I'm a sucker for a full-size duty pistol, especially if it's all steel, and has a bit of history behind it. This rascal fit the bill, and the price was right too- I'm in well under $250, for gun, case, 2 mags, cleaning rod, oil bottle and manual.
Let it be stated explicitly that is for my personal collection, and occasional range fun gun, and NOT as a primary defensive weapon. Unless the prices jump through the ceiling, it's not going to become an investment, so I feel fine with shooting it some.
Ok- so I've seen these online, priced low, often disparaged about the appearance. It does look odd, the most common description is the blending of a P-38 and a Beretta. I'd say maybe a Daewoo DP 51 frame, with a P-38 slide and barrel... the slide and barrel are the biggest oddities about it.
The fit and finish- very rough in places. This was a rushed, wartime creation (Bosnian civil war), and you can clearly see the machining on the frame. The slide and the big flat surfaces are relatively polished.
The gun is blued, and is turning plum or brown. It's actually not unattactive in color, it has a coffee color to it. A couple blemishes in the color. The gun had a couple of spots of actual wear, but not much at all. I'd put it at the Excellent to LNIB level, above Very Good... keeping in mind we're talking about how it left the factory, not how it matches up with another gun.
Handling- actually, not bad at all. the grip is comfortable and secure, a bit thick in the front strap area. The safety looks worse than it feels (it seems to have adopted the CZ 70 safety, inset into the grip). The safety is different than most- if you apply it with the hammer back, you can pull the trigger and the hammer drops. I assume a block prevents it from hitting the firing pin, and it does pass the pencil test (a pencil placed in the barrel will jump if you dryfire, but not when the safety is engaged. Once the hammer is down, the trigger is disabled, but racking the slide or thumbing back the hammer will restore the prior condition.
The sight picture is quite good, due to the Walther P-38 (and Buck Rogers) style of front sight.
The trigger is pretty good on mine, a typical DA/SA configuration. Don't have a scale so I don't know how heavy, but I'd put it comparable to my S&W, CZ, Beretta etc. SA is crisp and light, and the trigger reset is short and noticeable, and very comparable to my 3rd Gen S&W.
It came with a lot of grease packed around it, and initially I had some trouble with the slide stop releasing when I dropped a magazine. But after I cleaned it up, that doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.
The recoil spring has a strange layout, as the guide rod is fixed in place like a spike. On a lot of these pistols, you have to really fiddle around to get things back together; and I mean Ruger Mk II level of fiddling
Luckily for me, I got a late version, and the slide rails are a little different- and the takedown/assembly is a lot easier. In fact, I'd say it's almost as simple as my Sig and Beretta, and much easier than my CZ or 3rd Gen S&W.
Weight and balance is nice; heavy, but comfortable. I have a S&W 915, I'd say this feels similar, but heavier (so I would assume it's close to a 5906). Recoil is minimal, and the gun is accurate. Grips wrap around the back, and feel like the 915 or a Sig P226. I felt no crease, and got good purchase.
I put about 70 rds of S&B 115 gr through it, and no problems or failures, and the accuracy was surprisingly good. I was able to get some ragged holes at 10 yds, and my group spread, I think, is on me, not on the gun.
I said the safety looks worse than it feels, and that's a pretty fair assessment of this pistol overall- it looks weird and quirky, but in the hand it feels nice and shoots very well.
My overall view is- not an everyday usage gun due to weight and lack of parts, but definitely a fun range addition... you get a lot of gun for a small price.
New to me PHP MV 9... first impressions
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