Makarov pistol

Makarov pistol
Russian Makarov PM
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1951–present
Used by	See Users
Wars	Vietnam War Nicaraguan Revolution Soviet–Afghan War First Chechen War Second Chechen War Libyan civil war Syrian Civil War War in Donbass
Production history
Designer	Nikolay Makarov
Designed	1948
Manufacturer	Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (USSR/Russia), Ernst Thaelmann (Germany), Arsenal AD (Bulgaria), Norinco (China), Factory 626 (China)
Produced	1949–present
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	730 g (26 oz)
Length	161.5 mm (6.36 in)
Barrel length	93.5 mm (3.68 in)
Width	29.4 mm (1.16 in)
Cartridge	9×18mm Makarov .380 Auto
Action	Blowback
Muzzle velocity	315 m/s (1,030 ft/s)
Effective firing range	50 m (55 yd)
Feed system	8-round detachable box magazine (10- and 12-round available on the PMM)
Sights	Blade front, notch rear (drift adjustable)

The Makarov pistol or PM (Russian: Пистолет Макарова, Pistolet Makarova, literally Makarov's Pistol) is a Russian semi-automatic pistol. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it became the Soviet Union's standard military and police side arm from 1951 to 1991.

Shortly after the Second World War, the Soviet Union reactivated its plans to replace the Tokarev TT33 self-loading pistols and Nagant M1895 revolvers. The adoption of the future AK assault rifle relegated the pistol to a light, handy self-defence weapon. Therefore, the TT30/33 was unsuited for such a role, as it was heavy, bulky, and possessed too little stopping power. What's more, the Tokarev pistols omitted a safety and magazines were deemed too easy to lose. As a result, in December 1945, two separate contests for a new service pistol were created, respectively for a 7.62mm and 9mm pistol. It was later judged that the new 9.2x18mm cartridge, designed by B.V. Semin, was the best round suited for the intended role. The lower pressures of the cartridge allowed practical straight blowback operation (reducing the cost and complexity of the weapon), while retaining low recoil and good stopping power.

Several engineers took part in the contest, including Korovin, Baryshev, Vojvodin, Simonov, Rakov, Klimov, Lobanov, Sevryugin and Makarov. Special emphasis was placed on safety, user-friendliness, accuracy, weight, and dimensions. After stringent handling, reliability, and other tests, Makarov's pistol, which was based on the German Walther PP, stood out from other designs through its sheer simplicity, excellent reliability, quick disassembly. and robustness. During April 1948, Makarov's pistol experienced 20 times fewer malfunctions than the competing Baryshev and Sevryugin counterparts, and had fewer parts. The pistol was therefore selected in 1949 for further development and optimization for mass production. Tooling was set up in the Izhevsk plant for production. After many major design changes and tweaks, the gun was formally adopted as the "Pistolet Makarova", or "PM" in 1951.

As the new standard issue sidearm of the USSR, the PM was issued to NCOs, police,special forces, and tank and air crews. It remained in wide front-line service with Soviet military and police until and beyond the end of the USSR in 1991. Variants of the pistol remain in production in Russia, China, and Bulgaria. In the U.S., surplus Soviet and East German military Makarovs are listed as eligible curio and relic items by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, because the countries of manufacture, the USSR and the GDR, no longer exist.