NORINCO Type 59 (Makarov)

History

China produced an almost identical copy of the Soviet Russian Makarov semi-automatic pistol, the Type 59. The original Makarov pistol was introduced in 1951 as the Soviet Union's standard military pistol and held that role until 1991. It's proven by global operators that many countries have transitioned to local production, but the differences are small.

Among them was China, which adopted this pistol in 1959 (hence the name), which differed from the Soviet-era design with its blue finish, corresponding Chinese markings, widened sighting ribs and improved safety bars . Therefore, the overall weight and stated dimensions of this pistol are also different compared to the original Makarov product.

At its core, the Type 59 retains the same recoil action as the Makarov and holds a 9x18mm Makarov cartridge, detachable by a spring-loaded 8-round mounted in the pistol grip Magazine feed. The frame is as smooth as Makarov and has the necessary knurled sliding grip area and iron and rear sights (front blade, adjustable rear notches).

The trigger is bent forward and is encased in a thin protective ring that blends into the design of the gun. The various levers are within reach of the main hand's thumb, while the slider springs back in the usual way, managing the slightly exposed hammer at the rear.

The spent cartridges are ejected in the usual way through the opening on the right side of the slider. The patterned handle ensures a secure grip.

Reportedly have a muzzle velocity of 1,030 feet per second and an effective range of up to 50 meters. As a semi-automatic pistol, the weapon can be fired with a single trigger pull, once by pulling the slider (thus introducing a new cartridge into the firing chamber), the subsequent firing action then ejects any spent cartridges and strips new cartridges for the traditional way to remove the cartridge from the prepared magazine (this action is called "double action").

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes