More on Mak

Tom Kinnaird · December 21, 2001, 10:14 AM

Awhile ago after reading about how wonderful the Makarov is, I bought one. After it got here, I didn't like it. No tecnical reason, I just didn't like it. A couple of days ago I was at our indoor range and had the place all to myself. Now, I have been shooting my PA63s at 10, 15, and 25 yards, but I decided to get all adventuresome and ran the target out to 50. Loaded the Mak up with 8 rounds of "Green Box," got a solid "Bar Stool" position. (Since my legs won't hold me up they got me a bar stool to shoot from) and commenced fire. I put all eight in the eight/nine at 12 o'clock in a group the size of the palm of my hand. I'm not that good-a shot, so I just considered it luck, and tried again--another group about the same size, with one flyer off to the left a couple inches. I have been talking about getting a different pistol, but now, I'm going to get different grips for the Mak---after about twenty rounds these "target" grips it came with are uncomfortable. Then I'm going to use the money I was going to blow on another gun to buy ammo. and practice, practice, practice, until I can shoot as good as this Mak does. All the time, every time. Tom K.

Gino · December 21, 2001, 10:39 AM

Yep, the Mak is a very good pistol IF YOU ACCEPT IT'S LIMITATIONS. I really love my Maks, but I understand why someone wouldn't like them - terrible sights, heavy, etc.

Glad you "grew into" yours. Now, if there was some inexpensive way to improve the sights...

B Shipley · December 21, 2001, 12:17 PM

BEAST slide w/ novak type sights for about what you'd pay for an EG Mak.

Snowdog · December 21, 2001, 01:12 PM

One barb Makarovs have against them (IMO) are, as Gino said, horrendous sights. My Russian IJ-70 has adjustable rear sights that look to have been installed as an after-though by a few essentric patients from Bedlam. I can only guess it was to used to accrue the required points to be imported. That itsy-bitsy front sight doesn't have much going for it either.

Also, mine passionately detests CCI 90gr Gold Dots... I get patterns, not groups. Otherwise, the inherent accuracy surprises me, considering what I paid for it.

Fortunately, my Makarov has an acceptable trigger, certainly nothing that adversely affects accuracy.

Even though Makarovs prices seem to have appreciated in the pass couple years, I still feel they are a heck of a value!

AC's & 45's · December 21, 2001, 02:04 PM

Tom,
Now you understand the mystique of the Makarov.

It is a damn near perfect carry gun.

I actually like those small sights that everybody complains about
The only criticism I have about it is the sharpness of the front sight. It does tend to grab whatever clothing or skin it touches.

Now as for the accuracy. It is a military design. It is not a hand built custom tuned pistol. It is a known fact that every gun is an individual. Mine display very similar accuracy to what you described. It did take me a couple hundred rounds to understand my Maks.

It also costs ~ 1/20th of a lot of those hand tuned customs.

The Makarov is a very well built, fun, accurate. reliable and inexpensive gun.

I bought mine initially out of curiosity. It blossomed into respect very quickly.

heres a pic of mine..

BUTCH48 · December 21, 2001, 04:56 PM

What AC's & 45's said! I love my mak. I carry it everyday. The mak was my answer to the unacceptable accuracy I continuously performed with any snubnose .38 revolver. Great Pistol!!!

cocojo · December 21, 2001, 06:18 PM

A couple of things that I did to make the mak better was polish the feed ramp mirror smooth, Next I used very white nail polish on the front sight and last a 19 lb wolf spring and there you have it. I like the red star grips I think look cool

Mike H · December 21, 2001, 11:09 PM

There's the an easy fix to the sight problem, I've just done my Bulgie and the difference is so incredible that I keep picking it up just to look at the sights.

Flourescent yellow Makarov Sight Upgrade Package from Makarov.com, $6 shipped, yep six bucks, and they really do glow in the dark.

Gives you a multitude of sight options, but I went with the standard 2 dot rear. The only tricky part was cutting a 1mm x 2mm piece of sight material for the front blade and then securing it in place with a dot of superglue (provided).

I'm looking at mine right now and still can't believe it's the same set of sights.

Also fitted the Pearce grip, 19lb Wolff recoil spring, ramp polished to a glass finish and had the ramp "lip" removed, and throat polish. Total cost if you can do the polishing yourself is $30 including the sight pack, all shipped.

Maks are safe, accurate, reliable, durable, adequately powerful, cheap to shoot, and cheap to buy. I am without doubt a big fan, they make a lot of other guns look pretty silly.

Mike H

2kiddad · December 21, 2001, 11:17 PM

The trigger modifications described on Makarov.com will work wonders at smoothing out the DA trigger. It's time well spent.

As for the sights, I cleaned mine up with mineral spirits and painted them with flourescent orange, (fronts) and flourescent green, (rears), model paint. Sight picture is easy to aquire now that I can see the d@mn things!

frbank6 · December 22, 2001, 08:29 AM

I think Ashley makes an Express site or the Makarov now. The Mak I had sure needed some help in the site area, and the Ashley has worked well on my P7s.

Eric Larsen · December 22, 2001, 08:44 AM

You can get a set of Pearce grips for it...best grips for the mak. Also check out Makarov.com....even if you are just thinking about
it...they have EVERYTHING>...shoot well

Snowdog · December 22, 2001, 08:58 AM

Oh, one other thing I'd like to mention....

I was less than impressed with the stock grips that came with my IJ-70 Makarov, so I slapped on a Hogue Handall Jr. and was tickled pink with the results!

It features one finger grove, a slight palm-swell, and fits the Makarov (and my hand) like a glove. I simply couldn't have done better even if I had it farmed it out to a shop for custom grips... obviously could have spent more,of course, but with no better results.

I recommend them whole heartedly for those who want a more comfortable and secure grip.

I included a pic of the Handall Jr. installed on my Makarov.

K80Geoff · December 22, 2001, 11:31 AM

Make all the difference!

Frenchy · December 22, 2001, 02:51 PM

I personally prefer the Bulgarian "Red Star" grips that I put on my East German. They are a little slimmer than the original black military's that came with the pistol. I don't care for the rubber type, as they tend to be "grabby" under clothing. I practice and carry the Barnaul hollow point, and don't have a problem with the recoil. I did upgrade to the 19# spring though.
Sights are typical on this type of European pistol, but for a "point n shoot" gun, they are adequate.

pocketman · December 22, 2001, 05:53 PM

I was quickly in and out of my local shop today picking up a serviced long gun and was looking at a stainless version of this gun.
I did not pick it up or really get much of a look at it, but it was stainless, 380cal, black hard rubber or plastic grips with adjustable sites.
I know this maynot be enough info but any idea which country may have made a stainless mak, I think name on the slide begain with a B.
I have been thinking of getting one but never really see them in my area, should i check this one out or considder getting russian model? (are there alloy frame models available or just stainless?)

444 · December 22, 2001, 06:01 PM

B Shipley; Do you have the BEAST slide ? I wanted the trigger job and the sights so I sent my whole gun to BEAST. He has had it since last February. I have begun calling him every week.

Frenchy · December 22, 2001, 06:16 PM

Quote:

I was quickly in and out of my local shop today picking up a serviced long gun and was looking at a stainless version of this gun.

No such thing as a stainless Makarov!

pocketman · December 22, 2001, 06:25 PM

I was just over at makarov.com and found this post I am almost sure this is the gun I was looking at.

"What I do know is that Baikal imported some IJ-70s that were beautifully nickel plated (in which countless numbers of folks erroneously believe is stainless, which never existed- all Makarovs are of carbon steel).
Nickel plated Makarovs are exceedingly hard to find, as only Russia's Baikal imported them with this factory-finish option."

Anyboby know about this model?

joebogey · December 22, 2001, 09:40 PM

I had my Bulgie nickle plated to help fight corrossion, as I use it as a carry gun quite often. You'd be surprised how nice these little guns look with the nickle finish. I use the Pearce grips on my practice gun, but installed the walnut grips on my Bulgie.

Snowdog · December 22, 2001, 11:01 PM

B-West.

As you qoute what I posted at Makarov.com (under the name "GeezusWhatNameHasntBeenTaken".... don't ask

) there are no stainless Makarovs.
Shiny, yes... stainless, no.

That Makarov you saw was more than likely a nickel plated Baikal IJ-70 Imported from Russia by B-West in the early '90s.

It is utterly amazing all the folks who have this particular IJ-70 from B-West that actually believe they have an ultra-rare stainless Russian Makarov.

B Shipley · December 22, 2001, 11:09 PM

444,

No, I mentioned that b/c Karl at Mak.com used to sell the complete slide.

He doesn't anymore and I wondered why.

I think I have the answer from your post.

He now uses somebody else, but no complete slides available.

I wanted to keep my original E.G. slide original.

Missed my chance to get one, though.

Good luck. Might want to take a trip to Arizona to get it back.

Screw the triggerjob (a DIY proposition, anyway) and send the slide to Karl.

444 · December 23, 2001, 09:34 PM

In defense of Jeff at BEAST, he had a run in with cancer this year. That is why I am not real upset about this whole thing, but.... I am getting tired of defending him at this point. He was supposed to be back at work for a month or so now. He has two of my guns and I am sick of waiting on them. If I ever get it back, it should be one of the coolest Makarovs of all time.

By the way, I could buy one of those nickel Makarovs any time I want it from a guy I work with. He wants $200. I was going to buy it, but I already have three Maks now and I could spend $200 on something else.

December 21, 2001, 10:14 AM	#1
Tom Kinnaird Member Join Date: December 13, 2001 Location: Sweet Home, Or Posts: 24	More on Mak Awhile ago after reading about how wonderful the Makarov is, I bought one. After it got here, I didn't like it. No tecnical reason, I just didn't like it. A couple of days ago I was at our indoor range and had the place all to myself. Now, I have been shooting my PA63s at 10, 15, and 25 yards, but I decided to get all adventuresome and ran the target out to 50. Loaded the Mak up with 8 rounds of "Green Box," got a solid "Bar Stool" position. (Since my legs won't hold me up they got me a bar stool to shoot from) and commenced fire. I put all eight in the eight/nine at 12 o'clock in a group the size of the palm of my hand. I'm not that good-a shot, so I just considered it luck, and tried again--another group about the same size, with one flyer off to the left a couple inches. I have been talking about getting a different pistol, but now, I'm going to get different grips for the Mak---after about twenty rounds these "target" grips it came with are uncomfortable. Then I'm going to use the money I was going to blow on another gun to buy ammo. and practice, practice, practice, until I can shoot as good as this Mak does. All the time, every time. Tom K. __________________ "I will fight back the only way I know how. I will defiantly raise my head, and with faith in God, I will live my life. For to do otherwise allows all that's wrong to seize victory – and this I WILL NOT DO!" Kevin McCullough (and ME)

December 21, 2001, 01:12 PM	#4
Snowdog Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2001 Location: Hendersonville, North Carolina Posts: 1,032	One barb Makarovs have against them (IMO) are, as Gino said, horrendous sights. My Russian IJ-70 has adjustable rear sights that look to have been installed as an after-though by a few essentric patients from Bedlam. I can only guess it was to used to accrue the required points to be imported. That itsy-bitsy front sight doesn't have much going for it either. Also, mine passionately detests CCI 90gr Gold Dots... I get patterns, not groups. Otherwise, the inherent accuracy surprises me, considering what I paid for it. Fortunately, my Makarov has an acceptable trigger, certainly nothing that adversely affects accuracy. Even though Makarovs prices seem to have appreciated in the pass couple years, I still feel they are a heck of a value! __________________ "What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity" -Gladiator- ************************* Brevity Is The Soul of Wit. -Shakespeare-

December 22, 2001, 08:44 AM	#11
Eric Larsen Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2001 Location: Bountiful....Ut. Posts: 3,226	You can get a set of Pearce grips for it...best grips for the mak. Also check out Makarov.com....even if you are just thinking about it...they have EVERYTHING>...shoot well __________________ If they dont know you have a gun.....then I did alright! If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice......Rush

December 22, 2001, 11:31 AM	#13
K80Geoff Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 1998 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 3,622	Pearce Grips !!! Make all the difference! __________________ I believe anyone who calls Him/Herself a true American and Patriot should have at least an AR, a dozen mags and 1000 rounds in their safe/gunroom earmarked strictly for Homeland Defense.

December 22, 2001, 06:01 PM	#16
444 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Pahrump, NV Posts: 3,651	B Shipley; Do you have the BEAST slide ? I wanted the trigger job and the sights so I sent my whole gun to BEAST. He has had it since last February. I have begun calling him every week. __________________ You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled, How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard wall, Chasing the redcoats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load.

December 21, 2001, 10:39 AM	#2
Gino Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: WPB, FL USA Posts: 909	Yep, the Mak is a very good pistol IF YOU ACCEPT IT'S LIMITATIONS. I really love my Maks, but I understand why someone wouldn't like them - terrible sights, heavy, etc. Glad you "grew into" yours. Now, if there was some inexpensive way to improve the sights...

December 21, 2001, 12:17 PM	#3
B Shipley Senior Member Join Date: December 25, 1998 Posts: 719	BEAST slide w/ novak type sights for about what you'd pay for an EG Mak.

December 21, 2001, 04:56 PM	#6
BUTCH48 Senior Member Join Date: September 4, 2000 Posts: 189	What AC's & 45's said! I love my mak. I carry it everyday. The mak was my answer to the unacceptable accuracy I continuously performed with any snubnose .38 revolver. Great Pistol!!!

December 21, 2001, 06:18 PM	#7
cocojo Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2000 Posts: 366	A couple of things that I did to make the mak better was polish the feed ramp mirror smooth, Next I used very white nail polish on the front sight and last a 19 lb wolf spring and there you have it. I like the red star grips I think look cool

December 21, 2001, 11:09 PM	#8
Mike H Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 1999 Posts: 1,160	There's the an easy fix to the sight problem, I've just done my Bulgie and the difference is so incredible that I keep picking it up just to look at the sights. Flourescent yellow Makarov Sight Upgrade Package from Makarov.com, $6 shipped, yep six bucks, and they really do glow in the dark. Gives you a multitude of sight options, but I went with the standard 2 dot rear. The only tricky part was cutting a 1mm x 2mm piece of sight material for the front blade and then securing it in place with a dot of superglue (provided). I'm looking at mine right now and still can't believe it's the same set of sights. Also fitted the Pearce grip, 19lb Wolff recoil spring, ramp polished to a glass finish and had the ramp "lip" removed, and throat polish. Total cost if you can do the polishing yourself is $30 including the sight pack, all shipped. Maks are safe, accurate, reliable, durable, adequately powerful, cheap to shoot, and cheap to buy. I am without doubt a big fan, they make a lot of other guns look pretty silly. Mike H

December 21, 2001, 11:17 PM	#9
2kiddad Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2001 Posts: 336	The trigger modifications described on Makarov.com will work wonders at smoothing out the DA trigger. It's time well spent. As for the sights, I cleaned mine up with mineral spirits and painted them with flourescent orange, (fronts) and flourescent green, (rears), model paint. Sight picture is easy to aquire now that I can see the d@mn things!

December 22, 2001, 08:29 AM	#10
frbank6 Member Join Date: April 4, 2000 Posts: 44	I think Ashley makes an Express site or the Makarov now. The Mak I had sure needed some help in the site area, and the Ashley has worked well on my P7s.

December 22, 2001, 05:53 PM	#15
pocketman Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2000 Posts: 390	I was quickly in and out of my local shop today picking up a serviced long gun and was looking at a stainless version of this gun. I did not pick it up or really get much of a look at it, but it was stainless, 380cal, black hard rubber or plastic grips with adjustable sites. I know this maynot be enough info but any idea which country may have made a stainless mak, I think name on the slide begain with a B. I have been thinking of getting one but never really see them in my area, should i check this one out or considder getting russian model? (are there alloy frame models available or just stainless?)

December 22, 2001, 06:25 PM	#18
pocketman Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2000 Posts: 390	I was just over at makarov.com and found this post I am almost sure this is the gun I was looking at. "What I do know is that Baikal imported some IJ-70s that were beautifully nickel plated (in which countless numbers of folks erroneously believe is stainless, which never existed- all Makarovs are of carbon steel). Nickel plated Makarovs are exceedingly hard to find, as only Russia's Baikal imported them with this factory-finish option." Anyboby know about this model?

December 22, 2001, 09:40 PM	#19
joebogey Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2000 Posts: 211	I had my Bulgie nickle plated to help fight corrossion, as I use it as a carry gun quite often. You'd be surprised how nice these little guns look with the nickle finish. I use the Pearce grips on my practice gun, but installed the walnut grips on my Bulgie.

December 22, 2001, 11:01 PM	#20
Snowdog Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2001 Location: Hendersonville, North Carolina Posts: 1,032	pocketman, B-West. As you qoute what I posted at Makarov.com (under the name "GeezusWhatNameHasntBeenTaken".... don't ask ) there are no stainless Makarovs. Shiny, yes... stainless, no. That Makarov you saw was more than likely a nickel plated Baikal IJ-70 Imported from Russia by B-West in the early '90s. It is utterly amazing all the folks who have this particular IJ-70 from B-West that actually believe they have an ultra-rare stainless Russian Makarov. __________________ "What We Do In Life, Echoes In Eternity" -Gladiator- ************************* Brevity Is The Soul of Wit. -Shakespeare-

December 22, 2001, 11:09 PM	#21
B Shipley Senior Member Join Date: December 25, 1998 Posts: 719	444, No, I mentioned that b/c Karl at Mak.com used to sell the complete slide. He doesn't anymore and I wondered why. I think I have the answer from your post. He now uses somebody else, but no complete slides available. I wanted to keep my original E.G. slide original. Missed my chance to get one, though. Good luck. Might want to take a trip to Arizona to get it back. Screw the triggerjob (a DIY proposition, anyway) and send the slide to Karl.

December 23, 2001, 09:34 PM	#22
444 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2000 Location: Pahrump, NV Posts: 3,651	In defense of Jeff at BEAST, he had a run in with cancer this year. That is why I am not real upset about this whole thing, but.... I am getting tired of defending him at this point. He was supposed to be back at work for a month or so now. He has two of my guns and I am sick of waiting on them. If I ever get it back, it should be one of the coolest Makarovs of all time. By the way, I could buy one of those nickel Makarovs any time I want it from a guy I work with. He wants $200. I was going to buy it, but I already have three Maks now and I could spend $200 on something else.