In 1967, the Tula arsenal introduced a specialized silenced version of the Makarov for covert use. This was a very effective pistol, and its design was also very heavily changed from that of the regular pistol. With a two-part silencer surrounding the barrel, the recoil spring had to be moved to a location inside the grip panels. It was still chambered for 9x18mm Makarov though, and used standard Makarov magazines. Not much official information has been published on the PB – it may actually still be in production today – and so I don’t have any good production numbers to provide.
Many thanks to the IRCGN (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale) for allowing me access to film this hard-to-find silenced pistol for you!
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