The Martha is a 9x19mm handgun that appears in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.
Appearances[]
Shadow of Chernobyl[]
Adopted by the American army and police, as well as many military and police units all over the world. It is also very popular among the criminals for its high-powered round and its high-capacity magazine.
― Shadow of Chernobyl in-game description
A great pistol, it is the most powerful handgun chambered for the 9x19mm round. It has a good amount of damage, handling and rate of fire. The weapon can be fitted with a silencer, but this greatly decreases its damage. Surprisingly, the weapon has a very high effective range.
The main downside of this weapon is its absurdly low durability, especially compared to other pistols of the game, resulting in the weapon jamming quite frequently. The low reliability of this pistol makes the use of 9x19mm PB1s ammunition ill-advised as it will reduce its durability even further.
Acquisition[]
The Martha is so rare that it's unique, only being carried by a single character in the game; the Captive Dutyer, who must be freed as part of a side mission (Free the Dutyer) for Bullet. The captive Dutyer will not have the Martha in his inventory unless he is saved. After the rescue, he can be assassinated out of Bullet's field of view, allowing for obtaining the Martha, and keeping an ally in Bullet.
As evidenced by the Anarchy Cell design document, the Martha was originally meant to be a cut weapon, much like the HPSS-1m. The weapon being in the Captive Dutyer's inventory is likely an oversight from the developers.
Clear Sky[]
Martha is in service with the US armed forces and police, as well as various military and law enforcement organizations worldwide. The pistol enjoys similar popularity with members of the underworld, thanks to its power and magazine capacity. Uses 9x19 mm ammo.
― In-game description
The Martha's stats are changed greatly in Clear Sky. The Martha now has the best handling for any 9x19mm handgun while retaining an impressive rate of fire. Even without upgrades, it is entirely capable of being fired at a rapid pace without losing too much accuracy.
Unlike other pistols, when fired while aimed, the recoil only pushes the gun back rather than up. This allows skilled users to deliver multiple accurate shots to specific body parts of opponents in a very short time. However, Martha has the worst reliability from every pistols available in game (worse even than the PB1s).
Acquisition[]
The Martha in Clear Sky is much more widespread and commonly employed by stalkers who use a Chaser 13 in tandem. It is also held by a good number of Mercenaries in the Dark Valley. It can also be purchased from Ashot and Thrush.
It can be obtained from the following stashes:
Notable users of this weapon:
- Flayer
- Smuggler
- Stringov
- Stalker in the Red Forest (secondary)
- Wild Napr
Upgrades[]
The Martha shares the same upgrades as all pistols.
Upgrades marked in green are accuracy upgrades, while those marked in red are rate of fire upgrades. They are mutually exclusive.
 Bolt mechanism modification (300 RU)  Fire rate +25%A technological modification of the bolt mechanism allows for a higher rate of fire.
 Bolt mechanism modification (300 RU)  Recoil -20%Careful adjustment of the bolt mechanism increases the weapon's precision.
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 Barrel modification (600 RU) Recoil -50%Installing a muzzle brake allows recoil to be reduced significantly.
 Barrel replacement (450 RU)  Flatness +30%An upgrade for weapons with integrated silencers. Replaces the combined barrel and silencer with a solid barrel.
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 Barrel modification (300 RU)  Weight -20%Careful adjustment of the bolt mechanism increases the weapon's precision.
 Barrel replacement (300 RU) Flatness +20%This durable steel barrel resists deformation and allows for better bullet acceleration.
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 Soft trigger (300 RU)  Accuracy +20%A smooth trigger pull allows firing accuracy to be increased.
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 Anatomical grip (300 RU) Accuracy +20%Tailor-made ergonomic grip designed specifically for you.
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 9x18 mm caliber (300 RU)  Caliber 9x18The barrel is replaced and gun parts are adjusted to the new caliber. This replacement can only be performed once.
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 Extended magazine (300 RU)  Mag. size +4Increasing magazine capacity using improvised means.
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Call of Pripyat[]
Martha pistols enjoy the reputation of a relatively reliable, albeit somewhat cumbersome weapon, around the world. In service with armed forces and police across the ocean, as well as various military and law enforcement organizations worldwide. The pistol is equally popular with members of the underworld, thanks to its powerful round and magazine capacity. Marthas found in the Zone are usually dated, probably from retired stock.
― Call of Pripyat in-game description
This weapon also appears in Call of Pripyat, mostly retaining its stats from Clear Sky, but apart from the full-auto upgrade, it's inferior in every other aspect to the Walker P9m and .45 caliber pistols.
Acquisition[]
The Martha is sold by Hawaiian and Owl by default. It is carried by experienced members of the Bandits, Loners, Freedom and Monolith factions.
It can be found in the following stashes:
- At the top of the Cement factory in Jupiter, alongside a Tactical helmet and other supplies.
- In Zaton, in front of the truck by the Dock cranes, along with 100 9x19mm FMJ rounds.
Upgrades[]
 Moving bolt section (300 RU)  Fire rate +10%Provides an increase in rate of fire without overloading other parts through additional recoil.
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 Reinforced and fully closed bolt (600 RU)  Reliability +15%A heavier and closed bolt prevents the pistol's bolt section from malfunctioning.
 Installation of a closing insert with a shaped spiral groove (600 RU)  Recoil -20%Installation of a steel insert helps to reduce recoil.
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 Fully automatic firing mode (1900 RU)  Automatic fire modeModernization of the pistol's automatic parts suitable for automatic fire.
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 Shortened barrel section (300 RU) Fire rate +10%A more technological shortened barrel improves the weapon's rate of fire without sacrificing flatness and accuracy.
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 Additional threaded canals in the barrel (600 RU)  Flatness +20%Installation of a barrel with additional threaded canals improves bullet speed and weapon accuracy at the cost of a considerable increase in recoil.
 Chrome plating of the internal side of the barrel (600 RU) Reliability +15%Chrome plating improves the barrel's life cycle.
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 Sinusoidal rifling of barrel (900 RU) Fire rate +25%Allows barrel heat to be reduced and increases the rate of fire without sacrificing flatness.
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 Solid steel frame (300 RU) Reliability +10%In this case the frame is more reliable than composite.
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 Changing handle shape with a straight rear section (600 RU)  Handling +15%A change in the rear section makes for a more ergonomic handle shape.
 Amortization handle (600 RU) Recoil -20%An amortization handle reduces recoil.
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 Soft release (300 RU)  Accuracy +10%One of the simplest and most popular modifications, which allows for trigger resistance to be reduced. Simple and handy.
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 Increased trigger bolt head (600 RU) Reliability +15%A modern modification which prevents the weapon from bolt section detachment.
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 External threading of the barrel (700 RU)  SilencerExternal threading allows a silencer to be installed.
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 Change of caliber to 9x18 (1500 RU) Caliber 9x18A complex, integrated alteration of the weapon's mechanical and automated parts, which allow its caliber to be changed at the cost of reliability.
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Sounds[]
| Shadow of Chernobyl | Clear Sky | Call of Pripyat | |
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| Draw | |||
| Holster | |||
| Shoot | |||
| Empty | |||
| Reload | |||
| Close | |||
Gallery[]
Shadow of Chernobyl[]
Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat[]
Trivia[]
- In Shadow of Chernobyl, the dots on the rear sight are see-through. This was corrected in later iterations of the weapon.
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