HANDGUNS: MAKAPOB

HANDGUNS: CYBERGUN MAKAPOB
HANDGUNS: MAKAPOB
MAK’ TO BASICS
The slide-mounted safety
disconnets the trigger.
Phill Price tries a Russian classic replica that’s also a BB-firing pistol
“the gun is naturally efficient,
which, in turn, literally means
more bang for your buck”
T
oday’s market for Co2powered pistols is going from
strength to strength, which is
great, because it means that we
have so much choice. Collectors
have never had it so good with all
sorts of shapes and designs
available in everything from the
most basic to the most high-tech
guns. This month, I’ve received a
new model from SMK, the
Makapob, which is obviously
styled on the Russian Makarov
semi-automatic 9mm service
pistol. First impressions were good
with the all-metal build giving a
good heft in the hand. This is
complemented with a surprisingly
good balance. I say ‘surprisingly’
because often short pistols don’t
point as well as longer guns, yet
58
AIRGUN WORLD
the Makapob comes up nicely
every time.
The grip is quite large for such
a compact pistol which gives a
good fist-filling feel, aiding good
trigger control. The trigger is
double-action only, which means
that pulling it cocks the hammer
as well as dropping it. This is one
of the areas where costs have
been saved to keep the price
down, but is no particular
drawback in my eyes. A trigger
that can be set to work in
single-action mode is one where
you manually cock the hammer
with your thumb. This makes the
trigger lighter and shorter, and that
makes accurate shooting easier.
However, a gun like this is more
about rapid fire than absolute
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
accuracy and
for that a double-action trigger is
what you want.
GET A GRIP
The grip is nicely shaped and
suited my usual double-handed
combat grip very well. The grip
panels are a little more squareedged than some other Makarov
replicas I’ve shot, but they’re no
less comfortable for that. On aim,
the sights mimic the ones the
original gun would have used,
which are quite small and simple.
Don’t expect big, bold ones with
white dot enhancements; no,
these are as basic as they get, but
that’s how a replica should be.
They’re non-adjustable, being
part of the casting of the fake
slide. I expect many owners will
add a dot of white paint to the
front sight element to add some
contrast, making aiming easier.
Loading the pistol is quick and
easy. The all-metal magazine
carries both the 12 gram Co2
capsule and 18, 4.5mm steel
BBs. To remove it from the grip
well you push a ridged lever
backwards which allows the mag’
to drop free under its own weight.
I liked the fact that it’s solidly built
and feels like it’s built to last. To fit
the capsule you use a key to turn
the large hex screw anti-clockwise
and then slip a capsule in through
a generous window in the left side.
With the neck up against the
piercing probe you then turn the
screw clockwise, which allows the
gas to flow up into the valve
assembly which is integral to the
magazine. This is slightly unusual
for a Co2 gun but one I like very
much. It allows very easy access
to the assembly if it needs
servicing rather than stripping the
whole gun down. It also shortens
the pathway that the propellant
gas needs to travel before it
imparts its energy to the BB,
which should equal move velocity
and power. The packaging claims
410 fps with a standard 5 grain
steel BB which equates to just
under 2ft.lbs. muzzle energy,
which is plenty for a back garden
plinker in my opinion.
LOAD UP
Loading the BBs uses a similar
method to many other BB guns
which is that the spring-loaded
‘follower’ is pulled down with your
thumbnail, opening the top of the
tube for the BB to be put in.
Where this magazine works better
than others I’ve tried, is that the
entry port is quite large, making
dropping BBs in pretty easy. This
will become more important for
users once you realise how often
you’ll need to reload, because
blasting off a full mag’ takes no
time at all.
I think this pistol’s natural
environment is plinking tin cans in
a safe environment, and that
proved to be true. At ten yards I
could hit them easily, even with
really rapid-fire shooting. The
weather was quite warm so I
would naturally expect the Co2
capsules to have performed well,
but even so, I was impressed by
how many shots I got from each
one. The position of the valve
assembly and the short distance
the gas travels means that the gun
is naturally efficient, which literally
means more bang for your buck.
The basic sights and doubleaction-only trigger help to keep the
cost of this gun below £70 which
is great value for money. The gun
has a good, solid feel giving the
impression that it’s been built to
last, and the weight of all that
metal feels just right. If Russian
service pistols appeal to you, take
a look at this one; it’s not only a
good replica, but it’s loads of fun
too. n
MANUFACTURER
CYBERGUN MAKAPOB
Importer
SMK
Tel
01206 795333
Web
co.uk
www.sportsmk.
Model
Makapob
Power
Co2 (12gram)
Type
Double action
Ammo
4.5mm BB
Velocity
410fps
Length
160mm
Weight
797g
Magazine capacity
18
Price
£69.95
The all-metal magazine is
released by this ridged lever in
the base of the grip.
The magazine holds 18BBs, the Co2
capsule and the valve assembly.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
59