It's a Russian Makarov in the non-military correct .380 ACP caliber (as opposed to the, well 9X18 Makarov chambering Makarovs are more commonly found in). I purchased this specimen in 1994, my first auto-loader and only the third firearm I ever purchased. It's been in the collection almost long enough to vote now.
Wally and I were discussing different nomenclature for the .380 ACP round, and one of the alternative names is .380 Kratak. I joked that I had a Mak in .380 Kratak, and realized that it had been a while since I showed off my little Russian beauty. This was my first real carry gun, and somewhere in the giant box of holsters up in the attic is the cheap nylon shoulder rig I used to carry her in.
Nowadays, I have a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 that's half the size, a third the weight, and only two rounds less, in a gun with a built-in laser that I can slip in a back pocket. It's my go-to "gun when I can't carry a gun", but the Makarov was my first carry .380. Sure, it's big and heavy, but compared to the Ruger Security Six and the Taurus .44 Special I had at the time, it was a quantum leap forward for me.
What was your first carry gun?
That is all.
25 comments:
Looks familiar. . . Got the exact same model for like $180 about the same time. . . was the first gun I ever purchased. Still shoot it, I like it even if it is a bit heavy for it's size, all steel and a bit of a recoil but fun to shoot. . . .
Had my S&W1911Sc and my S&W642 before I got my carry permit. The 642 was the first gun I stepped out my front door wearing.
My first "carryable" pistol was a P-64, Poland's knockoff of the
Makarov. I got it before I had my CC permit and I've carried it only once since then. It's every bit as heavy as what you describe, by my gawd does it shoot straight. Shooting it's like getting your hand caned.
If I had a decent IWB holster for it I might consider carrying it more but my other choices are an LC9 and a P-238. They're both a little easier to manage.
I had a couple handguns before I decided to get my CCW. A Jennings 9mm I got for nearly free was the first one I owned. I hated it, but could not afford better. Then I saved enough nickels & got one of my dream guns, Springfield 1911A1. I love shooting it, but no way can I carry it concealed.
My first (and only) dedicated CCW is a CZ RAMI in 9mm. I can make that thing vanish under a shirt with almost no printing. And it has the exact feel & switchology of my beloved 1911, but I can (and do) carry it everyday.
Stay safe!
Various U.S. G.I. 1911s. But the Navy was the one to tell me to carry them, so.... for my first Civilian Carry Gun, it was a Colt Gold Cup.
But I'm a Big Guy, so I could hide it.
Para P12. It's an alloy frame, so it's lighter than steel, but with 12+1 it runs about 32oz. Conceals well, though.
My first real carry sidearm was an AMT 380 BU. It actually ran very well. Now it has degraded to the function equivalent of a dull rock... Concept was good, 100% stainless, size of a wallet- but longevity not so much.
Progressed to a 1911, P239, P9, then a family of austrian legos :)
My first carry gun was a 1911 Gov't model. It was an off the books gun that I sold to another G.I. before I left Viet Nam in 1971.
Back when I had a gold shield with blue enamel U.S. on it I carried a Ruger Security Six on and off duty.
My first civilian CC pistol was a Ruger P-90. VERY bulky. I switched to a Gold Cup as soon as my wife gave it to me (and I rounded off edges of the rear target sights).
*I love my Smarter Half!*
I will go to either a High-Power or 3 inch .38 if weather/clothing dictates.
Like Les I'm a big guy ("Stretch" get it?) and can get away with big guns.
I bought my first guns at 18 from a guy at work (legal in Alaska, natch).
Mossberg 500, Ruger Single-Six in .22 Mag, Colt Series '70 1911, and a Mauser HSc in .380.
Carried the Mauser some (not quite so legal) but at that point I was inexperienced and C&L on the 1911 made me nervous. Went to work at a shooting range a couple years later and at 21 got on the carousel of buying, carrying, and selling the new hot thing(s) at cost for a while.
Now I carry a LW Cmdr, so the wheel goes round...
Still have the shotgun. =)
Interestingly similar to yours, my first carry gun was a FEG PA-63 (Walther PPK clone)... in 9mm Makarov.
It was my first handgun, and at the time, I didn't realize how horrible the 20+ pound trigger pull was. I subsequently purchased a Hi-Power for carry, and saw the light.
My first carry gun was a Springfield XD45 Compact. Still carry it. When I broke a finger on my right hand (strong hand), I purchased an LCP to tote around in my left pocket. Sold the LCP and bought a Sig P238, which I carry when I can't carry the XD.
My first carry revolver was a blued S&W Model 36 Chief's Special that I sold to a friend when I replaced it with a then new stainless steel S&W Model 60 Chief's Special. Both he and I still have those revolvers and carry them occasionally.
For my first carry pistol, at some point I bought a used steel framed SAO .380 F.I. Model D with a serial number that starts "CPA***..." that some claim stands for "Colt Pony Automatic" or something similar. My gun dealer friend that sold it to me that someday it would be a collectible. The safety digs into your side so I never carried it much. It is now a safe queen that collects dust. The SIG P238 is a better version of that pistol.
I've got one of those. It is a really popular first center fire handgun for those with smaller hands. Women seem to like it and it's 9mm Makarov cousins quite a bit.
Carry a '11 Govt. year 'round.
"..'cause they don't make a .46."
Yup, Baikal .380 Mak. Picked one up in '97, traded it off a couple years ago.
What was your first carry gun?
This being Ill-i-noise, technically I don't have one.
First carry gun was also my first police service weapon, a Ruger Security Six 4" in .357. I paid $62 for it new (police price in 1973). Soon enough, I purchased a new Mauser HSc in .380 which was much easier than the hogleg to carry around. For service backup, I carried a S&W model 60 in .38, and all my reloads were .38 to accommodate both guns. I splurged on a Budischowski TP-70, a half-size Walther PPK in .25 ACP.
I don't have any of those guns now, since I went back on USAF active duty (living on base) and had to give up possessing handguns for a while...the three long guns I had had to live in the Base Armory, where they were not well cared for.
First carry pistol... Rock Island Armory 1911, .45 ACP. And for those who think they can't conceal that, I was 5'6", and about a buck-thirty in weight, carrying that gun around in the desert southwest. It's all in dressing around the gun. ;)
My first carry gun was an older Taurus Model 85. Still carry that little snubby from time to time.
I have a CZ-82 as one of my favorite carry pistols. It's small-ish, light-ish, and dead accurate. If only carry ammunition for it was more plentiful and not made from solidified dragon tears or something.
My first gun (and first carry gun) was a double stack Makarov in 9x18.
Even though I have acquired some others, it's still my primary carry piece. Don't have enough rounds through the 1911 yet to trust its reliability, could just barely hit the broad side of the barn with the CM9 when it went to the range with me. 9x18 isn't the best caliber, but 12+1 and a 10 round reload don't make me feel too undergunned, either.
Hasn't jammed on me in the past few thousand rounds, since I stopped using the crappy Promag magazine it came with.
S&W Model 5906 - on, and off duty - from 1995-2000. These days it's primarily a PPK/S-1. Still have the 5906, but it seems heavier now for some reason! ;-)
My first centerfire handgun was a Beretta model 1934. I got it long before I got a carry permit, but I still have it and have carried it on occasion. I've had it not just long enough for it to vote, but in another year I will have had it long enough that it could run for president, and it might do a better job than the human we have now.
Colt detective "snubby" .38 special. It wasn't worth a shit unless you were within 6 inches of your target. It was "blued" and had standard grips. No stainless-ho gun for me.
And it was a pain to concel because it was a 6 round revolver and the cylinder caused a bump.
But that was back in 1963 and with the semis things have mucho improved.
My 1991 Stainless. To be fair, I toted a couple other roscoes, some bad, some good, and in one case, downright awful...had a Charter Arms .38 that wouldn't hit paper. At 7 feet. Shoulda tried that before I started carrying it...good thing I didn't need it.
And...I jumped off steel and am on an aluminum and plastic diet at the moment...sold the Colt for more than I paid for it, though less than I could have.
Used to have an FEG Mak...but in the regular caliber. Should have kept that one...amongst many others.
My first carry gun was a Bersa Thunder .380, great little gun for the price
Post a Comment