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Old November 26, 2018, 03:59 PM   #1
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Cannot take off makarov slide

Just received my Bulgarian makarov from classic today. It is in great shape but when I tried to disassemble it, the slide would not come off. I took the magazine out, and pulled the trigger guard over to the side. But no matter how hard I pull back and up the slide does not come off. I heard people talking about bulged barrels but mine appears not to be. Any suggestions?
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Old November 26, 2018, 06:45 PM   #2
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It is sometimes is a little stubborn to reinstall... even though you are attempting to disassemble. I don't know if this will help but it might. The technique I use when the slide is difficult to re-assemble is to push DOWN hard as I retract the slide all the way back THEN let the slide shift forward into battery....possibly, if you press down hard as you retract the slide all the way back THEN pull up it may disassemble as intended.
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Old November 26, 2018, 07:12 PM   #3
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I found one Post online from about 9 years ago, where someone had a problem similar to your, the recoil spring was backwards and had caused binding, but they didn't post how they fixed it.
I hope you don't have a bulged barrel, but if you do, I'd contact Classic, their customer service is very friendly and easy to deal with.
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Old November 27, 2018, 12:11 AM   #4
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I really doubt that the barrel is bulged, I even measured it with calipers in different sections. No matter how hard I pull it just will not come off. Its almost like it was meant to never come off, thats how hard it is.
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Old November 27, 2018, 01:45 AM   #5
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Keep in mind that the gun had to go together the same way it comes apart. So unless some foreign object has gotten in there somehow and is jamming something, or unless some part has been damaged somehow since it was assembled the last time it WILL come back apart.

Just in case there's a detail that might help, here's how to disassemble a Mak.
  • Remove the magazine.
  • Rack the slide to clear the chamber and then verify that the chamber is empty.
  • Pull the trigger guard down fully and push it to one side so that the front of it is completely outside the frame.
  • Pull the slide straight back as far as it can possibly go and when it won't go any farther back, lift up on the BACK of the slide. Only the back of the slide lifts up.

Can you tell that the slide comes back farther with the trigger guard in the down/disassembly position than when it is in the fully up position?
Quote:
I really doubt that the barrel is bulged, I even measured it with calipers in different sections.
If it is bulged in a place that is preventing disassembly, you would not be able to measure that part of the barrel without taking the gun apart.
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Old November 27, 2018, 04:57 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jdin8455 View Post
I found one Post online from about 9 years ago, where someone had a problem similar to your, the recoil spring was backwards and had caused binding, but they didn't post how they fixed it.
I hope you don't have a bulged barrel, but if you do, I'd contact Classic, their customer service is very friendly and easy to deal with.
This is a possibility....the constricted end of the spring goes on the barrel first as you reassemble, it should fit a bit tight as it goes on...if the more open end of the spring goes on first, the spring is assembled incorrectly.
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Old November 27, 2018, 08:15 AM   #7
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Suggest you remove the main spring. Then retrace the steps.

Mag out.
Safety off.
Trigger guard down and to the side.
Pull all the way back and lift the back end.

If the barrel is not bulged, then it's the recoil spring installed backwards.

HTH
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Old November 27, 2018, 09:19 AM   #8
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JohnKsa, The slide does not go any farther back when the trigger guard is pulled out. It is the same distance in or out.

If it is a bulged barrel, I wonder if I could even send it back to Classic Firearms, As I have already signed the FFL paperwork.

Last edited by Ransome; November 27, 2018 at 09:26 AM.
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Old November 27, 2018, 09:32 AM   #9
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I had a problem like this. It was a bulged barrel. I don't remember how, but I did get the slide off. The bulge was easy to see after that. I did replace the barrel but I had access to a full machine shop. Unless you do, I suggest that you get another gun. The cost to replace the barrel far exceeds the cost of another gun. Mine shoots fine but it was an awful lot of work.
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Old November 27, 2018, 10:30 AM   #10
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Another idea...You can pull the slide all the way back and prop it open somehow then shine a bore light or flashlight down the breech end and look down the muzzle. It should be possible to see a bulge as an off colored ring down the bore. if it is a bulge return the pistol?

Not much else can cause the problem but a bulge. As you have done the proper technique. I am not even sure that a backward recoil spring, although may cause difficulty, is not impossible to overcome...I know in my early days with Makarov's I had to have installed it backwards a time or two and eventually got the slide off.
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Old November 27, 2018, 01:16 PM   #11
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I looked down the barrel with a bore sight and saw no bulge, or anything pecuilar. Maybe I should put it in a vice grip and try to get it off.
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Old November 28, 2018, 01:27 AM   #12
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Quote:
The slide does not go any farther back when the trigger guard is pulled out. It is the same distance in or out.
That's a problem. With the trigger guard all the way down, the stop that would normally limit slide rearward travel is out of the way. Even if the slide doesn't go far enough back for disassembly, it should to at least SOME distance farther than it did with the trigger guard up.

Does the slide lock open when you pull it back with an empty mag in gun?

I'm leaning towards a bulged barrel.

Shine a dim light down the bore and look in the other end. The bulge will appear as a ring of shadow.
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Old November 28, 2018, 05:45 AM   #13
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You should contact Classic soon, before they're sold out again, that way if there is a chance of replacement, they still have them in stock.
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Old November 28, 2018, 10:56 AM   #14
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At further examination there is a different color ring of metal at the very beginning of the breech. Im talking millimeters in breech/barrel. It is right before the rifling starts so it may be normal. Other than that, the barrel is pristine. I contacted Classic and they said send picture of the problem via email? Well... ok I guess I can just a bit of a hard problem to send via pictures. The slide does lock when I pull it back with a empty mag.

Last edited by Ransome; November 28, 2018 at 11:01 AM.
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Old November 28, 2018, 11:22 AM   #15
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Phone?

Most phones will shoot video. Just set it up for low resolution and keep it short. If one picture is worth 1000 words, a video is thousands of pictures.
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Old November 28, 2018, 11:41 AM   #16
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Quote:
The slide does lock when I pull it back with a empty mag.
Hmm, isn't that almost as far back as you need to take the slide off?
How much further will the slide go back past the slide lock position? Does it go all the way back as it would in recoil.

From the takedown description, it looks the same as a PPK or my SIg P230 blowback.
Rack the slide all the way to the rear and pull up and then forward. If you can go back to slide lock, aren't you almost there?
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Old November 28, 2018, 12:16 PM   #17
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No it needs to go slightly farther back. I can confirm this by it is essentially stopping at where the slide release is, it moves back a very small amount past the mag catch or slide stop/hold. It almost feels like it was never meant to come off. Once I get to the point where it will not go back any farther, there is absolutely no give.
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Old November 28, 2018, 02:46 PM   #18
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I don't know about Makarovs but my sig P230 only goes back 1/8 inch past the slide stop before it can travel no further.
Once you get to the furtherst back, you cannot lift the slide up? Mayber get a lever and see if that helps.
It's either not going back far enough so you can lift or something is preventing it from lifting.
Maybe someone with a Makarov can confirm how much further you need to be able to move the slide BACK past the slide stop before lifting.
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Old November 29, 2018, 12:43 AM   #19
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Classic emailed me today to go ahead and send it back for an exchange. I was about to have a gunsmith take a look at it, but I suppose this is a guaranteed way of a fix, without the possibility of further damage. Thank you everyone who replied with insight on this issue!
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Old November 29, 2018, 11:08 AM   #20
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Hope you get a replacement quickly! Are they going to refund you your transfer fee from your FFL? Once you get a working one, you'll like it, I love my Mak.
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Old December 12, 2018, 07:00 PM   #21
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Hi, Do not know if anyone is still interested, but I just received my replacement today. Classic did not tell me what was wrong with the old one. I requested that if they could fix it I would take the same one back, so either they ignored that request or something was truly really wrong with it. The new makarov works great and disassembles instantly. Happy to own a makarov!
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Old December 12, 2018, 07:07 PM   #22
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Was curious if you got a new one...happy shooting!
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Old December 12, 2018, 07:12 PM   #23
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Glad it was taken care of

Have not heard anything bad about Classic, sounds like they did the right thing for you. The transfer fee is a loss, but a small one.
Might see if they will step up with some ammo for your out of pocket expense and PITA factor. Much easier for them to kick you some product vs. cash.

Surplus sellers sure can't function check every gun they sell. Should have bought a Swiss K-31, but then we all should of when they had them.

I gave up my C+R license several years ago, just not many deals out there, not like the old days, those days we will never see again.
I do have a CZ 82, a CZ 52, an SKS and likely a few others from back then.
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Old December 12, 2018, 11:33 PM   #24
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Good deal! I think you'll enjoy it, especially once you put a Pearce grip on it.
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Old December 13, 2018, 01:56 AM   #25
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Ransome: congratulations! You might realize that a .380 Mak. magazine works perfectly in the single-stack 9x18 Bulgys, EG etc, and vice versa.

Despite my Sig P228s and CZ PCR, there's nothing quite like my more compact and very rugged Makarov. It feels as tough as nails and is clearly easier to conceal at 9:00 (IWB), for our worst summer days under a single t-shirt.
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