PMM pistol: description, pros and cons

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The PM pistol is, in fact, the grandfather among modern weapons. It was created back in the distant 40s by the outstanding weapons designer Makarov. But the war prevented bringing this equipment of the command staff to mass production. And only after its completion, another competition was organized.

The main requirements for the designers were such that the new sample was compact and had a self-cocking trigger mechanism (USM). The PMM pistol was quite suitable for these conditions.

The background of the appearance of PM

Actually, everyone heard about Makarov's product. But not everyone knows that he had his own special birth story.

In the pre-war 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 master Tokarev have both supporters and opponents. Therefore, the pistol not only found real flaws, but also looked for far-fetched ones. Which? Well, for example, one of the conditions that the TT had to meet,so this is shooting through the viewing slot from the tank!

Yeah, the tank without the use of a pistol became defenseless…

The main reason for switching from TT to PM was that the latter has a more pronounced stopping effect. The 9mm PM bullet gives the main part of the energy to the body, and does not pierce it through, like in the TT.

Contestants

Nevertheless, the gunsmiths of the USSR I. Rakov, S. Korovin, P. Voevodin, F. Tokarev and others did work as part of the 1938 competition to create a new personal weapon for the command staff of the Soviet Army.

After the tests, which turned out to be long and dramatic, the Vojvodin pistol won. But the outbreak of war did not allow it to be brought into mass production.

After the war, a new competition was organized, and already at this stage the PMM pistol of the gunsmith Makarov won.

PM Cartridge

For a new product, it was also necessary to create a new cartridge. True, there is an opinion that the replacement of a 7.62 × 25 mm cartridge with others (9 mm) made it possible to cut off the use of old ammunition, which in those post-war years was very much in private hands.

The pre-war German "GECO 9x18 mm Ultra" formed the basis for the development of a new cartridge. But the new ammunition for Makarov differed from the German ones in a more impressive bullet diameter.

After such work, the Makarov PMM pistol became the main weapon that military personnel and police were equipped with until the end of the 80s.

Modernization of PM

Beforethe beginning of the 90s, in service with law enforcement agencies and military personnel, the PM was the main weapon. But the demands of the time led to the need to create a more powerful means of destruction. The modernized PMM Makarov pistol was developed as part of the Grach competition.

In the course of work for a new product, a reinforced cartridge 9x18 mm PMM was created. The new ammunition had a lighter bullet and an enhanced charge of gunpowder. Its speed changed from 315 m/s to 430 m/s.

A new pistol was created for the new cartridge - 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, the personal weapons of the command staff also received adapted cheeks for the handle.

Air gun

Pneumatic pistols are widely used both for sports 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 shooting sports fans.

The air pistol MP 654k PMM constructively reproduces the combat model PM. This model is completely made of gunmetal. The barrel is rifled, its length is 9.6 cm. The frame of the pistol is made slightly weakened, in contrast to the combat PM. But the shutter is retracted and set to the shutter delay in the same way as in its firearm counterpart.

Pneumat retained almost the same weight anddimensions, as well as combat:

• Weight - 730 grams.
• Total length - 16.9 cm.
• Height -14.5 cm.
• Width - 3.5 cm.

In the handle of the pneumat, instead of a clip with cartridges, a cartridge with compressed gas with a volume of 8 or 12 grams is provided. It also contains a valve and a cassette for 13 spherical bullets, which can be either copper-plated or steel.

Traumatic PM-T

PM-T is a completely different type of weapon than the air pistol "MP 654k Grach" (PMM). The combat "Makarov" served as a prototype for creating trauma. But in the barrel, immediately behind the chamber, a partition-pin 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 was to preserve the "historical value" of weapons. To do this, the minimum number of alterations was made in the design of the pistol.

For those who purchased such a copy, it was important that it was not only a weapon of self-defense, but was also known as a collector's item. This is due to the fact that the pistols were originally produced as a product converted from combat PMs, which were produced from 1950 to 1980.

Among other things, the pistols that were produced in Soviet times were notable for both the highest quality of steel and the reliability of production and processing of planes. Such characteristics favorably distinguish this version of the pistol from modern counterparts.

Those who managed toto purchase PM-T (and only about 5000 of them were produced), they did not fail. If earlier the price of a gun in gun shops was in the range of 16-18 thousand rubles, now it can be bought "on hand" for a price exceeding 50,000 rubles!

PMM-12

The modernized PMM-12 Makarov pistol belongs to a self-loading weapon, which is based on the principle of blowback recoil. It also has a self-cocking mechanism, which makes it possible to open fire without cocking the trigger.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the PMM-12:

• Cartridges - 9x18 PM (9x18 PMM) caliber 9 mm.
• Gun weight - 760g
• The length of the entire pistol is 169 mm, with a barrel length of 93.5 mm and a rate of fire up to 30 rds/min.
• Magazine increased to 12 rounds.

At the exit of the barrel bullet speed:

• 315 m/s - PM;
• 430 m/s - PMM.

However, here it should be taken into account 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 is equal in its characteristics to the PM, which even in battle is not capable of hitting targets in armored vests.

The advantages of the gun include the following:

1. This is a pretty solid pistol.
2. Very reliable weapon.
3. Easy to maintain.
4. Compact.
5. Availability of spare parts.

Disadvantages specific to PMM:

1. The trigger needs to be given a fair amount of force.
2. Lack of advanced sights.
3. Unergonomic handle.
4. Insufficient barrel quality.

With a low target 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.

Special forces also use a 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 most special forces currently use other, more modern pistols.

The appearance of PM on the international market

But PM achieved international recognition after the 80s, when the Berlin Wall collapsed, and pistols from the stocks of the former GDR flooded the market.

If earlier "Makarov" was produced in the USSR not for commercial sale, but only for the needs of the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, now on the arms market you can find hundreds of thousands of pistols made in China, Hungary, Poland and the former Czechoslovakia.

It is especially interesting that the "Makarov" product is very popular in the USA. The market for weapons for private owners is already quite extensive there, but "Makarov" was not easy to meet before. Now the PM for the Americans has ceased to be an exclusive weapon, and at presenttime in the USA there are entire clubs of fans of the Russian pistol who hold championships among themselves in shooting from the "Makarov" product!