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I know there are several gens & watched YouTube reviews but still bewildered, one shows 1999 Vs 2009 the earlier being clearly better in every way, some say gen 5 is best, others gen 4, seriously looking & don’t mind waiting plus pay more for rarer & right one to enjoy & use, 1999 ? any advice on which model please ?
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I'm currently preparing a short series for Airgun World on this very subject.Originally Posted by pr-pdi
The quality of these pistols needs to be seen/handled to be believed. They are all made from firearms grade materials and built to last, just like Webley air pistols used to be. There are quite a few variations available and my personal preference is for the brown Bakelite gripped model, if you can find one. I've done just that and am picking a boxed version up over the weekend.
Thanks to a very helpful member on here, I was also able to acquire a very nice 1999 pistol in its original case and with a full complement of accessories for £120 last weekend.
One thing I have found is not everyone agrees on what constitutes a particular generation and bearing in mind the factory has never used 'generations' to classify models, I'm not surprised there is confusion.
In short, they are all made very well and one is not going to be enough if you have the collecting gene!
John M
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Thank you John, very informative and look forward to reading your article as I would like to learn more about them. It sounds the two you have found are the ones, I wouldn’t hesitate if fortunate enough to find
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I am very much looking forward to seeing Johns article on this fantastic and varied pistol and hey John what a bargain 1999 version with all accessories etc for £120 have to say !!
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It was indeed a bargain - a member of this forum 'found' it for me at his local gun shop, for which I am very grateful - thank you Gingernut. The pistol is in exceptional condition and hits hard after I replaced all the seals.
One thing I can say about Makarovs generally is they are all very well made, irrespective of when they were made. All are made from firearms grade steel and should last for some time. The currently available brown plastic gripped PM can be upgraded cosmetically through the addition of an original set of 30mm wide brown Bakelite grips. I've done just that with one of mine and it improves the look and feel considerably.
One thing that came up during my research was that sanctions against Russia are preventing more new models being directly imported into the West. I have not been able to substantiate this but was told by a UK gun shop that the UK importer had told them of this situation. A German company has also said the same. Maybe now is the time to pick up a new Mak' while you still can!
John
Registered User
I do hope sanctions don't impact any future models, If I had a wish though It would be that Baikal started making a version of the Tokarev however manufactured it from parts and not modified real versions of the Mp656K that so sadly are section 5 items in this country, Can you imagine if they started making a Tokarev withe the same build quality and grade of materials they use in the Makarov's !!!! I emailed Baikal in Russia through the contacts section a few years back sadly never got a reply ....no harm in dreaming eh !!
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