MAKAROV PM

IJ-70 Makarov in .380 acp with target sight and pierce grip.  One need only change the barrel to make it 9x18

The Makarov PM, commonly know as the Makarov or Mak, was the cold war counterpart to our 1911.  It was introduced in the early 1950s as a replacement for the Tokarev pistol and Nagant revolver.  It is a simple, straight blow back, design that borrows heavily from the Walther pp and ppk.  While Nikolai Makarov borrowed much from the Walthers, he did not produce a copy.  The Makarov PM is it's own animal.

For clarification purposes you must know that there are several other pistols chambered for the 9x18 Makarov round.  They may or may not be similar to the PM, but they are not Makarov pistols.

I could go on and on about the history and inner workings of this little pistol, but that may be reinventing the wheel.  Wikipedia does a good job of outlining the gun's history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_pistol

My Makarov experience started in 2002 when I bought my Baikal IJ-70.  The IJ-70 is simply a standard Makarov PM with the fixed rear sight removed and replaced by an adjustable "target" sight.  The reason for this is the stupidity of gun laws in the United States.  To import newly manufactured pistols into our country the gun had to have a "sporting" purpose.  Hence the target sight.  I say stupid because the screw that holds the sight on has very small threads and is easily backed out under the Mak's strong recoil. Once backed out, I have often found that it is stripped.  To remedy the situation I installed a fixed replacement sight from Gun parts warehouse http://www.gunpartswarehouse.com/pistol-parts/makarov-pistol/ij-70-fixed-rear-sight.html. Unfortunately, this did not stop the screw from backing out and stripping.  (They sell new screws too).  Red locktite is the best thing I've found, but they still come loose.  All because the feds think a gun is less deadly if it has a target sight on it.  If I ever find a standard slide at a decent price, I'll replace it.  Surplus Maks have a standard sight dovetailed into the slide as the designer intended.  I have since re installed the target sight. 

Other than the federally mandated problem, I love my Mak.  It is unbelievably reliable, accurate, and a ton of fun.  The recoil is snappy to say the least.  There is really no discernible difference between the recoil of the Mak and that of a standard size .45 ACP.  Yes, this little gun has bite.  A pearce  grip is worth it's weight in gold and really changes the feel of the gun for the better.  I highly recommend them.

Some of the IJ-70s came chambered in.380 acp, while the good ones :) are chambered in 9x18 Makarov. The only difference is the barrel. 9x18 ammo is generally available at smaller gun shops or through mail order.  No, Wal-Mart does not carry it.  The Russian brown bear and silver bear are pretty hot loads with steel cases.  Many manufacturers have a listing for it, but  availability can be spotty and American makers want an arm and a leg for the stuff.

I started to hand load for 9x18 within a year of buying the gun.  I use 9mm luger brass that I pick up off the range.  I simply trim 1 millimeter off the length and run it through the dies.  No big deal.  I was loading Hornady's xtp hollow points years back.  Awesome bullets, but a little hard to find right now.  I'm currently loading 95 grain hard cast lead from Rim Rock Bullets.  Also very good quality and much cheaper. In general, hard cast is a good way to go for target and plinking.  

The best upgrades are the grips, a Wolf recoil spring, and perhaps an East German main spring.  I have added all these to mine and think each one has it's advantages.        

Shown cocked.  The single action trigger is crisp and relatively light at 5.5 pounds, the double action not so much.