Sometimes fate just slaps you in the face like a cold, wet fish. I was at the range last week, and just as I was leaving, a guy came in with this and asked what it was worth:
The honest answer was, “not much.” It was dirty, only had one magazine, and it lacked case or papers. Selling a used gun is always a losing proposition, even when it’s in mint condition. Selling one like this, well…don’t bother.
That is, unless there’s a guy in the room who’s been looking for one of these for a couple of years.
I wasn’t sure what to offer, and the shopkeeper quoted the official worth, which was alot lower than what I was prepared to pay.
So, for roughly the price of a tank of gas and a couple of packs of smokes, I’ve finally got a Bulgarian Makarov. I took it home and cleaned it up. It’s a testament to grim Eastern Bloc engineering that a dirty, diffidently-maintained gun like this was in such good condition. I only found two small spots of surface rust, both of which came off easily.
The only alteration I made was to pull the original plastic grips and replace them with the Pearce rubber ones. Thusly cleaned up, I took it to the range, and man, was I surprised.
I’ve heard all about the accuracy of the Makarov, but I guess I had to see it for myself. Even with the dreadful sights (which are the next thing to be changed), I was able to keep everything in a 3″ group at 7 yards easily. Not bad for a 3″ barrel.
Given its heritage, the Mak is all-steel and a bit on the heavy side for its size. The tradeoff here is that it absorbs recoil very well, which is a boon since the 9×18 is a snappy round and the barrel is fixed. Detail stripping is a cinch, and the gun only contains a total of 27 parts. Everything is heavy-gauge forged steel, and although the internals are ugly as sin and toolmarks abound, the gun locks up tight and functions without a hitch.
The safety is a bit of an oddity, being slide-mounted (which I hate). Unlike most slide-mounted safeties, this one is the 1911 style, which means that the “down” position is “fire,” something that might confuse Beretta and S&W shooters. Since this gun is a DA, there’s really no need for it, so it’s pretty much a moot point.
The DA trigger is a bit heavy, but the SA is smooth and light, a bit “bouncy,” much like on the CZ75. The DA pull can be lightened by clipping the leafspring, but I don’t recommend it. Running a bit of grease into the sear block and cycling the hammer a few times helps smooth it out, and after a couple of hundred rounds, it’s actually quite nice.
And it still beats the heck out of the 24lb pull that Walther still puts on their PPK’s.
If there’s one thing the Communist system got right, it’s weaponry. The Makarov is cheap, but don’t confuse it with the average pawn-shop special. These are excellent service pistols, and quite a bit of fun to shoot. The Mak has enjoyed a certain “overlooked best buy” status for several years, but supply is starting to dry up, and as a result, prices can be expected to rise. Grab one while you can.