Russian Makarov 9x18 question

[wooldl]

I have an oppurtunity to buy a Makarov at what appears to be a fair price. I am not familiar with the gun so I wanted to get some opinions from some people here at go2gbo.

The gun looks very clean (in pics, I have not layed hands on it yet), comes with a holster, 5 mags and 4 1/2 boxes of ammo~~~$275.

Is this a reliable handgun? Are they decent shooters? accurate? How hard is it to find ammo? Does that seem like a fair price? assuming the gun is clean and tight? What are some things to be on the look out for?

Thanks,
Dale

[Reed1911]

Assuming it is a Makarov and not a gun that is just chambered in 9x18 Mak (e.g. P64, PA-63, CZ-83) then yes that is a good price. If it is the IJ-70 then it should have adjustable sights which is not a must but nice. Very reliable, very strong, very simple design, If you don't want it I'll take it.

[guzzijohn]

It also depends a bit where it was made. I think the are East German and Bulgarian ones are considered to be the best made. To me it seems a bit pricey but then you are getting a lot of extras. They are a great pistol for what they are. If you reload it is a pain to locate the brass when shooting as these guns tend to kick the brass into low earth orbit! Otherwise they are accurate (sights are a bit of a challenge if you are past 40), dead reliable, and easy to take apart for cleaning. For the size of the round they do have a snappy kick due to the blowback design, but not bad. In this day and age you would be hard pressed to get anything better for the money. My .02 worth.
Guzzi John

[rockbilly]

The East German  is the most desireable, (not that it is realy any better.) then Russian, and then Bulgarian  Go to the following site for information:

     http://www.bobturley.com/makarov/

And at a lessor price, the P-64 is hard to beat, and a much better carry pistol than the Makarov, it is a quality made firearn, and tougher than a Marine First Sergeant.  The jury is still out on the PA-63, they appear to be well made, but the alloy frame causes most of us concern, especially with other than military ammo.   Ammo for the 9x18 is readily available, tho a little pricy when bought in small quanities.  The price range for the P-64, about $175. for a "like new gun,"  and a PA-64 can be bought for $109.00 at either CDNN or J & S.  Either is a good choice for a bed side weapon when operating on a limited budget.

[Reed1911]

And at a lessor price, the P-64 is hard to beat, and a much better carry pistol than the Makarov, it is a quality made firearn, and tougher than a Marine First Sergeant

Are you out of you mind! It is smaller, less expensive, and yes the trigger is much, much tougher than an MSG. Accurate? No. Dependable? No. Worthy of more than a door stop? No. The Trigger on the 10 or so we ordered in when they first got on the market were all in the 8-10# range in SA mode and went above 18# in DA mode. I'm no superman, but that just don't cut it for a trigger pull. Beyond that, the trigger pull is dirty, gritty, and has an odd feel. The accuracy is come and go and as small as it is requires some serious time to become used to in terms of the recoil impulse. It plain hurts to shoot (and I'm a regular shooter of pretty powerful handguns). The PA-63 is a little better, but still not nearly as well put together as a true Makarov (regardless of the country of origin)

[blhof]

My son picked up one in 380 and it appears to be a PPK knock-off.  The trigger is reasonable enough for my wife(a non-shooter) to use and accurate enough for her to keep it in the 10 ring at 7 yds.  It just says made in Russia on the side.  I have seen others at gun shows that were a lot rougher looking.  The slide is a  real bear to operate, but the recoil is light and my wife prefers it to my M-9.

[wooldl]

Thanks for the input guys, and feel free to keep discussing this, but I've decided to pass. I've purchased an Springfield XD45 and Ruger Mark 3 in the last 2 months so they'll keep me busy for a while.

 

Dale

[blackpowderbill]

blhof, once you get inside it you will see that it (Makarov) is not related to the PPK. It is a far better weapon, fewer and mor robust parts and easily detail stipped and reassembled without needing a whole tool box. The trigger is easily smoothed up, little else is required. I have carried a stock DDR Mak for many years now and have never felt the need to modify anything on it.

[torpedoman]

The german is better made (less crude on the inside) the russian is the mose valuable as a collector piece both are the same parts interchange yes it is a good buy, yes it is accurate and reliable, Yes it is a good carry piece, all that said at this time you can get a cz82 in 9 mak for 200 and it is a 12 round mag very accurate and dependable and a CZ

[Mikey]

Geez, I wish you folk would stop comparing the Makarov to the PPK, they are not the same at all.  If you want a better comparison then place a Mak next to a PP and one in 380 caliber.  I do not believe the Makarov is more robust a pistol - the Russians made it for their military and although it has/had to be robust it wasn't built to last forever, and regardless of which country put however much quality into its production, the Makarov will always border on mil-spec piece and I seriously doubt it will ever compare to the Walther PP for quality.  I have seen wartime (WWII wartime) PPs in 380 that had been shot regularly since they were brought back and all it did was smooth them out.  The only PP I ever had that gave me trouble was a Turkish made PP that needed the ramp polished.

Yes, a new Walther made PP in 380 will cost you almost $800 (if you can get one over here) and of course you can get a 380 something in plastic for a hair under $300 and probably 3 Makarovs for the cost of one Walther PP but I really don't wanna hear any bs about the 9x18 so vastly outperforming the 380 when it simply isn't true.  If you are going top compare the 9x18 with the 380 then compare them from the same barrel length and the impact energy from either at max effective range (25m) for either ain't enough to spit about.

Whenever I want to carry somethiing slim, lighter weight and powerful I will carry a Tokarev.  The 9x18 will never comapre to the 7.62x25.  JMTCW.  Mikey.

[rockbilly]

Reed1911.  I bought two of the P-64s when they first hit the market, I kept one and gave the other one to my son.  At the time we purchased them we also bought a 500 round lot of mil surp ammo.  That ammo was used in fairly short order and another lot of 500 rounds was ordered, we are down to three-four boxes left.  That said, I have fired my P-64 a fair amount!  It has never failed, the accuracy is good out to about 15-20 yards, and I find the trigger pull acceptable.

I have a good inventory of handguns, there are many that I place hands above the P-64, but I still maintain it is a good pistol for the price.  Anyone buying this gun should know it is not made for comfort and that it is a handful to shoot, but it still makes a good home defense, or carry weapon when you can't afford something better.  After all, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different likes, dislikes, as I posted several times before, I don't like Kimber guns, I have owned two that were pure trash.  That said, if I needed a firearm in a SHTF situation, I would rather be packing a P-64 that one of the piece of crap Kimbers I used to own.

[blackpowderbill]

Mike: I would not argue that the PP / PPK isn't a fine weapon. However it does have some features that are common to German designs, namely a tendency toward mechanical complexity. While very reliable and durable, it would be very difficult to do a detailed strip and reassembly in field conditions. The Makarov on the other hand will allow this very easily using only the combination tool that is carried within the issue holster. As a civilian who carries a concealed weapon rather than a soldier carrying it in the field, that is in all likelyhood a moot point. I do believe however that it is sufficient to raise the Mak above the PP as a service weapon.
  The differences between 9x17 and 9x18 are accademic,  the target would never be able to tell the difference.  Both are of mediocre power.  I do find the Mak to have better ergonamics, but that is just an opinion and I am sure others would argue the point.
  If I had a PP or PPK would I carry one? Absolutey. I just happen to already own a Mak and a P64 and that fullfills my requirements.

[BCB]

I purchased mine maybe 15 years ago and it is still sluggin' away!  I shoot cast, Speer Gold Dot, and Hornady XTP out of it.  I use Green Dot, Red Dot, AA#7, and HP-38.  I make my brass from the 9mm Para.  I got it new with holster (never used it!) and 2 clips I think for $129.99...
I carry it with me under the seat, in my lunch bucket, in the glove box, in my back pocket, etc.  It is all beat to hell, the bluing is gone, the trigger/hammer mechanisms are filthy (although I do clean them once in awhile!), yet it still shoots when I need it to do so.  The only thing I don't like about it is the way the clip comes out--major difficult.  Good-luck if you perchase one...BCB