The Hobbit Hole XXXVIII - There and Back Again!

[osagebowman]

Nice score, guess that makes the set. .22, .32 and .380. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. Hope a range report is in the offing.

[300winmag]

Nice collection of CZs you have. More good stuff than I’ve seen at our local ‘stocking’ CZ dealer.

Considering my "stocking CZ dealer" has never had more than two models of CZ on hand, if that, at one time, that represents a lot of trips over a couple years time. It just looks like a "collection" when you see them all in the same picture. However, I believe BATFE considers it a hoard, or a mong.

Considering I carry specialized, less-than-full-house ammo already, specialized .380ACP should work well. I have no intent (or reasonable expectation) of engaging in armed combat with a handgun beyond about 20 yards anyway. That's why rifles were invented. My most important requirement is that I can carry it consistently, and have a high degree of confidence of success according the parameters I have set for it.

[osagebowman]

Well, certainly ‘an arsenal’..

A couple of years ago, IIRC, a disturbance in a suburb and the result was the local police walked out with a shotgun, a .22 rifle and a scoped 30-30 and neighbors said they didn’t know he had an arsenal in his apartment. SIGH.

by the by, what, pray tell, is ‘a mong’?

The lgs I was at is a retail priced place, but I have to say he does have a good inventory of weaponry, mags, ammo etc. It is a far cry from inventory levels a year ago.

He had four CZs and could get most models with a phone call, or so he said.

[B4Ranch]

One of the better ideas I have seen in my day was a mid sized wicker weave wall flower basket hanging next to the front door. It looked exactly what an elderly wife would put up to add some cheer to the entryway. It contained some plastic daisies and a nice .380 that sat in a pre positioned holster. It could be easily reached if the person knocking on the door got rowdy.

[300winmag]

by the by, what, pray tell, is ‘a mong’?

I still don't know, but if the government is protecting us from weapons mongers, it would be nice to know the size of a single "mong". A recent official training memo for one DHS fusion region identified a total of seven weapons as a "cache", so we're starting to make some progress in decoding federal terminology. I still don't know if quantities involving cache, hoard, stockpile, arsenal, etc have any overlap, or if some weapons count as more or less than one in determining the count. But we now know that in at least one DHS security region, you can be arrested for having a "weapons cache" that totals seven firearms.

The media throws these terms around very sloppily, but in this instance, even though there was no prosecution, an authorized DHS contractor sent out an official training memo to the whole region, confirming that seven weapons are officially considered a "cache".

As far "home defense" goes, I have some form of blunt instrument within reach at each door, hidden in the folds of a drape. If that fails to curb their enthusiasm, I can produce a high-speed crowd pleaser in less than thirty seconds. :)

[B4Ranch]

The thing I especially liked about the hanging basket was that the rim was a nice six foot above the floor. A small child couldn’t reach it and an adult would never put their hands into it unless they knew what was to be found there. To all outside appearances it appeared to be simply a flower basket.

[300winmag]

I stumbled another gem the other day, and this one seems to be a natural-born champ. What else except the compact handgun that started it all, the Walther PPK?

Because of all the twists and turns of the GCA68, German PPKs cannot be imported into the USA. But this one, made under license by Smith & Wesson in the free state of Maine (take that, MA), is available to the American market in the free states, but is still hard to find, and pricey, because of vey limited production.

But with the first magazine of six shots, I was able to produce this decent group with the .380ACP cartridge. One nice "figure 8" by the "5" on the target, and one enlarged hole consisting of two rounds overlapping by about 50% on the "7" ring. Even the two "flyers" were better than I've done with some out-of-the-box handguns.

After I finish my limited tinkering, this will be my EDC weapon, with my faith resting on always having it on me, the accuracy and comfortable shooting of what is usually a nasty, bitey caliber in tiny handguns, the wonders of modern bullet design, and the overall genius of Carl Walther. My custom CZ75B Compact-L is a wonder of accuracy and easy shooting, but I wonder how much I'd appreciate it if I was carrying at all times that I have a pocket on me? The gun writers may sneer at "poodle guns", generally anything under .40 caliber, but this toy Doberman isn't lacking anything except a lot of powder to launch the bullet.

Because my list of mods, at present, is so small, the most time-consuming item will be 200 rounds of break-in with ball ammo, and choosing the best defensive ammo after that. The hideous grips will be replaced by earlier plastic ones, or checkered walnut custom ones. The extra-large beavertail was not present on the originals, but seems to appear only on models for the American market. A bit homely, but it will save my hand from slide rash.

And I have to go around everything with a fine-tooth eyeball to see where I have to break the "razors" that come from machining stainless steel. There's a reason razor blades are made of stainless having nothing to do with rust resistance. Unlike other steels, where chips are heated and tempered as they're cut off the workpiece, stainless can withstand the temperatures and stresses of machining, and leave finished parts with an invisible "razor edge" that the eye can't see, but the hand can sure feel.

Finally, I'll have the fun of matching custom spring weights with my chosen defense ammo, because the factory 20-pound springs are just "over-spring" for this weapon, even as a blowback.

[Squantos]

Very interested in this project poodle..... Have one that has been on house gun duty for a very long time and as you say, spring rates are horrific.

Very much needed refinement and tuning .

Great project I HAVE to follow... Thanks !

Stay safe !

[osagebowman]

Nice target, just drift the rear sight an ooch and you are home free. It’s nice when one that looks that good also shoots that good. Polish and nano-lube upcoming.

What load were you shooting in this one?

Again, good shooting.

[300winmag]

Great project I HAVE to follow... Thanks !

Tell me a bit more about your Walther, so I can see how closely our two projects track. Right now, my first bit of tuning will be galling, and the extremely tight machined fit. Even though it's almost all investment-cast (Ruger built an empire on that), the cleanup was very well done, and the fit is almost airtight. If you don't know what you're looking for, you'd never find it.

Out-of-the-box trigger pull is 12 and six pounds, not great, but comparable to most commercial DA pistols. That gave me hope, but it was that first group, and the comfortable shooting, that convinced me. One of the salesman will be bringing in his Walther PP in .380, because he says that one kicks like a miniature mule. One working hypothesis is that by cutting off some barrel, slide, and frame, the center of gravity has been moved down and to the rear, closer to the center of the hand. Even just holding a comparable PPK/S in the store, the PPK sat better in the hand.

I'll experiment with spring weights until I get something that is barely 100% reliable, then up everything by one pound. My rule of thumb says that change of one pound of spring rate yields about a half-pound change at the trigger. But it also lessens all the different vibrations and off-axis forces that are always bouncing around in a weapon. Those are invisible thieves of comfortable and accurate shooting, IMHO.

[300winmag]

What load were you shooting in this one?

Plain ol' Winchester white box 95gr FMJ, the cheapest stuff of the limited inventory they had. I'm getting a case of it from ammoman.com, just so I don't have to sweat future shortages.

Defensive ammo will require some testing, but once I have a couple of brands selected, they won't be bought in large quantities.

[Squantos]

Had it for 20 plus years or so....it’s a PPK/s made in the USA under license of Carl Walther Waffenfabrik Ulm/Do.

Walther banner and Made in USA on left side of slide. Also on left side is Modell PPK/S Cal. 9mm Kurtz / 380ACP

Interarms Alexandria Virgina on right side of slide

Seria Number S1637XX series.

There is a marking on the barrel visable in the ejection port that is “/A”

Stainless with factory plastic grips with the Walther banner on each.

I have seen the ones with Smith and Wesson on them. This has no such markings nor has Smith and Wesson on it anywhere....

Thanks for the help !!

Stay safe.

[Squantos]

Also in studying your picture, your PPK, the Walther banner on the grips on mine are on top of the checkering versus embossed into the grip is that makes sense.

Also no beaver tail on my version....

The word Modell on mine is with two “L’s” .....

Looking forward to this as the little Walther is well made and good quality, just stiff as a coil spring on a old Ford.

About 300 rounds thru it as I carried it as a backup in my body armor and department policy, when I was a sheriff deputy made me qualify with it each time .

Round of choice is Hydra Shok’s 90gr.

Stay safe !!

[300winmag]

Does it have an American importer's name (Interarms?) on it? If it does, it's probably a pre-GCA68 import. I assume it's blued, and not stainless?

Right now, my project involves a complete teardown, breaking a lot of sharp edges internally, just so I don't rip myself up if I work inside again. Then some nanolube, and experimenting with spring rates.

In your case, a couple of teardown steps beyond basic field-stripping will expose enough of the critical components for an application of nanolube.

Then shoot a box of ammo with your present spring rates to work in the nanolube, and see how much has changed. A rule of thumb I got from the CZ Custom Shop was that brass should be ejected only about six feet. The standard 17-pound spring weight is overkill, so they suggest trying for 13 pounds with equal reliability. Their recoil springs go down to 8 pounds, but that's for target guns and target loads.

My own theory is that most European handguns are sprung for red-hot, hard-primer military rounds, or at least the ones from that era. For CZ, the spring rates assume sov block ammo. That's the way they're sold in the the USA. But a custom firing pin, .002" longer, will get the job done with a much lighter firing pin and hammer spring. Those heavy spring rates not only affect trigger pull and return, but also put larger random mechanical stresses in all the other parts, too.

[Squantos]

Yep Interarms .... But stainless. Also looked at cylinder and slides best ppk/s effort and 11 DA and 4 single action was best trigger they can promise with reliability .... Good luck !!!

Thanks !!!

[300winmag]

Yep Interarms .... But stainless.My PPK education continues. From 2002 to now, all are made under license by a small machining company, whether they're marked "Walther/Interarms" or "Walther/S&W". Stainless steel, being vey difficult to machine, resulted in lots of knife edges inside the frame. I'm using a diamond knife sharpener to knock off as many "knives" as I can reach. Normally, if you don't tear it down all the way, you wouldn't have to do it. However, if you take off the grips, which you will if you change hammer springs, at least break the edges where the parts, and your fingers, will go.

Nanolube reduces friction a lot, which has got to help trigger pull. The dual sears, conveniently fixed to the hammer, now operate easily, meaning you're not adding more pressure to the trigger to get them to move properly. Removal of the ejector, and the hammer pivot pin, is easy, and you can access every part, whether still in the frame or out, with your Nanolube. I have to admit, I've been using the 5W Nanolube a lot, because it gets into even smaller spaces. The good thing is a little goes a long way, because it seeps just about everywhere. It's how I got those sears working so easily in just a few minutes.

I broke the edges slightly on the bottom of the slide after discovering the tiniest of slide bites next day. Didn't even break the skin, just a series of tiny red dots in a line along the top of my hand. It was like a tiny rash, and went away in one day. No bleeding gash, this time.

With the slide stripped, I've been honing together the frame and slide by applying Nanolube, and work the two parts together. First I press both sides together to work-in. Then I pull them apart (while still on the rails) to get the other surface. I noticed quick a bit of new slickness after doing that. I also did the same procedure while pressing the two parts on the left, then the right. I'm not seeing much polishing, but where it occurs, the results are positive.

FYI, there was a massive recall of all PPKs made from 2002 to 2009. Unknown how many actually had the problem, but after reading a number of S&W PR pieces, I could tell they were tap-dancing around the details. Finally, one mentioned that a faulty weapon would fire when removing the safety. That told me they had random brittle safeties scattered throughout the product line. Drop the hammer, and safety drum cracks and lets the hammer continue forward to contact the firing pin. My guess is they replaced every single safety, rather than test to see if they met spec. So they required every PPK/PPKS made of stainless steel to be returned for the fix. Probably so they could document which handguns they laid hands on, and "cured".

This was a problem with military P38s made by slave labor. Just heat-treat a small batch of super-brittle safeties (that still might function for years), and slip one in every once in a while. If you have no docs that yours was fixed, a call to S&W will probably tell you whether your serial number was worked on, or even needed work.

Amazing little machine, and really gunsmith-friendly for something so tiny.

[Squantos]

…..been using my india stones for a lot of fine polishing an also clover grades of valve grounding compounds for rough work. poor boy dykem aka sharpie to check contact surfaces etc …. saving my nanolube for final product as i get the rough edges off first manually. 6000 grit paper used for helo cockpit glass polishing for final polish on shiny inside parts an non matte exterior surfaces….

what are your suggested sources for springs ? Wolffe ?

[300winmag]

what are your suggested sources for springs ? Wolffe ?

Wolff is the only way to go for springs, although a lot of other dealers may carry some of them, only the online Wolff store will have all the different combinations, including the little springs Brownells or Midway don't bother with.

I bought one complete factory-stock replacement set of everything, along with reduced power recoil, hammer, and firing pin springs from 16-12 pounds. Cost about $70, but I don't have to sweat springs any more, at least for the PPK. They won't be getting any cheaper.

[Squantos]

Reading.... Seems factory spring is #20 and folks are going down to #17 on recoil and hammer springs for factory self defense rounds like my 90gr hydra shoks.... Found spring sets and individual springs at gun springs.com, midway and brownells as well most are Wolff manufacture.

Seems the interarms variants are good quality, as you know and have stated here the inox variants are / have razor sharp gotcha’s where ya least expect them.

Ordered a Brownell’s set of wolff’s “calibration” recoil and hammer springs, 3 of each weight, 17, 14, 12 I think are rates.... and a gun springs .com complete set of “all” stock springs to keep on hand.

I would like to pick up spare firing pin and extractors in time...

Good last few weeks of winter (here in Texas anyway) project.... Parts ordered, up to the ups brown shirts now to deliver.

Grateful for your help.

Stay safe. !

[300winmag]

Well, I adopted another "senior classic" that was traded for something newer and sexier in weaponry. Nothing wrong with new and sexy, these older weapons were that once. I was "newer" once, too.

This is a Colt "Officers Match Special", 1952 vintage, in .22lr. This is another one of those oddities which have noticeable cosmetic wear on the outside, and virtually new-pristine-from-the-factory internally.

This is a heavy handgun at 43 ounces, but it looks much more massive than its direct competitor, the S&W Model 17-3, which weighs 41 ounces. Both designs go back to the early 1900s, but Smith seems to do a styling refresh every 20-30 years or so. The result is that the Smith looks slimmer and trimmer, probably due to the tapered-but-heavy barrel, and the weight added by the top rib. Between the design, and the modern grips, the Smith is definitely more comfortable, with a center of gravity lower and closer to the hand. The big, fat, untapered barrel on the Colt has plenty of weight, but poorer balance, IMHO.

The action on the Colt is tight, but after finding the threads on the cylinder detent screw rusted in place, I'll have to open it completely and check for rust or gunk before retiring it alongside Lady Di.

The heavy wear of the blued finish at the muzzle, and front and rear edges of the cylinder (the widest part of the revolver) suggests it was carried a lot in a holster, even if it was virtually unfired. The walnut grips are heavily worn, especially on the right side. This seems consistent with carrying in a holster with a flap that covers the right-side grip, but also rubs against it.

The original grips must have never been removed, because not only had the wood shrunk to where it wasn't even as wide as the frame, but the sand-blasted blued finish stuck to the wood, leaving the grip area bare. Fortunately, this is the same Colt medium frame revolver as the Python, and the standard grips from the Python snubbie are still a perfect fit, leaving the entire revolver looking less worn. The first picture shows the new grips, which aren't perfect for the purist, but a purist would never touch this revolver, correct grips or not.

Doing a bit of research, I learned that the "Special" replaced the "Masterpiece" to lower costs. The Masterpiece, with its super-fancy "royal blue" finish like the Python had, was not selling at all in that economy. They decided to cut costs on the Special by using the standard finish like their other "working" handguns had. A standard polishing was used for the barrel, and the flat areas of the frame. Everything else received a coarse sandblasting. It no longer looked as elegant and precise as before, but it shot just as well.

The mystery of who would carry this expensive target .22 in a holster for quite a long time, and yet left it basically unfired, remains a challenge to my detective skills. Theories and speculation are welcomed.