P64 thoughts?

lazarus · Mar 15, 2018

My C&R FFL will hopefully be to me in just another couple of weeks. I am planning to get an m57 for sure, but I am also kind of thinking of picking up a Polish Radom P64. I’ve read up a lot on them, but looking for advice/suggestions.

Yes buy one? If so, swap springs? The advice I see seemsto he swap in a Wolff 20 or 22# recoil spring and a 17 or 18# trigger/hammer spring.

Anyone done that and results? I am looking for a small pocket pistol, not that I can carry it in Maryland, but some day I might be in a free state and I feel like it could also be fun at the range a couple of times a year. Also dat price.

cantstop · Mar 15, 2018

It's a good gun. The spring kit is helpful for managing recoil and lightening the double action trigger. Single action trigger on a stock P64 is about 5-6 lbs. Add the spring kit and SA drops to 2-3 lbs. The P-64 has no firing pin interlock, so it can fire if dropped with a round in the chamber. It was the standard firearm of the Polish Police for quite a few years.

I find it to be a fairly easy and accurate shooter. My friends with large hands did not like shooting it. Even with the spring kit it is a bit snappy, but not as bad as a Ruger LCP.

The 9x18 mak caliber is comparable to a .380 ACP. The .380 has more ammo choices whereas the stock fmj 9x18 mak has few more ft-lbs. I've heard some folks CCW with the P64.

Hope that helps

Jim12 · Mar 15, 2018

There's a wealth of info here: http://www.p64resource.com/index.php

chooks9 · Mar 15, 2018

It's a very good gun for the money. If they made them commercially today, I would expect they would be at least $600. All machined steel (machined quite nicely, I may add). It also has a chromed bore, which I found interesting.

The DA trigger pull is terrible. Like 25 lbs terrible. The SA trigger pull is very nice by comparison, maybe 5-6 lbs like stated previously. The sights are relatively small but they catch my eyes fairly well for being on a small gun. I have larger/longer hands and I think it's reasonably comfortable for a small gun, but I do wish it was a bit larger (not much larger, though).

It's pretty accurate in my hands and the ammo is slightly more powerful than a .380. Hornady makes JHP ammo and a few makers do up FMJ loads. It's fairly snappy to shoot, but it's not terrible. I will say that my Ruger Blackhawk in .357 Magnum is a more comfortable range day gun, especially if you are shooting more than one box of ammo.

I would buy now rather than wait until the supply dries up.

cantstop · Mar 15, 2018

chooks9 said:
...
I would buy now rather than wait until the supply dries up.

SOG has excellent in stock for $219
http://www.southernohiogun.com/p64-compact-police-pistol-9x18-cal.html

Wolff springs will give a 30%? discount if you send them your C&R.
https://www.gunsprings.com/
https://www.gunsprings.com/POLISH /P64 /cID1/mID49/dID196

JTH20 · Mar 15, 2018

Beats the hell out of my hand and will bite if you don't hold it right, but also accurate and well made.

I think they're a steal at their current prices.

Melnic · Mar 15, 2018

I have one. I don't shoot very often as I have other C&R I like better. I think I got the wolf spring kit but would not have done that again due to the lack of shooting it.
I try to take just about every pistol out once a year. This is one of those that only goes out once a year.

For Available C&R surplus pistols below $250 we are basically down to this or a tokarev. Not sure if Tokarevs are still readily available or not.

knastera · Mar 15, 2018

For ammo, go to grafs.com. They carry several types and have flat rate shipping. Last time I checked, they had Hornady Critical Defense in 9x18. If I was carrying a Makarov, that would be my round.

GuitarmanNick · Mar 15, 2018

I like the size and power of my P-64. I would suggest a set of PolishIron grips along with the Wolff spring kit. It is still going to be snappy but will be easier on the webbing of your shooting hand.

From what I can see the hammer cannot hit the firing pin while the safety is on. Generally the P-64 is safe to carry with the safety on although it may be possible to drop it and experience an AD if circumstances are just right. It would have to strike something extremely hard for the firing pin to overcome the spring tension and have enough power to detonate a primer.

I would put the chances of an AD up there with getting struck by lightning and divided by 10.

If you are carrying with the chamber loaded and the safety on, it is very easy to click the safety off and pull the hammer back to make the first shot single action, too. Even with a spring kit the double action pull is terrible and may make the first shot hard to put on target. Single action pull is quite light with the Wolff springs. Mine is 2.5 lbs., almost no creep and very smooth.

After putting 100 rounds downrange with it, I am ready to put it away when using factory loads. I just finished some hand loads for it but I haven't had a chance to shoot them yet. I have several different charges to try in hopes of finding one that works well in the gun, is accurate enough for close range and allows me to shoot it longer.

The sights are very small and difficult to see in low light. In my experience, the gun feels good in my hand and points naturally. In an emergency, you won't be looking down the sights anyway! With this in mind, I do plan to paint my front sight with some fluorescent paint to help my old eyes find it. It can't hurt.

The P-64 is very nice for concealed carry. Nice power in a small package that is very reliable. Just don't throw it onto the pavement muzzle down with a round in the chamber and no worries!

Brychan · Mar 15, 2018

As long as the safety is on, it is safe. With one in pipe and the safety on, the firing pin is protected by a block. I have two and have left them stock. When I carry around the house I like that extra pull needed. If needed for protection, I don't think you would really notice the extra little effort.

Fox123 · Mar 15, 2018

These grips along with a spring kit, make a noticeable reduction in the hand pain when shooting. I found with it being such a thin profile the surface area/contact area being broadened takes out some of the sting. Think of a bed of nails vs a single nail.

https://www.polishirongrips.com

T48 · Mar 15, 2018

The poles make great guns and like Gremany they have a high skill level.

lawrencewendall · Mar 15, 2018

I have one and I swapped springs. I like it and it's accurate.

S&W19 · Mar 15, 2018

I have one and swapped out the springs too. I also installed the Polish Iron grips. They are much better than stock and they fill the hand a little more, which is good, because the Mak round in that little thing is snappy.
I like it a lot as it currently is set up.

2112rws · Mar 15, 2018

I sold mine. Got the spring kit and tried all three springs. When the double action felt right I was getting unintentional double taps because of the light single action. When the single action was, say, about like my East German Mac, the double action was way to heavy. Seems like a lot of folks like them so it might just be me?

Abulg1972 · Mar 15, 2018

I don’t own one. I’ve never shot one. This has always been in my category of “don’t buy one just because it’s C or R.” I just have other things on which I’d rather spend $250.

zoostation · Mar 15, 2018

Very well made. I have one and plan on never selling it. The one drawback is the trigger spring. It is quite heavy on DA. I don't know if it's an interwebz myth or not but supposedly the Poles wanted the gun to be able to bust submachine gun round primers if it had to. In any case, from my experience the trigger springs come in two strengths. Two strong and two weak.

I would suggest leaving the stock spring in and just living with the DA pull. Other than that, it's outstanding quality and accurate.

fidelity · Mar 16, 2018

I had one. As Zoo commented, it's a well made pistol that will last. I thought it was good looking too. I was on a 9x18 Mak kick at the time and also got a CZ-82 as well as a Bulgarian Makarov.

I ended up selling the P64 because I couldn't find a grip that worked for me that didn't result in an unpleasant, sharp recoil. I actually like shooting 357 Mag out of small revolvers, but the grip geometry must work better for me.

It's one of those pistols that I would suggest someone first try.

In contrast, I loved the Bulgarian Mak, also super accurate and slightly better round capacity. Liked it so much, I might have gotten more.

The CZ-82 was alright, but I eventually sold it. It carried as big as a Glock 19, and for me, didn't have the beauty of the Bulgarian Makarov, so it was eventually the victim of a periodic herd thinning.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

herkybird72 · Mar 16, 2018

I have one that I carry as my backup. Good quality gun for the price. I changed the springs out and personally have no issues with trigger pull. Snappy yes but I believe it will go bang when I need it.

StantonCree · Mar 16, 2018

I actually loved mine but it was worth more in cash than emotional attachment! Bought it from a great guy who used to frequent here!!

I’ll be an echo here but double action is like 25lb trigger pull single action you sneeze and boom lol. I give that little hunk of steel credit she was accurate and very well made. If it weren’t for the caliber these guns would easily be double their going rate.

P64 thoughts?

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