Pistole M
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 94 mm
- Weight, empty
- 730 g
- Introduced
- 1958
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Pistole M is an East German license-produced version of the Soviet Makarov PM, a compact blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. Manufactured at the VEB Fahrzeug- und Waffenfabrik Ernst Thalmann works in Suhl, it served as the standard sidearm of the National People's Army, the Volkspolizei, the Border Troops and the Stasi from the late 1950s. Mechanically identical to the Soviet original, it uses a fixed barrel and unlocked breech in which the mass of the slide and recoil spring alone contain the moderate-pressure 9x18mm cartridge. The double-action/single-action trigger, frame-mounted safety-decocker and eight-round single-stack magazine follow the Makarov pattern exactly. Built to Warsaw Pact interoperability standards, the East German guns are prized by collectors for their high-quality Suhl workmanship and are outwardly distinguished mainly by their proof marks and grip medallion.
Because it equipped the NVA, the Border Troops and the feared Stasi, the East German Pistole M became an unofficial emblem of GDR state power, and after reunification thousands of surplus Suhl-made Makarovs flooded onto the Western collector market where their crisp workmanship earned them a reputation as the best-finished Makarovs ever built.
The Pistole M was East Germany's licensed Makarov, produced at the Ernst Thalmann plant in Suhl beginning in the late 1950s to give the NVA and security services a modern Warsaw Pact sidearm in place of earlier Soviet-supplied pistols. Production is generally cited as running from about 1958 into the mid-1960s, after which the GDR sourced Makarovs from other Warsaw Pact producers; East German examples are noted for particularly clean fit and finish. The pistol is mechanically a straight copy of the Soviet PM: free-blowback action, fixed barrel, double-action/single-action hammer, and a heel-mounted magazine release. It is often encountered with a two-tone military rig and is one of the more sought-after Makarov variants on the collector market.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- VEB Fahrzeug- und Waffenfabrik Ernst Thalmann
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- East Germany
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1958 to 1965
- Variant of
- License production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 94 mm
- Overall length
- 161 mm
- Height
- 127 mm
- Width
- 29 mm
- Weight, empty
- 730 g
- Weight, loaded
- 810 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double action single action
- Capacity
- 8
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 315 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 303 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Free blowback design
Fixed barrel
Chrome lined barrel
Double action single action
Heel magazine release
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 730 g | 794 g | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 161 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 94 mm | 102 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 8 | 8 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Pistole M
How much does the Pistole M weigh?
The Pistole M weighs 730 g (1.61 lb) empty and 810 g (1.79 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Pistole M?
The Pistole M is chambered in 9x18mm Makarov.
How many rounds does the Pistole M hold?
The Pistole M holds 8 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Pistole M?
The Pistole M is 161 mm (6.34 in) long overall, with a 94 mm (3.68 in) barrel.
Who makes the Pistole M?
The Pistole M is made by VEB Fahrzeug- und Waffenfabrik Ernst Thalmann (East Germany). It was designed by Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov.
When was the Pistole M introduced?
The Pistole M was introduced in 1958 and discontinued in 1965.
How does the Pistole M operate?
The Pistole M uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- East German National People's Army (NVA)
- 1958
- Ministry for State Security (Stasi)
- 1958
- German People's Police (Volkspolizei)
- 1958
- Border Troops of the GDR (Grenztruppen)
- 1958
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/east-german-pistole-m' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "east-german-pistole-m", "name": "Pistole M", "manufacturer": { "id": "veb-fahrzeug-und-waffenfabrik", "name": "VEB Fahrzeug- und Waffenfabrik Ernst Thalmann", "countryCode": "DD", "foundedYear": 1945, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "086759d4c02034f45b493a51055e073befa2aff74b41fc5cfa7f5d8baf549b8c" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "DD", "year_introduced": 1958, "barrel_length_mm": 93.5, "weight_empty_g": 730, "action_type": "blowback"}