By Kurt M.
Being a military surplus aficionado (and a cheap one at that) it was pretty natural for me to look for a CCW from among the ranks of pistols coming out of the former communist bloc. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer an all steel gun over the polymer guns on the market; a view reinforced by the blood my Dad’s LC9 will draw if I’m not being careful. The P-64 naturally drew my eye. They’re a well-made pistol, every example I’ve seen has great bluing and the machine work is very well done. As an example the top of the slide is machined so that you don’t get glare between the rear and front sight. It’s the little things that draw me.
That, and for under $200 you can get a pistol that has similar lines to a PPK. (It’s actually a hair bigger; the PPK is banned from importation because it qualifies as a “Saturday night special” the P-64 is right on the border of importation legality) This is what I carry, but it isn’t for everyone. I’ll tell you about the P-64; what’s good, what’s bad, and then I’ll give you my final word on it. Hopefully I can help you decide if the P-64 is for you.
This is a Polish military and police pistol. After World War Two the Soviets put considerable pressure on the Poles to adopt the Soviet Tokarev, which they did. In the 50’s the Soviets decided to switch from the Tokarev’s 7.62×25 to a new caliber 9×18, and a new smaller pistol, the Makarov. Once again the Poles had pressure put on them to adopt the new Soviet round, but instead of adopting the Makarov they decided to adopt a homegrown model that conformed to the Makarov specs of a smaller pistol in 9×18.
Two models were prototyped, one which was the size of the Walther PPK, and another the size of the Walther PP. The PPK sized pistol was adopted. As the name would imply it was adopted in 1964, and was the standard issue until 1983, when it was replaced by a new 9×18 chambered pistol. That said they were issued well past 1983, and supposedly some P-64s can still be found in police holsters in Poland today.
This is an SA/DA pistol with an exposed hammer. It has the Walther-style decocker that decocks when pushed down and fires when pushed up, a red dot is visible in fire. When decocked the trigger hangs free, it is under no pressure and can’t do anything. You can chamber a round with the P-64 decocked, as the slide is free.
There are two “styles” of P-64, the Poles modified the P-64 in 1972, the only external difference is that the old style has a round hammer, and the new style has a triangular hammer that sticks out to ease manually putting the gun into single action. Internally the trigger was supposed to be changed to improve double action pull, but truthfully I don’t notice a difference between the two, but that’s just me.
The Good
This is a very small, compact package. The length is just a little over 6 inches, and the height is about 4 ½ inches. But where the P-64 really shines is in the width – an inch with flat grips. They’re imported with “target grips” which have a swell that makes the P-64 just wide enough to not be blocked from importation as a “Saturday night special.”
Every example I’ve seen has had the flat grips put back on after importation, however, and if yours didn’t have that done the grips are available if you want to replace them. I can’t overemphasize how nice the width is for carry, it’s better than any common carry gun sold today. I carry IWB, jeans and a t-shirt (pretty much regardless of season) and I don’t even notice it, helped no doubt by its rounded edges. A coat would be redundant. In a good holster you could easily carry it in your shorts pocket.
The P-64 is a milled all steel pistol, not stamped. I won’t bore you with machining details, do a web search if you’re interested; suffice to say the end product is well put together. It’s a level of work that you just can’t buy for $200 elsewhere. Of course being steel can be for some a double edged sword, scroll down to the bad for the flipside of this.
For me this has been a very reliable pistol. Little guns have a general reputation for being finicky, but this seems to buck the trend. I have yet to try a commercial round, FMJ or HP that this won’t feed and fire, zero problems. As a general rule military pistols have a hard time feeding HP because they weren’t designed with HPs in mind, so maybe mine is the exception. That said, I would trust any commercial FMJ round, I think I’ve tried them all by this point, and as I said, my experience with HPs has been a good one with the P-64. Generally I’ll shoot 50-100 rounds through it at a time, past that I won’t speak to reliability, but as a CCW that gets taken care off, that’s good enough for me.
Have I already mentioned the price? For under $200 you get a lot of pistol. This is one of those guns where you get more than you paid for, which matters to me. Of course as a CCW, you don’t want to carry something you can’t count on just because it’s cheap. As I see it, you’re getting a pistol that ranges from carried often fired little to unissued that if made today would command a much higher price. It’s up to you if this delivers for less as I think, or if it just isn’t good enough for you no matter the price.
The fixed sights are tiny, so when I bought this I was expecting the kind of accuracy I can get out of the polymer carry guns, past ten feet for me it’s just forget it in terms of tight groups. I have been pleasantly surprised to get really nice groups well past that. The sights are tiny, but useable, this wasn’t meant to be a target pistol and really isn’t (although it’s imported as such thinks to the “Saturday night special laws”), but the P-64 will serve you well. I don’t claim to be a great shot but I get tight groups, much better than I would probably need in a ccw.
The single action pull is really nice, short and light and breaks cleanly. It makes shooting good groups in SA a breeze. It’s honestly one of the nicer SA pulls I used on a milsurp, and I think it’s as good or better than SA triggers you would pay much more for on a commercial SA/DA gun. Of course, this is an SA/DA gun, and the tale of two actions on this gun couldn’t be more different, we’ll talk about that DA later.
As I mentioned earlier I’ll get red rail lines or outright bloody lines from the Ruger or Keltec carry guns if I’m not careful. I can’t speak for you, but for me I don’t think I could do that on the P-64 unless I tried. The slide is beveled to avoid slide bite and the grip shape keeps your hand out of harm’s way. Somewhat related I also don’t suffer hammer bite on the P-64, that’s just me. I feel confident I could use this in a hurry and not have to worry about my grip.
The P-64 field strips just like the Walther PP/PPK, which is a good thing in my mind. To field strip just pull the trigger guard down and out, and then pull the slide back and up and the slide comes off. That’s really all there is to it. I like simple, this is simple.
The P-64 has a loaded chamber indicator above the hammer, a nice feature along with the great machine work which isn’t often seen on the utilitarian communist guns. It wouldn’t sway me one way or the other to buy the P-64, but it’s a nice touch and adds to the overall package.
The Bad
The gun is about 22 ounces unloaded. For me, that isn’t a problem, but for you it might be. All of the polymer carry guns are going to be much lighter. It’s just the nature of using steel vs polymer, steel is heavier. I actually prefer the heft, not everyone does.
You may have noticed that I neglected mentioning the double action pull earlier, that’s because it can be horrible! They vary, but some of these will have I swear 20 pound plus trigger pull, a serious finger exercise machine. It’s the exact opposite of the Ruger; where the Ruger has a long light pull this has a short (often really) heavy pull. The closest thing I can compare the trigger pull to is the pull on some older DAO revolvers. It’s very similar. You can either live with it, or buy a wolf replacement spring kit ($5 or so) which will correct the problem. Personally I kept it as is because I was able to hand pick one I liked and for me the pull is like a safety, like carrying a revolver. I rejected some examples that I absolutely would have had to replace the springs on to use.
You can really feel the recoil. I wouldn’t describe it as stout as some will online, it’s really not bad, rather it’s just that the thin grip which makes carrying so nice means that all the recoil is concentrated in a small part of the web of the hand, and you feel every bit of it. After a box of 50 I’m usually done shooting it. I wouldn’t call it painful, but it isn’t pleasant to shoot like a 1911. I wouldn’t want to shoot this all day.
The P-64 does not have a drop safety. A hard hit to the hammer even when dropped can potentially light off a chambered round. This was a military carry gun; no military wants its soldiers to carry with a round chambered, so the pistol wasn’t designed to for that kind of carry in mind. For me that means that I need a good holster, for you that might make this a non-starter.
The capacity is 6 plus 1 of 9mm Makarov. It’s a single stack in a caliber between 380 ACP and 9mm in terms of power. I won’t weigh in on the caliber wars, for some of you that can be a deal breaker and if it is, the P-64 is as it is.
9mm Makarov is a foreign caliber so some may find availability a problem even in normal times. Price-wise steel cased will be about the same as brass 9mm Luger, brass Makarov is under $20, and seems to mirror the price of .40 S&W in my area. Usually 9mm brass is cheaper, although I will say that at least in my area for a time I could get the Makarov when the 9mm Luger was long gone because fewer people shoot Makarov. Eventually everything was gone, and now that 9mm Luger is reappearing the 9mm Makarov has yet to return.
As with the PP/PPK pistols, the P-64 does not have an external slide release. To reload you have to pull the slide back. It doesn’t bother me, but it may bother you.
The P-64 is I think pretty unique in not having the trigger reset between SA and DA. Normally the trigger will move back when switched from DA to SA, not so with this. Again it doesn’t bother me, but if you’re used to something different it may bother you.
The magazine release is in the heel, and doesn’t have a button on the slide to release a magazine. An advantage of that is that you’re never going to accidentally release a magazine, but this kind of magazine release is very European and isn’t seen often on US pistols. If that sounds too weird for you to get used to, it is as it is.
Final Thoughts
The P-64 is a small, easily concealable pistol. It can have a horrible DA pull and like most pistols of this size you feel it when you shoot this, although the steel frame lessens that to some extent. For those wanting a reliable steel frame pistol that is a concealable size, that can had for a comparably low price, and either don’t mind or prefer a military pistol, this makes an excellent choice.
SPECIFICATIONS
Caliber: 9mm Makarov
Action: SA/DA
Capacity: 6+1
Finish: Blued
Grips: Plastic, after market wood available
Slide and Frame: Milled steel
Manufacturer: Random plant in Poland “circle 11” marked
Price: About $300, give or take $50.
RATINGS (out of five stars):
Style * * *
I have a hard time describing anything made in the communist era as having style. Maybe this has anti-style? It is a well-made pistol, and for me its lines are better than any polymer pistol. Your own mileage may vary based upon how many times you had to count on your desk protecting you from nuclear war.
Ergonomics * * * * *
A very slim small package. Comfortable to carry and hold in the hand and surprisingly nice for a communist bloc pistol. Borrows from the ergonomics of the PPK. Remove a star if you prefer lighter pistols.
Ergonomics Firing * * *
You’ll feel every round you shoot in the web of your hand. Nevertheless it’s very accurate for me, and likely for you.
Reliability * * * * *
I’ve never had a problem with feeding any round, an excellent choice for reliability.
Customize this *
You can change the grips?
Overall Rating * * * *
An excellent choice for those of us who prefer a steel frame without the steel frame price in a small pistol. Only held back by a fixable yet out of the cosmoline horrible DA trigger and uncomfortable shooting due to the thin grip.
I wonder if 9mm Lugar brass could be trimmed down and reloaded for this pistol and others like it?? Or maybe .9mm brass instead 🙂
9MM Parabellum/Luger =.355″ diameter
9MM Makarov = .363″ diameter
So no making ammo from cut down 9MM Luger brass. I think I’ve seen .380/9MM Kurz barrels for some pistols in this caliber so that might be an option.
I personally have a .380 Makarov that can be barrel swapped to go to the original 9×18 Mak. From what I’ve heard it’s not difficult, but not a “field strip” process like changing a barrel on most semi autos.
In any case I got the .380 Mak cause of ammo commonality on the shelves and between a couple other guns of my own. Good thing is the gun, aside from the barrel, is otherwise the same including magazines.
You can trim 9×19 brass then size them through a 9×18 Mak die. I’ve done it many times.
Actually the Makarov can be reloaded from 9mm brass. Simply shave off a mm from the casing and stick it through a 9×18 resizer die. I have reloaded thousands of 9×18 this way and ran it through my P64
Nobody would ever bother doing that; 9×18 is reasonably priced (and is actually significantly cheaper than 9×19 right now).
I like reloading my own 9×18 Makarov ammo. This way I get it loaded just the way I want it. And 9×19 brass is literally everywhere-I think some even fell out of my ass the other day.
Gotta watch that diet, Brian.
Yes, you can do that. When brass for the 9x18mm is unavailable, you can easily turn the 9x19mm brass down to length and load proper Makarov bullets in them. Case heads, of course, will be marked wrong, and if the modified brass is later loaded for the 9x19mm, it won’t headspace properly, so I would be careful to keep the brass separate. YMMV.
I got my hands on an old pa-63 for free. I love those old surplus firearms
I shot one of these a while back. Nice little pistol. I agree with him on the SA trigger, pretty damn good indeed. The DA pull on the one I shot was not as heavy as the one he has, though it may have been modified. Not sure how heavy but it wasn’t 20lbs. Maybe 10-12? Not sure. But I liked it. Probably should’ve bought it. Oh well.
After this article will the price still be below $200? 😉
I have to agree…steel is real. I have tried the Keltec and Ruger and I keep going back. 1911, Hi-Power, Colt New Frontier .22, Buckmark and on. Love the heft and machining.
I like the euro-style heel magazine release. You can’t accidentally bump it when holding the gun in a modern two-handed grip, as you can so easily with the 1911-style mag release button, depending on the gun ergonomics and the variable grip of a shooter. (What good is a slightly quicker reload if there is a realistic likelihood that you may accidentally hit the button under stress and turn your firearm into a single-shot or paperweight?) Maybe I’m just crazy, but I figure that the heel release is only a hair slower once you’re used to it, and realistically, ordinary folks carrying concealed are not likely to get into extended shootouts where they would actually need lightning-fast let-the-mag-drop-to-the-ground tactical reloads anyhow. (Not that it’s not a good idea to carry ammo and practice quick reloading just the same!)
These are a great item to add to a collection. I bought a sweet one duracoted O.D. for a bit over $200. Very nice looking and has a worthy feel polymer guns don’t have. I like heavier guns but have smallish hands and the P64 suits me well . After reading online chatter about the trigger, I bought Wolff springs before the gun was delivered, then found I didn’t really need to touch it. Perhaps it had been done already or I just got an odd one, but the DA trigger was, well, less than horrible. All in all it was a couple hundred bucks well spent.
I have the makarov pistol which is slightly larger and has an 8 round mag. Your comments pretty closely reflect my experience with my commie gun. On line I’ve been able to find 9×18 pretty consistenly. 9×19, not so much.
My gun also eats any ammo without complaint. As you have found, the recoil is felt in these narrow all steel pistols. The standard 95 grain loads have more felt kick than you would think and the 115 grainers are down right stout.
I quit buying hollow points for mine. It rates as a slightly hotter .380 and I would rather have the penetration of fmj. Plus my gun is primarily a range toy and not a self defense gun. Not that I would hesitate to use it as a defense weapon. I don’t own guns just for SHTF. Some I simply enjoy range time with, and the Mak falls into that category.
Man, this makes me miss my old Bulgarian Makarov I got from AIM Surplus back in the day for 99 clams. What a great little pistol and the only gun I have ever let go. (I was in a tight spot and owed my brother some money.)
That is when I learned never to get rid of a gun.
Would you believe that the last gun show I went to there was only one Bulgarian Makarov in the whole place? The guy wanted $400 for it.
Had one. Changing the springs for lighter ones helps. Sold it due to crappy sights and still heavy trigger pull.
There are bunch of milspec eastern blocks guns in 9mm makarov – Feg – Hungarian ones the polish one reviewed and CZ82 – last one has the best trigger it is double stacked so not ideal for carry but makes a perfect truck gun 🙂
And AIM just got a batch of them for $275.
I own a really nice P-64 in 98% condition. Got it for $165 at a gun show. I love the way it looks. The DA trigger is way too heavy – maybe 24 lbs or so. I dropped in a lighter spring and that helped, but it also made the SA trigger pull too light. This pistol is a reliable shooter and has good accuracy. However, it has a pretty good kick to it, which makes it less fun to shoot than my CZ 83 in “.380 Browning Court.” I installed some zebrawood grips on the P-64 to give it a custom look – I bought the grips from Marschal Grips in Budapest, Hungary. Highly recommended for wood grips.
Makarovs are awesome, although Ive never messed with the P64s.
The only thing I dont like are the old european-style safeties.
There are a few double stack magazine makarovs out there, its just theyre hard to find. I think hornady even makes defense ammo in 9×18 makarov.
I picked up a minty double stack Russian Makarov for $275 with accessories … but only one mag 🙁 I see them around occasionally, but extra mags are non-existent as far as I can tell.
Did you check the Gunbroker.com ? They have Makarov and P-64 magazines all the time.
Buffalo Bore was making a self defense load for the 9×18 when last I looked. It should be a hot load.
Nice. I want one. One of everything.
back in the day we used to convert these Turkish hunks of mild steel to 380 acp
Great guns. After trying mine, four friends and my father went out and bought one for themselves. Some come with light single action triggers and some are downright terrible, but luckily changing out the hammer
For me this is a trip down memory lane…the ’64 was my first C&R purchase, and was my CCW in Mass for 10+ years. I used to make wood replacement grips for these and sell’em on the internet and through Makarov.com….ah the old days….keep up the good work guys
I own two, a 1968 & 1977. There is a difference in the DA trigger pull but not the SA. The 68 has Marschal wood grips and the 77 has a rubber sleeve trimmed and inverted. I’ve owned a CZ-82, CZ-83 and FEG PA-63. The CZ’s went away because I kept coming back to the P64. (I still have the PA-63 because of its cool factor, it uses the same caliber ammo and it’s also a great shooter) At 12 yds I can hold a 3″ group with the P64 through 100 rounds. After that not so much. Both eat any make of ammo I feed them. I have had ZERO issues with either of them in close to 1000 rounds. Yes, you will feel the recoil even with the Wolff spring kit installed. It’s a matter of how you grip the pistol as to severity. It is a bit awkward at first but after a few times at the range it comes naturally. You do not want the butt of the grip resting on the bone at the base of your thumb! Make certain the butt is resting in the fatty part of the web. (You’ll thank me later) I really don’t notice it much anymore.
Great review Kurt. It’s nice to see others who appreciate these excellent pistols, and I’m certain your review will sway others to experience these Polish powerhouses. Be safe.
Great review. I have several 9×18 pistols including the P64. Doing the trigger job made a world of difference and the gun is incredibly well made and accurate. Only issue I have experienced is the tiny sights, but it points very well. Great CCW option, but sadly they do not seem to available from importers any more. Thanks!
Love my P-64, bought it a few years ago for @ $240. Can’t get rid of it now, even if I should be so inclined, my son has made me two sets of wooden grips and one set of plastic for it (the original grips as imported are really cheesy). Conceals really well, pocket carry with a little nylon pocket holster works great. 9×18 is the cheapest center-fire ammo on the market right now, best I can tell. Trigger pull is pretty stout in DA, but it works kind of like a safety, you’d really have to work to have an AD with this one. I’m no shooter, but I do fine with it at SD range, as with my Mak. And I like the steel guns too. An excellent pistol, just wish the mags were more widely available.
Couldn’t agree more. Accurate, well made and very solid. Had some custom grips made but actually went back to the originals for CCW. It is a heavy gun, but steel is. When these become harder to find they will gain in value. Did put the new spring set in, DA is still a bit heavy but doable and SA is great. Have not had any issues with it at all!
There are plenty of P64 mags available on Gunbroker.com
Thanks for the tip– I did finally think of checking for them online, maybe I can get one or two for Daddy’s Day… 😉 I modified mine by shaving and grinding the finger rest down until it was about flush with the mag face, makes it fit my hand better and conceal/ carry easier
I own two P-64’s and would never let them go. I have yet to have any failures in spite of the thousands of rounds sent down range.
I just bought one of these and I love it!!! Problem, I’m not sure what type of holster to get. I’m thinking of inside the waste band or pocket holster. Any suggestions???
I use a little Blackhawk pocket holster myself–woks pretty good if your pocket is big enough. My brother bought a cheapo shoulder holster from CZUSA for his 82, didn’t like it and sent it to me. Fits my P-64 just fine. But it does look cheap, if that bothers you.
Surplus shoulder holsters for the P-64 sometimes show up on Gunbroker.com
great reviews..I have a p64 and love it..love it..love it..
Seems like in Eastern Europe it was a popular idea to copy the PPK. Romanians did it (google: romarm model 95) as well, but in a different caliber: .380… See this link: http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/general-firearm-discussion/18901-carpati-report.html
Had one, hated it and sold it. That trigger pull makes a mosin nagant seem soft and the damn thing kicks worse than a .357. using the $200 i got for it towards a tokarev in 9mm. All steel and easier to find ammo. If you must have a pocket gun it’s hard to argue against them due to price, but mine left the impression that all pocket guns shoot like garbage and you’re better off finding a way to make a full size work. maybe my inexperience, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I’ve had mine for almost 10 years. I replaced the trigger & recoil springs with Wolffs. Before the swap, I measured DA pull at 22 lbs, after, it’s about 19. Single action, it’s about 2 1/2 lbs. I have a U.S. Gunleather IWB holster that I bought off of p64resource.com, it also fits my wife’s PPK/S nicely.
For me at 7 yds, with elbows anchored at my ribs, I can put all 7 shots into 1.5″. That’s pointing it, not using the sights. Compared to a J-Framed Model 60 LS with .357 loads, (the most horrid recoiling pistol I’ve shot, and I own a Model 500 S&W) the P-64 is mild. It’s peppy, but compared to that little .357, it’s a piece of cake, and more accurate.
On the 9×18, shortly after getting it, I came on a deer hit by a car in SW Nebraska. Middle of nowhere, middle of the day. People wanted it, but it just had a broken femur. 115gr Wolf FMJ through both lungs exited, and the ~150lb doe was ready to be butchered. Impressed with that little round..
Bought 2 P-64 Makarov Pistols. Like them both but having jamming problems. Switched the original spring for the 22 pound spring but it doesn’t seem to help. Should I be firing the 1000 FPS ammo rather than the 2000 FPS ammo. Should I use brass rather than the steel ammo. If yes, what spring should I be using.
Do you have the pre or post 72 model? There are two different style of magazines available for the P64. While the pre 72 will work with all models the post 72 will NOT work on the earlier (pre 72). Try a couple different magazines and compare the followers and mag openings. There are subtle differences.
whoa, good catch–hadn’t thought of that.
My pistol is 1971, the clips are etched 15214 & 13635. Is there another way to identify the clips ? Thanks for your input, with guys willing to share knowledge like you I will get it solved.
Marvin Melcher
If it’s a ’71, it should work with either kind of mag if I read the post right.
Yes, it’s a 1971, the other one is a 1974, never been shot also have 2 clips, may try shooting it to see if it also has the jamming problem.
Thanks again,
Marvin Melcher
Robert, just came back from Firearm Service Center in Louisville. The owner was very familiar with the Makarov P-64, 9X18 pistol and ammo. He said the Brown Bear ammo is steel jacketed with a laquer coating and should not be shot in this gun. The laquer builds up in the chamber and is really difficult to remove, most time requiring honing to get it out. After it builds up it’s really hard on extractors also. I then asked about PPU ammo and it’s steel also with a brass coating. According to him the Fioachhi ammo is best bet for the P-64, it’s solid brass and has a natural lubricant.
Marvin Melcher
Thanks for the info. I’ve used mostly steel-cased in mine, not Brown Bear tho. Not sure if the cases were lacquered or not, but like I say, I never had any issues. The Soviet-bloc ammo is pretty much always steel-cased, can’t imagine that it would be a problem for Soviet-bloc-built guns. But then, they were thinking in terms of military use, not range toys or EDC for civilians who take time to practice regularly. Did the guy tell you the ammo was the problem? Or lacquer build-up? I recall you said brass-cased ammo jammed as well as steel-cased.
The more research I do the more confused I get.
MM
I know what you mean–there are so many “experts” out there, the non-expert has difficulty telling the real ones from the poseurs. My understanding was that the lacquer was put there as a lubricant, sounds reasonable that it could build up after tons of shooting, but I really don’t know if that happens or not. I frankly don’t do tons of shooting, I’ve shot the CZAK enough to know it is reliable and accurate, so I am confident in carrying it. My guess would be that the recoil spring is at the root of the problem, but that’s just because you said it jammed a lot after you changed the springs. Have you tried your ’74 yet? (mine is a ’76)
Haven’t tried the 74 yet but will soon. Guess I’ll take all 4 clips, both springs, both guns and ammo and try to figure it out at the range. Again, thanks for your input.
MM
You’re welcome. Good luck!
Have used both brass and steel in mine–mostly steel. It doesn’t make any difference, never had any significant problem with either. Never changed the springs in mine, so I can’t help you there. Unless it’s to say, don’t mess with the springs. But apparently most folks do change out the springs, at least the hammer spring, and most don’t seem to have issues with it.
Thanks for the input, after I changed to the 22pound main spring it jammed big time with both the brass and steel ammo. Will go back to the original spring and see what happens. The reason I changed the spring in the first place was to reduce the recoil impact. Had 3 hand surgeries and big caliber guns don’t work with me at all.
I’ve read that the felt recoil is to a great extent a function of the narrow grip. Maybe a replacement grip with a wider backstrap would help. My son made me some really thick wooden grips with finger grooves, but unfortunately I never got to try them out. He used some kind of funky varnish that melted in the summer heat, took the grips back to re-finish them and never got them back to me. I expect it would have made the recoil less painful.
Finest pistol in it’s size and price range. It’s what I’ll use for EDC.
At present not really concerned about the recoil shock, would like to solve the jamming issue and find out if it’s caused by the main springs.
Have a 1975 P64. Out of the box, I had to use two fingers to dry fire in DA. It was ~ the factory stated 25 to 27 lb pull. The SA was a smooth ~ 4 lb pull. The safety was stuck, I had to use two handed brute strength to move it to SAFE. Then, it was even more strength required to move it back to FIRE. The mag release button at the heel of the grip was a bear to operate, and I bruised my left thumb operating it over and over to loosen it up. It never did.. I had read and watched dozens of videos and articles and commentaries and forums on the gun, and I came to the conclusion I needed to replace the springs. Wolff springs were ordered and I put 22 lbs recoil spring on, and 18 lbs hammer spring. After as thorough a cleaning as I could with CLP, blow dry, oiling and greasing the rails, the DA was a lot easier, I could dry fire it with one hand with no shaking. The SA lightened up even more, probably ~ 3 lbs. The biggest surprise, after I shot some WD 40 into the safety, was the safety was easier to move. Still stiff, but can move it with my gun hand now. The mag release really lightened up, and I could move the button without the excess pressure I had to exert before. On moving the button, the mag would pop out enough to easily be grabbed and pulled out. All in all, I was a lot happier with the gun now.
When my Wolf 94 gr FMJ ammo arrived, my son and I took it to the range. Highly accurate. At about 17 yards, we were scoring bulls eyes an average of 7 out of 12 shots fired. My weak hand attempt hit bullseye with the first shot, with the rest within an 8 in circle. One handed with my shooting hand, I was placing 12 shots inside a 6 in circle. Off a rest, I was getting multiple keyhole hits. Good enough for CCW, I say.
The most telling aspect is the sharp recoil into the web if the hand. After the first two mags worth, my son lent me his glove. It made a heck of a difference! Had been alternating shooting two mags of 9×18 Mak with a full size 1911 in 9mm. After using the glove, I could shoot the P64 for two rounds of two mags. This pistol is my most accurate, even edging out a customized Colt 1911 Series 70 in .45 ACP. We shot 188 rounds and had zero FTF/FTEs. The Wolf ammo turned out to be a clean burning ammo, very accurate, and pretty cheap. Great little gun. It will be my CCW.
I have one of these pistols and it is so reliable and I am able to shoot it so well it is my conceal carry gun most days. I have stock spring and the D/A pull is a beast, but I practice first shot D/A and also practice cocking as I pull up the gun. Pulling from pocket holster and quickly snapping off D/A shot I will hit somewhere on the silhouette target but the follow up shots will drive nails. Great little gun, just not one that you will want to take to range and run a hundred rounds through at a time.
Great review, told me exactly what I wanted to know. I have always had a respect for Polish Craftsmanship since I fired the Polish version of the Mosin Nagant model 44 carbine, comparing to its Russian Counter Part is like comparing a Toyota or Honda to a Yugo, the Polish have a history of craftsmanship that goes back to their blacksmithing skills and industrial innovations that made them the rich Country of Eastern Europe. Fiat opened a plant there in hopes of improving their quality; shortly thereafter the local Polish Labor Union threatened to go on strike if Fiat didn’t improve the quality of their body components! It’s still the most productive Fiat plant going, but that ain’t saying much!
Thanks – Nice article
I do home someone reads this. I am loving my P 64. I do have one issue with it. Let me elaborate. I just took my newly acquired P 68 to the range today and an interesting thing occurred. After firing off the first round, and squeezing the trigger to let off round two, it failed to fire. HOWEVER, Squeezing the trigger a third time, the round was successful in being shot. Any ideas on what this issue might be?
I did a complete disassembly. Full cleaning. Do you think it could be the following possibilities:
1. Ammo: used Monarch Makarov 94GR Steel casings?
2 Recoil Spring?
Had several scenarios where that very same thing happened on my p64. And as matter a fact I was using the monarch brand. Never an issue with wolf or S/Bellot I would only use monarch for the range
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