Thursday, April 18, 2013

This is why I like the Makarov


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.

4 comments:

  1. 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably the biggest drawback is the heel clip mag release. If you can train past that, it is a good, affordable, reliable choice.

      Delete
  2. Hey Now....I resent that Taurus comment :)

    Understand 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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:
      http://rockinaseaofchaos.blogspot.com/2011/07/p-07-duty-packed-up-and-ready-to-ship.html

      http://rockinaseaofchaos.blogspot.com/2011/08/you-cant-go-home-again-but-guns-can.html

      http://rockinaseaofchaos.blogspot.com/2011/01/bib-broken-in-box-gun.html

      Delete