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Makarov PM

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 14:04 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 12:48

The Makarov PM was a semiautomatic pistol that was designed in the Soviet Union by Nikolay Makarov. It was the standard service pistol of the Soviet Military forces from 1951 to 1991. During the years of service, it saw action in a number of conflicts most notably the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the Vietnam War.

The Makarov PM was designed to replace the earlier Tokarev TT-33 pistol. Nikolay Makarov—the designer of the PM—chose to create a new cartridge instead of using an existing cartridge. The new cartridge i.e. the 9x18mm Makarov was very powerful and thus became the Soviet alternative to 9 m Parabellum round.

The PM was chosen because of its simplicity, accuracy and ease of manufacture. It has few moving parts which makes its manufacturing and maintenance easy. The PM also has decent stopping power because of the 9 mm round it uses. Even today, the PM is preferred by many as a concealed weapon.

On the minus side, the Makarov PM has an awkward shape. However, the reliability and effectiveness of this weapon are don’t hampered by it in anyway and thus is not really a minus point.

During the Cold War, the PM was manufactured in several Soviet bloc countries. It was commonly manufactured in China, East Germany and Bulgaria. Redesigned versions continue to be manufactured till date.