Makarov
The Makarov is a European-made pistol designed by Nikolai Federovich Makarov.
Russian Nikolai Federovich Makarov competed with two other arms specialists to design a replacement to the Communists' aging Tokarev semi-automatic pistol. Instead of using an existing cartridge to build his gun around, Mr. Makarov designed a new round that was as powerful as possible, yet could still be fired from a simple straight-blowback pistol. The round is named 9x18mm Makarov, though in spite of the "9" in the name, the bullet diameter is a bit wider than the 9mm Luger/Parabellum that many shooters are familiar with.
Mr. Makarov called his design the Pistolet Makarova, and it was selected over the competitors because it was simpler (fewer parts to break), accurate and reasonably powerful.
The Pistolet Makarova (abbreviated to PM) or "Mak" is a medium-size handgun with a straight blowback action. Blowback means the only thing holding the slide closed is the recoil spring; upon firing, the barrel and slide do not have to "unlock" as with a locked-breech design. A straight blowback system is inherently more accurate because the barrel is fixed and does not move, though it cannot fire as "hot" of ammunition as a locked-breech firearm (such as a .45). The pistol is relatively heavy for its smallish size, mainly to absorb a lot of the recoil or "kick" of the 9x18mm round. Depending on the type of ammo used, the Mak's recoil ranges from average to ouch. A lighter gun such as the PA-63 firing the same 9x18mm round is unpleasant to shoot, at best.
The Makarov has a DA/SA or "Double Action, Single Action" operating system. Pushing the safety (mounted on the slide) down to "fire," the hammer is already down and the first shot is fired "Double Action"—meaning a long, heavy trigger pull first cocks the hammer and the lets it fall. The firing of the round and cycling of the action precocks the hammer for subsequent shots, so they are fired "Single Action" with a short, light trigger pull. Push the safety up to "safe," and the hammer is safely decocked. Operation is semi-automatic, firing as fast as the user can pull the trigger.
The magazine holds eight rounds. After firing the last round in the magazine, the slide locks open. After feeding a new magazine, the slide can be closed by activating a lever on the right side of the frame. This chambers a fresh round and the pistol is ready for action again. Mr. Makarov put the magazine release on the heel or the butt of the handgrip. This was because soldiers complained about the earlier Tokarev pistol's frame-mounted mag release being accidentally activated and dropping a full magazine in the middle of a firefight, with predictably fatal results (for the guy holding a now empty Tokarev, anyway).
The Makarov employs a free-floating firing pin (no firing pin spring). While some may call this an unsafe design, the firing pin is so light that drop-firing is not a danger unless the gun is dropped muzzle-down from more than 15-20 feet up, something fairly unlikely to happen.
The Pistolet Makarova is incredibly inexpensive, ranging from USD$120-$150 as of 2004. Rare or perfect condition Maks can command over $200, but only collectors would spend that sum on the Mak (compare this to USD$500-600 for a new Glock). Even a $120 Mak is perfect for self-defense: inexpensive, safe, reliable, with reasonable stopping power. Surplus military ammo is also dirt cheap at about USD$0.10 a round.
The Mak was made in several Communist countries during the Cold War; aficionados consider those made in East Germany to be the best. The Bulgarian pistols are not quite as polished but are still solid and reliable. The Russian and Chinese Maks are often slightly inferior, but even then it's hard to find an unreliable or inaccurate one.
