The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

I added a P83 to my two P64's. Great piece, glad I was finally able to make it up to JG and pick one up. Kind of has that Mauser HSC look and feel to it, noticeably heavier than the P64's and just a bit larger.

Photo of my two P64's and my P83

My P-83 finally came as well. It was nicer than I thought. It has a very nice feel to it. I put it in an old Makarov holster to feel how it carries. One doesn't even know it is there. It is quite light and should be a joy to carry. It will probably be a few days before it can be range tested. At any rate, I have joined the club. Is there any possibility of getting a Wanad manual on the website?

I posted this question elsewhere just a while ago...Can either of you speak to the build quality? I have read elsewhere that it is stamped/welded. Implicit in what I read was the P83 was an improvement over the P64 but of lesser quality. Thoughts? I am interested in the P83, but net yet sure I have a good feel for it.

Also, how much larger than the P64? Looks like PA63 or Mak in size?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I got my P83 today from J&G sales. I was VERY pleased with the condition of the pistol. It had been fired and was very dirty, but the physical condition of the P83 was excellent. It is slightly larger and heavier than a P64. It appears to have some stamped/welded sub assemblies, but it should not affect shooting. I plan on a range day this weekend.

I field tested my P-83 today. It feeds ball ammo well. I tested S&B. It doesn't like hollow points. I tested Silver Bear HP. There were many FTF's with the Russian ammo. Otherwise, it does have potential. To answer Oppy's questions, it is an improved Makarov. The stamps and welds are well done. It does not look cheap at all. Of course, you can tell that it is not milled, but it is no plastic gun either. The Polish have improved the magazine by allowing the sharp edge to hide under a bump. That way, it does not cut everything up when you carry it. The mag is the same size as the Mak, but, it seems, was made non-interchangeable in a very deliberate way. The P-83 is a very nice carry weight. My guess is that the Polish troops believe that the P-83 is a better pistol than the P-64. The P-64 looks nicer and is a better concealed carry piece, but the higher capacity of the P-83 probably make it a better police and military weapon. It works reliably with ball ammo, and that is what they use. I guess I need to polish the feed ramp and see if I can get it to feed hollow points. If so, it makes a good carry piece.

Mirother, you may need to polish your feed ramp. I only have Silver Bear HP ammo and mine never misfired or failed to feed.

Here's a photo of the Makarov mag and P83 mag. The circled pin I believe can be filed down to use in a P83.

Martilyo
Thanks for your input on polishing the feed ramp. That is on my to do list. Have you actually made a P83 mag from a Makarov mag? If so, do they still work in the Mak? If not, has anyone in this group actually done it? In theory, it should work. The mak mag is a bit smaller. I don't believe the P83 mag could be modified to work in the Mak. At this point, of course, there is no reason to even try that conversion.

If the tab is removed on a makarov magazine the slide will no longer lock back after the last round is fired. Other than that it would not impact anything.

Stover
That is good to know.

BTW: I have no idea if that will make them work in a P-83, I only know what the tab does on a Mak. It operates the slide stop on the last round and cuts fingers when loading magazines.

stover wrote:BTW: I have no idea if that will make them work in a P-83, I only know what the tab does on a Mak. It operates the slide stop on the last round and cuts fingers when loading magazines.

-which would stand to bet that the tab on the P83 is for the same function.

Tabless Mak magazine in P83 = no slide stop on last round? Provided that it fit and fed rounds elsewise.

EDIT: Of course, if it -does- work, even without the slide stop on empty, it might be a stand by solution before me regularly get real P83 mags on the market.

I've had my P-83 now for a week and it was the dirtiest pistol I ever have gotten from a dealer (JGSales). It had more burned powder caked than I ever seen. Don't they clean guns in Poland. I was missing the loaded bullet pin and spring so JGSales are sending me one. I paid an extra $10 for them to pick out a good one for me. Thats a bunch of baloney if it was hand picked how was it missing the loaded bullet pin. Well after about four times I now have it cleaned. It fired pretty well at 15yds but I am going to have to paint the front sight with florsecent paint so I can see the front sight. I was shooting into a black circle a 15yds and never could make out the front sight. If my loaded bullet pin comes in tomorrow I will put in my pickup for carry gun. By the way I shot 25 Hornady 9mm Mak JHP thru it without a hitch. I have my carry round now.


fknipfer1