One of the main ergonomic problems (for a modern shooter) of the Makarov pistol is the magazine latch at the bottom of the grip. With a little practice, you can make quick changes for the magazine, but the time of such a change will not even be close to the replacement time in pistols with a release button located under the thumb. No wonder that many aftermarket manufacturers produce covers for the Russian classic that introduce this feature.

One is produced by the Israeli FAB Defense, and the other three are made by the Russian companies Dozor, PM-Laser and Diamond Arms. Today we will cover the newest one made by the last company. The Diamond Arms RP-PM grip is made of glass-fiber reinforced polymer. It has a fairly large contoured grip in the rear part, probably to make room for the mechanism. The side is covered with a texture resembling a honeycomb, which contrasts strongly with the aged look of the rest of the gun.

The cover has a lever that transmits the pressure of the thumb to the factory fitted magazine latch in the lower part of the grip. Therefore the movement needed to release the magazine is just to press the button down, not towards the weapon as it is with most pistols. Some things can't be helped. The grip in the lower part also has a threaded socket that allows to screw a loop for a sling, popular in uniformed services, especially in the east.

The RP-PM grip is attached to the gun with the original screw. The product is compatible with Russian Makarov pistols as well as those produced in other countries of the Warsaw Pact, for example Bulgaria. It will also work with gas, bang and "traumatic" rubber bullets firing versions of the pistol, that are ubiquitous in Russia and post-Soviet countries.

The suggested price of the Diamond Arms RP-PM on the Russian market is 1700 rubles, or about 19 EUR.