General Facts

TYPE
Pistol

ORIGIN
USSR

NICKNAMES
6P9 (GRAU index for PB)
PB-69 (popular but wrong designation for PB)
Type 59 (Chinese designation for PM)

DESIGNED
Late 1940's

DESIGNER
Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov

PRODUCTION
1949 - present (PM)
1967 - ? (PB)

PRODUCERS
Bulgaria - Arsenal
China - NORINCO
East Germany - Simson
Russia - Izhmash
USSR - Izhmash

QUANTITY
Unknown

UNIT COST
Unknown

CHARACTERISTICS
Simple design
Rugged and reliable
Low production costs
Limited magazine size
Limited firepower

Introduction

The Makarov is an early Cold War era pistol of Soviet origin. It was developed in the late 1940's to replace the older Tokarev pistol and is one of the most numerous pistols in the world.

Design

The design of the Makarov was influenced by the German Walther PP pistol. The Makarov is a very simple pistol due to the use of the simple straight blowback mechanism. It is made out of steel and has plastic grip plates. The 9x18mm round, based on the 9mm Ultra, was specifically designed for this pistol.

Firepower

The Makarov PM fires the 9x18mm round from an 8 round magazine. The improved Makarov PMM fires both the original and the increased pressure variant of the 9x18mm round from a 12 round magazine. As with most pistols the effective range is about 25 meters.

Users

The Makarov was adopted in 1951 as the standard issue pistol of the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s it has been officially replaced by newer designs, but large quantities remain in service. The Makarov was exported to many allies of the Soviet Union and is a popular civilian firearm in the USA.

Makarov PM

The PM is the original model of the Makarov pistol. PM stands for Pistolet Makarova, Russian for Makarov pistol. It fires the original 9x18mm round from an 8 round magazine. The vast majority of Makarov pistols are the PM model. The PM is still produced for civilian and export sales with some minor modifications.

Specifications:
PM

Type	Pistol
Caliber	9x18mm Makarov
Magazine	8 rounds
Operation	Simple blowback, double action
Fire selector	0-1
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic

Barrel length	94 mm
Rifling	?
Muzzle velocity	315 m/s
Stock	-
Length	161 mm
Width	29 mm

Height	127 mm
Weight	0.73 kg empty
Sights	Iron sights, fixed, blade front, notch rear
Remarks	-

Makarov PB

The PB is a silenced variant of the Makarov PB. It was designed for use by special forces. PB stands for Pistolet Besshumnyi, Russian for silenced pistol. On the PB the majority of the barrel is replaced by a integral silencer. The front part of the silencer can be unscrewed for transport. The PB fires the original 9x18mm round from an 8 round magazine. The PB is the least produced variant of the Makarov.

Specifications:
PB

Type	Pistol
Caliber	9x18mm Makarov
Magazine	8 rounds
Operation	Simple blowback, double action
Fire selector	0-1
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic

Barrel length	105 mm
Rifling	?
Muzzle velocity	?
Stock	-
Length	310 mm
Width	?

Height
Weight	0.97 kg empty
Sights	Iron sights, fixed, blade front, notch rear
Remarks	Integrated silencer

Makarov PMM

The PMM is the improved Makarov pistol. PMM stands for Pistolet Makarova Modernizirovannyi, Russian for modernized Makarov pistol. The PMM fires the increased velocity version of the 9x18mm round, but can fire the original round as well. A variety of improvements were made with the double stack 12 round magazine and redesigned grip plates being the most obvious. Due to the competition of newer Russian pistols the PMM was only produced in limited quantity.