Brief Operational History

Due to the experiences of the Great Patriotic War Soviet weapon designers strove to improve upon every weapon in their arsenal.  In 1945 a competition was held to replace the TT-30/33 pistol.  The only two calibers that would be considered were 7.62mm and 9mm.  The weapon was to be lighter, more accurate, and even more reliable than the Tokarev pistol.

Many designers submitted prototypes.  Tokarev, Simonov, Korovin, and Makarov were among those who entered the competition.  Competition was fierce, but Makarov spent many long days in his shop constantly refining his design.  His tireless efforts paid off in 1951 when the 9mm pistolet Makarov was accepted by the army.  It is interesting to note that the PM also was designed in 7.62mm, but the army preferred the more accurate 9x18 cartridge.  It is also easily produced in mass numbers by modern machinery, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the Soviet army.

The Makarov pistol is much smaller and lighter than the pistol it replaced.  In fact, the 9x18mm cartridge is the largest round that can be safely used in a blowback pistol of that size.  It also can be fired by simply pulling the trigger, unlike the Tokarev which has to be cocked before firing.  

It has often been considered to by Western sources to be a copy of a Western design.  This is always said of Soviet pistols (and some rifles) by those in the West.  There is little basis for this allegation.  The simple fact is that the Makarov was a unique design that consists of fewer parts that the pistol it is claimed to copy.  

The Makarov has seen combat in every military action that the Soviet Union (and now Russia) has been involved in.  It is also a popular weapon with the Militsia - the police.  It seems that it will continue to serve with the Russian army for the foreseeable future, but in the late 1990's many other pistols were unveiled in an attempt to replace it.

Many other nations also adopted the Makarov.  Poland, Romania, and East Germany all obtained rights to produce it themselves.  It was also exported to many 'liberation' armies around the world.  In all configurations the PM is issued with a leather holster, a spare magazine, and a cleaning rod.

Tactical Use and Limitations

The PM is a weapon on officers and senior NCO's.  It was also issued to pilots and the crews of armored fighting vehicles.  Although it was replaced by the AKSU-74 with those in vehicles, it is still the standard issue sidearm of others.  As with all pistols it provides a measure of self defense, but should never be considered as a weapon of offense except in the lowest intensity of environments.

The pistol has rather high recoil for its size, and has been criticized in the West for having less penetration than the 9x19mm round.  Still, it is accurate and performs just as well as any 9mm under harsh combat conditions.

Method of Operation

The PM pistol is a semi-automatic, blowback operated, magazine fed weapon with a double action trigger.   When a round is fired, the recoil of the round forces the slide back (at the same time ejecting the round).  The slide is forced back to its normal position by means of a spring.  When the slide moves back, the next round is stripped from the magazine and can be fired.

Deployment Chronology

Here you can see what weapons the PM pistol replaced and what weapons eventually replaced it.  You can find out more about each weapon by clicking on the links below.

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• FM 100-2-3 The Soviet Army, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington D.C. 1984

• Soviet Small-Arms and Ammunition, by D.N. Bolotin, published by Finnish Arms Museum Foundation 1995

• The Official Makarov Pistol Manual, translation by James F. Gebhardt, published by the Delta Press Group 1995