Airgun World – Summer 2019

88 AIRGUN WORLD http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk

PART 2

MILEWSKI

PISTOLIET

MAKAROVA

John Milewski continues his study of a classic Russian sidearm

discontinued once again by 2016. These

pistols came complete with original brow

Bakelite grips that were 25mm wide and g

of wear to them suggest they had seen fo

service with Soviet forces. In fact, these

are the only Makarov CO2 pistols to

have been supplied with the original

narrow PM frame. There is a cost for

the increased realism this variant

provides, resulting in part of the magazin

well being removed to accommodate the

CO2 cartridge. The consequence is, the

and back grip tangs could flex because t

was no join at the base of the magazine

but this is barely noticeable with a maga

place.

The slides on some pistols are thinner h

earlier Makarov slides, leading to specula i

that slides from firearms were machined

and original markings ground off for this

W

e started this short series on the Russian
Makarov CO2 pistol last month with a
look at the original Pistol Makarov Modernised
(PMM), and studied some of the production
differences over the 20 years this pistol has
been on the market. In this issue, we’ll
continue studying the Makarov from a
collector’s perspective by looking at the PM
model, the Pistol Makarov. Oddly, the PM was
the original Soviet service pistol, but the
Russians offered the later (from a firearms
perspective) PMM to airgunners from 1998.
Classic firearms enthusiasts were therefore
pleased when a version of the PM started
being marketed from 2011.

THE PM GRIP/FRAME
Visually, the major change was the substitution
of the larger black PMM grips with brown
plastic grips. The grips on 2011 pistols were
still fitted to the PMM frame, but were narrower
than the PMM type and resembled the
traditional Makarov profile far more than the
PMM did. These early pistols still had the
lanyard loop on the CO2 tensioner and white
lettering on each side of the slide, just like all
pistols made thus far.
However, in 2012 and 2013, a substantial
number of pistols were assembled from actual
PM parts. They are best identified from the
additional extractor slot behind the ejection
port (just like the very first PMM) which was

If I’m brutally honest, the larger PMM grip fits my
hand better, but as a traditionalist, I prefer the
smaller PM grip. That’s collectors for you!

Plated versions are popular with those who like a little bling.

From left to right: 1999

g

g

a o e 0 a e

g

g i

s CO

i i

i.