Makarov magazine width

[Keyless]

I swapped for a pistol today and it is rough. From the pictures I find online I believe it is a Makarov. It is a 380 and nothing else is marked well enough to see. It has no magazine and I am finding single and double stack . Can some one give me the width of the bottom of the magazine well of either one so I know what to hunt. It looked a little wide for a single stack to me. Thanks

[Jonnin]

can you post a pic?

A mak is a bit larger than a 380 in diameter. If you try to stick a 380 bullet in the barrel from the front, and its a loose fit, its a mak.

If its a double stack mak, its either a cz 82 or a russian late generation makarov. I can probably tell the difference if its one of those, from your pic. If its a 380 of some sort, I have no idea. I don't k now the exact dimensions though.

[Keyless]

It is marked 380 on the side . I have it soaking now so it will be a few days before I can get it cleaned up and a picture. I made a quick measurement of the mag well and came up with about .820 and it seems too wide for a single stack . Thanks for the info and I will do some looking at some more pics. This pistol is not marked well at all.

The grip goes on with 1 screw in the middle of the back strap and are 1 piece grips with both sides and the back all together . The CZ looks like 2 seperate grips .

Edited January 4, 2011 by Keyless

[Jonnin]

some maks were converted by poking a 380 barrel onto them; it could be one of those. Is the marking on the barrel?

You are correct the czs do not have wraparound grips.

If it has wraparound grips and the mag release is on the bottom of the grip (undernath) its most likely a converted mak. If it seems to be double stack, its a russian.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Jonnin

[Jonnin]

Ah... I forgot about these. Does it have an adjustable rear sight?

[59allstate]

There are actually 2 versions of the pistol in the Russian commercial version one with the standard 8 rd magazine and a high cap double

with 10rd capacity. The 10 round has a larger opening for the tapered magazine to fit and the grip is larger. The standard 8 will fit the

high cap but will wobble at the bottom due to the increased size opening. The same magazine works for the 9x18 or 380.

heres a link showing both

Makarov Pistol Parts : Buymilsurp.com, Your source for military surplus.

[Jonnin]

There is a 12 rounder too. I was trying to ID the gun first, as I think finding a mag will be easier after that. If all you can find is a 8 shot mak magazine, there was a way to make them not wobble but I do not recall how.

[Keyless]

It has a adjustable rear sight. I can make out K.B.I. 380ACP and ING HBG PA or RA on one side of the slide . The other side I can barely see SSIA but it is real pitted in front of it . I am guessing it said Russia . Grip is a one piece wrap around with a single screw in the middle of the back. Magazine release is on the bottom of the handle. I will try and get pics up tomorrow. Thanks

[Jonnin]

ok wide body, adjustable rear sight, double stack: its most likely a 1990's remake of the makarov made by Baikal for US consumers who had so loved the mil surplus maks. These ended around 1995. Or, its a FEG SMC 380. I cannot tell without a picture for sure. Or measurements, the FEG is much smaller.

PA is for the company that imported it, as is the rest of those markings, it was imported by KBI in harrisburg PA USA. So were a lot of things.

Any chance there is a FEG up near the business end of the barrel on the slide? It would be large and out-dented or indented.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Jonnin

[JAB]

ok wide body, adjustable rear sight, double stack: its most likely a 1990's remake of the makarov made by Baikal for US consumers who had so loved the mil surplus maks. These ended around 1995. Or, its a FEG SMC 380. I cannot tell without a picture for sure. Or measurements, the FEG is much smaller.

PA is for the company that imported it, as is the rest of those markings, it was imported by KBI in harrisburg PA USA. So were a lot of things.

Any chance there is a FEG up near the business end of the barrel on the slide? It would be large and out-dented or indented.

My mom has an SMC .380 and iirc, the mag release isn't on the heel of the grip and it is a single stack mag. The SMC was the smallest model .380 made by FEG and I most often see them compared to a Walther PPK. They did make one or two larger models. I have never seen any of those in person. However, unless I am mistaken, at least one of them (the PMK-380, I think) used a single stack mag, too because the mag will supposedly fit/work with the SMC-380 but, being longer/higher in capacity by one round, will protrude from the bottom of the mag well of the SMC-380. Did they make some SMC-380 models with a double stack mag and heel release? The forerunner of the SMC models was, apparently, the RK-59 but I don't know if it was made in .380 or only in 9X18. Either way, from what I can find, it used a single stack mag, too and it's mag release wasn't on the heel, either.

From what I am finding, I agree that the KBI, etc. refers to the company in Pennsylvania that imported the pistol.

Edited January 5, 2011 by JAB

[Jonnin]

He sent me a picture and it matchs this link exactly, from what he can read of the markings and all the body parts match up:

Pistols For Sale - IMEZ IJ70-17AH 380 Rare HiCap Also called Baikal - Auction: 8707099 (Ended 07/17/2008, 19:00:00 PST)

So its a double stack IMEZ makarov in .380 apparently packed in salt for long term storage

Any mak magazine should fit it (as suspected), though finding a high cap may be a pain.

I confused myself with the feg pictures. They did not make a double stack. The comment was the result of looking at thumbnail images from google too quickly combined with a faulty memory.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Jonnin

[JAB]

He sent me a picture and it matchs this link exactly, from what he can read of the markings and all the body parts match up:

Pistols For Sale - IMEZ IJ70-17AH 380 Rare HiCap Also called Baikal - Auction: 8707099 (Ended 07/17/2008, 19:00:00 PST)

So its a double stack IMEZ makarov in .380 apparently packed in salt for long term storage

Any mak magazine should fit it (as suspected), though finding a high cap may be a pain.

I confused myself with the feg pictures. They did not make a double stack. The comment was the result of looking at thumbnail images from google too quickly combined with a faulty memory.

Heh, there have been so many models of pistols made in the Mak style I don't see how anyone could keep them straight. You certainly seem to do a pretty good job of it, though.

[Jonnin]

I just know where to look on the web & what to look for, barely. I admit I love the design, and that led me to try a variety of them and study it a bit. Only kept 1 though, I am nowhere near a hard core collector of them or any of that.