P-64 First time out

[Byrd]

This gun is evil! I got the "worn" one from AIM, last week, cleaned, lubed, and ordered ammo from Classic Arms & springs from Wolff. I took it to the range today, and discovered why it needs new springs, the double action first shot is a good 3 inches away from the rest of the group, but the rest plopped into a good 2 inches at 10 yards.

So why is it evil? It bites! I have the triangle hammer and it chewed a good chunk out of the web of my hand, and it spits brass a good 15 feet over my right shoulder!

So out of 50 rounds, it functioned 100%, it is accurate, and easy to conceal. Oh, did I say it kicks? More than my monolith Witness .45? I did quit shooting the P-64 and switched to the Witness to give my hand a break...

So, a new recoil spring (stronger) should solve the orbiting brass issue, the 18Lb hammer spring will solve the strong double action issue, and a file to break the sharp edge of the hammer will solve the hammer bite problem.

All that being said, I like this pistol. It functions 100%, and is accurate & easy to carry. Today was a getting aquainted session with it, like a first date if you will. I think there will be many more!

[Hinermad]

Glad you like it! I agree it's got quite a bark, but I never had a problem with slide or hammer bite. It -does- like to rock back and punch the top of my hand with the top of the back strap though, but that's a bruise rather than a bite. I'm tempted to try to find a beavertail grip.

Dave

[juniustaylor]

Last I knew, Marschal grips was working on a beaver tail grip mod... not sure how it turned out other than the beaver tail part broke on a couple sets and sent splinters and fragments into the users' hands. Don't know if the problem got rectified.

Byrd, you may look into getting a rounded trigger. If you're not partial to the triangle trigger and don't mind modifying it, you can do that. This is a post about it:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4094

Springs may not be a bad idea if you are certain you want to put new ones in. You can always undo it.

[Byrd]

Good idea! On the pic you posted comparing the round hammer & the triangular hammer (the one with the red & blue lines) I think that if I convert my triangular hammer to the round style that will solve the hammer bite problem. When my springs get here, I will have to take it apart to install the hammer spring, so that will be the ideal time to modify the hammer.

As to the springs, I think a heavier recoil spring will serve two purposes. The brass will not be launched into the next county, and it will decrease the slide from battering the frame during recoil. I have a CZ52 that was a brass launcher as well, and a heavier recoil spring solved that problem.

Anyone have a heavier Wolff recoil spring they want to part with?

[The Only Sarge]

Springs are cheap......

[Hinermad]

Last I knew, Marschal grips was working on a beaver tail grip mod... not sure how it turned out other than the beaver tail part broke on a couple sets and sent splinters and fragments into the users' hands. Don't know if the problem got rectified.

Yeah, I had my doubts about using wood in that application. If they could work in a steel insert to take the force on the end of the tail and then just use the wood to cover it, that might hold up.

If that's not practical, something with some give like hard rubber or nylon would probably work better. (Although nylon is slippery, even with checkering.)

Dave

[juniustaylor]

Byrd, you can easily convert a triangle hammer to a round one. I had done it, but then ended up turning my "round" hammer into the bobbed one. It doesn't take a whole lot of time, think I was using a Dremel with a cutoff blade to do most all of it. I had even put in some serrations for my thumb to grab it a bit better.

As for the grips, it would take some experimenting to find something that would solve the problem. However, everything has its limitations and I think folks will have to accept the limitations of the grips on these pistols. If the hammer bites, then the hammer could be changed out with a round one or modded to be round or bobbed. If the slide gets you, then shooting gloves would have to suffice. I know that folks who carry the pistol won't be wearing gloves, but if you had to use the pistol, a bit of slide bite will be a moot point when you just saved your tail. And who knows, you may not even have to pop a shot, just the presence of the gun in your hand would deter the "thug".

Oh well, just rambling on at this point.

[Byrd]

All I will do is round the hammer, it's not like I will be running hundreds of rounds thru this pistol. If I use it for an inexpensive carry gun, it will get shot on a regular basis, but 50-100 rounds a month will not give me cause for concern! I don't think a grip mod would be my cup of tea, I don't think it is that big of an issue. Actually it is more me than the gun because I shoot with a high grip. My 1911's that I have shot thousands of rounds through have the front strap modified for a high hold, and the beavertail prevents hammer bite. The issue is more my muscle memory than the weapon itself!