9mm Pistolet Makarova, also known as Makarov PM or just PM, is a Soviet self-loading pistol designed by Nikolai F. Makarov. It was designed in an effort to update the Soviet military arsenal, when it was deemed that the Tokarev TT-33 was too bulky and heavy for Cold War-era warfare. With the Makarov design being considered the best of the candidates, and following many significant changes and tweaks, the gun was formally adopted in December 1951.
It is more or less considered the “pistol counterpart to AK-47”, being a simple, rugged and reliable handgun, albeit somewhat rough and unrefined.
As with the gun it replaced, the PM became the primary handgun of most communist bloc armies, with these said countries often producing their own licensed copies of the design. Following the collapse of communism, as well as tactical innovations of the 1970s and 1980s, the Makarov PM became a outdated design and fell to the wayside following the end of the Cold War.
Regardless, Makarov PM and its copies are still used by few former communist- and other economically weak states. The PM design also has a presence in civilian pistol markets, thanks to surplus of Cold War-era guns and with new copies being produced even to this day.
Appearances[]
Ourumov (Gottfried John) pointing a Makarov PM
Octopussy (film)[]
A Makarov PM is shown in opening credits.
GoldenEye[]
Makarov PM primarily appears as Ourumov's sidearm. He is first seen with it at Arkangel Chemical Weapons Facility, staging the faked execution of Alec Trevelyan and then actually shooting a Red Army soldier who panicked and tried shooting Bond hiding behind the cart full of chemical canisters.
In the Military Archives, after having shot Mishkin and one a guard with Bond's Walther PPK, he throws a emptied PPK back to Bond and attempts to shoot Bond with his PM. After Bond downs Ourumov and flees with Natalia, Ourumov leads the Russian soldiers with his PM drawn.
Once Natalia falls back in Ourumov's hands, he escorts her at gunpoint with the PM to a car. Ourumov has the gun drawn at Natalia for the entirety of the tank chase.
After Bond has stopped Soviet Missile Train with his tank, Ourumov comes to Trevelyan with Natalia hostage, again with the PM drawn. Trevelyan orders Ourumov to execute Natalia by shooting her in the head with PM, which prompts Bond to shoot Ourumov while Trevelyan and Xenia escape.
Later in Cuba, at Janus Satellite Control Centre after having escaped the Explosive Pen, Bond knocks out a sentry guarding the antenna's walkway and gives the downed sentry's Makarov PM to Natalia (while Bond takes the sentry's AK). Subsequently, Natalia uses it to hold up a helicopter pilot that was meant to come help Trevelyan.
Tomorrow Never Dies (film)[]
Type 59, a Chinese Makarov PM copy, is used by the thugs that attack Wai Lin at her safe house. After the thugs have been subdued, Bond picks one up identifies it as "Makarov 59" and that it's "standard issue, Chinese Army".
The World Is Not Enough (film)[]
The Russian military personnel at the Kazakhstan ICBM base carry Makarov PM pistols. One of the men has a Makarov drawn when Colonel Akakievich orders Renard and his men to stop from transporting the warhead. After Renard and his men gun down Colonel Akakievich and his men, Bond temporarily gains a Makarov PM and dual-fires it with his Walther P99.
Die Another Day (film)[]
Although not entirely visible, one of the agents accompanyign Bond to North Korea draws a PM on Van Bierk, when he gets out of the Mil Mi-8 helicopter. Later in the film, General Moon draws a PM on his son, Gustav Graves, aboard the latter's plane when former is horrified of Graves' display of Icarus and fearing for ramifications of a World War, tries to order him to stop at gunpoint. Gustav regardless subdues his father with the electricity glove of his ExoSkeleton and then kills him with his own gun.
Gallery[]
.jpg "General Ourumov and 006 (GoldenEye).jpg (278 KB)")
.jpg "General Ourumov with hostage Natalya (GoldenEye).jpg (184 KB)")
Trivia[]
- The Makarov PM looks lot like Walther PPK, Bond's trademark gun. Indeed, it has been speculated that PPK's full-size variant, the Walther PP was used as a template in PM's design. Not only that, certain movies have used the Walther PP as a stand-in for the Makarov PM, during Cold War when PM was out of westerners' hands.
- The Makarov PM has appeared in one form or another in all of the Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan. Strangely, the PM doesn't appear in a single Bond film starring Brosnan's successor, Daniel Craig.