The MP-444 "Baghira" pistol is a modern pistol designed in Russia at the Izhevsk Mechanical plant; it was built to replace the Makarov pistols. This handgun is available in three main chamberings: 9x17 Short (.380 ACP

.380 ACP

The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...

), 9x18mm Makarov (PM and PMM) and 9x19mm Parabellum. It also uses a detachable, box-type, double-column magazine.

Composition

The frame of the pistol is made of strong thermosetting plastic, with the operational steel elements, which makes this a lightweight weapon, built into a plastic construction. The travel of barrel in the close/open cycle is achieved by interaction of two slopes; a primary slope located on the lower part of the barrel and the secondary scope located on the base of the return/buffer mechanism. The buffer is made available to absorb and reduce shock loads of both barrel and slide in their extreme rear positions. The striker has a special cocking feature that looks like a hammer of a standard pistol. This construction allows a pistoleer

Pistoleer

A pistoleer is a soldier trained to use a pistol, or more generally anyone armed with such a weapon.The earliest kind of pistoleer was the mounted German Reiter, who came to prominence in Europe after the Battle of St. Quentin in 1557. These soldiers were equipped with a number of single-shot,...

 to cock the striker manually, thus enabling a double-action operation or an operation with a preliminary cocked striker. An extractor has a dual function: that of extracting an empty case and the second case, which is an indicator of ammo in the magazine. If the extractor's front tip is slightly elevated, the pistol has ammunition. If the extractor is flush and even, this tells the pistoleer that he ran out of cartridges.