The Soviet Union was truly an “Evil Empire”—and communism in general was and still is truly evil—but as the saying goes, “Give the devil his due”: the Soviets designed some truly excellent firearms, and my favorite of the bunch is their 9x18mm Makarov pistol, AKA the Pistolet Makarova (PM) and the “Mak.” Indeed, it’s right up there with the Beretta 92 series and the .45 ACP Beretta PX4 Storm as one of my All-Time Top 3 Favorite Semiautomatic Pistols.
Amazingly, the PM has lasted 75 years, and roughly 5 million have been produced to date, making it the handgun equivalent of the AK rifle in terms of sheer production numbers and ubiquity. So, evidently, quite a few folks around the globe share my sentiments about the gun. So, what makes the Makarov such a long-enduring handgun?
The Makarov Pistol. Author Provided Photo.
Mak and Me: A Personal Proletarian Paean
I first learned about the Makarov via the Phoenix Force series of action-adventure novels whilst I was in middle school back in 1988.
Since the Cold War was still in effect then, the gun instantly fascinated me because of its “forbidden fruit” aura, stemming from its origins in an adversary nation.
Thankfully, the Iron Curtain collapsed in 1991, and Maks finally became readily available in the good ol’ US of A.
I first fired a Mak circa 1999; it was a range rental gun furnished by the Los Angeles Gun Club in Downtown L.A. It left a positive impression.
Fast-forward to October 2001, and as a commissioning present to myself after graduating from U.S. Air Force Officer Training School (OTS), I bought a genuine Russian-made Baikal/Izhevsk IJ-70 for a mere $200 as my first concealed carry piece.
The Makarov Pistol. Author Provided Image.
I appreciated the gun’s robustness, reliability, and delightful compactness, as well as its surprising accuracy for a so-called “pocket pistol.”
Alas, in 2005 I traded that IJ-70 for a Glock 38 .45 GAP. But in the interim, i.e., 2003, I obtained — for an even measlier price tag of $160—a Bulgarian-made Makarov manufactured by Arsenal AD, located in the city of Kazanlak.
That baby lasted me for 23 years, but alas, just my luck, less than a week before my “Beretta Pistol Against Russian Makarov” presentation at the Free Peoples of Russia House (FPRH)—now known as the Senate Square Society—back in May 2026, the trigger spring, along with the rear lug on the top/back end of the frame, broke beyond repair.
Well, when one Makarov finally fails…get three more.
Not only did I get another Russkie IJ-70—with a nickel aftermarket finish—and a “Bulgie” Mak with standard subdued blue factory finish, I finally got ahold of an East German-made specimen made by Ernst Thalmann Suhl.
These so-called “EG” Maks are the best-regarded of the bunch, and now that I’ve finally acquired and fired one, I can see why; the bluing is absolutely exquisite, as is the overall fit, workmanship, and smoothness.
NOTE: I refuse to purchase the Chinese-made Norinco Maks on general principle.
Thus far, I’ve fired 100, 100, and 550 rounds through the newly acquired Russkie, Bulgie, and EG Maks, respectively.
All three have given me superb accuracy, and the EG earned me official Sharpshooter status in the National Rifle Association Marksmanship Qualification Program (NRA MQP).
The East German specimen has given me 100% flawless reliability—thanks in large part to Dan “The Man” Williams’s UBELUBE™ Ultra Badass cleaning & lubricant products—while the other two haven’t jammed but did fail to go to slidelock after expending the last round in the magazine a couple of times.
Makarov History in Brief
The Makarov pistol and cartridge were named for the designer, Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, who began work on them in 1948; his hard work and perseverance paid off in 1951, when the Soviet Armed Forces and police officially adopted it to replace the TT-33 Tokarev 7.62x25mm.
The Soviet military brass explicitly mandated a gun-and-caliber combo that was *not* compatible with “Western imperialist” NATO standards; for example, the 9x18mm cartridge is distinctly different from the ubiquitous 9mm Parabellum AKA 9x19mm AKA 9mm Luger cartridge.
The PM is no longer the *official* standard-issue sidearm of the post-Soviet Russian Army, as that role is supposed to be fulfilled by the MP-443 Grach, which *does* now use the Western 9mm Parabellum cartridge! Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Army is supposed to have replaced its standard-issue Maks with the Fort-14TP, which retains the 9x18mm cartridge.
However, in both countries’ instances, replacing the PM has proven to be easier said than done, and there are plenty of PMs in the holsters of both countries’ soldiers as they continue to kill each other on the battlefield.
The Makarov is a traditional double-action (TDA) autopistol, and just like the Beretta 92F, Walther PPK, and Walter P38, not to mention the old-school Smith & Wesson TDAs, it uses a slide-mounted, hammer-decocking safety.
However, unlike those other TDAs, the PM’s safety is swept **downward** for fire mode and **upward** for safe mode, and locks the slide in place for good measure, just like the frame-mounted safeties that permit so-called “cocked-and-locked” carry on legendary single-action (SA) semiautos such as the M1911 .45 ACP and the Browning Hi-Power 9mm, not to mention certain other TDAs like the CZ-75.
Makarov, Film Star
Though it doesn’t have the cinematic cultural icon status that the Beretta 92 does—or, for that matter, James Bond’s German-made Walther PPK—the PM has still appeared in its fair share of movies, with the most famous recent example that comes to mind being “K-19: The Widowmaker,” starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson and based upon a harrowing yet ultimately heroic true story of a Soviet submarine crew.
Want Your Own?
You’ll have to turn to the used/surplus firearm market. According to True Gun Value, “A MAKAROV pistol is currently worth an average price of $564.34 new and $369.38 used.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (with a concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series,” the second edition of which was recently published.
