The PM pistol, in fact, is a grandfather among modern weapons. It was created back in the distant 40s by the outstanding designer-gunsmith Makarov. But the war prevented bringing this equipment of the command staff to mass production. And only after its completion was another contest organized.
The basic requirements for the designers were such that the new model was compact and had a self-cocking trigger mechanism (USM). The PMM pistol was quite suitable for these conditions.
The history of PM
Actually, everyone heard about Makarov’s product. But not everyone knows that he had his own special story of his birth.
In the prewar years, the no less famous TT was already used. Nevertheless, the search for optimal weapons for the commanders of the Red Army did not stop.
The personal weapons of the command staff from the master Tokarev appeared both supporters and opponents. Therefore, the pistol not only found real flaws, but also searched for far-fetched ones. What kind? Well, for example, one of the conditions that the TT had to comply with was shooting through the viewing gap from the tank!
Well, a tank without a gun became defenseless ...
The main reason for the transition from TT to PM was the fact that the latter has a more pronounced stopping effect. The 9-mm PM bullet gives most of the energy to the body, and does not pierce it through, like a TT.
Competitors
Nevertheless, the arms manufacturers of the USSR I. Rakov, S. Korovin, P. Voevodin, F. Tokarev and others did the work in the framework of the 1938 competition to create new personal weapons for the command staff of the Soviet Army.
After the tests, which turned out to be lengthy and dramatic, Voevodin’s pistol won. But the outbreak of war did not allow to bring it to mass production.
After the war, a new competition was organized, and already at this stage the PMM pistol of the weapons master Makarov won.
Cartridge PM
For a new product, it was also necessary to create a new cartridge. True, there is an opinion that replacing the cartridge with a size of 7.62 Ă— 25 mm with another (9 mm) allowed to cut off the use of old ammunition, which in those post-war years was very much in private hands.
The basis for the development of a new cartridge lay the pre-war German "GECO 9x18 mm Ultra." But the new munitions for the Makarov differed from the German ones in the more impressive bullet diameter.
After such work, the Makarov PMM pistol became the main weapon that the military and the police were equipped with until the end of the 80s.
PM modernization
Until the beginning of the 90s, the PM was the main weapon in the arsenal of law enforcement agencies and military personnel. But the demands of the times led to the need to create a more powerful weapon. Makarov’s modernized PMM pistol was developed as part of the Grach competition.
In the course of work, a reinforced 9x18 mm PMM cartridge was created for the new product. The new ammunition had a lighter bullet and an increased charge of gunpowder. Its speed changed from 315 m / s to 430 m / s.
Under the new cartridge, a new pistol was also created - the PMM, the prototype of which was the standard PM. The PMM also received an enlarged high-capacity magazine up to 12 rounds. For greater ease of use, personal weapons of the command staff received adapted cheeks of the handle.
Air gun
Air pistols are widely used both for sporting purposes and for leisure activities by the general population. The variety of this type of weapon is such that it will satisfy any requirements and preferences of lovers of shooting sports.
Air pistol MP 654k PMM constructively reproduces the combat model PM. This model is completely made of weapon steel. The barrel is rifled, its length is 9.6 cm. The pistol frame is made slightly weakened, unlike the combat PM. But the bolt is retracted and put on the bolt delay in the same way as in its firearm counterpart.
Pneumatics retained almost the same weight and dimensions as combat:
- Weight - 730 grams.
- Total length - 16.9 cm.
- Height -14.5 cm.
- Width - 3.5 cm.
Instead of a holder with cartridges, a canister with compressed gas of 8 or 12 grams volume is provided in the pneumatic handle. It also contains a valve and a cartridge for 13 bullets of a spherical shape, which can be either copper-plated or steel.
Traumatic PM-T
PM-T is a completely different type of weapon than the pneumatic pistol MP 654k Rook (PMM). The prototype for creating injury was the combat “Makarov”. But in the barrel, immediately behind the chamber, a pin-baffle is installed. The barrel itself, unlike the combat one, is made with weakening grooves.
The main goal pursued by the developers of PKB LLC and ZID OJSC is to preserve the "historical value" of the weapon. To do this, the minimum number of alterations was made in the design of the gun.
For those who acquired such a copy, it was important that it was not only a weapon of self-defense, but was also known as a collection copy. This is due to the fact that initially pistols were produced as a product converted from combat PM, which were produced from 1950 to 1980.
Among other things, the pistols that were released in Soviet times were distinguished by both the highest quality of steel and the reliability of the production and processing of planes. Such characteristics distinguish this version of the gun from modern counterparts.
Those who managed to acquire PM-T (and only about 5,000 were produced) did not fail. Previously, the price of a gun in weapons stores was in the range of 16–18 thousand rubles, but now it can be bought “on hand” for a price exceeding 50 000 rubles!
PMM-12
Makarov pistol modernized PMM-12 refers to a self-loading weapon, which is based on the principle of recoil free shutter. It also has a self-cocking mechanism, which makes it possible to open fire without first cocking the trigger.
The performance characteristics of the PMM-12:
- Cartridges - 9x18 PM (9x18 PMM) 9 mm caliber.
- The mass of the pistol is 760 g.
- The length of the entire pistol is 169 mm, with a barrel length of 93.5 mm and a rate of fire of up to 30 rds / min.
- Magazine increased to 12 rounds.
At the exit from the barrel, the speed of the bullet:
- 315 m / s - at PM;
- 430 m / s - at PMM.
However, it must be borne in mind that the improved characteristics of the PMM pistol appear only with cartridges that were developed specifically for the PMM. And if you do not take into account the presence of a store with an increased capacity, the PMM in terms of its characteristics is equal to the PM, which even in battle is not able to hit targets in armored vests.
The advantages of the gun include the following:
- This is a pretty solid gun.
- Very reliable weapon.
- The service is quite simple.
- Compact.
- Spare parts availability.
Disadvantages specific to PMM:
- A sufficiently large force must be applied to the trigger.
- Lack of advanced sights.
- Non-ergonomic handle.
- Inadequate barrel manufacturing quality.
With a low sighting range of 50 meters, the PMM is mainly used by law enforcement officers. If you use a pistol as a military weapon, then, basically, it is considered by the military as a weapon of last chance.
The special forces also use the PMM-12 pistol with a silencer. Such a transformation allows the use of this PMM option during special operations. However, it should be noted that in most special forces at the moment other, more modern pistols are used.
The emergence of PM in the international market
But PM gained international recognition after the 80s, when the Berlin Wall collapsed, and pistols flowed from the stocks of the former GDR into the market.
Whereas previously Makarov was not manufactured in the USSR for commercial sale, but only for the needs of the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, now hundreds of thousands of pistols manufactured in China, Hungary, Poland and former Czechoslovakia can be found on the arms market.
It is especially interesting that the Makarovsky product is very popular in the USA. The arms market for private owners there is already quite extensive, but it was not easy to meet Makarov before. Now PM for Americans has ceased to be an exclusive weapon, and now in the USA there are whole clubs of fans of the Russian pistol, which hold championships in firing from the Makarovsky product!