MCM - tunning question

[Brian James]

I'm curious to know if anyone knows what the armourers or target shooters, likely from the Soviet Union, did to the MCM (aka Margolin) to refine it. I am particularly interested in the 22lr version. The pistol, while dated by today’s standards its still a nice pistol shoot.

Thanks,

Brian

[patro5]

Most MCM's have the slide shortened, the frame behind the hammer cut off, the hammer lightened by cutting off the knurled part and reshaping it not to pinch the web of the hand, a nice barrel weight put on the front, the trigger guard reshaped to a larger round shape, and the trigger bar relinked. If you are really handy you can move the hammer and sear mechanism foward a few centimetres as did Joseph Zapedski of Poland at a past Olympics for a rapid fire MCM. As rough as they are the possibilities are endless on MCM's, and the modifications in Oz are many and varied.

[Brian James]

I appreciate you response, and would love to see a photo of a modified MCM. Upon reading your post, I have a question for you, that may be obvious to many people here, but what would moving the hammer and sear mechanism forward a few centimetres help?

Joseph Zapedski of Poland must have used the s22short version of the MCM, no?

Thanks

Brian

[patro5]

By moving the sear and hammer further foward on the MCM short you can achieve a legally higher hand position that was favoured by rapid fire shooters, in Oz they also use neoprene "green rings" otherwise known as castrating rings used by farmers to castrate sheep as buffers to dampen recoil in MCM's, you place them at the end of the recoil spring they fit very well over the rod and spring, they are hard wearing and dampen recoil very well. There were a couple of gunsmiths in Oz that carried out these mods, as well as enthusiastic amateurs with access to lathes and drill presses. At one stage there was talk of converting a MCM long into a 32 S&W long, but it never got off the ground, the MCM is a very versatile pistol. Will endeavour to get a photo up once I source one.

[Spencer]

it's all a matter of how far you want to go

[Brian James]

Patro5 and Spencer,

Thank you for your replies, the mental image I had of a modified MCM was not like the pistols you posted. I guess anything is possible. Can either one comment on how well those pistols shot? Spencer, are they yours?

Brian

[Spencer]

Neither of these are mine - I associate with some inveterate tinkerers. Both my family's Margolins are standard other than polished innards, barrel weights and grips.

I have found the Baikal MCMs to be everything people say: basic, roughly finished, almost unbreakable, reliable, feed on almost any ,22LR ammunition - oh, and that MAGNIFICENT barrel.

Spencer

[Fortitudo Dei]

....and lastly, they are CHEAP! Brilliant value at roughly US$250 - $275 new which makes them the ideal base for creating your own D.I.Y über-pistol.

[patro5]

The MCM is like all Russian made weapons, in a word agricultural, but able to be made into anything you want, and as Spencer pointed out what a barrel, the MCM is the basis of the upside down pistol that was banned at the Melbourne Olympics and was discussed on this forum some time ago, talk about making a silk purse out of a sows ear, this pistol could be anything, it just takes imagination as some people have shown, Zapedski won two Olympic gold medals with one.

[jer]

On pictures there is cover over barrel. Is there any factory made available? Match grade grip, weight on barrel and some upgrade on trigger and that would be great gun.

[Shooting Kiwi]

Oh dear! This is getting interesting. As an 'inveterate tinkerer', my appetite has been whetted.

Can anyone provide more details, drawings even? OK, I know it's a lot to ask, but us tinkerers need our fun too.

[BertC]

What is the trigger like on these things "out of the box"?

I assume no one in the US imports them?

Are parts available?

[Brian James]

I have owned two of them over the years for limited amounts of time. The triggers are good, not great but good especially given the vintage of the pistol.

If you're not familar with the MCM google it or go to wiki and read up. Its a neat gun, with a near story - blind designer...

Brian

[sillymike]

And here I was all excited about having a taget grip on mine...


Having a look at the close up picture of the #2 Margolin... I cannot but wonder how much time the shooter has invested in that gun. Seems like a whole of work...

BertC,

The trigger is more of a two stage type, my older one (1970's production) is a whole lot smoother then the newer one (2002 prod.) Then again, the older gun as gone thru many more rounds.

As far as spare parts, springs and firing pins are easy to come by... I'm still trying to get a hold of someone in Russia for some spare extractors.

[patro5]

The second of the MCM's in Spencers reply appears to have a rather exotic recoil dampner in so much as the slide comes back and hits a rubber block in front of the trigger guard, this probably makes the recoil very neutral because it is so low down. In Oz some dealers sold MCM's with optional barrel weights they had made up, most people just made thiers up on lathes or drill presses. The trigger can be made crisp or two stage or simply roll-off as preferred by some rapid fire shooters by re-linking the trigger bar in the trigger piece, if you drill a hole higher in the trigger and link it, it makes the trigger crisp, lower down gives a longer pull, to make the sear adjustable you drill and tap a hole in from the back-strap in line with where the sear is located, the screw then allows you adjust the movement of the sear. Some tinkerers in Oz also put a small spring in there to make it even more adjustable.