what do y'all think of the makarov?

[revjen45]

I think it's a well-designed reliable pistol. Mine has been absolutely reliable.

[michaelap]

Try a look at a P-64 much nicer in my opinion.

[boris]

and got myself a CZ-82 . i would get another one, except my wife likes the makarov. i do too. but i think i like the cz better. if that is possible!!

[340mopar]

My wife had one, and we loved it. She sold it to a friend of mine so that she could purchase a .357 western Style Berretta Stampeed.

[BoomChick]

Makarov has a fixed barrel that feels really smooth. I like them. Also, be sure you're sure of your backstop.

A bit more info here:

Educational Zone #16 - Great Firearms - The 9 X 18 Makarov - Page 1

I love the Box of Truth, but it's hard to navigate.

Here's the neutered Makarov page. . .

Makarov.com

[boris]

how do you like your CZ? i looked at your profile and it said you had one, but not a 82...

[BoomChick]

Well, short story: I really like it.

I got mine for around a hundred bucks. If you get one that hasn't been worked on already you need to replace the firing pin and should go ahead and think about replacing the little roller cams inside. Let your neighborhood smithy check it out for you before firing.

What else can I tell you. . .

Doesn't have too much kick, although the grip is "skinny" -- which might freak you out a little at first, unless your hands are small like mine . . . Grips also tend to be a lot smoother than some other pistols. If a .45 is sort of a pushing feel, and a .40 is more of a little snap, the CZ is a bit more of a snap than the .40 -- it's obvious that it's a quick little round when you fire one.

It ejects brass really hard and far - folks next to you at the range might give you some dirty looks if you're not separated with some kind of divider. It looks really crispy in the dark -- lights up a room . Makes quite a lot of noise. . . You can get rounds for these that will approach rifle speeds out of the barrel -- but I don't recommend those, unless you talk to a smithy about that specifically first.

Umm. . . It'll go through a car door, some armor, etc.

Therefore, I wouldn't use it for a carry pistol. . . unless you want to shoot someone and the several folks behind them possibly without making a large hole.

"Single shot was fired to the center of the block from a distance of 6 feet. Bullet impacted the block at 1510 ft/sec, penetrated 16.0" of ballistic gelatin, 10" of polyester bullet arresting box (roughly equivalent to 12" of ballistic gelatin), and 1.5" of loose-packed 'play sand'."
85gr Sellier & Bellot FMJ as opposed to something like this or this or even this.

The Box O' Truth #29 - The Helmets O' Truth - Page 1
The Box O' Truth #29 - The Helmets O' Truth - Page 1

I once saw a guy shoot a hard drive hanging from the ceiling with a .45, a Makarov, and a 52. The .45 basically pushed it out of the way. .. The Makarov went through, but left it swinging. . The 52 just left a hole -- it barely moved.

My CZ is well loved, but bless it -- it sure is ugly!

Hope this helps!

[boris]

do you have trouble getting ammo for it?

[BoomChick]

Nope. My local indoor range/ gun store carries it.

-Just ask for Tokarevs. If they don't have it, maybe they can start stocking it for you. Or, there's online sellers -- watch out for corrosive ammo for this one.

[wpoppert]

I recently got a PA-63 and like it a lot. The major drawbacks that I had read about were excessive felt recoil and a very heavy DA trigger pull. I almost purchased a recoil reduction kit in anticipation of sore hands, but after I got it out to the range, I found it really wasn't that bad. The DA pull is a bit heavy, but managable. I may later invest in new springs to reduce that a bit, but it wasn't so bad that I felt I must take immediate action to fix it. Also, I used to carry a SIG 228, but I like the PA-63 better for carry purposes because of the reduced weight and smaller profile.