Let's see your auto pistols.

It's interesting to see the Hi Powers on this thread.

I've had a lifetime fondness for the 1911, but recently I find myself fascinated by the Hi Power.

Topgumby said:

It's interesting to see the Hi Powers on this thread.

I've had a lifetime fondness for the 1911, but recently I find myself fascinated by the Hi Power.

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If you love the 1911, you won't be disappointed by the Hi-Power. It's like knowing a beautiful woman and suddenly finding out that she has a gorgeous cousin.

noelekal said:

Love seeing Lugers anytime so am grateful to see one show up. I'd collect them by variant if I ever stump my toe on a gold brick.

Since the Luger has been featured in this thread we'll stick this one up. It's a VoPo mongrel 9mm built on a WWI DWM pistol that was re-dated 1920 upon it's first rework, then rebuilt again sometime in the late 1930s or 1940s. The toggle is of Mauser production. It likely spent time in East Germany and who knows where else. I purchased it in 1986 out of a "Shotgun News" ad from a distributor who had imported a number of similar Lugers and was offering them for $229 each.

A fun gun to shoot and very accurate despite the mushy trigger that feels like wet spaghetti, a common trait of Lugers apparently. Reasonably reliable in function if the ammunition is fairly warm or else handloaded to be that way.

Oh yes. It must be mentioned that it very well could have been Baron Manfred von Richthofen's personal Luger. I mean, it is labeled as such in this photo. You just never know.

An 11-inch 10-shot group fired from a rest at 100 yards with the Luger a few years ago for an informal internet firearms forum "postal" match given on a private firearms forum I frequent. It won the prize offered which was a 7.62 Nagant revolver. This win was mostly because few entered the match so just goes to show what may be accomplished by making an effort.

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noelekal, out of curiosity, what is the Red Baron doing there? Nice looking gun, I presume you use the Winchester White Box 115 grain 9mm (it seems to be recommended by most US Luger owners when it is available). How does that Nagant handle? It's been neat seeing yours and another Luger in this thread (I figured there must be a few others besides mine).

Here's another of my Lugers (my 1921 Weimar Republic, reblued by a previous owner).

The Nid Hog said:

If you love the 1911, you won't be disappointed by the Hi-Power. It's like knowing a beautiful woman and suddenly finding out that she has a gorgeous cousin.

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Well said. I used to be prejudiced against the ".380 Long" cartridge, but for several reasons, I've come to appreciate what a 9mm can bring to the table.

The Hi Power is....elegant. It's natural in the hand. There's a lot to like.

"...out of curiosity, what is the Red Baron doing there?"

Some folks, upon seeing that custom "Red Baron" label, claim that it was cut from an old frozen pizza box but the pawn shop owner...he told me it was absolutely authentic when I purchased the gun and its provenance added a lot of "value."

I like the look of your Luger in your photo. Someone was at least careful with the polishing preparation when refinishing it and the results look good.

My Luger has seen quite a bit of shooting use since I got it. It really doesn't particularly care for the Winchester "white box" 115 grain ammunition and is prone to an occasionally failure to feed when used with it. What it really seems is a fairly healthy handload using Unique powder and a 115 grain jacketed round nose bullet. I didn't have any loaded up and on hand the day I took it out for the long range 9mm internet match so made do with Winchester factory stuff which is fine for "burning off" in other 9mm pistols around here.

That Nagant is a hoot. I've played with it a bit using both Fiocchi factory ammunition and .32 S&W Long ammunition. Neither type of ammunition offers tremendous power. It's fairly accurate when used in single-action mode but has the most dreadful double-action trigger pull I've ever experienced with a revolver. I have some old tests written up somewhere that I could post over in the revolver section.

There is some really nice stuff showing up both here and over on the revolver thread. Amazing for a shaving forum!

nrv216 said:

I have the same gun. I bought it in .38super because I got a really good deal on it in that caliber. I planned on converting it to 10mm too but the .38super was a TACK DRIVER! Super accurate and a breeze to shoot. No wonder the competition shooters love .38sup! I will probably by another EA in 10mm at some point but, for now, I have plenty of 10mm handguns so this one is staying a .38super.

Also, if you do convert it to 10mm make sure you get the stronger spring from wolff! I heard it makes a world of difference compared to the spring provided by EA.

nrv216

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For some reason I missed your pic earlier in the thread, I love the way these guns look. Yeah, the 38 sup was cheaper online at some places, too when I was looking to buy. I guess its b/c 38 sup isnt that popular of a caliber here in the states yet. Its really popular south of the border, but it seems like that ammo doesnt make it up here. Seems like you'd be able to get that ammo pretty cheap with a big market so close.

I still havent gotten a chance to get mine out to the range, which is making me angrier and angrier. I think I'm going to up the spring on the .45, I hear they're 14 pounds shipped and benefit from a 16lb spring, but I want to run it with the factory spring a few times first.

Just checking, but you do know that you can switch the slides out on the fly, dont you? I'm assuming you do, but the way you phrased it almost makes it sound like the conversion is permanent. On the off chance you didnt know, you can go to the range with the match in 9mm, or whatever, and as long as you have the slides and mags for another caliber you can swap right there and start shooting caliber 2. Or if you wanted your match in 10mm you just have to buy the slide and some mags off the EAA website, and you'll essentially have 2 guns. Anyway, I love mine so far and if it shoots as good as it looks I'll be real happy.

The .38 Super was developed by Colt as a high-pressure outgrowth of the dimensionally identical .38 ACP and introduced in its Government Model in 1929. If .38 Super isn't popular here yet then it probably never will achieve great popularity and more's the pity. I like the look of .38 Super performance and it's handloading possibilities. I intend to have one someday. The .38 Super is ballistically everything the 9mm cartridge is cracked up to be but really isn't and provides a useful improvement in .355 bore pistols.

noelekal said:

The .38 Super was developed by Colt as a high-pressure outgrowth of the dimensionally identical .38 ACP and introduced in its Government Model in 1929. If .38 Super isn't popular here yet then it probably never will achieve great popularity and more's the pity. I like the look of .38 Super performance and it's handloading possibilities. I intend to have one someday. The .38 Super is ballistically everything the 9mm cartridge is cracked up to be but really isn't and provides a useful improvement in .355 bore pistols.

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It very popular in some shooting sports. Mostly the ones that a .45 is scored higher than a 9mm because of .38 supers' velocity you get the .45 scoring with increased capacity and lower recoil. Oh and its great for shooting through barriers (it was partially designed to overcome automotive glass and doors where the .45 was bouncing off the glass, because of the angle and velocity, and being stopped by doors)

Devilpup said:

It very popular in some shooting sports. Mostly the ones that a .45 is scored higher than a 9mm because of .38 supers' velocity you get the .45 scoring with increased capacity and lower recoil. Oh and its great for shooting through barriers (it was partially designed to overcome automotive glass and doors where the .45 was bouncing off the glass, because of the angle and velocity, and being stopped by doors)

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The Super also had a very nasty reputation a few decades ago for kabooming and spraying bits of detonated 1911 into the shooter's face and hands. I assume this unfortunate-if-true tendency has been worked out.

I recall reading the .38 Super was popular in Mexico because "military" calibers were verbotten for civilians.

That's a nice Luger a few posts up. I've handled a few but AFAICR I've never fired one. Did have a buddy who had a .30 Mauser C96, the "Broom handle". Quite a hoot to shoot.

auk1124 said:

The Super also had a very nasty reputation a few decades ago for kabooming and spraying bits of detonated 1911 into the shooter's face and hands. I assume this unfortunate-if-true tendency has been worked out.

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Yep that was fairly common. People were over loading on power trying to get over the velocity barrier with guns designed for an easy range day.

Pete_T said:

For some reason I missed your pic earlier in the thread, I love the way these guns look. Yeah, the 38 sup was cheaper online at some places, too when I was looking to buy. I guess its b/c 38 sup isnt that popular of a caliber here in the states yet. Its really popular south of the border, but it seems like that ammo doesnt make it up here. Seems like you'd be able to get that ammo pretty cheap with a big market so close.

I still havent gotten a chance to get mine out to the range, which is making me angrier and angrier. I think I'm going to up the spring on the .45, I hear they're 14 pounds shipped and benefit from a 16lb spring, but I want to run it with the factory spring a few times first.

Just checking, but you do know that you can switch the slides out on the fly, dont you? I'm assuming you do, but the way you phrased it almost makes it sound like the conversion is permanent. On the off chance you didnt know, you can go to the range with the match in 9mm, or whatever, and as long as you have the slides and mags for another caliber you can swap right there and start shooting caliber 2. Or if you wanted your match in 10mm you just have to buy the slide and some mags off the EAA website, and you'll essentially have 2 guns. Anyway, I love mine so far and if it shoots as good as it looks I'll be real happy.

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Yeah I know about the slides. I would rather just have a whole new pistol in a different caliber then having one frame and two slides though. Like I said, I have other 10mm handguns and I have had good luck finding .38super at gunshows and at cabelas for decent prices. It is a nifty little round with impressive ballistics and popular south of the border too as others have mentioned. I enjoy shooting it and so does my fiance. The ea match pistols are so nice looking that it would be fine by me to have another one in 10mm!

nrv216

We need to bump up our auto pistol thread this week.

Here's the world's homeliest pocket pistol. A Helfricht Model 3 .25 ACP. This odd but well-crafted little pistol was made in Germany sometime between 1920 and 1929 which was when the Helfricht company operated.







It's muzzle looks much larger and imposing in the center photograph than in real life. The bore line is quite low on this very small pistol. I have fairly long fingers and when shooting it two-handed, laying both thumbs along its left side, the tip of my left index finger could intrude in front of the muzzle.

toovira said:

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Those are nice! What is the brand? I can't make out the brand on my screen.

That represents more SIG P210s than I can afford.

Sort of a grail pistol for me.

noahpictures said:

Those are nice! What is the brand? I can't make out the brand on my screen.

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Unless I'm mistaken, what Toovera has here are four fine examples of the legendary Sig P-210, arguably the highest quality service pistol ever put into production...and priced to match. They are known to produce 2-inch groups at 50 meters out-of-the-box : truly remarkable for something designed as a general-issue military sidearm.
I believe its replacement (the Sig P220) largely came about because the Swiss Army decided that they could no longer afford the manufacturing cost of the p210.

noelekal said:

That represents more SIG P210s than I can afford.

Sort of a grail pistol for me.

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Fortitudo Dei said:

Unless I'm mistaken, what Toovera has here are four fine examples of the legendary Sig P-210, arguably the highest quality service pistol ever put into production...and priced to match. They are known to produce 2-inch groups at 50 meters out-of-the-box : truly remarkable for something designed as a general-issue military sidearm.
I believe its replacement (the Sig P220) largely came about because the Swiss Army decided that they could no longer afford the manufacturing cost of the p210.

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Thanks fellas!

Fortitudo Dei said:

Unless I'm mistaken, what Toovera has here are four fine examples of the legendary Sig P-210, arguably the highest quality service pistol ever put into production...and priced to match.

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Wow! You're not kidding. I went to look at the Sig website and found that the modern variant, which is currently in production, runs $2200. Older, used versions seem to start there and run up in price quickly.

noelekal said:

Here's the world's homeliest pocket pistol. A Helfricht Model 3 .25 ACP.

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I was just reading up on Velo Dog revolvers. Remarkable that there was a time when a mini handgun designed primarily for bicyclists to blaze away at stray dogs and "tramps" was a huge seller.

Sometimes it's amazing to me that these little "mouse guns" were, and are, so prevalent. I beat myself up mentally for opting for a 9mm over a .45 in a defensive role, yet many a gent went forth with those dinky little .25 popguns and apparently felt well armed.