FEG PA-63 9 x 18 mm Makarov INFO?

[RECIT]

I am interested in one of these little pistols for fun/cheap duty at home, car, or range. I like the style and the way it feels in my hand. They are really cheap and if there is nothing wrong with them then I might get one. I don't like the .380 cartridge as I know a lot of similar pistols are chambered for it. It is too expensive and too hard to find for my intended purpose. I see these every once in a while on texasguntrader and gunbroker. The 9mm Makarov ammo is plentiful and cheap. As long as it goes bang I'm not worried about the ammo being com-bloc or dirty. Please inform me on these little pistols so I can make an educated decision. I asked about the PPK/S style pistols in a recent post and this is something that would fit that same roll and not break the bank with the pistol purchase or to keep it fed with 9x18 Makarov.

[iwannasee]

Nice pistol for the $. Ammo is cheaper than 9mm and is AVAILABLE online.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy ... karov.html

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/brow ... =958&stk=1

http://www.jgsales.com/index.php/ammo-f ... Path/25_30

Also available at Academy , Monarch ammo and it is even cheaper!



I love mine!

[RECIT]

Have you had any problems feeding or firing any types of ammo? Is it accurate for a 3" barrel? How is the fit and finish? Is it comparable to Hi-Point or Jennings or better quality?

[mdek]

I have one that I like quite a bit. It's rather small so recoil can be snappy, but I still enjoy shooting it. I've also found it to be quite accurate. As far as function goes, the factory springs give you a trigger pull that is a few pounds heavier than "too much." You can get a set of replacements from Wolff (recoil spring, firing pin spring, and mainspring) that will significantly reduce the double action pull weight into a more reasonable territory, but still heavy enough for safety in DA mode (in my opinion).

My copy of the pistol has trouble feeding Hornady XTP HP ammo, but has fed everything else I've tried just fine. I have a small stash of Silver Bear HP that I still need to try running through it, since many people have more luck with that than with the Hornady. My pistol's feed ramp is a bit rough which would explain the problems, but I'm fairly sure a competent gunsmith could polish the problems away easily.

A friend of mine also has a pa-63. His feeds the Hornady ammo just fine, but after doing the same spring replacements that I had done, he was having trouble with occasional light primer strikes on FMJ Wolf practice ammo, so he swapped the originals back in and gets the heavier trigger pull.

Overall, my opinion of the PA-63 is that it's an unbelievably priced gun that makes a great range toy, and as long as you figure out what conditions it works reliably in (like you should with any gun), it can serve as a conveniently sized backup concealment gun as well.