What's the difference in makarovs'
Ok, I'm bored and have a few dollars(very few) to spend. Who can help me out by explaining the different manufactures of the Makarov pistols. Russian, Bulgarian, etc. Which are best and are they worth a couple hundred bucks? What about the Tokarov? Thanks.
0
-
Likely the most reliable self-loading pistol on Earth. It laughs at the "Glock tests". Run over it with a tank, soak it in mud, it'll still shoot. Small enough to be concealable, too. Easy to repair (only 36 parts, including pins, springs, and plungers, and 4 of those are the magazine!), it was designed so illiterate peasants could do so. Very accurate. Very inexpensive.
Downsides: Heavy for its size, standard of only 8 rounds capacity (a hi-cap version exists, but is significantly more expensive.), a bit underpowered, ammo is unusual, but not scarce.
In short, it's not pretty, but it's a perfect friend in an emergency. Since in my view, drawing your CCW should always be in an emergency situation, it's ideal. What's more, if you really have to use it, and the cops take it into evidence, you're only out $150 or so.
East German ones are the most highly thought of, and Russian military ones are considered just as good. But the cheap Bulgarian ones work well, the only real difference is the final finish.
"Go to Lakedaemon, stranger passing by;
And say there, that in obedience to her law, here we lie"0 -
Finish is really the main difference. East German/Russian probably at the top closely followed by the Hungarian FEG PA63 version. Bulgarian is the bottom, but I've never heard anyone complain about even the Bulgarian models failing to give reliable performance.
Paying a couple hundred bucks ... no that's too high. $100-150 is more appropriate.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
Just bought a Bulgarian this weekend. Great little gun. Accurate, reliable. I paid about $185 out the door. There was also an E. German one that was $350, but for a fun little gun you can't beat this. I should've bought one of these years ago.
-Marcus
***When the Second Amendment falls, the First will be sure to follow.***0 -
I've been wanting one of these and I'm going to a gun show Feb.28-29. Will the East German guns have any "brand" name other than presumably "Made in East Germany". Will any variance in importer stamp mean an earlier better gun or late? Grip variations?
Any additional info. welcome, thanks.
Them ducks is wary.0 -
This is just C&P..., although I read the Russian model came out of the factory guarenteed to malfunction less than 1 in 20,000 rounds...
9X18 MAK PA-63 FEG HUNGARY
Just picked up a PPK clone in 9X18.
Aluminum frame. Cool integral aluminum finger rest on mag.
Right grip checkered flat; left side has raised thumb rest.
Sturdy fixed sights.
#'s on slide and frame match, numbers on mags are close.
Blackened steel slide. Take down like PPK.
Came with sidearm pouch with extra mag slot.
Looks like police issue.
Serial ~ BB33xx three different stamps adjacent to serial #.
Opposite side behind trigger: "G.P. TRADING
ST. ALB. VT. Does anyone know the history?
mark christian
Senior Member USA 2074 Posts Posted?-?09/12/2003?:? 17:28:43 ???
I own an example of this exact same pistol, also from GP Trading, but mine has a BE prefix for the serial number. The PA-63 pistols were produced in Hungary by FEG-- Fegyver es Gazkeszuelekgyara-- which translates into something like "Arms and Gas Appliances Factory" in Budepest. The PA-63 was the standard military sidearm for the Hungarian Military for many years and is pretty much a straight copy of the Walther PP. This pistol is sometimes encountered marked as RK-59 instead to PA-63...the reasons for this are unclear to me since the pistols are identical. There is also a version of this pistol chambered for the .32ACP for export and these guns are totally blued-- the frame and the slide. 20 years ago these little guns were very rare here in the United States and collectors were happy to spend several hundred dollars for a fine example. Today they are widely available for around $100-$130 and collector interest is now zero. These are good quality pistols at very reasonable prices and the Makarov ammo packs a decent punch...at least as far as pocket pistols are concerned.
intercessor
Junior Member 143 Posts Posted?-?09/12/2003?:? 18:09:42 ???
I own two of them. One all blue, which I think is orginal military/police issue, the other is tow tone, silver and black. I think the second one [marked FEG], was made just for import into this country. The same gun, just not as nicly made. Only down side I find is the trigger pull is awful. Found a fellow on line who tunes them and smoothes them up, but he wanted more to do the work than I paid for the gun. I still like them though, small enough for my wife to get a grip on, and my gunsmith tells me it's the most powerful cartridge you can get in a small fram semi-auto.0 -
Interesting! Everyone was so eager to discuss the Makarov with you that they overlooked the end of your question about the Tokarev! It's a different animal than the Makarov, single action semi-auto vs. double action, high velocity 7.62x25mm bottle neck cartridge vs. 9x18mm with a lower velocity but a slightly heavier bullet. The Tokarev was the standard pistol of the U.S.S.R. and their allies for a long time, and can be considered to their military what the 1911 was to ours. Its design was largely borrowed from Browning's Patents, with a couple of innovations thrown in like its fire control mechanism being romovable from the top of the frame as a unit for cleaning or repair, and the magazine lips being internal to the pistol. It was originally designed and used for years without a manual safety, but those imported from China, Russia, Poland, etc. for commercial sale have had a safety added to make them acceptable for import. Usually the safety, since it has been included as an afterthought, is awkward to manipulate. If you like the old Browning-designed pistols like the Colt 1903 you would likely find the Tokarev pleasing, as it has the same smooth lines, is flat, and slides easily into your waistband. Given a choice of a Makarov or a Tokarav, the answer is clearly one of each. 0 -
Check out www.makarov.com to find the answers to all things makarov. 0 -
To be clear on this, while I also like the PA-63 very much, it's NOT a Makarov, even if it shoots the same ammo. The 2 pistols are as completely different mechanically as 2 blow back pistols can be, except for the trigger guard doubling as a breakdown catch. The Mak is a unique design, while a PA is very much like a PPK.
"Go to Lakedaemon, stranger passing by;
And say there, that in obedience to her law, here we lie"0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
8 comments