|
|
Post by MLB on May 5, 2009 21:14:22 GMT -5
Well, not that they were all that hard to find, but I finally found my P5C.
I stopped by the gun shop to see if they had a S&W and Interarms ppk/s for me to compare. I wanted to take a look at the hammer block as there is possibly a difference between the two that might factor into the recall. No dice. They didn't have an older one.
I took a look at the case on my way out and sure enough there's the compact that I've been looking for. Looks almost unfired, with box and papers, and an extra magazine. No Nill grips though.
$850 isn't a steal, probably about fair. Not the best time to be dropping that kind of cash, but I put down a deposit to get it out of the case. I'll come back with the rest and provide pics...
|
|
|
|
Post by TMan on May 6, 2009 10:14:45 GMT -5
Congrads, I know you are going to love it. I think I mentioned before that I took a bunch of 9mm's to the range once for one of the RO's to shoot. He is sort of a collector and gave me a list of what he would like to shoot of what I had. The P5 was not on the list.
After he finished shooting the others, I handed him the P5. He told me that he didn't want to hurt my feelings, but he liked the P5 better than any of the others. (The others included some higher dollar stuff like the Sig P210, S&W 952 and STI Targetmaster).
|
|
|
|
Post by MLB on May 6, 2009 13:57:16 GMT -5
The pistol permit office used to hand out "coupons", indicating that you were "pre-approved" to take possession of a handgun at the time of sale (assuming the NICs check went well.) Apparently, that's not the case anymore (and my last coupon has expired). Have to pay for the handgun in full, take the receipt to the permit office, get it added to my permit, then they give you the silly coupon, and then go back to pick it up.
Too bad the criminals don't have to go through that hassle. Anyway, it's all paid for and registered. Just have to find time to get down there and pick it up.
I did a bit more research on it last night and made sure I knew how to get the bugger back together after taking it apart. Looking at it today I noticed that there is almost zero wear on the internals. Looks like new.
Now to find / make some appropriate grips...
|
|
|
|
Post by TMan on May 6, 2009 14:14:20 GMT -5
Well knowing you... if you can't find the grips you want, you will make your own. It is ridiculous what law abiding people have to go through. My wife is not a US citizen and while she was in India, American Express Travel Services "lost" my wife's green card. Since then, someone tried to use it. Now whenever my wife comes into the country she has to spend a couple of hours going through a bunch of crap including fingerprints being taken and being questioned. It would be quicker for her to land in Mexico and come over as part of the daily batch of illegals coming over the border.  |
|
|
|
Post by MLB on May 7, 2009 22:26:21 GMT -5
I had a chance to take a few quick pictures this evening before heading out to my daughter's softball practice. I wouldn't be surprised if the 8 holes in the test target are the only rounds this gun has seen. Almost makes me want to keep it pristine. Almost.  Hopefully I'll get a bit of time this weekend to head out to the range. |
|
|
|
Post by TMan on May 7, 2009 23:09:26 GMT -5
Wow, I wish I was in that good of shape!!!
Sure glad you got it ole buddy. Notice how that it ejects to the left? I'm anxious to hear what you say after you take it to the range and shoot it. Hopefully it will shoot as good as it looks.
Personally, I'm happier with my P5 because of the longer sight radius. At my age, I can use all the help I can get.
Well, I this happy note, I'm going to bed. I'm pooped, but I did finish pulling the wires and finishing the wiring for my wife's new office over the garage. Hopefully, it will get her out of my hair.
|
|
|
|
Post by MLB on May 26, 2009 14:22:44 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure this is the longest period of time between obtaining a new firearm and actually firing it. I finally took the P5C out to the range on Saturday. As it is also chambered in 9mm, I took along the BHP to compare.
The Walther has a rather odd 3 stage trigger. A bit of take up before the trigger bar engages, then a bit of travel to raise the firing pin up away from the corresponding recess in the hammer, and finally the hammer release. I don't recall any overtravel, but there is an overtravel adjustment screw as you can see in the pic above. Come to think about it, I shot about 200 rounds between the two, all in SA. I never decocked to try DA.
My BHP still has the mag safety installed, so it's no 1911, but due to some experience with it and the longer barrel, I expected to shoot much better with it than with the new Walther with it's tiny barrel length. Starting out at 7yds, they were remarkably close but I actually shot a bit better with the Walther. Odd. At 25yd, still marginally better with the smaller gun. I think it's because of the stacking and the fact that you can see the firing pin rise before the hammer falls. Almost like a SA trigger in a revolver.
I can hit bullseyes with a rifle, but I'm just an average handgun shooter. All of my guns can outshoot me I think. I can cover my 7yd groups with a fist, and my 25yd groups with a pie plate. The short barrel on the Walther didn't disappoint, and can likely even do better.
The night before, I field stripped the Walther and replaced the existing white grease with the stuff that I normally use. A drop of oil in the decocking mechanism made a significant difference in the smoothness of it's operation as well. It looked dry.
As an aside, I removed the grips to assess my ability to make some wood replacements. I may need a CNC machine. Lots of cuts to make for that one.
|
|
|
|
Post by MLB on Jan 5, 2011 23:10:23 GMT -5
Well, a year and a half later, I've finally gotten around to ordering a nice set of grips for the P5C. As much as I was tempted to order a set of Nills for it, I settled for a set from grips4u.net on a recommendation. Not cheap at $70, but not the $140-160 that Nill wants either. Nill has a terrific website. www.nill-grips.com/ I'm hoping I can second the recommendation for grips4U.net. Will post new pictures when they come in... |
|
|
|
Post by TMan on Jan 6, 2011 7:48:18 GMT -5
You mentioned that you still had the magazine disconnect in the BHP. Have you polished the area on the magazine where the little foot slides on it? I removed the disconnect before I heard about polishing the magazine. Looking back over the condition of the P5C, I think it deserves new grips. It is amazing how the right wood grips improve the looks of a handgun. I bought grips for my Beretta 92FS Steel I, but they don't fit because my safety is on the frame instead of on the slide like the normal 92FS. Who knows, I'll either sell them or buy an INOX version of the 92FS.  |
|
|
|
Post by MLB on Jan 6, 2011 9:42:33 GMT -5
Yes, I've polished both the foot and the magazines. Mainly because I didn't want to press the pin out of the trigger.
The P5 looks so much better with wood grips. Hopefully the wood (walnut) has a good grain to it and is crafted nicely.
|
|
|
|
Post by MLB on Jan 7, 2011 0:06:00 GMT -5
That was fast. I wasn't expecting the grips to come in so soon.  The grip panels fit in the frame perfectly. That's no small deal considering all of the cut outs required. The mag release cut-out is slightly off, but not enough to rub the button. Just being super picky there. Overall, very happy with the workmanship. The bark-like pattern on the upper portion of the grip is very sharp looking.  All of the Walthers together:  |
|
|
|
Post by "DoubleAction" on Jan 7, 2011 2:01:46 GMT -5
......Wholly Shet MLB;
.........You have the pistols that I always wanted.
..........When I was a kid, James Bond ( 007 ) was one of my role models.
|
|
|
|
Post by TMan on Jan 7, 2011 18:18:09 GMT -5
MLB, that is really beautiful. Unfortunately, my P5 shows a lot of wear so it wouldn't be worth the money for the wood grips.
Using a background of firewood was a nice touch too. ;D
|
|
