Makarov--------a Potent Little Package

I hate communists, as I would have hated the NAZI's, had I been around then.  But I DO like a lot of their weapons.  They were very serious about sending their troops out with good reliable equipment........nothing "fancy".....just good basic firepower, and I think I'll dedicate my next few blogs, on weapons OUR guys have had to deal with in the past.

The Russian Makarov would seem a good place to start.  It is a semi-automatic pistol that was very popular with the Soviet KGB throughout the 50's & 60's, (long-since replaced, and made available to western collectors).

Its compact size, (shown here with a German Walther PPK above it), made it an ideal undercover gun for the Russian agents.  When you tear these pistols down to clean them, the Makarov bears  a remarkable resemblance to the German pistol.  (The "Ruskies" grabbed everything they could at the end of the war, including jet engine and missile technology, and even some German scientists themselves------------------WE did too),

But the old Walther PPK was such a proven design, the Russians had the good sense NOT to make any real changes in their "Makarov" that would follow.

The Makarov is chambered for the 9 x 18mm "Makarov" cartridge, and will not interchange with the "standard 9mm" that WE all know,

(9mm=the diameter of the bullet) ("18" designates the length of the cartridge case)

The standard 9mm Luger cartridge that everyone shoots today, is a bit longer at "9 x 19"......and is shown here next to some longer revolver rounds....(357 Mag, 38+P, and 38 Special).

The Walther PPK shoots the 380 ACP (which is ALSO a "9mm slug", but it sits on a slightly  SHORTER case than the Makarov.   The 380 is a 9 x 17,  (The 380 is standing next to the olive drab Makarov cartridge in this right hand photo.  They look pretty close to the naked eye, don't they?  But they don't interchange in the guns (not SAFELY anyway).

9 x 18 Makarov ammo CAN be a problem.  They MAKE it, but not in great quantities, because not that many people have or shoot Makarovs.....compared to the very popular 380.

The standard "9mm" is the most widely used pistol of ANY caliber in the world, so there's always plenty of ammo available for IT.

The old 9 x 18 Russian Makarov IS a good gun though, and was the KGB's "pistol of choice" during the "cold war years."----which in itself, is a pretty fair "endorsement."  It's not a sidearm for the deep woods, but against 2-legged adversaries.........it does what it was intended to do.