Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Slightly obscure and quirky, but excellent handguns...

N frames, Freedom Arms, and 1911's are classic pleasures, but how about a thread on guns that aren't real popular, yet very reliable & desirable?

I'll start with an Original Colt Trooper (same action as a Python). My dad paid $95 for it, in the 60's:



and then I'll say the H&K PSP - predecessor to the P7M8. Also, very accurate, reliable, and highly unique in design:



last one is a photo I snatched off the net, but it is a #3 Russian replica. Single action simplicity, but much faster loading

A long time ago, I 'almost' got a Broom-handle Mauser and 'almost' got a Nambu ... but both sellers 'backed out' at the last minute.

Also, a very old-fashioned and elegant Flare-Pistol in a fancy wooden case.

Charter Arms Pathfinder 22 revolvers. Svelte and sweet. I keep promising myself to keep the next one I get, my Pastor fell in love with the last one and I sold it to him, cheap. It is easily his favorite GP or trail gun.

Same with thier Bulldog 44's.

Most of my handguns are fairly "traditional" but I do sometimes like those that are a bit "different".

Sometimes it is a caliber thing, as in my EAA Witness in 10mm. Fairly normal gun, but in an unusual (at least among those I shoot with) caliber.

I also have been shooting a SAA for some 30 years chambered in .32-20 as a trail gun.

Then there are the ones that are really "different". Love my C-96 Mauser in .30 Mauser.....complete with detatchable shoulder stock.

Another that draws attention is a Russian Nagant revolver in .30 Nagant caliber. Most are facinated when I show them how the cylinder moves forward to seal the case mouth against the barrel throat. This is the ONLY revolver that can be effectively used with a silencer (despite what you may see from Hollywood) due to this sealing action.

Oddly, when my wife and I got married I gave her the choice of more than 40 handguns to have as "her" gun. She chose a pair of Iver Johnson break-top revolvers (one in .32 S&W, the other in .38 S&W). I did convince her to choose a better handgun for a bedroom protection, but she still likes the little break-tops because they are "cute and different".

I also have a "set" that is unusual based on the 1911 frame. In a presentation box resides a standard 1911 frame with a .45 ACP slide assembly, a Ciener .22 LR slide assembly....and the part that makes it "unusual"......a single-shot, break-top unit made by Springfield called the SASS. Scoped and chambered for .308 Winchester, it turns the 1911 into a true long range hunting weapon.

I find the grip cocker irratating to shoot.
One could get used to it, but why?

I've jones'd after a Mateba for a long time. I've only shot one once, but it was a unique experience. It's ugly as a mud fence, impractical for any use that I can think of and the automatically rotating cylinder is a solution in search of a problem, but it's just so danged unique---an semiauto revolver--who'd of thunk it! Anyone got one for sale???

Anything made by Webley. They are probably among the ugliest pistols and revolvers ever made, but no one can argue that they don't work. One has to wonder at the designer's impressions of what was simply functional, with absolutely no regard to what was appealing as well. Like the Russian Nagant revolver. My God, what an abomination.

Dan

Webley, did, and produced its remarkable Webley-Fosbery revolver in both a six-shot .455 version and a seven-shot iteration in .38.

I have had a number of Odd handguns over the years...here is a partial list.
1. Walther #4 Left side ejection...
2. An RG in 44 Mag...I never had the stones to shoot a full load in it.
3. CZ Model 45 in 25acp. Loved this gun...flat DAO and worked well.
4. Astra 900 (Broomhandle copy). Well built and fantastic shooter.
4. Astra 400, 600. Neat guns...ugly as I am but wow do they shoot.
5. Mauser 1914, 1910....ugly and overly complex but neat little guns.
6. S&W 2214...great little gun...shot much better than it should of and was a bargin...still have it.
7. Savage 1907. First double colum magazine pistol...shoots great.
8. Sauer and Sohn 1930. This is the gun where Glock got the safety on the trigger idea from. Crappy little gun.
9. Browning 1900...the gun that started WW1...also the gun that the 32acp round was developed for. Funny design but works...but there again its a Browning so it will always work.

Well ya�ll know I�m a big fan of Spanish pistols, and recently did a glowing review of the old Astra A-70 which is a fantastic little pistol that most of the shooting world just plain ignored. (http://shootersjournal.net/the-astra-a-70-quite-possibly-the-best-defense-pistol-for-a-woman/ )

Here are some Spanish Pistols that are on my good gun, good buy list:

Most any handgun made by Star, but there are some that get specific honorable mention:
PD
Model B,BM, BKM, BKS (BKM & BKS are aluminum frame version of the EXCELLENT BM pistol)
D Series pistols, also known as the Colt�s Pony (Colt�s imported them and put their name on them)

Any handgun made by Astra. The tubular slide Astra�s show a level of workmanship that is just uncommon for any pistol let alone a military service pistol. Believe it or not, all of those pistols 1921, 300, 400, 600, 3000, 4000, 8000, etc, are all rust blued. The fitting of the slides are absolutely perfect. On the down side, the pistol by design is a bit homely in appearance. I love my Astra 3000 which just reminds me of a model 600 that�s been run through a copy machine on 50% reduction; just cool.

The Astra A-80, 90, & 100 series pistols (Sig clones) are very good pistols. In the early �80�s the A-80/90�s were not uncommon in the holsters of law enforcement because they were a high quality, high capacity DA .45 ACP in an age when they were pretty much the only such thing. Again, when you find these, they�re a smoking deal; grab one.


With Llama things are tricky because Llama made some excellent and some junk, and you have to be able to sort the two out. Unfortunately, I don�t really know my Llama�s enough to give much good information or advice.

Yes, and typically you part with less cash for one. They're made almost as well as the Mausers but they left off the "lightening" cuts on the sides of the frame, so they weren't quite as good looking as the Mauser's, but they shot every bit as good. Also, since the Astra's didn't see anywhere near the military service of the Mausers, often you can find an Astra in very good shape, where truely excellent Mauser's are hard to find and horribly expensive when you do.

Oh VERY good call. I've always thought they were beautiful pistols to boot, but some don't like the look. They're similar in appearance to the Astra tubular slide pistols, but I think much better looking. And the Savage pistols WORK, and work and work; excellent quality. Jude Law's character the hitman/photographer carried a Savage in Road to Perdition (excellent movie), but you didn't get to see enough of it to tell exactly which model. I've wanted a Savage ever since then.

9. Browning 1900...the gun that started WW1...also the gun that the 32acp round was developed for. Funny design but works...but there again its a Browning so it will always work. [/quote]And it was a unique and cool looking gun. Can I throw in the Browning 1910 also? One of my favorites.

It has several advantages, besides just being mechanically interesting - very compact in size, solid feel, all steel, low bore axis, gas delayed blowback operated, fixed barrel, and fine workmanship.

The result is a compact, reliable, and very accurate pistol that is easy to shoot well. It's fast to get into action, and totally drop safe.

The downsides are, it works like nothing else, so for serious purposes, you have to think hard about operation. The frame heats up after a couple magazines, and gets downright uncomfortable after 30-40 rounds (later models are supposed to be better). The mag capacity is somewhat limited, unless you go for a P7M13, which is spendy, and bulky. As far as customization goes, you can do finish, and grips, and not much else. If you want the mag release near the trigger guard, you have to go to the P7M8, which is a lot more expensive than the PSP's, like the one above. There were also .380 ACP and .40 models made, but they tend to be very expensive.

I certainly find mine very useable and interesting, but if it's side by side to a 1911 .45, and I hear a loud noise at night, the 1911 will get the nod.

[quote]Can I throw in the Browning 1910 also? One of my favorites. [quote]

I love the 1910,s...my father carried one for a long time...I still have it......sexy little gun and its a Browning....it always works....its also the only striker fired gun I would carry cocked with one in the chamber...and the finish is to die for....Kevin do you remember all the ones that came out of North Cst???? I do....ohhh for those days again

Neat idea for a thread.

I thought the Trooper was the forerunner to the King Cobra? I didn't know the bit about the Python.

That's the Trooper Mk III that was the forerunner to the King Cobra...that's basically how that line transitioned; whether it was fully intentional or not.

All-Temp Insulation...He,he,he,he OMG the stuff we had in there.

Oh, actually that would make a cool thread...care to join me with some recollections?

Star...you would have loved this one Kevin...LNIB...shot very well...



Quirky handguns...here is one that you don't see every day... a Sheridan....like in the airgun maker....











Just one more fun gun from The Box....

Bob

Wow, that's cool; I've never seen one of those. Simple, crude. I'll bet she shoots pretty well though.

I refer to it as the "cock squeezer"!

Oh, another VERY cool little pistol that�s not too common today are the Beretta Puma series. Available in .22, .32 & .380, these pistols were about the same size as a PPK/s but with an aluminum frame and single action design. They�re lighter than the PPK so they carry a bit nicer in the pocket. When I carry one in my pocket, I carry mine condition 2, hammer down on a loaded chamber just for the extra safety measure, but they can be carried cocked and locked with no problems at all. They feel really good in the hand and the shoot very well. I have one in .32ACP (8 shots), but I�d love to have one in .22lr and .380 since I like the .32 so much. I got the .32 ACP so the kids could shoot a centerfire pistol. My daughter fell in love with the Astra 3000 and my son likes the Beretta.

Wouldn�t you know it, I go to all this effort to get .32�s for the kids and my daughter instantly wants something bigger. So I gathered up .380�s, 9mm�s, .38 Specials, etc. Everything I could think of for her to try� She ends up falling in love with my LW .45 Commander. All the time I�m trying to find something with light recoil and she couldn�t care less�she wants to try some magnums now. 12 year old girl, about 115lbs dripping wet at best� I�m so proud.