Well, ONE of the reasons.
The Mak has a lot of strikes against it. Tiny sights, DA/SA trigger, a Decocker, grip angle is like the horrid Gen 1 S&W Autos, a heel-clip magazine release, and it fires a somewhat anemic cartridge.
But here is what it has- Reliability. Affordability. It's easy to work on, and available. I have recommended Makarovs for years as a good choice for a low budget defensive automatic. Are there better choices? Sure. Is it better than most at it's pricepoint? Yes. As a matter of fact, I find it is probably the best at it's price.
If someone is on a Hi-Point budget, send them to a Makarov. Looking at a Bersa- suggest this as an option. Cheaper, and 9mmMak ammo is a LOT more available than .380 right now. If they are looking at a Taurus of any stripe- DEFINITELY send them toward the Mak.
I watched that video today and thought I'd share. Good stuff.
Thanks. I have a gal friend, big skeet and trap shooter, totally new to pistols looking at a Bersa (she's about 4 foot 10 and 90 pounds and wanted something smaller). I'm not a huge fan of .380. I'll have her look at this.
ReplyDeleteProbably the biggest drawback is the heel clip mag release. If you can train past that, it is a good, affordable, reliable choice.
DeleteHey Now....I resent that Taurus comment :)
ReplyDeleteUnderstand it is your opinion; just like my opinion is that Taurus makes a decent gun at the price point.
My experience has been nothing but good with my PT-145; the only problems noted with it are user issues -- Limp wristing by a couple of shooters.
I am a fan of mil-surp guns or older guns as entry point firearms so I agree with that idea.
I used to be right there with you, Bob. I have owned a good amount of Tauri over my shooting life. It never ended well:
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