Let's take a quick ride in Mr. Peabody's Wayback machine to the 1990's.
The Makarov PM
You walk into your local gun store when one of the salesmen engages you to take an interest in an odd, Walther PP style self-loading pistol, not just made in a former communist country, it's an antique made during the darkest of the totalitarian regime days, when the Yugo automobile represented the best of their best.
And it's so old, it was probably made before you were even born. It's the middle of the “Wonder Nine” era, when everyone wanted a 15 round capacity Beretta or better yet, a Glock 17. Setting fire to two hundred dollars on an eight shot odd ball antique was no one's idea of a good investment.
No one found that premise to inspire much trust, especially chambered in 9x18, an import only, odd ball round that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a 9mm Parabellum or a .380 ACP caliber, leaning heavily toward 380.
With the “Assault Weapon” Ban having just taken effect, President Clinton just might ban the importation of ammunition for this Russian Makarov pistol - to leave you high and dry with a gun you can't even shoot.
The Russians tried chambering it for the more commonly available .380 ACP but even that didn't seem to help.
To any reasonable person, the Makarov looked a lot like a terrible thing to gamble two hundred dollars on, at the time. But what used to be the “Saturday Night Special” market, before they were banned in 1968, still existed and they wanted the cheap Makarov, it looked kind of like James Bond's PPK. Those shooters bought the Makarov in numbers, expecting some life to be left in those old guns, even if they only held together through a box or two of ammunition. Not everyone could afford a hot-shit Wonder Nine, you know?
This is where things got interesting. They found out the Makarovs still had plenty of life left in them, they were carried a lot but shot very little. Those chrome bores held up great. They were Soviet Bloc military and police guns, designed to hold up, designed to do everything right that a combat pistol is required to do in every hostile environment.
The word quickly spread and the practical utility and affordable ammunition turned the Makarov into a gun show favorite - fast. They were still selling at about two hundred dollars for years after their initial, awkward introduction into the American market.
That was the Golden Age for the Makarov. People in the know, knew their utility and indestructible nature. Even the former Soviet Bloc countries still lament giving up their Makarovs for the poor Russian attempts to top their prior Makarov design.
Despite its odd ball ammunition, the Makarov had two things going for it, it was a combat grade pistol, and it only cost about $200USD. It became the most prominent kit-gun in most bug out bags, back when “Preppers” were still called “Survivalists.” Eventually, mainstream manufacturers began producing high performance ammunition in 9x18. The Hornady “Critical Defense” being one of the best performing cartridges for the Makarov.
But recently, things changed. Old beater Toyota 4x4's from the 1990's suddenly quadrupled in selling price and the Makarov wasn't far behind because some things just work with dependable reliability. And people are willing to pay for that, no matter how old.
Today, in the year of the Delta variant [pandemic] we lament what happened to the price of this once cool, little kit-gun. And it's a tragedy. The identical used Makarovs, which were originally made during the Soviet era, are now selling for between $400USD and $800USD, averaging $600USD for a fixed rear sight Bulgarian model. The fixed rear sight East German has the top quality finish. And the unfortunate Russian model was burdened by import regulations with an adjustable rear sight, excellent for snagging on clothes to make them impractical for concealed carry.
They're no longer the cheap kit-gun that's perfect for bug out bags, they're being bought as inferior substitutes for brand new Glocks and FNs, which are chambered for more potent calibers than 9x18, with a lot more than the standard 8 round capacity magazine of the Makarov.
So what happened?
Makarov owners spent years shooting them, comparing notes, talking to others and even making YouTube videos about the virtues of the Makarov. No doubt, they're accurate, their 9x18 caliber is fully capable for self-defense and the guns never seem to fail, just like a Glock that once cost substantially more.
All of those virtues appealed to new shooters, who incrementally paid more and more for the groovy Makarov kit-gun until it ended up costing more than even a new Glock, which is definitely a superior firearm to the Makarov.
The Makarov lost its true value, inflated well beyond its primary feature – PRICE. It's still an excellent combat pistol because it conceals to approximately the same size print as a Glock 19, but without the capacity in a hotter caliber.
You see, the Makarov was positioned in the market as the poor man’s Glock, it was the kit-gun for bug out bags because it only cost about $200, which redeemed its inferior caliber and small magazine capacity. Take away that price advantage and you're better off looking at the Smith & Wesson Shield for a small, concealable pistol, rather than a Makarov.
That's the tragedy of the Makarov. The pistol that out-grew its market niche.
