Page 1 of 4

Punishing recoil?

Posted: November 30th, 2006, 1:57 am
by setzer77
I'm new to this forum, and this may seem a stupid question, but just how bad is the recoil on this little pistol? I've been thinking of picking one up, as from my readings, for the price, they can't be beat. There is a trigger fix, which I intend to use, and I'm going to put in a heavier recoil spring as per the fix on the main page, but just how bad is it? Many people say a great number of pistols have bad recoil, such as the Kel Tec P-3At, but I rather found it enjoyable to shoot, and rather amusing for the fact that the pistol seemed, if nothing else, to vibrate when fired. Is the recoil on this pistol so bad that one simply cannot enjoy its use at the range, does it jump a lot? Does it just hurt the hand? I'm curious as to why so many people love theirs, but others seem to think that it's just an unmanagable excuse for a pistol I should think that if it comes down to brass tacks, and one's life is on the line, a sore hand is an extrememly small price to pay. My only concern is fast recovery for follow up shots. Please let me know all you fine folks do in regards to this pistol, and if possible, compare it to other small, compact guns (.38 spec, kel tec .380, sub compact 1911 .45 types, etc.). I must confess that I'm very interested in this pistol, but some seem to have a great contempt for certain features of said automatic.

Punishing recoil?

Posted: November 30th, 2006, 6:37 am
by normsutton
setzer77

WELCOME

I don't think the recoil is that bad but ever one is different. YOU need to fire one and make your own decision .

NORM

Punishing recoil?

Posted: November 30th, 2006, 9:57 am
by rburt
I didn't find the recoil that bad. However, I did change the grips to a flat pair of Z-grips. You just have to hold it firmly, like any semi-auto. My grip also positions the third and fourth fingers under the magazine protrusion.

Punishing recoil?

Posted: November 30th, 2006, 10:39 am
by beasleydano
setzer77

Welcome to the forum! I second comments by NORMSUTTON. Go ahead and pick up while they are still plentiful in unissued condition!

Punishing recoil?

Posted: November 30th, 2006, 1:17 pm
by amd6547
I find it humorous that some complain about the P64's recoil. Try shooting a 357 snub with full bore loads, or a TC Contender in 44mag with the original thin barrel and saw-grip. After either of those, the P64 feels like a 22!
The only time the P64 has bothered me is after a long range session, I feel pain in my pinky from the extension on the magazine.
I doubt you would even be aware of it in a self defence situation.

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 1st, 2006, 1:26 am
by czakpacker
I finally fired my P-64 today a month after purchasing it. I, too, have read about the hard recoil of the "P" and was a bit concerned when I stepped up to the firing line. You see, I own several Makarovs and have enjoyed shooting them so I had an idea of what a 9x18 recoil felt.

Anticipating a vicious recoil, I fired the first shot and....IT HURT!!! Second shot....OUCH!!! So, I started to experiment with different holds and by the fifth mag it did NOT hurt anymore.

In my hand, the "P" does not fit as well as the Makarov so I had to find the correct hold in anticipation of the "dreaded" recoil. At first I thought more of having my palm on the right side of the grip was ideal but it was not. In this position, the recoil was a too painful for the base of my thumb. After turning my hand to the left a bit so the recoil hit more of the fleshy part of the web of my hand, closer to the base of my index finger, the recoil became tolerable and shooting the pistol became more enjoyable.

The P-64 is very very accurate! I'd planned on using my 64 as my CCW even before I shot it, but with some trepidation. Now that I've shot it, I'm quite confident that it'll do just fine. I only wish it had one or two more rounds in the mag for more firepower. Maybe, the longer grip would have lessened the recoil, too, but that's neither here nor there. I just carry an extra mag.

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 1st, 2006, 7:29 pm
by setzer77
Sounds like you're saying that if the pistol is gripped properly (i.e. lined up with the wrist and forearm) that the recoil is not painful. This is good news to me. All that's left to do is arrange my budget, and see if I can give myself an early x-mas present, or if I have to wait 2 weeks (still slightly early lol). That being said, I'm an instant gratification kind of guy. Thanks for the info. If you have any other advice/comments for a P-64 noob, go ahead, I'm all ears (or rather, eyes).

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 2nd, 2006, 12:27 am
by bobe
Some people may disagree with what I did, but it worked for me, I took the extention off of two of my mags. It is simple to do. Just look on the inside of the mag. fkoor plate and you will see two rivets. Grind them off and the extention will just pop off. I find that it improves my grip on the pistol. My little finger just curls under the grip. I really enjoy shooting with no discomfort. Sorry if I hyjacked the thread!!
BOBE

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 2nd, 2006, 4:26 pm
by saands
I love these little pistols, but I find that if I am shooting warm to hot loads, my hand gets tired of the punishment after 50 rounds or so. I'd LOVE to see some grips molded out of polyurethane or some other elastomer capable of absorbing some of the shock, but the molds are quite complex and I don't think that these will come to fruition any time soon.

I have also looked into what it would take to get a recoil buffer into this design, and there is just PRESCIOUSLY little space to add components!

My hope now, is to find a better recoil spring solution as I have found that it is the impact of the slide with the frame that really causes the bulk of the discomfort. I have contacted a spring manufacturer and it looks like they will custom wind springs for a pretty reasonable price if the quantity gets up into the hundreds. I'll post more info as I get it.

Saands

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 2nd, 2006, 5:52 pm
by b52stan
Saands, on another thread there are reports that Wolff is finally more serious about a P-64 recoil spring. Possiblly in a month or two. Won't be holding my breath, but it's encouraging after all this time.

Stan

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 2nd, 2006, 7:57 pm
by setzer77
Saands, how did that recoil spring fix work that you listed on the main site? Using the 25# P7 spring. Did it reduce felt recoil, or just reduce the mag falling out?

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 3rd, 2006, 5:29 pm
by setzer77
Oh, maybe another stupid question......where do you all get these "zee grips", I've searched and come up with little. Are they still made, or was this a short run done by a board member?

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 3rd, 2006, 5:41 pm
by normsutton
setzer77

GO TO BUY & SELL ON THIS FORUM

http://p64.proboards67.com/index.cgi?bo ... 1158053972

NORM
SORRY ABOUT THE CAP'S

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 3rd, 2006, 11:02 pm
by setzer77
since every other topic on this forum eventually gets off topic, I thought I'd ask: how's silver bear ammo, it's relatively cheap, but is it laquer nasty like wolf?

Punishing recoil?

Posted: December 4th, 2006, 12:03 am
by nbender
No.