If you ask any man in our country what model of pistol comes to his mind in the first place, then for sure he will remember the Makarov pistol. This 9mm pistol has proven itself over half a century of service and still does not lose ground.
When Makarov created his pistol
Almost immediately after the end of the war, approximately in 1947-1948, the designers of the Soviet Union were given the task of creating a new pistol that would become the main weapon of officers both in the army and in the police. There were many reasons for this - we will talk about them a little later.
At that time, most of the military had vast experience in using weapons - from pistols to machine guns, both domestic and captured or sent as military assistance by the allies (after all, the largest in the history of mankind has just ended war).
A lot of works were submitted for the competition. Both famous, venerable designers appeared here, as well as specialists hitherto unknown to the general public: Stechkin, Korobin, Tokarev, Korovin, Simonov, Lobanov,Sevryugin and many others. Of course, Nikolai Fedorovich Makarov was among them.
As he himself later said, he worked extremely hard during these months, setting an extremely tough schedule for himself. He worked seven days a week, getting up at 8 in the morning, going to bed at 2-3 hours after midnight. At the same time, he created and shot several times more prototypes than his rivals. Apparently, thanks to this, it was his pistol that was chosen in 1948 and put into service in 1951.
What were the requirements for weapons
Since it was planned to create millions of copies to arm the police and the army in the largest country in the world, there were many requirements for weapons.
Then it was decided to put into service two pistols - one for special operations (this role was assigned to the proven APS - Stechkin automatic pistol), and the second - for constant wear. Of course, it had to be compact - officers and ensigns had to constantly carry weapons both on their belts and in a holster for concealed carry.
Checked TT ("Tula Tokarev") did not fit. On the one hand, it had rather large dimensions. On the other hand, it did not have a fuse (it appeared later on some modifications, and the TT was produced in many places - from Poland and Romania to China and Pakistan), which increased the danger of use.
Not the last role was played by the fact that in the hands of the populationthere was a lot of ammunition left. Not all weapons and cartridges captured and issued for wartime were handed over by economic people. Therefore, one of the main requirements was to create a pistol for cartridges not 7, 62 (which was the TT), but 9 mm caliber. Many experts, using the captured "W alter PPK" during the war, appreciated this pistol and caliber.
He had many advantages, especially for use by the police in populated areas. First, the 9mm bullet had a significant stopping effect. Secondly, the penetrating ability was low - one could not be afraid that the bullet would break through thin partitions and injure an outsider who accidentally hid behind them.
As a result, it turned out that it was the 9mm Makarov pistol that fully met all the requirements.
Tactical and technical characteristics
The first thing that catches your eye when looking at the PM is its compactness. Indeed, its total length is 161 millimeters - against 195 millimeters for the TT that was in service before.
He also won significantly by weight. With a full magazine, it weighs only 810 grams, compared to its predecessor at 940 grams.
The rest of the performance characteristics of the 9 mm Makarov pistol are also very good.
The stopping effect was excellent. Especially when it was decided to abandon the use of the 9 x 17 mm cartridge used in W alter pistols in favor of a specially designed 9 x 18 mm. When hit, a massive, blunt-nosed bullet inflicted terrible damage, introducing the criminal intoa state of pain shock and not allowing resistance.
The magazine holds 8 rounds - enough for a short street fight or indoor shootout. And for more pistols are not used. Although theoretically the maximum distance is considered to be 50 meters, in practice this distance is reduced to 20-25 meters. But for certain purposes, this is enough - in cities, the police rarely have to shoot at a great distance.
The muzzle velocity is 315 meters per second, which, together with a mass of 6 grams, can cause serious damage on impact.
Here, perhaps, are all the most important performance characteristics of the 9-mm Makarov pistol. Now let's talk about its main advantages.
Key features
One of the main requirements for any weapon is its reliability and simplicity. The exception is samples developed for special services - simplicity is often sacrificed here, since only professionals will work with weapons. But the 9mm Makarov pistol was designed specifically for millions of people. Therefore, it was and remains as reliable as possible - compared to the "W alter PPK", which was studied as a basis, it has an even simpler device.
Therefore, its users did not have to spend a lot of time studying the shooting manual for the 9-mm Makarov pistol - the device was simplified as much as possible.
He copes well with the defeat of the enemy's manpower. In recent years, there has been more and more talk aboutthat it cannot penetrate even light body armor. However, it should be borne in mind that in the late 40s of the twentieth century, bulletproof vests were simply not used by either the special services or the military, let alone criminals. Therefore, the weapon did its job perfectly.
In addition, a special PBM cartridge was developed much later, capable of penetrating a sheet of titanium with a thickness of 1.25 mm, 30 layers of Kevlar and then maintaining destructive power. So this shortcoming was completely eliminated by using more modern ammunition.
The stopping effect, as mentioned above, was also beyond praise.
Carrying a pistol is easy and convenient, even in an underarm holster designed for discreet carrying by policemen. Well, in a holster on a belt, it is almost invisible, since, together with a holster and an equipped spare magazine, it weighs only a little more than a kilogram.
When working with it, there are practically no misfires and sticking - of course, provided that high-quality ammunition is used. This nuance is extremely important for any military weapon. After all, a lost second may well cost the life of the owner.
Major flaws
Unfortunately, any weapon, even the most advanced, will have some drawbacks - designers always have to sacrifice one for the other.
Of course, the 9mm Makarov pistol was no exception. PM is often accused of low accuracy. This is really a problem - in the pursuit of maximum compactness, the sighting line has been significantly reduced. Because of this, it became more difficult to mark. However, onIn tests, the pistol confidently “lays” bullets from a distance of 25 meters into a circle with a radius of 75 millimeters. Therefore, even a not very trained person can easily hit a chest target from such a distance. Well, experienced officers who have undergone special training confidently put 3 bullets into the top ten from 25 meters - a tiny circle with a diameter of about 25 millimeters.
The short combat distance has already been mentioned. However, all 9 mm pistols suffer from this - PM is not at all an exception here. But for the needs of the guards, about 25 meters is more than enough.
But the objective disadvantage is an extremely inconvenient latch for removing the store. Alas, while in many other pistols you can easily “click out” an empty magazine with one hand, and instantly drive a full one into the handle with the other, this technique will not work with the PM. You have to use both hands to hold the gun with one and at the same time remove the magazine with the other.
Today, among gun lovers, it is generally quite fashionable to scold the Makarov pistol, comparing it with the "W alter P99", various modifications of the "Glock", the latest versions of the "Beretta" and others. However, when entering into such a discussion, one should not forget that it was developed 70 years ago, when these pistols were not even heard of. Of course, in such a time, shooting has gone far ahead.
Upgraded Pistol
In the early 90s, it was decided to modernize the time-tested pistol. The main direction was to increase the capacity of the store. Classic seated 8cartridges - the designers were tasked with increasing this figure to 12. Well, this goal was achieved.
Moreover, the gun can be used both as a single-row magazine for 8 rounds, and as a double-row magazine for 12, which can be called a serious advantage. The double-row at the top flows into a single-row neckline, so even the slightest compatibility problem does not arise.
It is important that 70% of the PMM (modernized Makarov pistol) is compatible with its predecessor, which simplified production and repair.
In addition, a new cartridge was developed specifically for the PMM. Of course, the caliber remained the same - 9 x 18 millimeters. But at the same time, the filling of gunpowder increased by 30%. The shape of the bullet was also changed - it began to resemble a truncated cone. Thanks to this modernization, the return increased by about 15%. Therefore, any shooter will have to get used to the new conditions of use, but even in this case, the accuracy and, accordingly, the practical rate of fire on the target has decreased slightly.
But these shortcomings are fully compensated by a significantly increased penetrating ability and lethal effect. Importantly, the new bullet shape significantly reduced the risk of ricochets. This is very important to ensure the safety of the owner when shooting in a confined space in an extreme situation, when the ability to carefully aim is simply not and cannot be.
The new cartridge proved to be excellent in tests. From a distance of 20 meters, it pierces a sheet of steel 3 mm thick. When shooting at 10 meters, the army body armor Zh-81 does not save from a bullet either.
PM for civilians
Short-barreled rifled weapons in our country are the prerogative of the military, police, bodyguards, as well as officers and deputies who have award-winning weapons and relevant documents for it.
However, ordinary citizens also want to be able to protect themselves and their homes. Especially for them in 2004, a special traumatic Makarov pistol (9 mm) was developed - IZH-79-9T. It received a name similar to the original - "Makarych" - and could be purchased by anyone who was ready to take the appropriate courses and provide storage conditions.
It became the first traumatic weapon that copies the appearance of the PM - even a specialist will not immediately be able to distinguish what the enemy is holding in his hands: a real pistol or an injury. Even the popular traumatic 9mm Jorge pistol was born later - only in 2006. In addition, outwardly, it did not at all resemble a Makarov pistol - its design was taken from the "Fort".
Of course, "Makarych" fired not full-fledged live ammunition. For him, completely different ones were intended, the same as those used by the owners of many other traumatic pistols - 9 mm RA (from the German Pistole Automatik - automatic pistol). The main difference between this ammunition was a bullet made of plastisol or rubber - soft, elastic materials. Outwardly, the cartridge resembles a combat one. But shoot from Makarych using a full-fledgedcartridge 9 x 18 mm, it is impossible - there were two protrusions in the barrel, located opposite each other at some distance. A pliable rubber bullet squeezed between them at high speed. The metal one will simply break the barrel when you try to make a shot.
Of course, such a weapon immediately aroused serious interest. After all, any man wants to protect himself and his loved ones in any place and at any time. And to do this with a pistol (even if it’s not even a combat one, but just a shooting 9mm PA pistol) is much easier than using a knife, baton, gas canister or bare hands. In a short time, quite a lot of injuries were sold out. Many users noted a number of important benefits. First of all - the external resemblance to a real weapon. Removing a traumatic pistol from a holster in a dark alley where he was met by suspicious persons, a law-abiding citizen can be sure that opponents will not be able to distinguish whether this weapon is real or not. It is important that they are also structurally similar. That is, a person who has experience in handling PM will easily master "Makarych", and vice versa. At the same time, he was also extremely reliable.
Alas, there were also disadvantages. First of all - not the most convenient design, completely adopted from the original pistol. In addition, the quality of the cartridges can not be called high enough. More than once there have been cases when a person, defending himself, shot a drunken attacker in the chest, legs or arms, but by doing so only inflamed him. Shooting in the head could well turn into the death of the attacker, which would put the defender in a veryawkward position. Alas, for example, the 9-mm Jorge pistol and many other injuries have the same drawback.
In addition, a bullet fired from such a weapon, unlike a real rifled pistol, does not receive rifling when flying through the barrel. As a result, if a person was killed from a traumatic weapon, forensic examination will not be able to connect the found bullet with a specific registered (if it is registered at all) pistol. This greatly complicates the work of internal affairs officers, allowing criminals to escape punishment.
Subsequently "Makarych" was discontinued, but it was replaced by IZH-79-9TM, MP-79-9TM, MP-80-13T and others. However, they did not completely get rid of the shortcomings inherent in the first sample.
Gas-fired 9mm pistols based on the PM were also produced, but they were not as widespread as the above traumatic ones. Their main feature is the use of special cartridges that do not have a bullet - they are replaced by special capsules containing tear gas. The advantage is the direction of action - you do not have to pay attention to the direction of the wind, which can cause serious problems when using a gas cartridge. The downside is low efficiency, especially if you use this weapon against drunk people or animals.
Interesting facts about PM
We have said enough about the 9-mm traumatic pistol. Now let's return to the classic PM and tell a fewinteresting facts - they will surely be of interest to many readers.
Let's start with the fact that it was Makarov's pistol that became the world's first weapon that went into space. Yes, yes, it was he who was present in every styling intended for the members of the Vostok crew. Subsequently, it was replaced by a specially designed multifunctional gun.
The State Unitary Enterprise "Instrument Design Bureau" still has a PM, which was tested here in 1949. Having fired 50 thousand rounds and more than a respectable age, he still retains combat properties.
What will replace him
Any weapon, even the most modern, becomes obsolete over time. And the Makarov pistol is no exception. Although it still remains in service with many countries, Russia is gradually phasing it out, switching to a more modern Yarygin pistol. Developed in 1993, it passed all the tests and was put into service only 10 years later - in 2003. Designed for the caliber 9 x 19 mm, it has almost all the advantages of the PM, but lacks some of its shortcomings. For example, the distance of a confident battle and accuracy have increased. In addition, the special design of the magazine allows you to hold up to 18 rounds, which is a very important advantage.
However, the PM does not finally give up its position - it is still used by many military and police officers in our country, remaining a real legend.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. We have tried to be as detailed as possible.to tell not only about the legendary PM, but also about the traumatic 9-mm pistol developed on its basis. We hope that you liked the article and significantly broadened your horizons.
