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Is that a suppressor? I don't sound like it's doing anything, lol.

From the muzzle blast pattern, it looks like it's a muzzle brake. Probably a requirement for a shoulder-fired weapon of that caliber...

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From the muzzle blast pattern, it looks like it's a muzzle brake. Probably a requirement for a shoulder-fired weapon of that caliber...

Crazy.

I am more used to seeing the standard muzzle break on the M107 and M82 (you can see that in the .50 back to the guys left).

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Stoleit, that is a .50 not a 20mm. The video M2 posted was a 20mm rifle. Rifles with suppressors are still going to produce a crack because the bullet is supersonic, but they do help reduce the sound.

The original video M2 posted is actually a suppressed rifle. So I stand corrected. This video is the same type of rifle with what appears to be subsonic ammo and the suppressor... a lot quieter.

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You might want to check out Taurus, they've got a few 'Nines' that are pretty nice and well within your price range. I've got a PT111 (double stack) and a PT709 Slim (single stack) that are both BUGs but I trust them almost as much as my XD (which I love, but to each his own).

I too have a PT111 and just went through 2000 rounds through it. Not a single issue with the weapon. Anything from cheap Federal to Reloads, it consistently eats the ammo and puts lead downrange. It is now my everyday open carry piece, but will probably be replaced by a Kimber I hope to order TOMORROW! :rock:

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I too have a PT111 and just went through 2000 rounds through it. Not a single issue with the weapon. Anything from cheap Federal to Reloads, it consistently eats the ammo and puts lead downrange. It is now my everyday open carry piece, but will probably be replaced by a Kimber I hope to order TOMORROW! :rock:

You'll love the Kimber, but put a few hundred rounds down the pipe before you consider using it as your primary self-defense weapon. Most 1911s need a little breaking in, and they are more susceptible to FTFs when using JHPs when they’re new. Get a few boxes of Winchester White Box FMJs at WallyMart and then put a box or two of whatever self-defense ammo you plan to use through it, then once you are comfortable that it will reliably work; then you should start carrying it, but not before!

Cheers! M2

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Walther PPK/S (licensed built by Smith & Wesson) or Old School little pistol

Finishing up my Walther obsession, I bought via gunbroker ($480 + $30 FFL transfer) the Smith & Wesson built Walther PPK/S in .380 acp, stainless steel.

The “or” part of the title for this review had its genesis in a comment my wife made when I showed her the pistol yesterday. She said it look “old fashioned.”

And she was right.

Specs:

6.1” long

¾” wide

22.4 oz empty weight

7 +1 .380 acp

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Gun came with two 7 round stainless clips, one with a pinky extension, one without, instruction manual, plastic foam-lined case

The lines are classic and flow much more than most modern polymer or 1911-style autos. Built under license by S&W in a Maine factory, the machining is flawless and the thing is incredibly tight as to fit, finish, and operation.

The machining is so tight that some of the edges could cut. I’d read some on-line comments on this and sure enough, the trigger guard edge, the bottom of the slide, and the safety are damned sharp edged. A little fine grain steel wool took care of the trigger guard and safety. I didn’t touch the slide.

Speaking of the slide, the longer tang of this model certainly helps keep the thing from biting with those razor edges. I guess the original PPK’s have a reputation for nice surgically clean slices in the webbing of the hand. I can see how it could happen easily.

I put 200 .95 grain FMJs through it yesterday and 300 today (100 of them being 102 gr. Remington Golden Saber HPJ). I had a slide not fully return forward nearly every clip – sometimes multiple times per clip – yesterday and still too many today, but not as many. Except for the 102 gr rounds where it never happened. So the moral of the story is this thing likes heavier rounds. Or at least until it gets broken in.

As noted above, the construction is really solid. The big-ass spring is very impressive. That might be part of the problem with the slide not returning consistently. It happened much less today, but still too many times. A tap of the slide with just a thumb moved it forward to continue firing.

The sights on such a little gun are tiny as well. Surprisingly, they aren’t bad, however. I shot everything at 25 feet since you aren’t likely to use this to reach out to someone very far away. Center mass (9 ring or better) was very easy and consistent – more so just aiming it along the ridge along the top of the slide versus centering the miniscule front post and rear notched sights. Think Colt New Agent and you’ll have it.

If you noticed in the specs, the empty weight of this thing is surprising as well. It’s heavy. Add in a clip and it’s not a lightweight gun at all. Small yes, light no.

That weight, however, made it easy to shoot and reacquire quickly. It is a snappy little gun and I was tired after only 100 rounds. The weight helps absorb some of it, but as it is small, your hand does most of that.

Yesterday I shot it using the factory plastic grips which were slippery and narrow. That contributed to the uncomfortableness. I had some pre-ordered Hogue checkered wood grips waiting on me in the mail when I got back and swapped the grips out. Today was much better. The checkering helped with the grip, but the wider girth of the Hogue’s was key for me. My hand wasn’t nearly so tired today after the session (sts).

There is no slide release. Insert a magazine, rack it (pretty heavy pull), and you have it ready to fire in single action.

The safety/decocking lever is for right-handed shooters only. It’s on the left side of the slide and is simple to use/understand. Push it down, hammer moves forward to a block, push it back up, the block retracts and the chamber is loaded but the pull must be double action or a manual cocking of the hammer.

The double action pull of this pistol is really, really heavy. You practically have to put your back into it to get it to move. I can’t measure it, but on-line guys say 13-17 lbs. There’s no pull to speak of. It’s pull hard, then “bang!” No in-between.

The single-action is much less, maybe 4-5 lbs. Again, no trigger travel noted, just a much lighter pull, with the bang result.

The magazine releases with a right-handed only button very similar to a 1911.

Cleaning it was very straight forward. Pull the trigger guard down a la an M1 Garand, push the guard slightly to the side to keep it from returning, push the slide back until it clears the rails, remove the slide from the barrel which is an integral part of the frame and there you have it.

Clean it up, put the spring on – make sure the small end goes on the barrel first – push the slide onto the frame all the way to the rear, line up the rails, and let it move forward. Push the trigger guard up to lock it in and you are done.

I kinda like this gun. I got it as noted above because I was on the Walther kick but also with an eye to hot/humid summer carry. With shorts and t-shirts, something smaller sounded attractive and this in stainless steel was a potential solution. While it’s small enough physically to fit in some gym shorts pockets, the weight is too much. I think a holster will be mandatory. If that’s the case, then something with a bigger diameter than a .380 would be better, at least to me. Doesn’t mean I won’t carry it, but I’ll have to see how it goes this summer.

Ok, yes, it will fit under the cummerbund of your tuxedo (you know a James Bond reference had to appear somewhere!) if you want it. Those Euro bad guys much drop easier than our Dirty Harry .44 magnum catchers, but for a back up gun or something small, I can see it as useful.

Pros:

Solid construction

Simple, reliable operation (provided the bigger round is used. So far, those 95 gr. Bullets make me suspicious)

Classic piece of hardware

Cons:

Racking the slide requires some muscle. Might be too much for smaller ladies, older folks

It’s still a .380

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Why yes, that is my appropriately titled for this thread book underneath the Walther...

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I had a small run (three, to be exact) of these AK-47 morale patches made by NameTags4U to see how they'd turn out.

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I am pretty happy with 'em, but they are still considered "custom" orders and to get more at a lower price I'd have to order a higher quantity. I am still thinking about it but wanted to see if anyone else was interested.

An order of 3-5 would be $7.50 each, 6-11 drops that down to $6 each and 12-23 would be only $4.50 each. They are the usual 1" x 2" with Velcro on the back. If anyone's interested, post a reply and if there's enough I'll contact everyone with the details.

As I said, right now I am only contemplating an order, but if there's enough interest I'll most likely do so.

Cheers! M2

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Swiss gun culture under fire in sunday referendum

It's not surprising that we're not the only ones. The one thing I question is that they say storing issued weapons in a militia depot will cut down on gun suicides. While this may or may not end up being true, wouldn't those that are going to go the distance and commit suicide just find another way?

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The Frau's been complaining that I’ve got too many AKs, so I thought I'd share a few pics from the man cave and see if you guys agree...

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Unfortunately, those aren't mine; those are pics of about 600 Paki-made AK's from one house in Afghanistan! The guy who took the pics said that the parts were not interchangeable between the guns, and that they were made in small production shops in Pakistan (Khyber Pass) and sent over the border. He said the Afghans didn't like 'em, and preferred Chinese or other variants. He said he wouldn’t risk shooting one either, as they are known to be more dangerous to the person behind the barrel than the person in front of it! :nob:

Cheers! M2

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I might have a chance to pick up a TEC-9 (yeah, you heard me right) for cheap...

TEC9.jpg

Yeah, I know, it's a ghetto gun and prone to jamming; but it's got a certain pimp-slap, Grand Theft Auto drive-by shooting appeal to it...

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...and the guy who has it really wants to get rid of it (he's a Boy Scout leader and it doesn't fit the image)!

Plus, Kurt Russell used one in Big Trouble in Little China! :rock:

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Maybe I'll put a rail and a Red Dot on it! :mosh:

Cheers! M2

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I might have a chance to pick up a TEC-9 (yeah, you heard me right) for cheap...

TEC9.jpg

Yeah, I know, it's a ghetto gun and prone to jamming; but it's got a certain pimp-slap, Grand Theft Auto drive-by shooting appeal to it...

Cheers! M2

Are you gonna get some crunk to go with it?

teeth-flavor-flav-400a071807.jpg

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Great weapons but is it the F-22 of Army small arms. $35,000 per gun and $1,000 per round, how many can we afford. I hope the cost goes way down as they ramp production.

Economies of scale will save us. Unless congress halts production at 187 rounds, but that would never happen!

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M2, check out this vid before you book your next vacation to Kyber Pass.

The Vice Guide to Travel: Gun Markets of Pakistan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYz5PY9dhu0

GP

That's a pretty popular video amongst the Khyper Pass replica builders/collectors, and proof than anyone who gets their hands on an actual Khyber Pass clone of any kind should never actually attempt to shoot the damn thing!

Cheers! M2

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