Occasionally, I use this page to spotlight a weapon I see in common use when I travel through foreign countries. Since most of my readers won’t be carrying a gun in their travels, the best chance of acquiring one in an emergency is by “battlefield pickup.”
You don’t get to pick the guns issued to the cops or soldiers in your host country. You need to know how to operate all of them. This article is about the Makarov pistol.
Guns of ISG: The Makarov
I still see Makarovs being carried today in police/military holsters in all the former Soviet republics, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Cuba. They are common guns in that part of the world. For what it’s worth, .380 acp ammo will usually fire (but may not reliably cycle) in the 9mm Makarov (9x18mm) chamber.
Check out the article and learn how the gun works if you haven’t played with one before.