New to me: Kareen MkII

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  • erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    So, being the Jew with a gun, I decided it would be appropriate if I actually had a Jew gun. Hence, my acquisition of a Kareen MkII today, picture attached. Bought it from SOG for a bit under three hundred bucks. Transfer was through Engage.

    While I couldn't quite make my camera take a picture of it, the bottom of the barrel does have the Star of David on it, as is common with Kareens. Nice little easter egg!

    Obviously, I haven't had time to shoot it yet... but function so far seems OK - fed and extracted the snap caps I gave it just fine. I've heard horror stories about BHPs having strong slide springs, but this one didn't seem any worse than my TT-33 (which, incidentally, taught me how to disassemble the BHP, too).

    The trigger is not too bad, but it has a surprising amount of take-up, which I am told is linked to the magazine disconnect safety. The actual trigger pull is a touch gritty, but not too heavy. Probably could use a decent trigger job and the removal of the magazine disconnect.

    The sights are OK, but look weirdly rusted in the places where you'd expect the high contrast white dots to be. I wonder if they were originally night sights and someone removed the tritium vials for import? They appear to use dovetails, so replacement sights shouldn't be too hard to put in. (Mepros seems appropriate!)

    The finish is... uneven. It seems like the bluing is basically gone from the slide, but the satin nickel is only suffering from some light pitting and grease stains. I don't think I can justify redoing the nickel, but I'm considering putting some Cerakote black on the slide... I think it would restore the original two-tone look of the pistol. The slide release has to go, too - it's probably in the worst shape of any component on the gun when it comes to pitting. I'd definitely appreciate some ideas in this area, if anyone has them.
     

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    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    Cool gun. I think restoring it to it's original condition would be kosher.
     
    Oct 27, 2008
    8,444
    Dundalk, Hon!
    Looks like you've got yourself a good one. As with all Israeli weapons, it's no-nonsense and built to last. According to this article it's built stronger than the original Hi-Power, and J. M. Browning didn't design wussy guns. :thumbsup:

    Kareen Mk II
     

    browning guy

    SCRUFFY NERF HERDER
    Dec 10, 2009
    8,525
    Essex
    I have a friend who has a kareen and had " never again" in hebrew engraved on the slide they are great guns.
     

    c33m0n3y

    Active Member
    Mar 14, 2010
    622
    Howard County
    Erwos,
    I picked one up from SOG as well a few months back. Great, solid gun. I ended up replacing the hammer and slide springs, as the springs it came with (especially the slide) were quite fatigued.

    The hammer spring replacement is quite an adventure!
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    So, finally got a chance to take it out to the range last night. Impressions:
    1. Definitely needs the springs replaced. I appreciated how the slide wasn't super difficult to rack, but I had one shot out of about 70 that didn't quite make it back to battery. Otherwise very reliable.
    2. Ate HydraShoks just fine. (Not a given on BHPs!)
    3. The sights were a bit off, and it was shooting slightly to the left even at very close range - my wife had the same issue.
    4. The trigger was heavier than I would have preferred. Par for course for an unmodified BHP, though.
    5. Wife found the grip to be more comfortable than the Sig 226 with SCT grips. Not a shock, given how much slimmer it is.

    I was given wifely approval to send it out for some work, so it'll be going out to Don at Action Works whenever a slot opens, probably next year...
     

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