The Makarov CO2 BB pistol.
This report covers:
- Click, click …
- The plan
- Steel BBs
- Trigger pull
- Magazine
- Smart Shot
- Dust Devils
- Shot Count
- Did the gas leak stop?
- Summary
Today we look at the velocity this Makarov CO2 BB Pistol generates. Remember — this one is non-blowback. The specs say too expect 380 f.p.s.
Click, click …
In Part One I told you that the CO2 cartridge had lost some gas when it was pierced and I wanted a fresh one for a shot count. So in installed one. Then I tested it a few days later. It had been 4 days since installing the last new cartridge and I had only fired two or three shots. But when I pulled the trigger — click, click. No gas.
Well, I installed a fresh cartridge and this time I put ATF sealant on the cartridge tip. Once the cartridge was pierced I listened at the muzzle for a leak and I heard one. My hearing aids allow me to hear sounds I couldn’t detect before I got them.
It was a very slow leak at the exhaust valve. So I fired the gun about 90 times to blow the ATF sealant through the valve to get on all the seals. Then I heard no gas exhausting. The next day there was still gas in the gun. But this morning, four days after this cartridge went in — click, click. So we’re not out of the woods yet.
The plan
I will use more ATF sealant on this new cartridge, but I will test velocity today. At the end of that I’ll shoot until the gas is gone for a shot count. The valve should be well-soaked in ATF sealant by that time. Okay, let’s look at the velocity.
Steel BBs
First to be tested were steel BBs. They are the intended ammo for this pistol. I selected ASG Blaster BBs, but they are also similar that I might have been testing any of them. Ten Blasters averaged 395 f.p.s. with a low of 389 and a high of 400 f.p.s. That’s a spread of 11 f.p.s. I did pause between shots to let the pistol warm up, but it didn’t seem to want to fall off the velocity that much.
Trigger pull
Since the slide doesn’t blow back the trigger pull cocks the hammer every time. The pull is long and light, at 6 pounds 12 ounces. You can cock the hammer manually and it does stay back but the weight of the trigger pull remains the same.
Almost 7 pounds may sound like a lot to many who are used to the super light target triggers we often see, but for a double action handgun it’s not that bad. Most DA handguns go off at 12 pounds and more.
Magazine
The stick magazine is absolutely straight so the feed was reliable. There were no failures to feed.
Smart Shot
Next I tested the velocity of 10 Smart Shot lead BBs. They averaged 341 f.p.s. with a spread that ran between 337 and 346 f.p.s. That’s a 9 f.p.s. difference. Because of how this Makarov pistol feeds there is no problem shooting lead Smart Shot.
Dust Devils
The other BB I tested was the frangible Dust Devil Mark 2. These are made from sintered steel and are just a little smaller than conventional steel BBs, which makes them lighter but also allows gas to blow past them in the bore. Ten Dust Devils averaged 391 f.p.s. in the Mak with a spread that went from a low of 380 to a high of 400 f.p.s. That’s a spread of 20 f.p.s.
Shot Count
Now that the velocity test was finished I went back to Blaster BBs to get a shot count. Because of two shots that didn’t record the count was up to 32 shots at this point. From here on all velocities will be for Blaster BBs.
Shot…………Velocity
40……………..396
50……………..399
61……………..389
70……………..352
80……………..219
On shot 82 all the gas exhausted.
That was a higher shot count than I expected. Pyramyd AIR shows a maximum velocity of 380 f.p.s. but the gun under test exceeded that by 20 f.p.s.
Did the gas leak stop?
I don’t know if the gas leak stopped. As I said, on shot 82 all the gas exhausted so there is no way of telling. I don’t think it did, but the pistol held gas for this test and I don’t think the shot count was affected by more than a couple shots.
Just to test it, I loaded a fresh cartridge into the pistol at the end of the test and in several days I will see whether she’s still holding. I’ll report that to you in the accuracy test.
Summary
The Makarov pistol is holding up fine. I think I can master that double action trigger pull to wring out the best accuracy this pistol has to offer. But remember, I’m not stopping there. I plan to also test the Legends Makarov Ultra that has blowback and also the Russian Makarov BB pistol that was converted from a 9mm pistol. And when all is said and done I will test my 9mm Mak firearm. So there is a lot more to come.
Seems like a lot of work for a 60$ pistol that will likely break soon.
“I’m not stopping there. I plan to also test the Legends Makarov Ultra that has blowback and also the Russian Makarov BB pistol that was converted from a 9mm pistol. And when all is said and done I will test my 9mm Mak firearm.”
B.B., that should prove to be an interesting shoot off; I’m looking forward to it; thank you! 🙂
Well it seems like Co2 guns and pcp’s loose air.
But how about spring guns. I think they loose air too. How can that be? Past the seal also. How to know? Velocity change and poi change. How else to tell? A chrony.
Gunfun1,
I don’t doubt it could happen.
Yesterday my brand-new Colt Duke pellet revolver jammed. It almost immediately developed a problem of having pellets (yes, wadcutters) come out of the front of the cylinder on their own and getting squished between the cylinder face and the forcing cone. This happened from the fourth shot on. I’d very carefully work the squished pellet out, cock the hammer for the next shot, the cylinder would turn, and it would jam the same way again, every time. I have a couple older, first-generation ones that are great, but have they declined in quality over the years? This is cheap (heavy, but flimsy in feel otherwise) junk. And right away I was disappointed with the creepy, gritty trigger. A creepy single-action trigger!
Today it’s going back to Pyramyd AIR, and not for an exchange.
Michael
Michael,
I think you’d be really happy with this gun:
/product-all-reviews/m/colt-nra-peacemaker-7-5-co2-pellet-revolver/4457
If you scroll down about halfway, the review by “Dave” on “February 19, 2019” is mine (for the gun below).
Sadly, they seem to not be available right now:
/product/colt-nra-peacemaker-7-5-co2-pellet-revolver?m=4457
However, if you can find one anywhere, they are excellent guns: I just did some long distance can bouncing yesterday with this historic piece…way cool! 🙂
Take care & God bless,
dave
Dave,
Thanks for that.
I recall Dennis Adler did a tutorial in which he took one of those, stripped it of all its finish with abrasives and then applied his own, quite impressive, distressed, worn finish along with distressed faux ivory grips. He also created a faux case hardened effect on the hammer, trigger and cylinder.
It looked very cool and authentic.
Michael.
Here’s the beauty!
Another angle . . .
Man, that’s AWESOME! Thanks for those pics! 🙂
Dave,
To see the complete referb of the Peacemaker look here, /airgun-experience/refinishing-a-peacemaker-part-1/
Mike
Mike, thank you! That’s really cool; I don’t know why Umarex isn’t making more of these guns. Below, you can see a couple of small groups I shot by using two hands and a rest; the smallest was a 3/8″ group at 5 meters (this was back at our old house, where I mostly had to shoot inside); this is the most accurate CO2 pistol I’ve ever owned. 🙂
(note to Umarex: “Please bring this gun back; it’s awesome!”)
Dave,
As I recall when this first came out it was a limited production run, perhaps due to licensing with NRA for legal reasons. Do not recall how many were made but it was stated when they were gone they were gone.
Not to say they will not or cannot make another batch, if they do I will have to grab one.
It also seems you can build one in the Pyramyd AIR gun builder /air-gun-builder
Mike
“Not to say they will not or cannot make another batch, if they do I will have to grab one.”
Mike, you would not be sorry; these things are sweet! 🙂
Michael
First thing that comes to mind is the pellet is to loose in the clip. Or how does the pellet load?
Have you tried different types and brands of pellets yet to see if the same thing happens? Just curious since you mentioned the problem.
Gunfun1,
I have tried three different wadcutters (least likely to cause problems in these): RWS Hobby, RWS Club and Daisy (black box). The pellets are loaded into the back of shells and the shells loaded into the cylinder SAA-style. Of course it is easier and faster to load the pellets into the shells with the shells already in the cylinder, which is what I did.
Somehow the pellets that were about to line up with the forcing cone slipped though the entire length of the shell (which has a rubber sleeve at the back of the shell to prevent that) and came through the cylinder opening as the hole came up to the forcing cone. This turned the pellet sideways between the front face of the cylinder and the forcing cone, squisjing the pellet and jamming the cylinder. I had to gently work the squished pellet out the side with a very thin, perhaps 16th of an inch, dowel rod. After the first few shots, which were fine, this then happened every time I cocked the hammer back.
After I had gone through all 6 pellets, I loaded up a few more and the whole thing happened again, but this time without any shots actually working and going through the muzzle and barrel. So, I dry fired it a dozen times to expend some gas and put it back ion the box to go back to Pyramyd AIR.
I have some of the other Colt models that are mechanically identical to this and have never had a problem with them. Maybe it was the ghost of the Duke messing with me! Anyway, I decided not to risk another one doing the same thing, so I just asked for a refund. I guess my Umarecks air revolver days are over.
Despite their realism with the six shells and all, they are not anywhere near as good for shooting as the Crosman SA 6 / Hahn 45 Peacemaker revolvers of the late 1950s through 1970s. Those are EXCELLENT shooters, although they lack some of the realism. The Crosman Shiloh of the 1980s was quite good as well. The Hahn and SA 6 are 4 7/8 inch models, too, which make them even more cool. Finally, they are .22! It’s a matter of “Whaddya want to do, shoot it, or handle and look at it?”
In my opinion Umarex blew it by not issuing any of those, the most cool Colts. Rather than just guessing which ones to release, they should have asked Western gun aficionados like Tom Gaylord and Dennis Adler which ones to do. I’ll bet they would have said 4 7/8″ first, 5 1/2″ second, “shopkeeper” (which they also never did issue) third, and then the Sheriff and 7 1/2″. Eventually a Buntline would have been special, too.
Michael
Michael
Probably best your sending it back. I’m not much of a pistol shooter but that would aggravate me with that feeding problem.
What would be nice is if they would tell you what is going on with the gun. But you will probably never know.
Question, have you examined the shells closely?
The sleeve inside them could have slipped out of position possibly.
Or something, it’s weird it happened on all of the cartridges at the same time.
Could there possibly be a gas leak through the valve that is pushing the pellets forward to where they are ALMOST exiting the cartridges as they rotate into alignment with the bore, causing the jams?
Just throwing things out to see what sticks…
Ian..
Michael,
I know you don’t have the gun in hand any longer, but do you think that it’s possible that a slow leak past the valve was pushing the pellet through the cartridge and into the forcing cone as that chamber rotated into battery? I don’t know your age or whether you shoot firearms, but is your hearing acute enough that you would hear a slow leak of CO2? I’m just guessing that that could be the problem, since I don’t have one of those guns and may be misunderstanding how it’s made.
I’m doing a quick edit on this comment. I just saw that 45 Bravo suggested the same thing. Brilliant minds, and all that! LOL
Half
B.B.,
My Makarov (this edition) does have a single-action trigger pull when the hammer is cocked.
Michael
Michael,
I said that mine does, too. But the weight of the trigger becomes no lighter when the hammer is cocked.
BB
B.B.,
Hmmm. I do not own a trigger gauge, but I swear that not only is the trigger (obviously) set back farther with the hammer cocked,, but the trigger seems much crisper and slightly lighter as well. Of course, as you have often described on this blog,, crispness can create the illusion that a trigger is lighter as well. I could be experiencing that phenomenon.
Michael
B.B.,
I just shot it some more and I just can’t tell for sure if it is lighter or not, so I’ll have to conclude that it isn’t lighter, just shorter and crisper.
I tried to use my fishing scale, but it is not digital and isn’t really suited to be a trigger gauge, so I couldn’t get a constant reading that was meaningful.
Michael
That leak would bug me.
Even though as Edw said it’s a “$60 gun that’s likely to break soon” the gunsmith in me has to make it work as it should. If for no other reason than to gain experience on that model, and see what the internals are like on that model,.
I even resurrect every Marksman BB repeater I run into, and then gift it to someone.
Remember, every USED airgun we see, no matter how inexpensive or beat up it is, was at some point in time someone’s pride and joy and they were proud to own it when it was new.
I have never owned a Mak, BB or powder burner, but I have a “thing” for the Hungarian FEG PA-63 and similar pistols made by FEG that are typically chambered in 9mm Makarov., or .380acp.
Ian
Ian,
I think the pellets are exiting the front of the cylinder just BEFORE that pellet gets to the bore/forcing cone. HJalfstep has a theory that might be the problem. Maybe a little bit of gas is pushing the pellet from the gasket at the back of thje cylinder to the front of the cylinder.
Michael
Ian,
Bah! Now I see you had the idea at the same time (or just before) Halfstep about the gas. You might be right.
I did examine the little rubber gaskets because after I loaded up some cylonders to give it another chance, I ended up manually removing the pellets from the front with the dowel rod and I has=d to cope with the gaskets then. I might check my Ace in the Hole to see if the gaskets in that revolver are any more secure than the others were.
Michael