K59
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 93 mm
- Weight, empty
- 730 g
- Introduced
- 1959
About
What it is, and why it matters
The K59 is the Vietnamese-produced version of the Chinese Type 59 semi-automatic pistol, itself a licensed copy of the Soviet Makarov PM chambered in 9x18mm Makarov. In Vietnamese service 'K' denotes 'type', and the design is also known by the factory code SN9. It retains the Makarov's simple fixed-barrel blowback action, double-action/single-action hammer-fired trigger, slide-mounted safety and 8-round single-stack magazine. Manufactured at Vietnam's Z111 Factory, the compact steel pistol remains a standard officer and police sidearm of the Vietnam People's Army and public security forces.
In the Vietnam People's Army the 'K' prefix simply means 'type', so the Makarov-pattern K59 and the Tokarev-pattern K54 sit side by side in the same naming lineage as the Chinese and Soviet guns they were copied from.
Vietnamese small-arms designations prefix 'K' (from the Vietnamese word for 'type'); the K54 is the Tokarev-pattern Type 54 and the K59 is the Makarov-pattern Type 59. Mechanically identical to the Chinese Type 59 and Soviet Makarov PM.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Z111 Factory
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Vietnam
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1959
- Variant of
- License produced
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 93 mm
- Overall length
- 162 mm
- Height
- 127 mm
- Width
- 34 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
- 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
- Stock
- Bakelite
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 314 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 312 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.
Fixed barrel
Double action single action trigger
Single stack magazine
Heel magazine release
Slide mounted safety
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 | 162 mm | 196 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 93 mm | 102 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 8 | 8 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the K59
How much does the K59 weigh?
The K59 weighs 730 g (1.61 lb) empty and 810 g (1.79 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the K59?
The K59 is chambered in 9x18mm Makarov.
How many rounds does the K59 hold?
The K59 holds 8 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the K59?
The K59 is 162 mm (6.38 in) long overall, with a 93 mm (3.66 in) barrel.
Who makes the K59?
The K59 is made by Z111 Factory (Vietnam). It was designed by Nikolai Makarov (original design).
When was the K59 introduced?
The K59 was introduced in 1959.
How does the K59 operate?
The K59 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
- Vietnam People's Army
- Vietnam
- Vietnam People's Public Security
- Vietnam
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
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/k59' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "k59", "name": "K59", "manufacturer": { "id": "z111-factory", "name": "Z111 Factory", "countryCode": "VN", "foundedYear": 1957, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "0e3eb27e93ea6b57eeca33226aa2fc86da97da5653277795baf208e0bd2732de" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "VN", "year_introduced": 1959, "barrel_length_mm": 93, "weight_empty_g": 730, "action_type": "blowback"}