Military history is a fascinating part of world history and becomes a lens through which we see the world today.  The firearms that shape that world are truly fascinating and can tell a story of that time in history.  We are fortunate enough to get some examples of these pieces through our shop and get to take a deep dive into their background.  Radom P-64 Makarov Is one of those guns that tell a story of a different era of firearm design.

            The Radom factory in Poland has built and designed some truly great firearms over the decades.  Some of these weapons have gone on to become highly sought after collector pieces such as the Radom VIZ-35.  However, the Polish version of Russia’s iconic Makarov pistol is not one of them.

            The Makarov was designed in the 1950s for the Soviet Union as the Red Army’s standard issued side arm.  Moscow immediately tasked its Warsaw pact countries with producing their new platform. Poland’s contribution to the foray was the P-64 model of the Makarov. A semi-automatic pistol chambered in the 9x18mm Makarov round that was in service from 1965-up to present times.

            Production of this pistol ceased in 1977, which does go to show how many of these pistols were made as they are still seen in service to this day despite being out of production for 50 years.  Poland thought this would be a modern upgrade to the original Makarov design and was seen as a modernization of the pistol despite some drawbacks.

            There were some drawbacks to this pistol design, however. Radom did not upgrade several of the features that are standard on our sidearms since 1911.  It still features the below pistol grip magazine release.  While this is a feature on many European pistol designs of the time, the Czechs would produce the CZ-75 and CZ 80 series that would feature a much easier to manipulate button magazine release like the ones we have on our handguns today. 

            The VIZ-35, developed prior to WW2, would feature this button which does make the choice and odd one to exclude from the P-64.  Another drawback to the design is the lack of a double stack feature to the magazine.  This limits the pistol to only 6 rounds.  Again, Czechoslovakia would feature this in their take on the Makarov pistol with their CZ-83 and CZ-82 pistols that were developed in the 1980’s.  These drawbacks would severely limit the guns desirability among militaries and civilians around the world. 

Despite these limitations, the P-64 speaks to a time of the Iron Curtain and Cold War politics that brought it into existence.  Here at 2 If By Sea Tactical, we are blessed to see such pieces of history come through our doors.  The P-64 is one of the more affordable historical pieces you can find on the market, making it a great entry in the world of firearm collecting.  Be sure to check out our Youtube videos for more history on historical firearms that come through our shop.