Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov () was a Soviet firearms designer, most notable for his

Makarov pistol The Makarov pistol or PM ( rus, Пистолет Макарова, r=Pistolet Makarova, p=pʲɪstɐˈlʲet mɐˈkarəvə, t=Makarov's Pistol) is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it beca ...

. He was given the title

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

in 1974.

Biography

Makarov was born on 22 May 1914 in the village of Sasovo to the family of a railway worker. In 1936, he enrolled to the Tula Mechanical Institute. At the onset of the Axis invasion, he was preparing for his graduation. He was hastily qualified as an engineer and sent to the Zagorski Machine Works (now in

Sergiyev Posad Sergiyev Posad ( rus, Сергиев Посад, p=ˈsʲɛrgʲɪ(j)ɪf pɐˈsat) is a city that is the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: The city contains the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergi ...

). The plant was soon evacuated to

Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast ( rus, Кировская область, p=ˈkʲirəfskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. As of the 2010 census, the population ...

. In 1944, Makarov returned to Tula, and graduated from the Tula Mechanical Institute with honors. In 1945, he took part in a pistol design competition that aimed to find a replacement for the

TT pistol The TT-30, commonly known simply as the Tokarev, is a Soviet-made semi-automatic pistol. It was developed during the late 1920s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet Armed Forces and was based on the earlier pistol designs of John M ...

and

Nagant M1895 The Nagant M1895 is a seven-shot, gas-seal revolver designed and produced by Belgian industrialist Fabrique d'armes Émile et Léon Nagant, Léon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The Nagant M1895 was chambered for a proprietary cartridge, 7.62×38 ...

revolver (the former was in use since 1930 and the latter since the late 1800s). Makarov's work, which made use of some elements of the

Walther PP The Walther PP (, or police pistol) series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. Design The Walther PP series feature an exposed hammer, a double-actio ...

, won the competition and was adopted by the army in 1951. Makarov continued designing firearms in Tula until his retirement in 1974. Later, he was elected to the Soviet of Working People's Deputies in Tula Oblast, and was chosen as a council member of the scientific and technological society Mashprom. He died on 13 May 1988 as a result of his seventh heart attack and was buried at the 1st Municipal Cemetery in Tula.

Weapon designs

(added to

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

armory in 1951) *

Afanasev Makarov AM-23 The Afanasev Makarov AM-23 is a Soviet designed aircraft autocannon that has been used in a number of aircraft in the Soviet Air Force. Its GRAU index was 9-A-036. It was often used in place of the earlier and slower-firing Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23. ...

cannon together with

Nikolai Afanasyev Nikolay Mikhailovich Afanasyev (; 14 November 1916 – 15 March 2009), also known as Nicolai Michaelovich Afanasiev, was a Russian firearms designer.9K111 Fagot The 9K111 ''Fagot'' (; " bassoon") is a second-generation tube-launched semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union for use from ground or vehicle mounts. The 9K111 Fagot missile syst ...

(added to armory in 1970) *

9M113 Konkurs The 9M113 ''Konkurs'' (; ; NATO reporting name AT-5 ''Spandrel'') is a Soviet SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. A development of the 9K111 Fagot with greater firepower, the 9M113 Konkurs can use the same launchers and is very similar vis ...

(added to armory in 1974)

Awards

* Stalin Prize (1952) *

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1967) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

(1966) *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(1971, 1974) *

(1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makarov, Nikolay Fyodorovich 1914 births 1988 deaths People from Tambov Governorate Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the USSR State Prize Firearm designers Soviet engineers Soviet inventors Weapon designers from the Soviet Union