A first German

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@PATRON was correct in the Tokarev thread when he said it would be a spending spree.

Yesterday I received an East German Makarov that I won last week. A few years ago I passed on one I ran into at a shop and always sort of regretted it. East Germany has always been a bit of an interest of mine. The code marks it as a 1962 manufacture. Generally speaking, East German manufactured Makarovs tend to be considered among the nicest produced.

It feels really nice in the hand and size-wise it's about comparable to a Glock 19, with a slightly shorter barrel and slightly thinner slide/grip. I already have some 9x18 on hand so I should be ready to hit the range soon (although I'll be doing USPSA this weekend, weather permitting).

The double action pull is quite long, but the single action is actually quite nice. The safety doubles as a decocker but I'm not sure how much I trust the decocking function yet. This is the first gun I've owned with a heel mag release. Can't say I like it as much as a button or paddle, but we'll see.

The craftsmanship is quite nice and overall I am impressed. The pictures are the seller's as my camera is trash. The flash makes the grips look worse than they do in person.

While this might be my first German, it won't be my last ;)
 

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I have a MAK chambered in .380 and I must say, it's a solid gun I've always enjoyed shooting. It's a tack driver and very comfortable and fun to shoot.
 
I thought you were going to say a wartime P38 or a K98.

What's the premium for an E.G. mak these days? I guess having to buy a another weird soviet round has put me off on these.
 
I thought you were going to say a wartime P38 or a K98.

What's the premium for an E.G. mak these days? I guess having to buy a another weird soviet round has put me off on these.
I paid about $415 for this one. A couple years ago the going rate was about $350 for an East German, but this one is nicer than the one I saw in the shop (plus the inflation of a couple years).

The Bulgarian ones I've seen tend to be offered around $300 from the common vendors at this point, but are usually not C&R...so if you factor $20-$30 for a transfer fee, you're looking at a markup (for my sample of one) of $85-$95 or so, which is an amount I am willing to pay.

I've seen 9x18 much more frequently than Tok ammo in shops. Targetsports was about 27 cents per round for FMJ Makarov ammo. Rough reloading calculations had a very wallet-friendly price.

As for your first sentence, all I can say is re-read the last sentence of my first post and watch this space.;)
 
I say you stole it. $500 to $600 in my neck of the woods. I will have to sheck but I think I gave $300 from my '62 in '07 and don't regret it one bit. It came with one matching magazine and one magazine numbered less than 100 after. Well done by you.

bfTn6Q8.jpg
 
Nice. I’ve had a bunch of 9x18 guns over the years, five of them EG Mak’s ranging in years ‘61 to ‘64. I have only one EG left now, a Bulgy, and the two Polish 9x18 offerings, the P64 and P83. I reload 9x18 but I don’t shoot that caliber nearly as much as I used to. My EG used to be my summer carry gun until I found the Sig P938.

I had a set of Novak’s sights installed on the EG and it did wonders for sight acquisition .
 
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