Pistol PM-T - a weapon for civilian self-defense, made on the basis of a Makarov pistol, but with a different barrel design. The barrel idea for this weapon was borrowed from the Grand Power T12. The task of the engineers was to create a convenient tool for self-defense that meets the forensic requirements of the Russian Federation. The project was based on the concept of "preserving the rich history of the legendary Makarov". To do this, it was necessary to minimize changes in order to preserve the original design.
The history of the popular traumatic gun Makarov PM-T
As soon as it appeared on the market, this gun immediately became incredibly popular, and the demand for it exceeded supply by several times. It was caused by the fact that, for the first time in history, anyone could acquire a weapon for self-defense, made on the basis of a military pistol, and with minimal changes.
Engineers managed to achieve such a result by simply replacing the rifled barrel with a barrel with a smooth bore. At the heart of the new barrel lay a pin and grooves, which excluded the use of live ammunition. Simply put, the main difference between the two pistols is the used cartridges. For equipment Makarov needed 9x18 live ammunition, and for PM-T fit 9mm P.A with a rubber bullet.
In addition to the self-defense property, the newly-made weapon also possessed a collection property. This also sparked interest. The fact is that the classic PM, produced in the distant 1950s and 1980s, was taken as the basis of the PM-T. The main part was made of weapons 60-70-ies. All original parts, all genuine numbers were kept. The PM produced in those years were distinguished by excellent quality, which, unfortunately, modern pistols of this type do not possess. That is why they are valuable to this day.
In the end, the engineers managed to maintain the overall appearance of the gun, the original components and numbers. In appearance, it was an ordinary combat pistol, but in reality it was a tool for self-defense with rubber bullets. The main difference between the PM-T and its Makarov prototype is the laser inscription "1" or "T" on the barrel.
A high rating was received by the new weapon immediately after its first presentation. The interest of collectors was fueled by the fact that the manufacturer was not going to release a large number of copies. Combining the rarity, quality and historical value, PM-T has become a real bestseller of the arms market.
The main reason for the small issue was the state. It issued a bill that, from July 1, 2011, prohibited the manufacture of weapons for civil self-defense, which would use rubber bullets as a charge. That is why the task of the manufacturer was to make as many copies of the PM-T as possible before the appointed day.
The result was quite expected. On the very first day of the gun sales in the gun shops, huge queues lined up in the morning, people bought weapons in any state of the corps with any release date. Happy owners of 5 thousand copies of the PM-T do not regret their choice, because they bought them for 16-18 thousand rubles, and now they can easily sell them for all 50-100 thousand rubles.
Operation traumatic pistol PM-T
At the heart of this gun is recoil with a free gate. The design left the "native" springs, which failed, replaced with new ones from military weapons. With the use of 9mm P.A cartridges, their device service life is increased many times.
However, in practice it turned out that such a spring in a traumatic weapon is very impractical, often because of it when shooting there were problems. Many PM-T owners simply replaced the original part with a spare part from an MP-654K air gun.
The first batch of small-batch weapons came out with a defect in the new barrel. Because of it, during use there were various delays caused by sticking the cartridge when feeding. However, the manufacturer found out about the problem quickly and fixed it at the same speed, so this problem was eliminated from the second batch of PM-T. However, even in spite of this, many owners polished the barrel bore themselves for better shooting.
The trigger of all pistols, which were produced from 55 to 80s, works very smoothly and has a short stroke. This is possible due to the fact that all the small components were made by real milling professionals. The fuse button is located on the left of the case, when it is pressed, the drummer is blocked and the trigger is released from the platoon.
The aiming design was also taken from a Makarov pistol. It is a fixed front sight and rear sight, placed on the gate.
The PM-T pistol magazine holds 8 rounds, warheads are held in the magazine at the expense of a spring latch, which is much more practical than fixing with a conventional lateral latch. However, the spring has its drawbacks: because of it, the speed of reloading the gun is reduced, albeit not significantly.
Complete with weapons supplied only one store. The newly minted owners had to separately purchase spare ones. As a rule, stores were chosen that correspond to the year of issue of the purchased pistol. The greatest demand was for stores produced between 54 and 85s.
As the owners of such a tool assure, its main advantage is low cost maintenance. For him, you can easily find all the necessary components, released in Soviet times, and they will cost very cheap. There are also upgraded versions of the barrel, increasing the rate of fire and accuracy of the gun.
PM-T was developed primarily for self-defense, and not for collections. And in this respect, he will turn out to be a practical, convenient and reliable assistant. From the Makarov pistol, he took over both the advantages and disadvantages in operation. The main disadvantage affecting the accuracy of shooting, is a long course of descent and a lot of effort when you click on it. Weapon lovers, who used large pistols before, were forced to get used to the small grip.
The disadvantages can be attributed, and the sight, which turned out very small. This impairs the accuracy of shooting at close range. However, as the owners of the traumatic weapon assure, you quickly get used to the PM-T, and all its disadvantages are quickly leveled out by acquired skills that allow you to conduct fast aimed shooting.
PM-T can be called one of the most successful products of the Russian arms industry, developed for the self-defense of ordinary citizens. The developers managed to keep the appearance of the legendary pistol, changing only the gun barrel. Due to the high-quality Soviet assembly, these pistols will serve their owners for a long time.
