East German Makarov

At a show I spotted a nice East German Makarov. Of all the different countries that made a version of the Russian Makarov the East German guns are the ones I like the best. The Makarov is a simplified design of the famed German Walther PP. Unlike the Walther and its tendency to be ammo sensitive, therefore prone to jamming (at least in my experience) the Makarov seems to work almost flawlessly. I have owned all of the Makarov examples available in this country. I put them all through a torture test. All of them functioned flawlessly except the Russian made double stacked model which had a magazine issue. The Makarov shoots a 9 by 18 round which is also known as 9mm Makarov. A few Makarov's were also imported in 380 auto.

The Makarov was first made in Russia where its designer Nikolai Federovich Makarov is from. They were also made in East Germany, China (is there anything that China has not copied?), Bulgaria and Germany (after the wall came down). There are multiple versions of the Russians guns. There have been imported from Russia surplus guns as well as guns marked "Baikal" and "Ishmech". All of the double stack Makarov's were made in Russia. The East German guns are the finest of all the Makarov pistols made. Most Makarov's are a little crude as far as the fit and finish goes. Not the East German version. They are as smooth as any German gun I have ever handled and the polish job is almost as good as a prewar commercial Colt. The Bulgarian guns have pretty much the same fit and finish of the Russian guns. They shoot as well as the Russian and East German guns. The German guns made after the wall came down don't have quite the finish as the old East German guns but function perfectly. The Chinese guns have the quality of a Norinco firearm. Most of you have experience with Norinco guns and know their great quality....