It was produced since 1948[1] and made its international debut at the 36th World Shooting Championships held in 1954 at Caracas, Venezuela.

The designer himself was blind - he was fighting in the Red Army against the bandits in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War, and in April 1924 (at the age of 18), received a head injury resulting in total loss of vision.

However, Margolin's raised plane of sight is a deliberate design feature that increased the accuracy of the pistol.

The bridge that made the rear sight stationary combined with the unusually high sights allows the shooter to hold the pistol lower and aligns the barrel with the shoulder, improving the shooter's control during rapid fire competition.

The AK-47, also designed between 1946 and 1948, had high sights which lowered the barrel, putting it more in line with the shoulder and reducing muzzle climb.