[byron]

picked up my bulgarian mak in tipp city today. condition as promised, "pristine". couldn't be more pleased. i had planned to stop at an indoor range south of town on the way home but there was so much sticky gunk on and in it (reminded me of very old cosmoline) that i came on home and had at it with the "gun scrubber". came with an extra black plastic thumbrest grip and 2 mags. this all steel pistol just has a certain "feel" to it. it's drying now.

met flyer in the parking lot and it was a delight. he had 25 assorted 9x18 rnds, a holster, extra mag and tool with him, which he graciously gave to me. we talked for about 20 mins but couldn't have lunch as he had some pressing things to do. you meet the nicest people here. i hope i can return the favor to another ktranger some time. any one ever in the vicinity of canton, ohio be sure and let me know.

gonna put some good old "gunslik" in the slide rails,clp in the turney parts and try to put it back together. hope to get to the range tommorrow.

i just know i'm gonna like it!

 

[wildames]

byron,

re: "i'm baaaaaack"

Like Aerosmith? Hope you enjoy your Mak. One of the top 10 designs IMHO.

 

[Flyer]

Hey byron!
It was great meeting you! And that's one nice Mak! One of the best Bulgies I've seen so far.
I'm betting it'll become one of your favorites REALLY fast!!!
Flyer

 

[Michigan Dan]

Hi byron,
I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised the first time you shoot your Mak. These guns are solid, accurate and a real joy to shoot.

Dan

 

[alamo]

That is cosmoline on your Mak and if it's like most of them, it's everywhere. Might not be a bad idea to take the extractor out and and clean it and the extractor channel. Mine had cosmoline in there too. If you have 3 hands, taking the extractor out/putting it back in is a snap.

 

[Flyer]

Yep, I forgot...
I meant to show you how to use the tool to remove your extractor, byron... it's the sharp point at the end...
This outta show how pretty well...
Makarov Stripping
Flyer

 

[byron]

new mak range report

just returned from the range. me and my neighbor fired 100 rnds of wolf russian jac solids thru the mak. great time. not one hiccup. sights seem to be right on at 10 yds. double taps which are impossible for me with the p11, are a piece of cake with the mak. i believe this gun was never fired. prior to shooting it i couldn't operate the safety/decocker with my thumb alone. now it works with effort. i imagine it will loosen up more with use. lucky i had my loading tool in my bag, these mags are a BEAR! the most i could get in by hand was three. i was having a dickens of a time retracting the slide too at the beginning. now if i lay on my back with the gun wedged between my feet and grab it with both hands i can get it into battery. i dont know why anyone would put a heavier recoil spring in one of these. going to have do a little work on the upper rear left corner of the grip. it rubbed a raw spot on my top thumb knuckle. a little 600 grit will take care of that. i may look into a pierce grip. the grip i have on it is a dark mahogany color, no thumbrest, with a star in the side panel. significant? the safety/decocker and hammer are not blued but are a reddish dark brown in color. why? the blue finish is very good on the frame and slide. wish i had a digital camera but will have a friend take some pictures for posting.

all together a great, satisfying buy. 6 people at the range and none had seen a "mak". all shot it including 2 women. one who was shooting a ruger mk1 .22 thought it had too much recoil. i'm really happy with it. already decided that if we ever get ccw in ohio i'll use the mak to qualify.

 

[alamo]

The magazine loader is a must unless you enjoy pain. The grip you're talking about is the original Soviet Red Star grip. Some folks like 'em. I prefer the Makawrap.

The safety/decocker is usually described as "plum" colored. I can't recall the details, something to do with a heat treating process, perfectly normal. Mine is like that. Most safeties/decockers are very stiff, even with use.

 

[Flyer]

byron,
Thought you'd like it!
Yep, the safety can be tough to operate till broken in, along with the mag catch. That "plum" color is on practically every Makarov, and I think contrasts nicely with the bluing.
I think you'll find that your Mak simply will REFUSE to malfunction, no matter what you do with it! Hold it between your forefinger and thumb and try limpwristing, bury it in mud, even toss it off a building... it's gonna go bang, every time!
Flyer

 

[byron]

flyer, i'm not throwing it off any buildings. i forgot to tell you that when the clerk was sacking the gun, he missed the opening in the bag and when the box hit the floor the gun came bouncing out and skitterd across the floor. i felt like sticking my thumb in his eye.

alamo, i think you're right about pain. that mag was designed by the marquis de sade. i just ordered a makawrap about a half hour ago. figure i'll have about 500.00 in it within 6 mos. i never could leave well enough alone! guns are like cars without extras. does the makawrap come in flyer pink?

 

[alamo]

Another thing I did was get the glow-in-the dark stick-on dots for the sights. Available from Makarov.com. I don't really use them as "poor man's night sights" but they do help. Site paint would work too.