Picked up this Makarov today in a trade. It's my first one and don't know a whole lot about them. This one is made in Russia and chambered in .380 acp. I always thought they were all chambered in 9X18 mm which is the main reason I never bothered to get one.

Anyway, it's a heavy little bitch but I like the feel of the grip. Can't wait to get it to the range.

They're good pistols. Commercial market makarov. Mine is pleasant to shoot in 380 with good accuracy.

If you find the rear sight to be very tiny and hard to see, there's a fixed sight replacement which is actually pretty well done.

I put it on mine.  (To be fair, mine is a 9x18 Bulgarian for which I purchased a commercial Russian slide to refinish and "upgrade" on a wild hair.)



Also, that FAB defense grip with the black lever at the top?  Drop free magazine release.  Comes in colors other than FDE, but helps update the platform a bit.

My .380 slide came with a .380 barrel to make it easier to convert if/when 9x18 becomes harder/impossible to get.

That grip actually looks pretty cool and if it eliminates that annoying heel mag release all the better.

I found a .380 Makarov at a small gunshow years ago.  Paid $140 for it.  One of the best bargains I've ever found.  I don't shoot it a lot but have put about 300 rounds of brass cased ball and 200 rounds of cheap Brown Bear steel cased hollow points thru it.  It's probably the most accurate .380 I've ever handled.  Never had a malfunction with it.  It came with a set of Pearce grips that are somewhat fat but really comfortable.  I much prefer it over my wife's PPK/s and maybe even her CZ-83.  Enjoy your pistol.

I would for sure switch up the terrible commercial rear target sight for a fixed one. I think I bought my Bulgy when they were $80

I ordered a F.A.B. Defense grip from Optics Planet. Took a month to get here.

As far as installation goes, getting the little metal mag-release tab on the new grip into the heel release was a bitch but the grip went on easy after that. Feels good in the hand and the thumb mag release works great. Makes a huge difference in usability.