Baikal Makarov T20 - A mini review
I was asked by a member on here how a T19 PM frame Baikal Makarov performs a while ago but to my regret, I can't recall who asked me.
Anyway, my T19 remains brand new and unfired as I want to keep it like that. However, I recently obtained a T20 PM from Oleg at RusMilitary with the intention of using it and will briefly summarise my findings below.
The T20 came with an optional silencer made by Danish company Small Arms Industries (SAI), which makes a wide range of silencers for the military and commercial market. Oleg found these work very well with the Makarov and has a number in stock. The sights are just about visible with it fitted but the foresight can benefit from a dab of white Tippex to aid sight picture acquisition.
I tested the pistol on a warm July morning with a temperature of 15 degrees and again this morning in similar conditions other than it was a little darker. Firstly, without the silencer and using Gamo ball, I recorded an average velocity of 282 FPS using single action. Switching to double action increased this to an average of 314 FPS. Screwing on the silencer produced a similar average of 308 FPS. The muzzle report was noticeably muffled though and it seemed the clang of the pellet against steel targets was louder due to the reduced muzzle noise. The SAI silencer certainly works as advertised.
My shots landed almost to the point of aim at 10 yards, hitting a fraction low left. With the silencer in place, shots landed 1/2 inch high, so in practical terms, the pistol shoots to point of aim. I found the pistol to be great fun in dismembering a soft drinks can at 10 yards.
Oleg supplied the pistol with the standard black polymer star grips intended for the narrower PM frame and also provided me with a set of original brown/red Bakelite grips for free - thank you Oleg! He also personally delivered the pistol to me, which I felt was going well beyond expectations of excellent customer service.
I have since obtained a 'red' safety lever from Russia, which I have fitted for cosmetic purposes. The lack of markings on the frame/slide other than serial number make this version of the PM probably the most realistic yet, as markings are discreetly stamped on the slide under the muzzle. I was pleased to see the large F within a pentagon that can be found on the right side of the T19's slide has been omitted on the T20.
All in all, the T20 (and in all likelihood the T19) is a more than worthy addition to my Makarov 'family' and comes highly recommended.
A couple of pics below.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XvyVcnrkA9b5h9rFA
John Milewski
Currently looking for Baikal Makarov pistols with the following prefixes to the serial number: 98, T01, T09, T21, T22
Prefer boxed or cased but will consider loose examples too.