New P-64 from Wideners

[Wizard6oBaghdad06]

ALCON: In case anyone is on the fence, thinking about buying another (or first) P-64: I ordered a P-64 from Wideners on 12/4 and received it 12/8. That was very fast for Wideners. Cost was about $250.00 with 2 magazines, a cleaning rod and shipping by 2-day UPS air. No holster in this batch. What I received was of 1969 manufacture with a ROUND HAMMER. More on that in a sec. It has some mild holster wear around the muzzle (the high spots, where you'dexpect it, and not excessive) and some scratches under the muzzle, between it and the trigger guard. I'd rate it VG-VG+ on finish. Interestingly, the DOUBLE action trigger pull on this ROUND hammer 1969 is noticeably lighter than on my 1976 TRIANGLE hammered P64. I like that a lot, and felt it was worth mentioning here. Conceivably, one could call Widener's and request a round hammered older model, if one is bothered by heavy DA trigger pull. The reason I like this 1969 round hammer is that I can fire it DA with EITHER hand, without my sight picture changing wildly. Don't let me mislead you, t is still a stiff pull, especially with the weak hand. But nowhere near some of the nightmare examples I've seen reported here (having to pull with 2 fingers, etc.). The pistol came covered in a generous amount of light oil. No cosmo anywhere, so it was easy to clean quickly and get to the range. One magazine was electropencilled to match the pistol, and dry. The other was a random serial and slathered in the same light oil. Other than wiping oil off one, they were both clean, their springs seemed strong, and they loaded and fed without any issues. I went to do a quick shoot for this review. Good excuse. I literally had only 15 minutes range time. But I managed to fire 24 rounds of mixed Brown Bear hardball, and Silver Bear hollow points. As should be expected (I think) with a P64, it handled both ammo types flawlessly. I could not get it to jam. Accuracy appeared to be very good (also expected). I'm extrapolating a little, as it was a biting cold and windy afternoon with very limited time. But my guess is that this Wideners 1969 round hammer will be on par with my very accurate 1976 triangle hammer model bought from J&G about 18 mos ago. The bore, by the way, was shiny and free of any major flaws. Admittedly, I haven't inspected it minutely. But it looks very good at first glance and first firing. The only issues I've detected are: 1) Noticeably sharper RECOIL than my 1976. I think the 1969's recoil spring may be more worn. THAT I will replace with a heavier Wolff spring. 2) The SA trigger pull was LIGHT. I would NOT replace the hammer spring, etc, or do anything that'd lighten it further. There was the normal take up on the trigger, but after that, it was straight to POW! I like it, it's good where it is, right out of the box. But any lighter might become a safety issue IMHO. Speaking of the safety, it was easier to toggle than my 1976's. But still a bit stiff. I would NOT carry it with the safety on, personally. 3) This 1969 round hammer showed more use, internally. Duh. But it bears mention. Some like a pristine model, some, like me, might appreciate the broken in 1969 with its lighter DA. I will carry this one, so I'm pleased with that trade off. SO, at long-winded last, I'd tentatively conclude that Wideners may have a good batch of shooters currently. I'm not shilling for Wideners here. But, with P64 prices up sharply, and a limited availability (I see them only at Classic, with whom I've never dealt, and W's currently) I know that I would appreciate a detailed report before purchasing. So, hopefully this will help somebody get into these amazing little pistols. I'll try to post a couple pics in the appropriate place. Thanks for reading! I wish all a happy and safe holiday. With properly UNloaded P64s as gifts perhaps?!!