Book Review: The Makarov Pistol Part 2 (China, Bulgaria, Khyber Pass)

Henry Brown and Cameron White have released the second part of their work on the Makarov pistol, this time with additional assistance from Edwin Lowe. This second volume covers Chinese, Bulgarian, and craft-made (“Khyber Pass”) versions of the Makarov. This volume is very similar to the first in a technical sense – the layout is relatively simple and the photos not particularly glamorous. The information, however, is quite good, as in the first volume. The authors cover the distinctions between the civilian and military versions of each country’s Makarovs, as well as the differences between guns brought in by each importer.

Some speculation remains about total production numbers and the meaning of some markings (particular with the Chinese military ones), but the authors do a very good job of explaining what is and isn’t known, and presenting the current best theories on the less understood points. The Khyber Pass chapter is less substantial than the other two, as one might expect – but it does a good job of explaining several distinctive non-standard aspects of the craft-made Makarov.

Overall, this is an very good resource for the American collector of Makarovs. Aside from archival information about the original Soviet development of the pistol, it is rather difficult to see what additional information might be desired that is missing form these two volumes.