Quality of steel, etc, on Arcus 94

M

Mylhouse

New member
Greetings,

I will be purchasing an Arcus 94 (Bulgarian Hi-Power clone) to replace my beloved Browning Mark III that was stolen out of my truck. I paid $340 new in '90 for the Mark III, and I can't see myself buying an almost new one (I haven't seen any NIB) for $525 now. What I'm getting at is I'm not looking for the "save your pennies and get the original" advice, please.
I called six local gunsmiths (Phx area), asking about how much a trigger job would run me, and they all pretty much told me the gun was crap! A few said the gun's steel (esp. in the hammer and sear) were too soft for them do work with it and do a trigger job. One said he didn't think the gun would hold up to more than a couple thousand rounds because it was such a poorly made POS with poor metallurgy. Is this true? Anyone have any experience with this gun? What kind of performance can I expect from the Arcus compared to my long lost Mark III?
Thanks for any help/advice.

BTW-I already have an order for it from CDNN. Going through my dealer, it will cost me $280 out the door for the two-tone model with two 17 round South African mags and one 10 round mag. Should I ixnay the deal?
 
N

Nyterunner

New member
remember that you CANNOT fire +p or +p+ ammo out of the Arcus. It WILL come apart spectacularly at some point, and the manufacturer will tell you that. Try instead to get one of the surplus 50's guns that are out there for about 250-275. And yes, as long as you only shoot standard pressure 9mm in an Arcus, it is a truly awsome weapon.
 
P

ps-minn

New member
Mylhouse,
I am buying two myself. Check out the "Dope Bag" report in the January, 1999 issue of the American Rifleman. They had a glowing review on this handgun, which influenced me to buy it.
Here are a few quotes from the article;
"Imported by Miltex, Inc. of La Plata, Maryland, the Arcus-94 pistol is a well-made copy of the seminal Browning Hi Power pistol."... "Traditionalists will be pleased to learn that the Arcus-94 features forged-steel construction throught, even in the hammer, trigger and safety levers."... "Firing tests included shooting bullet weights ranging from 105-gr. to 147-gr. in full-metal-jacket (FMJ) and jacketed-hollow-point (JHP) configuration. Functioning proved very reliable with most popular brands."... "Workmanship, fit and finish were above average for a pistol in this price range. Gone is the old tendency to apply a quality finish only to those parts which absolutely require it and leave the rest. In its place is a medium-polish finish and a refreshing absence of tool marks, even in places ony visible when the gun has been disassembled. This shows a true commitment to quality and pride of workmanship."... and lastly, "Given the suggested retail price of $350, the above-average fit and finish, and the lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship, the Arcus-94 pistol is a very good value. It will be interesting to see what Arcus does next."
The pistol was fired using Winchester 115gr. FMJ, Black Hills 124gr. JHP and Federal 147gr. JHP, with all 3 loads averaging 2.82" groups at 25 yards. Sounds pretty good to me. Good enough to give the pistol a chance. Why do the gunsmiths you talked to seem to echo the statements said about the Honda Civic when it first came to this country, "Jap junk", "riceburner", etc., meanwhile it kicked domestic car's collective asses on reliablity.
Email me with your address and I will photocopy the article and send to you.
 
R

railroader

New member
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I purchased an Arcus 94 from CDNN in December. It was imported by Dominion Import Group out of Virginia, not Miltex. There is no warranty on these guns. I bought a two tone one. The slide is matte black not blued. Slide to frame fit is real tight, no rattles. Had some failures to feed at first, part of it was the magazines, part was I think the gun just needed to be broken in. It seems pretty accurate. Also I put a Inglis commander style hammer and sear in it, they dropped right in. Overall a nice gun, just had to get out a few bugs.
 
F

FireForged

New member
I have been very pleased with my ARCUS. As far as I can tell, the parts are all forged steel. The slide to frame fit was perfect and the pistol is very tight, accurate and reliable. 3000 rounds fired and no failures. When I bought mine I found a small sheet of paper that was signed by a Military Officer and stated the grade of the weapon upon inspection and how many test rounds were fired..
 
C

C.R.Sam

New member
Mylhouse;

BTT is "back to the top"...put thread up front again

IIRC is "If I recall correctly".

LOLOL is "little old lady on ludes"

Sam....continuously confustipated
 
T

Tecolote

New member
I prefer the FEG clones. Except for the early ones that have a 1911 style slide release, parts are 100% interchangeable between a FEG and a Browning. They sell for about $250 with one preban mag. The finish is a deep blue, the trigger is typical HP (gritty but easily fixed by a competent smith), the dafety is the prehensile nub of the older HP's, but they're extremely reliable.

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"Get yourself a Lorcin and lose that nickel plated sissy pistol."
 
R

Richard

New member
Mylhouse, yes, it is me! I took my FEG High-Power (HP) clone and my Arcus 94 to my gunsmith for trigger jobs. His opinion, which I respect, was that the Arcus was made with good materials. I prefer the looks of a conventional HP but I have never had a misfire or complaint with my Arcus 94. Another poster on another topic said HP grips don't fit. BULL ROAR! My Arcus 94 accepts HP, Eagle, Spegel, or Ahrens grips without alteration. These grips needed adjustment to fit my FEG. Regards, Richard.
 
B

BrokenArrow

New member
There is forged steel, and there is forged steel. How good is the steel they start with, how good is the forging, how good is the heat treat? The latest cast BHP frames are stronger than some of the earlier forged stuff for example. Ruger cast alloy frames are as tough/tougher than some forged steel frame 9/45s too.

The internals may not be as good as the slide, barrel, frame? Who knows for sure? Start blasting away with +P, +P+ 9mm ammo and we will know soon enough?

Be patient and get the real deal? Someone posted FN will be importing the HP again soon enough. Or try the DA HP they will also be importing (not the BDM).

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>>>>----> http://home.att.net/~brokenarrrow/

[This message has been edited by BrokenArrow (edited August 20, 2000).]
 
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