Opinions on Polish Radom P-64

[pilpens]

I am thinking of getting a polish P-64 (9x18 Makarov) to replace my Sig p225 for everyday CCW.
I have heard heavy DA pull and fierce recoil. Accurate for size, reliable.

How heavy is the stock DA pull (lbs)?
How bad is the recoil (compared to taurus fp-9 or other small 9mm)?

For those who have made the spring changes: How was the DA after the mainspring change and how was the recoil after the recoil spring change?

thanks

 

[Doyle]

The stock DA pull is ungodly. However, it only takes a couple of minutes to fix that with a replacement spring. My first P-64 did great with the 18lb main spring. My second one, however, required going down to the 16lb spring to get the right feel. After replacement, it is nice and smooth. The extra power recoil spring didn't give me any noticable difference in felt recoil. But then again, I never shoot more than a couple of magazines at a time. I guess if you are shooting several boxes at one session you might notice a difference. I think the biggest advantage the extra power recoil spring gives you is that it is less likely to hammer the slide against the slide stop.

That is my carry gun. It is a tad heavier than the same sized polymer or alloy guns but it isn't bad. My preferred method is pocket carry with a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster. However, that doesn't work on jeans or other pants with small,tight pockets.

 

[woad_yurt]

I had a P-64, did the spring swap deal, and still ended up selling it. It does kick a bit and it's a very sharp-edged gun and, thus, very unpleasant to shoot.

Have you thought about a Feg PA 63? It weighs the same as the P-64, holds one more round and doesn't slice up the knuckles. The Feg also benefits greatly from a recoil & hammer spring swap.

 

[torpeau]

Solid and reliable, but since it's small, there's not a lot to hold on to -- hence, it kicks. I rarely put more than 100 rounds thru it at a time.

I left the DA alone -- kind of like a safety, since I don't use the safety and don't plan to fire it DA.

 

[Phantom Captain]

I love my P-64 and carry it regularly. I'm finding it actually more comfortable to carry than my PPK/s. I'm not sure why or what it is but I do carry it better. I have a really nice 1967 in great condition. I'm really liking the 9x18mm Mak cartridge lately and my next purchase is going to be a CZ-82.

I don't find the recoil to be much more than the .380s in a small frame gun like the PPK/s. It's roughly equivalent in my opinion. Definitely not range guns though, 50 rounds at a time is certainly enough and you will feel it in the web of your hand. I don't have problems with mine hurting my knuckles or fingers either. The DA doesn't bother me either as I carry it safety off and rely on the DA for safety. I practice alot cocking both the PPK and the P-64 quickly on first shots and have gotten quite proficient at it. Up close you can always just pull hard as you shouldn't miss from 3 feet or less as I would envision using it from the DA.

Oh and they really are impressively accurate. At ten feet, two handed, I punch one big hole with it.

Here she is!

 

[Yamatr3]

I'll throw my 2cents in, I really like mine. As others have mentioned, very solid and reliable. I don't think the kick is that bad, but it is noticeable. I stuck a Hogue slip on on mine and it wasn't that bad. IMO, my Keltec PF-9 has much more kick.

 

[Ron Bernert]

I like mine, too! I did the uprated recoil spring, the lighter trigger spring and load it with hollow point Hornady bullets. Unbeatable for the price ($190.00).
It's the gun I take on the motorcycle and camping. I would suggest one!

 

[Samtu_Ray]

They have them now at AIM Surplus for $169.95

Was thinking of picking up another myself.

You'll *need* the spring kit!

 

[Uncle Buck]

This is what I keep in my bedroom. I am primarily a revolver guy and love my wheelies .

I do not really know why I keep this on in the bedroom, but I get it out every couple of weeks and fire a few magazines through it. It has a sharp recoil, is light weight and accurate enough for my use.

I love this little gun.

 

[Motownstan]

A no brainer for $169, a GREAT value. Mine is very accurate, Never had any hangups. Yeah, the DA takes a mighty pull, but once you're in SA mode

 

[dpetreikis]

I picked one up a couple of months ago from a recent gun show. $160 out the door, with two mags and a box of ammo. When I got home, I tried the DA trigger pull and thought, "what the??? this things BROKEN!" then I read up and found out that it's "normal" for that gun. I ordered the spring kit next day. Slipped a little rubber hand grip on it, swapped the springs and voila! Terrific little carry piece for less than $200. Accurate? Yep! Reliable? Yep! Recoil? Actually, i didnt' have a problem. It's now among my most carried guns and I'm seriously considering buying another. Great value!

 

[IdahoG36]

They are great guns for the money. As stated, the stock DA trigger pull is extremely bad. Other than that, I have no complaints.

 

[pilpens]

I have been reading more about the Radom P-64.
This was supposed to have been minor changes to the trigger mechanism introduced in 1972.
Does anyone know what the trigger mechanism changes were?
Should I be looking to get one that is dated later than 1972.

 

[Motownstan]

I have a '67 and it's a great gun. I think around '72 they changer the hammer shape, round vs. triangular. I like the round hammer on the older ones myself. You may like the triangular one for a better grip when cocking the hammer..

 

[raftman]

Had one in the past and carried it. Like some of the others here, left the super-heavy trigger as it was to act as a sort of safety. Got the replacement recoil spring, but it didn't seem to make too much difference and made the slide not work as smoothly as the stock spring so I switched it back.

IMO, in terms of being a functional weapon it's every bit as good as the PPK (an in some respects a bit better), for a fraction of the price. With a mag that holds only 6 rounds, however, it's not for those to whom ammo capacity matters.

 

[shinerjohn]

pilpens, I have a couple of P-64s: a 1972 with rounded hammer and a 1976 with the triangular hammer. I put Wolff springs on both. I carry '72 regularly. The '76 is in the safe. I fired both of them before I swapped springs, and changing the springs made a lot of difference for me. Both of my P-64s are amazingly accurate. There is a dedicated site for these little jewels:
http://www.p64resource.com/
You will find lots of useful information there. I highly recommend the P-64.

 

[pilpens]

I got my P64 and shot it last weekend.
the stock DA trigger was very very heavy.
Knowing that I will replace the mainspring, I cut a few coils from the original to lighten the DA pull.

1 handed off hand two shots (at normal speed with first DA, then SA) stayed in a 15"x15" square (approx 12 shots). SA is light and seems almost too light after a heavy DA pull. Two handed off hand slow SA was about 6" (6 shots).
No mulfunctions. Trigger finger and web of hand was hurting after 18 rounds but not too bad. In a emergency, I doubt that I would notice the pain nor the heavy DA.
Happy with the purchase so far. I have ordered a mainspring pack and recoil spring. Have not decided if I would get wood grips or buy a rubber slip on.
I guess that by the time I am done, I will have approx $290 into it.
Just for reference, with the cut coil spring, DA is still heavier than a stock HK USP DA pull.
Thanks.

 

[Olympus]

I own one and I use it as a ccw. I rave about this little gun. Obviously, the major drawback is the stiff DA trigger pull and also the recoil. I swapped out the trigger spring for a much lighter one and swapped the recoil spring out for a much stiffer one. After the trigger spring replacement, the DA is still pretty stuff, but much better than stock. Where you really see the different is in SA. It's got a sweet pull on it now. Most people that conceal the P-64 use the stiff DA pull to their advantage by carrying their gun with a round chambered and the safety off. The stiff DA pull serves as it's own kind of safety for that first shot. If you learn the limitations of the gun, you'll learn to adapt to it. Because the backstrap is so narrow and since the gun is a blowback design, it can give your hand a beating. It's not a gun that I want to take the range and shoot 200 rounds through. 100 rounds at a time is plenty for me. And like someone else said, this thing is freakishly accurate, especially considering how small it is.


The reason I bought the gun was because it was cheap and I could carry it and not worry about hurting it. After buying it, I've found that it's extremely rugged and durable. It has been flawless in functioning. It's a very nice size for concealing and gives you a little more "omph" than a .380. I am REALLY pleased with mine.

 

[REGGIE]

I realize that this is an old thread, but...I just received my P64 and had to share.
As stated above, the DA pull is very heavy. Not a real issue with me.
The grip is a little small, with some sharp edges. I put some bicycle inner tube over it and it really helped.
Shot two targets yesterday and I'm very pleased with the accuracy. One target is slow fire, one mag. Other is rapid fire, two mags. Both fired at 7 yards.
Flawless functioning also.
Sights are hard to see, but I'll color the front to fix that.
This will be one of my favorite CCW pistols.

 

[qdmcgraw]

Suggestion for smoothing the P-64's D/A pull

Having owned several P-64's, and wanting a much smoother D/A pull, I have discovered that without changing any springs, a really smooth and civilized D/A pull can be had by just judicious application of moly (disulfide) paste to the trigger/hammer/disconnector sear surfaces. On my P-64's this has made the D/A pull really smooth, and has eliminated the nasty hang-ups (and on one of my P-64's, what was almost a two-handed trigger pull). The only noticeable "step" in the D/A trigger pull is the point where the hammer is lifted away fron the slide at the "partial cock" position, but even that is smooth (with distinct feedback feel). This has worked on both pre and post "72 P-64's.