The history of the creation of the PM pistol began long before its official "birth". It was necessary to find a fundamentally new solution in the development of a new model of the pistol, which would replace the obsolete TT. Many outstanding designers of automatic weapons of that time took part in the competition for the project of a new weapon: I. I. Rakov, S, A. Korovin, P. V. Voevodin, F. V. Tokarev and others. Makarov was still a student at that time. After lengthy, full of dramatic tests, Voevodin's pistol was recognized as the best. However, the war prevented to bring the pistol "to mind". After the war, Makarov won the newly announced competition. The Makarov pistol, which replaced Tokarev's pistol in the fifties, was designed for a cartridge, the design of which was inspired by the German 9 mm "ultra" cartridge. Abroad, it has been repeatedly suggested that the idea of the PM and the cartridge was "discerned" by the Russians in the desks of the designers of the Walter plant in 1945. The version is controversial, because initially the Third US Army entered the city of Zella-Melis, where the enterprise was located, and part of the collection of weapons, which had been collected for decades and included very rare samples, turned out to be plundered by the Americans. Thuringia, according to the decision of the Potsdam Conference, entered the Soviet zone of occupation only in June 1945, and our troops got only equipment. which was then taken out to the USSR, and the empty factory buildings were blown up.
In the West, there is a tendency to call the Makarov pistol "Russian Walter PP", but this is a misconception, although the PM really has much in common in the arrangement of mechanisms with the "Walter". This is due to the fact that at the time when the Makarov pistol was being developed, "Walter" was the most successful pistol in the world with a self-cocking firing trigger, taking part in a competition to design a new cartridge for the Soviet Army. After the war, he moved to work at TsKB-14, where he started work on a new self-loading pistol designed to replace the obsolete TT. Of the many developments that participated in the competition, the Makarov pistol was recognized as the best. The first batch of PM was produced at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant in 1949, and in 1952 their mass production began. The creation of the pistol was the most significant achievement of N. F. Makarov.
The designer himself attributed his success to the colossal work that was done during the creation of the pistol. “Suffice it to say,” he wrote, “that at that time I worked every day, practically without days off, from eight in the morning to two or three in the morning, as a result of which I was refining and shooting samples at two or even three times more than my competitors, which, of course, made it possible to perfect the reliability and survivability. In addition to working on the pistol, Makarov was engaged in aircraft cannons and anti-tank guided missiles. For his contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the Motherland, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, he was twice a laureate of the USSR State Prize, awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner. Everyone has heard about Makarov's pistol, but not everyone knows that he might not have appeared at all, if not for one happy circumstance.
The fact is that, despite the adoption of the TT pistol for service, the search for optimal solutions for a self-loading pistol for the commanders of the Red Army did not stop in the pre-war years. The TT pistol was attributed not only to those that really existed, but also invented flaws, which greatly shaken its position. For example, the pistol was blamed for the fact that its barrel could not be inserted into the viewing slot for firing from inside the tank. By today's standards, this is just a ridiculous requirement - by the way, none of the best pistols in the world meets it. One way or another, but the result of this criticism was the announcement in 1938 of a competition for the creation of a more advanced self-loading pistol of 7.62 mm caliber. mechanism, however, the existing original features of the Makarov pistol certainly make it possible to consider it an independent development. For many years, the Makarov pistol could not achieve resounding success in the international arms market. This is partly due to the fact that the PM was not produced for commercial sale, but solely to replenish the arsenals of the army and militia. In the eighties, the Makarov pistol was already one of the military rarities. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Makarov pistols made in China, the former GDR, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Russia have literally "poured" into the international arms market. For the consumer, PM has ceased to be a curiosity, now it is again next to the TT, and again the same question arises: who is better?
The 9mm Makarov pistol is a personal offensive and defensive weapon designed to defeat the enemy at short distances. The gun is simple in design, easy to handle and always ready for action. In comparison with TT, it has smaller dimensions and weight; wins him in maneuverability and reliability, thanks to the transition to a new, smaller in length, cartridge and the use of the simplest principle of operation of automation - the rollback of the free shutter. The power of the cartridge used is inferior to the TT, but its larger caliber (9 mm instead of 7, 62) allows you to save stopping action of a bullet. reliability and survivability. In addition to working on the pistol, Makarov was engaged in aircraft cannons and anti-tank guided missiles.
For his contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the Motherland, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, he was twice a laureate of the USSR State Prize, awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner. Everyone has heard about Makarov's pistol, but not everyone knows that he might not have appeared at all, if not for one happy circumstance. The fact is that, despite the adoption of the TT pistol for service, the search for optimal solutions for a self-loading pistol for the commanders of the Red Army did not stop in the pre-war years. The TT pistol was attributed not only to those that really existed, but also invented flaws, which greatly shaken its position. For example, the pistol was blamed for the fact that its barrel could not be inserted into the viewing slot for firing from inside the tank. By today's standards, this is just a ridiculous requirement - by the way, none of the best pistols in the world meets it. One way or another, but the result of this criticism was the announcement in 1938 of a competition for the creation of a more advanced self-loading pistol of 7.62 mm caliber. The PM pistol was recognized as the best pistol in the world of the twentieth century, along with "Browning", "Walter," Beretta. PM serial production has been conducted at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant for 50 years. During this time, a whole family of pistols has been created on its basis - service, gas pistols, models for export.
Specifications
Ammunition 9x18 mm PM
How it works recoil free shutter
Food magazine with a capacity of 8 rounds
The mass of the unloaded complex is 0, 73 kg;
Weight with loaded magazine 0, 81 kg
Weapon length 161 mm
Barrel length, mm 93.5
Height 127 mm
Bullet muzzle velocity 315 m / s
Sighting range, m 25 mm
Besides the USSR
.. PM was produced in Germany (GDR)
And also in Bulgaria and China.
The best (not only in my opinion) was the German version (which differs from the original Soviet one in only minor details). As always, the German quality turned out to be at its best. "Bulgarian" and "Chinese" are of approximately the same quality of workmanship, comparable to pistols produced in the USSR.
What the Russian defense industry produces, a whole galaxy of all kinds of IZH, can be called Makarov with a very big stretch.
This craft is different, for the worse, both in quality and design. The constant struggle to simplify the technological process made itself felt.
This is understandable. The Izhevsk plant has practically no competition. What will be released - then they will take.
In connection with the current Russian arms legislation, the arms market, as such, is absent.
Disassembly
As a rule, an incomplete disassembly is sufficient to service the pistol, which can be done in a matter of seconds.
But complete disassembly, which is recommended in rare cases, is not a problem. The PM is completely disassembled without a special tool, using a standard cleaning rod.