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Journal UseTheSource's Journal: The Twins (and Range Report). 13

Journal by UseTheSource
I just couldn't help myself... They say variety is the spice of life, and I just had to have another (slightly different) Makarov.

It turns out the guy that was trying to buy the Bulgarian Mak at my local gun shop was denied purchase because he failed the background check. Since the thing was relatively cheap, I decided I could use another. The cool thing about this one, is it was manufactured in 1988, just before the fall of communism in the region. It's got the brown plastic grips with the "commie" star, and the original style, rounded trigger guard. The guy that sold it to me said he'd much rather I had it than the slimeball that came in before. Turns out, he really didn't even know much about it, or how it works.

What I hadn't realized before, is that the price included the paperwork/background check, and it came with four magazines and the cleaning rod the other was missing, so it was a very reasonable deal.

So here they are, the twins (fraternal). I'm going to detail strip the new one tonight and give it a good cleaning, in case the previous owner used ammo with corrosive primers.

Speaking of the Maks, I finally had a chance to try out the special edition one last night, which prompted my impulse buy. ;) I really like the feel of the weapon, and how it shoots. The DA trigger pull is very long, but I know that's a safety feature. It'll take getting used to.

Here's a target from last night. As you can see, there were a couple of flyers, but one of 'em was from the first DA shot. I still managed to make a decent grouping at 5 yards. I was high and left, which according to the corrective target, means anticipating recoil or no follow thru. It's not the sights, it's me, and I need to work on that. When I "remembered the basics," I was making shot after shot in the bullseye, but that target was too shredded to post here. The slide also failed to lock back a couple of times, but since the slide stop is not worn, I've attributed this to a worn-out magazine spring, not the gun. I have some replacement springs on the way.
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The Twins (and Range Report). More

The Twins (and Range Report).

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  • I read an article about Makarovs in a magazine years ago. I was intrigued but couldn't turn one up locally- so I gave up. You've given me the itch again. It'll have to pass though, no way to fit that into the budget any time soon.
     
    I'll be taking my oldest out shooting for the first time soon.
    • Yeah, I really shouldn't have myself, but these things are so cool. I already blew the rest of this year's bonus, and then some. I don't think I'll be buying any more guns for quite awhile.

      Since finding these things is hit and miss, I figured I'd grab the two I found while I had the chance. I've seen them only occasionally, at best, at the gun stores I frequent.

      Have fun with your son, and the best of luck getting him interested in shooting!
    • When I was going to school in Phoenix a few years ago, I could never find what I wanted at any of the local gun shops either. I had to come home to Prescott to find a decent price on an AK at the time. For whatever reason, all the valley gun shops I checked out had really mediocre selections and outrageous prices.

      If you have trouble with finding a makarov (or anything else) in Phoenix, I'd reccomend that you take a day to come up to Prescott [google.com] and check out (at least) J & G Sales [jgsales.com], High Country Guns and Kn
      • I still have rounds for my SKS that I bought at the j&g in Mesa- don't know if they are even there any more. The best place in town used to be shooters world, but they really scaled back. i live right by lone wolf and they don't have much of a selection. there's a pawn shop on cave creek that actually has more guns than most gun shops.

        but like i said, i'm not buying anything new anytime soon. i really have everything i 'need'. i can't justify buying something just for fun. but i'm cool wit
    • I'll be taking my oldest out shooting for the first time soon.

      Let us know how it goes. I took my older stepson shooting a couple months ago. I have a friend who is a FlightDeck Safety Officer (FDSO) and he brought his service weapon up here. We played around with that (a .40), he also rented a semi-automatic Tommy Gun while my wife and stepson both rented .22s. I had to go for the Colt 1911. What a beautiful and fun gun. It was a blast and gave my stepson a real respect for shooting.

      • and gave my stepson a real respect for shooting.
         
        That is my primary goal. My daughter has been dove hunting with me, so she has seen a firearm kill something that was alive. And all my kids know the 3 rules of finding a firearm. But now I want her to see what it is like to shoot a gun, and I intend to blow some stuff to bits so that she can see what a gun can do.
        • I remember in my hunter's safety course as a kid, as part of instilling respect for firearms, they lined up a bunch of gallon jugs full of colored water and we took turns blasting them with a 20 gauge. :D

          Needless to say, I would not like to be on the business end of any shotgun, judging by the resultant disintigration of the jugs.
      • I had to go for the Colt 1911. What a beautiful and fun gun. It was a blast and gave my stepson a real respect for shooting.

        Good choice... I love mine. But now, I think I love the Maks almost as much. ;)

        "A blast" is definitely an appropriate description of the kind of fun you must have had.
  • You need to John Woe them on the Range ;) .. Twin guns and fire
    Looking at the target .. not bad , but I take it the guns will take a while till you are used to how they fire and how much the alignment is off so you can judge the shot better
    • That's just it... The sight alignment's not off, they're dead-on. It's me that's the problem. I'm kind of out of practice, since before this I really hadn't been to the range too often. I also think that I'm used to compensating for the recoil of my .45 cal 1911s... This may be why I'm dumping my shots up and to the left.

      With practice, I'll be able to make tighter groups closer to my point of aim.
      • Yeah .. Practice makes perfect .Hand cannons are great stoppers , but if you want pinpoint accuracy lower calibre bullets take the biscuit
        • Actually, even most larger bore handguns are not very powerful, if you compare them to rifles. Small caliber handguns are very good practice, actually. My Browning Buck Mark (.22 LR) is a great (and cheap) training aid. Helps you work on the fundamentals, without flinching or anticipating recoil (my problem).

          And yes, because of that, it's a tack driver.

          Incidentally, I just labeled my magazines [comcast.net] in Russian [comcast.net]. There's a practical reason for this. I label my magazines, so that if one is causing problem
          • ;) it's more Russian than I understand .. I think I am limited to "Goodbye"
            good idea though ... unless some Hick's find out and assume "Yer a Commie Spy"

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