Makarytch evolves from the legendary Makarov pistol (PM), which along with Browning, Walther, Beretta and Astra considers being the best pistol of the 20th century. Makarov pistols have been produced by Izhevsky Mechanichesky Zavod for over 50 years. Since that the company has designed a line of Makarov-based handguns including service, tear-gas and airsoft pistols as well as export-models. These pistols have diverse applications from standard military and law enforcement use to sports and recreational target shooting.

Today Makarov is the only pistol in the world subjected to a “comprehensive conditions” factory testing where the gun is consecutively tested in a room having high concentration of airborne dust particles, then under simulated rain, then wiped dry and yet again tested in the dust-room. In terms of its characteristics (overall dimensions, magazine capacity, initial kinetic energy and recoil energy), Makarov PM is superior to most of other pistols in its class. The story begins in 1945, when a tender for a new pistol was announced to replace the then-standard 7.62-mm Tokarev (TT) pistol that was too heavy and lacked dependability. The new pistol had to be 7.65 mm (for 7.65 Browning caliber) or 9 mm, it also had to be more compact, more lightweight, with higher accuracy, greater reliability and dependability under harsh operating conditions. In addition, the new pistol had to retain the TT’s considerable knocking-down power. At the same time, since the new gun was conceptually intended for use in surprise scuffles at close range, it didn’t require a very powerful cartridge. As a result, the new 9x18 mm pistol cartridge was similar in its characteristics to 9-mm Browning kurz or German Ultra (which was used for a 9-mm Walther PP). Among the designers who submitted their proposals for the tender were such well-known designers as F.V.Tokarev, P.V.Voevodin, S.A.Korovin, I.I.Rakov, S.G.Simonov as well as their younger colleagues - N.F.Makarov from Tula, G.V.Sevriugin, A.L.Klimov and A.I.Lobanov from Izhevsk. The winning pistol was 9-mm Makarov. The gun was officially designated as PM (Pistolet Makarova or Makarov pistol) and adopted by the Soviet Army in 1951. The Izhevsky Mechanichesky Zavod began producing the PM in 1949 and continued it until recently with little variations. In parallel with the 9-mm pistol, Nikolay Makarov designed a 7.65-mm handgun, which although successfully passing all tests, was turned down with preference given to the 9-mm version.

The pistol’s design was inspired by the popular Walther PP. It’s blowback operated; the slide’s recoil spring sits directly on the barrel. To facilitate manual cocking, the rear part of the slide is notched on both sides. The ejector is mounted on the top right side of the slide. The firing mechanism features an open hammer and main spring fitted inside the grip behind the magazine. The lower part of the hammer spring doubles as the magazine release. The hammer has safe and cocked positions. The trigger bar that cocks the hammer also doubles as disconnector. The hammer can be cocked automatically by the longer trigger pull in the double-action mode. The early Makarovs had a considerable trigger slack, which when taken up in a rapid-fire mode resulted in offset aiming. This deficiency was subsequently eliminated. When engaged, the latch-type safety lever mounted on the left-hand side of the slide blocks the hammer simultaneously locking the slide. As compared to its Walther PP prototype, Makarov's safety is significantly improved – it’s more reliable and uses the more intuitive up is safe / down is fire. The safety can be disengaged by the thumb of the firing hand, thus making the pistol ‘single hand-operated’. Simple sights designed for an effective range of 50 meters are located on the slide. A single-stack 8-round magazine fits inside the pistol grip. The sides of the magazine are slotted for visual loading control. After the last shot is fired, the follower tab on the magazine pushes up on the slide release. The hand grip connects to the barrel at 102 degrees. The plastic grip comes as one block screwed to the frame. The bottom of the left-hand grip is fitted with an almost flush ring for retention strap.

Compared to TT, Makarov has smaller overall dimensions and weight, which became possible due to using a new, shorter-length ammunition. However, due to a larger caliber cartridge, Makarov delivers the same punch and stopping power. As compared to the TT, Makarov is quicker to deploy and has a higher effective rate of fire due to its double-action firing mechanism. A snug fit, fixed barrel, preliminary trigger pull make Makarov more accurate than TT. Makarov PM is more reliable in diverse weather conditions. Its blowback operated and can be used only in a single-shot mode. It uses a manual latch-type safety mounted on the left-hand side of the slide that automatically blocks the hammer once it’s decocked. Ammunition is fed from a detachable single-stack 8-rounds magazine. Makarov is simple in design, comfortable to operate, can be easily field-stripped and assembled without any additional tools. Its design facilitates production, keeps production costs down and can incorporate technology advancements.

The pistol is carried in a leather belt-type holster with a buttoned flap, a pocket for a second magazine, and two carry straps. The holster is fitted with a retention device to keep the gun from falling out of the holster. The standard Makarov holster is a traditional design that became common before the WWII. Exterior finishing is black or brown matte.

The ‘smooth’ exterior makes the pistol easy to carry. For a 9-mm handgun, Makarov is small and lightweight, easy to operate and highly reliable. Another important Makarov characteristic is its overall simplicity. Fewer number of parts simplified the gun’s disassembly and assembly, which is an important factor in field combat conditions. However, its smaller dimensions hampered its performance. A shorter 93-mm (10.3 caliber) barrel along with a relatively low knock-down power resulted in low accuracy even at a close range. Its shot dispersion radius as shown in the firing table is 0.16 meters at the distance of 50 meters. The pistol was traditionally viewed as “peace-time weapon”, hence priority to other weapon types and the resultant lack of resources that precluded the design’s refinement.

In the absence of a special ‘police issue model’, Makarov became standard firearm for the law enforcement personnel, where the gun’s deficiencies became more apparent. In addition, its standard holster, which was adequate for field combat conditions, was ill suited for police work. Today, an assortment of holsters can be found for use with Makarov, they were designed both for law enforcement and for private security agencies and comprise concealed carry, belt, inside-the-waistband and hip types.

Although Makarov PM was never particularly popular outside Russia, it has been adopted as standard military issue firearm in 12 countries, including former Soviet block nations, China and a number of developing countries. Makarov was produced:

• In China – as model “59” (9-mm);
• In East Germany – as model “M” (9-mm);
• In Yugoslavia – as model “M-67” (7.65 and 9-mm).

In 1997, a larger-capacity version of Makarov along with an improved version of the cartridge with a higher muzzle velocity (designated as PBM 9x18 mm) were developed in an apparent attempt to improve the PM’s chances against targets protected by body armor. In terms of technical specifications, the new variant meets all modern-day requirements.

Specifications:

Ammunition	9х18 mm (PM)
System of Operation	Blowback, semiautomatic
Capacity	Single-stack 8-round magazine
Weight, empty magazine, kg	0,73
Weight, loaded, kg	0,81
Overall length, mm	161
Height, mm	126,75
Width, mm	30,5
Barrel length, mm	93
Grooves	4 (right-hand twist)
Muzzle velocity, m / sec	315
Combat rate of fire, shots / min	30
Effective range, m	50

The Makarov has 25 parts