#Makarov

One of the main ergonomic issues (for a modern shooter) of the Makarov pistol is the heel magazine release. With some practice, you can do reasonably fast magazine changes, but you still can’t get even close to the speed of the thumb actuated magazine release button or lever. No wonder why many aftermarket grip manufacturers for this pistol incorporate a thumb release conversion mechanism into their grips. This author is aware of four such grips currently available on the market – one is made by the Israeli FAB Defense, and the other three are manufactured by Russian companies Dozor, PM-Laser and Diamond Arms. The latter is a new product which we’ll take a look at in this article.

After WW2, the Soviet Union was replacing its entire fleet of small arms. And while some Russian weapons that were accepted into service in the late 40s and early 50s, like AK-47 and SKS, became a timeless classic and overtime proved itself, there was at least one gun that did not make much sense. I am talking about Makarov pistol, also known as PM (Pistol, Makarov).

In our previous coverage of modern Vietnamese small arms development on display at Indo Defense 2018 we spent some time looking at locally produced M79’s, Lee Enfield No.4’s, a rotary grenade launcher, and even a 9x19mm Bizon! In this post we’ll be looking at some of the other developments that we weren’t able to fit in the first one.

I agree … the title of this article sounds like trolling or some sort of clickbaiting heresy. The expressions like Ukrainian Schmeisser and Smeisser Makarov alone sound like they are either a typo or an April Fools’ Day joke. However, believe it or not, this less-lethal Makarov replica is made by a Ukrainian company called Schmeisser!

The Pistolet Makarova, known in the U.S. as just the Makarov, began production in 1951, as a much needed replacement for the TT33 Tokarev and Nagant revolvers. Requirements for the replacement of these two service pistols were as such: Simplicity and Reliability. If you’re at all familiar with the sidearms used by the Soviets in World War 2, being more compact and lighter in weight may have also been considered when designing what we see today. Beginners Makarov is a guest post by HumbleGunGuy.

As I said in another article, I kept my eye out for things I don’t see here in the US while roaming the halls of IWA 2018. A large percentage of IWA is made up of airsoft and airgun manufacturers along with blank firing guns. MWM Gillman GmbH is a company that imports and makes full steel gun replicas. But what caught my eye was the image of the Makarov Carbine Tac Kit.

We have earlier  reported about the FAB Defense release of the PM-G Makarov grip which not only gives the old Mak a nice grip shape, texture and beaver tail but perhaps, more importantly, converts the magazine release from heel to thumb one. Recently FAB Defense introduced the transparent version of the PM-G grip dedicated to the Russian market.

Zlatust is a Russian town known for over 200-year heritage of hosting master engravers and decorators. In 1991 a company called Praktica was established in this town. A team of local master engravers has joined the newly founded company and since then they produce a number of precious metal plated and engraved items including firearms.

In the early ’50s, small arms of the Soviet Union have been deeply modernized. The Kalashnikov’s “avtomat” along with its new cartridge was adopted and it was replacing the submachine guns and rifles in the service. The Makarov pistol was also just adopted and they have switched to the new 9x18mm Makarov cartridge.

Thanks to Hracyha for sharing this simple yet stunning photo of a 1911 and M16 juxtaposed to an AK and a Makarov. Both sets are very iconic and hold their own. Let’s not make this into which is better since that topic has been done ad nauseum. What do you think of the photo? How about the choice of firearms? Im not so sure about the use of the Mavkarov. Im thinking the Russian TT pistol may be a slightly better choice?

We shoot Hornady 9x18mm 95gr FTX Critical Defense ammunition from a Bulgarian Arsenal Makarov with a 3.7″ barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight. Buy it at Ventura Munitions

The Interpolitex 2017 exhibition held in Moscow, Russia, was a fairly large exhibition with a number of different solutions mainly for the law enforcement market. A small booth of a company called Komoloff caught my attention with a couple of interesting products.

Kalashnikov Concern have shown off a rare example of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s automatic pistol developed in the late 1940s. Kalashnikov’s pistol was beaten by Igor Stechkin’s entry into the trials, the APS.

Kalashnikov Media , a dedicated media website of Kalashnikov Concern, has released a video where the designer of PL-15 and PL-15K pistols, Dmitri Lebedev, talks about the compact version of his pistol. Here is that video (with English subtitles).

PB Pistol (Pistolet Besshumniy (Пистолет Бесшумный) – means silent or noiseless pistol) was developed in the ’60s and adopted by the Soviet Union in 1967. It was issued to special forces units. By the late ‘80s, they started replacing it with the PSS pistol. Now the Russian Ministry of Defense wants the PB pistol back!