon change that, but its place in history is secured.

Specifications:
Type: Double/Single action self loading pistol
System of Operation: Blowback
Safety: Hammer block, decocking, firing pin not secured
Caliber: 9x18mm (9mm Makarov)
Capacity: 8+1 rounds
Sights: Fixed blade front, dovetailed u-notch rear, drift adjustable
Length: 6.34"
Weight (loaded): 1.71 pounds
Barrel: fixed, 3.83", 4 groove, right-hand twist
Magazine release: Heel
Number of Parts: 27

Double-action means after the pistol is loaded and the hammer has been decocked (see discussion on the safety), the first trigger action, via the trigger bar, will cock the hammer until it is released by the sear to strike the firing pin. After the shot has been fired, the empty case begins to move backwards in Newtonian action/reaction style, overcoming both the slide mass and the recoil spring strength. There are no locking devices on the Makarov pistol (as opposed to, for example, on the Colt 1911, which has a locked breech), thus it is known as a blowback operation. Once the slide is approaching its most rearward position, the ejector prong on the slide stop pushes on the left rear of the empty case. This, along with the extractor holding on the right rear of the case, flings the case out of the ejection port. The hammer is also cocked by the slide. The slide begins to move forward, stripping the next cartridge from the magazine, pushing it into the chamber, thus self loading the pistol (i.e. no manual bolt must be moved). Finally, the slide goes into battery (all the way forward), the extractor lifts over the cartridge rim and snaps into place. The pistol is now ready to be fired again. A disconnector prevents a second shot from being fired by the same trigger pull.

Subsequent shots are single action, meaning that the hammer is already cocked and that the trigger action, again transferred by the trigger bar, pushes the sear away from the hammer, thus releasing the hammer, starting the firing sequence again.
Other notes on the firing system: The firing pin is a floating firing pin without a spring return or firing pin block safety. This is a very simple mechanism that has worked for over 50 years with few reports of safety issues. The hammer face has a second engaging surface for the sear to catch near the bottom of its stroke in case the first hammer face is damaged. This ensures the pistol will not fire unless the trigger is actually pulled, thus raising the sear.
After the last shot is fired, the follower tab on the magazine pushes up on the slide release and the slide locks into the rearward position after ejecting the final case. The magazine should now be ejected (see magazine note below) and a new magazine inserted. By pushing the slide release, the recoil spring pushes the slide forward, stripping the first cartridge of the magazine into the chamber, and the pistol is ready to fire in single-action mode. The slide release may also be manually activated by pushing up while manually pulling the slide backwards and locking it in place.

The slide-mounted manual safety uses the "up is safe/down is fire" setting, which is opposite of the Walther PP and PPK style pistols (and their FEG clones). The safety also safely decocks or drops the hammer and physically blocks the hammer from hitting the firing pin if the user wishes to carry the pistol with a round in the chamber and hammer down. This is much safer than manually holding the hammer and pulling the trigger to decock. General firearm safety tips apply (i.e. point gun down range when decocking), but the Makarov does not have a history of accidental discharges while decocking. The hammer cannot be moved when the safety is engaged (except for the later modified Simson-Suhl Makarov) and thus the slide is blocked and the action cannot be cleared or loaded. The safety is held in the safe and fire positions by a pressed-in detent spring and the appropriate detents in the slide. Should the detent spring fall out, the pistol will most likely go to the "fire" position. The safety should be replaced if the spring has fallen out.

The safety can be easily removed by rotation clockwise past the "safe" position, making approximately a 120° angle with the muzzle, and pulling it out of the slide. The safety also holds the firing pin in place, so care should be taken that the firing pin is not lost when the safety is removed.

The magazine is a single-stack, non-staggered, reliable design with 4 basics parts: case, spring, follower, and floorplate. Its capacity is 8 rounds of either 9x18Makarov caliber or .380 ACP (note: .380ACP and 9x18M should not be fired in the same gun). Magazines can become dirty and should be cleaned occasionally.
The magazine release is on the heel of the pistol, near the bottom of the grip. To release the magazine, push the magazine release towards the rear of the pistol until the magazine drops slightly. Pull the magazine out the remainder of the way. Note: There is no magazine safety on the pistol and the pistol can be fired with the magazine removed if a cartridge remains in the chamber (Rule #1: "A gun is always loaded").

The barrel is a fixed design and is pressed into the frame and a pin ensures the barrel does not back out. This design minimizes movement in the pistol and the resultant accuracy tends to amaze people who have never shot a fixed barrel pistol. The barrel may be replaced and traded for a different caliber or other configuration (threaded, ported, etc.).

While some Russian models came from the factory with a rear adjustable sight, the original Makarov has a fixed rear sight. Although called "fixed", it can be moved left or right with a soft (brass is recommended to avoid marring the sight) drift punch to compensate for target groups that are off left/right. If you have a Russian model with a rear target sight, take great care not to lose the elevation screw or spring since these are difficult to find). If you wish to change from target to a fixed sight set, you need to replace the slide since a considerable amount of metal was removed from the Russian slides to make room for the target sight.

The Makarov has 27 parts. This overall simplicity of the gun is part of the genius of the design and allows the gun to be disassembled with very few tools. Many parts are thus multi-function. For example, the hammer spring also serves as the magazine release, the safety holds the firing pin in place, the slide release is also the ejector, and the trigger guard doubles as the field stripping slide release.

Where did Makarovs come from and what types are there?

To the best of our knowledge, there are only 5 countries that ever produced the Makarov:

Russia - home of Nikolai Federovich Makarov
East Germany - The Ernst Thaelman Factory
China
Bulgaria - The Arsenal Factory and Miltex
Germany (post-unification) - The Simson Suhl

Russia
There are several versions of the Russian Makarov. First of all there are the true surplus guns, which are recognizable by their fixed rear sight and a lack of any non-Cyrillic markings including "Made in Russia". Second is the Baikal and Izhmesh new production Makarov. These are recognizable by their rear adjustable target sight, "Made in Russia" and Baikal markings. Another variant of this is the 10-round double-stack Makarov, which was also made by Izhmesh.

How is Izhmesh different from Baikal?
IMEZ stands for Izhevskii Mechanicheskii Zavod or Izhevsk Mechanical Factory located in the city of Izhevsk near the Ural Mountains. They produce the Makarov, PSM, various shotguns, airguns, artificial pacemakers for the heart, and oil drilling equipment. It is a government, state owned enterprise, but has the right to close its own business contracts and deals without governmental interference.

Baikal is a foreign trade organization this is similar to North China Industries (NORINCO). This was a governmental organization that was used to market Soviet goods abroad. These days Baikal is hardly active in any trade with the US, largely because of the Bill Clinton imposed "voluntary trade restrictions". IMEZ used the grips with Baikal on it because it was all they had. Baikal also traded autos, trucks, and various other consumer goods. Not only guns and ammo.

East Germany
The Ernst Thaelman factory in Suhl, Thueringen made what are considered by some to be the finest pre-fall-of-the-Berlin Wall Makarovs. The finish is nice, the fit and machining is of quality you'd expect from a German shop, and they shoot like a dream. Almost all that came into this country had already seen service, so their quality varies by how they were treated by the person who carried them. Nonetheless, most have more holster wear than bore wear. They occasionally still pop up at dealers and at gun shows. If you can get them for a good price, these are the ones to buy.

Markings on them include a letter 'y' with a circle of dots, which some Russian folks think stands for "for uchebneii" or "training". This would be strange for a German pistol, but we haven't heard any other explanations.

Note that this table is not complete and there appears to be a sequential pattern, so don't panic if yours doesn't fit into the ones listed.

East German Production Codes(not a complete list)
Production Year Letter Code
1958 S
1959 J,K,L,N,U
1960 B,F,G,H,M,T
1961 AP*,AR,AS,AQ,AT,AU,AV,AW,AX,AY,AZ
1962 BR,BT,BU,BV,BW,BX,BY,BZ
1963 DA,DB,DE,DF,DH,DK,DL,DP(BO,BP)
1964 ES,ET,EV,EX,EZ
1965 ER,FB,FH,FF

* One pistol has been noted with the markings, 'AP' and '62,' so there may be inconsistencies.

China
Not terribly much is known about these, except that they were brought in as Norinco Model 59. Not many are available, so they often command a premium over other Makarovs.

Bulgaria
The Bulgarian Arsenal Makarovs are the only ones that are currently being imported into the country. Miltex had an exclusivity agreement with Arsenal before they decided to get out of the small arms business. Many other Bulgarian Makarovs are out on the market including some military surplus. As the Bulgarians start to switch to other guns as standard police and military issue, these should continue to pop up everywhere and can be purchased at a very good price. Fortunately for US shooters, these are very nicely done and some interesting variants were delivered by Miltex. Again, since Miltex is out of this business, collectors might want to consider picking up one of the Miltex "Special Edition" Makarovs still floating around on the market.

Germany (post-unification)
Please see the Simson Suhl page for a complete report on these.

How do I know which is which?
Most gun stores will specify. You can also go by the guidelines above. The East Germans, Chinese, and Bulgarians typically have fixed rear sights; the Russians (except for the early military version) have "target" adjustable sights. Check the markings (from Russian Makarov) engraved into the frame. The Russians will often say Baikal or Izh-70. The Russians are the only ones that are "high-capacity" and have 10-round magazines. Bulgarian Makarovs are made by Arsenal and this should be engraved on the slide and frame. East German Makarovs were made by Ernst Thaelman and some (although not all) have the Thaelman mark on the front of the grip metal. The importers made these engravings, so if yours doesn't have this, it's perfectly normal.
What markings should I look for? What do they mean?
Importer marks will vary depending on which company imported it. For example B-West is the now defunct B-West importer in Arizona. C.A.I. is Century Arms, International. KBI is in Harrisburg, PA. And so on.

Russia
Most of the Russian Makarovs are new production and have either Baikal or Izhmesh markings, including "Made in Russia". Model numbers are typically IJ-70-18A. "18" means 9x18M caliber; "17" means 9x17 or .380ACP. "A" is the standard capacity; "H" is the high capacity (double stack magazine).

East Germany
These are often, but not always, marked "Ernst Thaelmann," which is the factory in Suhl, German, where they were made. Note that the importer, such as Century Arms International, usually made those marks. Therefore, if your East German Makarov doesn't have those markings, it's perfectly normal. Ernst Thaelman was apparently a communist party official of some notoriety. Iaco Saca means International Arms co. Sacramento California. Apparently they were the original importer. 9.25mm is the actual size of the caliber.

Bulgaria
Most are production and bear the "Arsenal" factory name. Some are police and military surplus. Also, special editions are imported by Miltex.

Which Makarovs are considered Curios and Relics?
For those not familiar with the Curio and Relic FFL, visit the C&R Forum @ www.ak-47.net or the www.cruffler.com page.

While the list of C&R weapons includes both the East German and Russian Makarovs, the general consensus is that only the original Russian military Makarovs are included among the Russian guns. That is, the commercially produced Baikal IJ-70 with a rear target sight does not qualify under the spirit of the C&R law. While there are some dealers that will sell IJ-70s to C&R licensed individuals, we recommend that you do not engage in such a transaction. The Bureau of ATF has not made a definitive written statement about the IJ-70, but in our opinion, it does not qualify under C&R. The East German guns are clearly C&R eligible.

The Bulgarian (including Miltex), Chinese, and Simson-Suhl are not considered curio & relics.

Will 8-round magazines fit into the high-capacity Makarov?
Yes, they will fit and function although they may be loose at the base.

How do I pronounce "Makarov?"
The correct pronunciation of Makarov is actually "Mah KAR ahv" and not the more frequently heard "MACK uh rahv."

I'm not really sure I have a Makarov. What other guns like this are there?
There are a number of Makarov look-alikes and act-alikes. Also, with the popularity of the 9x18M cartridge on the rise, several manufacturers have begun offering other pistols that use the 9x18M. If you think you have a Hungarian or Polish Makarov, it's probably not a Makarov, but another similar pistol.

It turns out I have a Hungarian FEG (PA-63, APK, SMC, etc.). Are these OK?
The Hungarian guns are quite nice, but they are not Makarovs, even if the dealer told you so. If it says "9mm Makarov" on the slide, this refers to the caliber, not the gun.
The FEG guns are quite nice in that they are the Walther design, are slimmer and lighter than the Makarov, have a thumb magazine release, and seem to be reliable and inexpensive.

What caliber should I get, .380 or 9x18 Makarov?
By all means, get one in the original caliber of 9x18 Makarov, unless you are already familiar with the .380 ACP and reload for it. 9x18 Makarov ammunition availability is no longer an issue. In fact, you can often get surplus 9x18 Makarov ammo cheaper than .380 ACP!

Can I fire .380 ACP ammo in my 9x18M Makarov?
No. The 9x18M cartridge is not a "true" 9mm because it is actually 9.2mm in diameter. Therefore the bullets are sized .364" and .365" (barrel sizes vary...slugging yours is best to find out your bore size). The diameter of the .380 ACP is .356".

I have a .380 ACP pistol and want a little more power. Can I shoot 9x18M in it?
Again, no. This is even worse than the other way around. The bullet is too big (.364") to fit into the barrel (.356"), the cartridge will probably not even chamber, and even if it does, you may blow the gun and yourself up.

Are 9mm Kurtz (Short), 9mm Makarov, 9x18M, 9x19, 9mm Parabellum, all the same?
Some are, some aren't. Here's a quick run-down of the popular 9mm cartridges:

·9x17 = 9mm Kurtz = 9mm Short = .380 ACP. Bullet diameter = .356"

·9x18Ultra = 9mm Police. Bullet diameter = .356" (used in some Walther pistols...do not shoot this in your Makarov).

·9x18M = 9mm Makarov. Bullet diameter = .364"

·9x19 = 9mm = 9mm Parabellum = 9mm Luger. Bullet diameter = .356"

Will parts interchange between countries of Makarovs?
Yes, as long as they are real Makarovs and not one of the other Makarov-like pistols.