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Post by wordweaver3 on May 2, 2016 20:30:41 GMT
I can probably see the water damage cuz I know what I'm looking for. The flash kinda washed it out a bit. I took these pictures at night and my camera takes much better photos with natural light.
Those are adjustable weights for the pistol, like you might see on some competition guns. Though the trigger on the SP22 isn't nearly good enough to be considered for competition shooting, I plan on fixing that.
I bought my M94 for 300 bucks brand new, but that was a really good deal. Lately I've seen them for over 400 at places that would normally sell them for 350.
Yeah, like most .25s it has a tip up barrel cuz the little slide is a bear to pull back and kind of dangerous to do so with such a small gun. The tip up is a neat feature that you don't see on larger calibers, say a .380. Some women or people with arthritis might have a difficult time with a slide and they end up with a .22 or .25 with a tip up so they can use it. If you have hands that weak you're already in a bad spot from a self defense standpoint, getting saddled with a low power caliber kinda limits you.
The Cobra trigger is awful, you have to pull it down as you pull it back somehow. There's a saying I heard about Cobras: "It takes two hands to pull the hammer and three to pull the trigger". I think the idea is you just point em and hope to God you don't have to shoot em. They can be improved with a little bit of filing, buffing, and spring adjustment, but they'll never be on par with a Bond Derringer.
Bersa makes really good firearms for the price. Eventually I plan on picking up one of their Thunder .22s.
If I had some .22 short on hand I probably would have run those through the Flobert by now. There's also a small issue with the firing pin too that I want a gunsmith to look at. I'm sure it will still shoot, but the pin doesn't recede on it's own so you have to point the gun upward and shake it to get it out of the way. Otherwise it blocks the receiver from opening.
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Post by Horsie on May 3, 2016 7:53:45 GMT
I wonder if I can get a weight for my CZ75? It has a rail on the frame, so I'm sure I can get something.
That's still probably better than what we'd pay here, although I think the barrel on your is too short to be legal here.
I'm kind of surprised it's so stiff, although I suppose it would have to be since it's a straight blowback.
Who the hell would design a trigger like that?
The thing I like about the Bersa Thunder is that it's the closest I can get to a Walther PP in my country, since the actual Walther PP pistols are illegal because they're too short.
It probably has a spring-loaded firing pin, but the spring is probably worn out or broken, I can't see that being a problem to fix.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 3, 2016 9:26:59 GMT
I'm pretty sure they make rail weights or stabilizers, though it's a specialty item. I can't find anything online with a cursory search. I keep getting stuff for bows. You could always mock up a weight with a flashlight mount. Find a steel or brass rod that fits it at a hardware store and cut it to length. Or you could find a cheap flashlight that fits, gut it and fill it with lead shot. The M94 had two barrel lengths. 2 inch and 4 inch. I can't remember how long your barrels have to be. The Cobra trigger is so bad I consider it criminal on the part of the manufacturer. It's one thing if you're just making a cheap range toy and happen to build a bad trigger through poor design, but they made the trigger that bad on purpose. They claim it's a "safety feature". The only practical reason a derringer exists is for self defense. If you build a self defense firearm and explicitly put a trigger on it that may not function you're a fucking crook. While Bersa did model their Thunder line after the PP, the Thunders are quite a bit beefier than Walthers. The difference is much more noticeable when you handle them side by side (which I have). Still, if you can't get a PP the Bersa is a fine runner up. It has the same fixed barrel design of the PP so it's inherently more accurate than other similarly sized pistols.
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Post by Horsie on May 3, 2016 16:11:52 GMT
Yeah, the only hits I got when I searched turned up custom shops mostly.
I think I'd go with a bras rod or something like that myself, rather than a torch. I try so hard not to look like I'm trying to be "tactical" that I won't hang a torch off my pistol even if it doesn't work.
Our laws call for 4-1/4" minimum, because anything less than that can be hidden in a pocket, similar to my full-size M1911, or my Taurus M66 with 6" barrel...
Why would they do that? They already have a cross-bolt safety on it.
That suits me just fine, I'm not usually a big fan of small pistols, so while I like the look of the Walther PP given the choice I would take a bulkier pistol with similar lines. The only problem I have with the Bersa sold here is that I think the front sight has to be removed to strip the pistol, since it's located at the end of the barrel rather than on the slide.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 3, 2016 18:47:55 GMT
A better idea than a brass rod might be a stack of brass washers held together with a long bolt and wing nut. That way you can adjust the weight without having to cut a new rod. Everyone knows it's impossible to stick a 5 inch barrel in your belt and cover it with a long shirt. It's also single action. It's a California gun company and all the companies in that state have odd ideas about what makes a safe gun. They tend to be so safe they're dangerous. Looks like you screw off the end of the barrel and take off the sight.
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Post by Horsie on May 3, 2016 20:20:24 GMT
Maybe, I'll have to look into it. Honestly, I'm a stickler for things looking nice; I can accept a weapon that's got a lot of wear, worn bluing, dents in the stock, but I don't like when things look like they're cobbled together. I've got some weights for a scale laying around somewhere, so if I can find them I might jerry rig some of those to the pistol to figure out what my ideal weight would be, and then take material off of a brass rod until I have that weight.
Yeah, I wore a leather jacket today that has pockets big enough to hide a large automatic pistol. I don't understand this idea that a smaller pistol should be banned for being "more easily concealed", but I suppose I should be thankful that we're allowed to have pistols here at all.
Right, California is fucked.
Yeah. I don't imagine it would be a huge problem, the sight is almost certainly keyed so it goes right back to the exact same spot every time. I don't like the idea of a sight that has to be removed when you strip the pistol, but that's a small price to pay when it's still the closest I can get to a Walther PP here, and that added length to the sight radius is nice too.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 3, 2016 22:16:20 GMT
I always hate that we get forced into this kind of thinking. You have this giant, all powerful government looming over us and telling us what we are and are not entitled to and we're supposed to be thankful for what we can have. I get pissed off that I have to jump through hoops and wade through red tape to get permission from my government to carry a gun on my person or in my car. I have to fill out paperwork, get a cavity search, and have my entire history scrutinized from the day I was born if I want to purchase a silencer. Even after that the government will dictate how and who can use that device. It's not even a weapon, it's just a cheap tube that attaches to the barrel. Something I could mock up in an afternoon out of shit I find in the kitchen if I felt like it.
But, hey... be thankful for what we're allowed. The guv'ment is just looking out for our best interest.
I think I'm slowly becoming an anarchist.
Anyway... I'm seriously considering buying one of these next time I happen across one.
The AR-7 (invented by the same guy who made the AR-15) is such a unique firearm and can be had for a modest sum (under 300 bucks) that it probably belongs in my collection. It's an odd offering from a company that historically makes lever actions. The design was passed from several companies before falling into their hands, with previous models being somewhat unreliable. Henry put a great deal of work into it to make it what it is today. Something I applaud since it's more of a side offering than their bread and butter. They reconfigured the stock to have an additional magazine slot and make enough room so the receiver would fit with a mag installed. The original design could only hold one mag in the stock, now it can hold three. They also slightly improved the magazine capacity from 7 rounds to 8. It's also on par with other semi auto .22 rifles in terms of reliability. It's incredibly light at just over 3 pounds. I have pistols that weigh more.
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Post by Horsie on May 3, 2016 22:40:07 GMT
We can't carry firearms here, hell, I'd get in shit if I carried a knife for self-defence (I think officers are required to confiscate your knife you say it's for defence), and God forbid we use silencers. The ironic thing about silencers is that in places like England, where you need to jump through hoops like you wouldn't believe to get a shotgun, and you basically need an act of God to get a rifle, shooters and hunters especially are encouraged to used silencers to reduce noise pollution and hearing damage.
My buddy used to have an AR-7, he kept it in the back of his car. It was a pretty slick little rifle, if I wanted something for backpacking I'd probably go with that, or maybe a Chiappa Double Badger (I'd be trading compactness for an extra barrel chambered for .410).
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 3, 2016 23:09:19 GMT
The crazy thing is, cost aside, it's as difficult in the US to get a silencer as it is to get a machine gun. They're both considered class 3 weapons. How insane is that?
What I don't like about the Chiappa Double Badger and Little Badger designs is they fold into an awkwardly compact package. It's kinda compact, but sorta not. I'd like to see something similar that folded in a way that the barrel folded into or right alongside of the stock. Maybe if they folded upward instead of down and against the trigger guard.
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Post by Horsie on May 3, 2016 23:44:20 GMT
I can understand silencers being listed as weapons, I'm sure it'd hurt like a bastard if you threw it at someone's head. Of course that means that baseballs should be classified as weapons too.
I guess you could treat it like a takedown gun, remove the screw that forms the pivot and pack the rifle as two separate parts. Again, that means it's not as handy as the AR-7, nor can it be deployed as fast, but you've still got an extra barrel in .410.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 3, 2016 23:50:08 GMT
What they should do is make a single barrel that shoots both .410 and .45LC. Won't be as cheap to shoot as a .22lr, but it could be more versatile.
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Post by Horsie on May 4, 2016 0:33:18 GMT
You've got pocket pistols and even a fuck-off big revolver that are made to use both cartridges, I'm surprised they haven't marketed a rifle like that yet.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 4, 2016 3:41:00 GMT
The reason you have the .45/.410 pistols and revolvers is in the US a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches is a class 3 weapon. These pistols get away with it because they have a rifled barrel and they're classified as a .45LC that just so happens to also shoot .410s. Since there's no need to use that workaround in long guns nobody bothers.
On a survival gun related note: I got creative and designed a semi automatic .22 rifle that not only folds into a compact unit that can be deployed simply by swinging the barrel in place, but also has a 100 round magazine. There's also an internal compartment with enough space to either house a second 100 round magazine, survival gear, or flotation in case you happen to drop it into the water.
It can also be reconfigured for left or right handed shooters. Not that I give a shit about lefties.
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Post by Horsie on May 4, 2016 4:16:17 GMT
It would make sense in a survival rifle though. I wonder if there would be issues with using a .45LC in a break-action designed to use .410 as well? In a revolver the bullet would go into a forcing cone after it jumps the gap, would there be problems if the weapon simply had a very long chamber to accept .410? Would the lack of a forcing cone be problematic for using .410 in the weapon, of would it have to be designed with a forcing cone, similar to a shotgun?
Speaking of semi-autos, what do you think of the Browning SA-22? They're pricey as fuck, but they seem kind of interesting, they're all takedown guns, they have a loading port in the buttstock, and they're bottom ejecting.
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Post by wordweaver3 on May 4, 2016 5:23:08 GMT
I think if you aren't using over pressured rounds you can shoot a .45LC in a .410 shotgun. Don't quote me on that and I'm sure it's not recommended. The bullet would tumble like mad though. The biggest problem with shooting a .410 in a rifled barrel is the shot gets scattered in a doughnut shape. It's not a big deal for point blank engagements like the Judge or Governor revolvers are intended for, but in a survival situation where you might need it to shoot game at a distance it's a problem. Certain single shot .45/.410 barrels have choke tubes on them that offset the rifling so shot will disperse evenly. Those seem to work fairly well and there's no real reason why you couldn't use those on a rifle. The long gap that a .45 would have to jump in the chamber would probably make it less accurate at range than a rifle that was strictly for .45LC, but if you kept it inside 50 yards or so that probably wouldn't be much of an issue. Still, it wouldn't gain you much over a smoothbore .410 using rifled slugs. SA-22s are very pricey. I've seen them go for over 1.5k, usually with some gold inlay or something. I've handled a few but never shot one. I seem to remember someone I know has one, but I can't recall who. I'm pretty sure they can be configured to shoot .22 short as well as lr, which is a neat feature you don't get with a lot of semi autos. I think Norinco makes a knock-off that would be tough to find in the US but you probably could get, though I doubt that one works with shorts. Another break down option is the Winchester 1906. It's not semi auto, but it's still pretty neat. Plus they're usually way cheaper than the Browning. These used to be at carnival shooting galleries all the time.
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