The P-83 Wanad. More 9x18 pistol-craft from Radom

The P-83 Wanad, a Polish blow-back pistol was the successor to the P-64 and used by both the Polish military and police.  Produced by the venerable Radom factory,

As with all standard-issue East Bloc pistols of the time for military use, it is chambered in 9x18 Makarov.

It has an eight round box magazine, a two round improvement over the P64.  The magazine release is located on the butt of the pistol, and pressing the release drops the magazine quite smartly out of the pistol, unlike most other such releases, making it easy to quickly reload without having to grab the empty magazine to get it out of the way.  The hammer has a large curved spur, making cocking into single action simple as compared to the small hammer on the P64. The sights are small but functional.

Both the double and single action trigger modes on this pistol are superior to that of the P64.

Interestingly enough, the safety is pushed down to take the gun off safe, instead of being pushed up to fire as on most Walther PPK and East Block Makarov chambered pistols.  As a result, getting a firing grip on the pistol is marginally faster as the thumb proceeds from swiping off the safety right down into a firing grip rather than the up-down motion on similar pistols.  The slide can still be moved with the safety on, unlike the typical Makarov pistol.

The Wanad has a clever takedown scheme. Instead of pulling down on the trigger guard, a lever inside the guard is pulled down with the trigger guard remainign a slid part of the frame. Dis-assembly then proceeds like most other east block pistols, by pulling the slide back and then up and removing it from the frame, then  remove the recoilspring from the barrel and you're all set to clean.

In terms of size, it is slightly larger than the P-64 but feels lighter in the hand.

The P83 fits the hand and points quite naturally, and is a welcome addition to my 9x18 collection. The pistol will fit easily into a front jeans poacket and a Desantis Nemesis type holster would be recommended for such a carry method. Shooting at the range today, the difference between it and the P64 is readily apparent. Felt recoil was much less than the P64. Instead of it smacking the hand between the thumb and forefinger, right into the web,, the P83 instead distributes the recoil better, making it much more pleasant to shoot. The P83 proved to be quite accurate, knocking down plates with ease even with the small sights.

Continuing the Natasha scale of firearms, the P83 was rated only slightly below the CZ-82 for ease of trigger usage in double and single action modes and was only slightly harder to draw back the slide than the CZ82.  Its lighter weight compared the CZ82 was a plus, as is its thinner grip due to its single stack magazine.

The P-83 also has gained literary fame, prominently being used by the protagonist Lisbet Salander in Stieg Larsson's book The Girl Who Played with Fire.  I haven't seen the movie yet so i can't tell you if the Wanad gets a role on the silver screen or not.

For an East Bloc piece of history under $200, you really can't go wrong with a P-83.

In Honor Of May Day, Some East Bloc 9x18 Goodness

The Eastern Block under Soviet domination manufactured a variety of pistols chambered in the Russian designed 9x18mm Makarov caliber.

I've already talked about my CZ-82, now for May Day its on to some other pistols chambered in this useful cartridge.

Both of the below pistols are blow-back action and both owe much to the Walther PP design.

The FEG PA-63

Made in Hungary by Fegyver és Gépgyár, Arms and Machine Factory more commonly known as "FEG".

With an aluminum frame strengthened with a bit of titanium in the alloy, the FEG is a nice, lightweight carry pistol. Walther PP in size and highly influenced by the Walther design, if not an almost complete copy, the FEG has a reputation for being more reliable than the Walther.

The action has a double action first shot with subsequent shots being single action, and with a seven round magazine the pistol is a very adequate pocket carry pistol. The magazine locks the action open on the last shot and just like the Walther PP, there is no external slide lock.

The FEG is an inexpensive firearm that can be found for $200 or less, making it an excellent choice for a CCWer on a budget.

The downside to the FEG is the trigger. The initial double action trigger pull is an excellent trigger finger exerciser that takes all your strength to operate. You don't need a Gripmaster when you have a PA63.

The FEG's single action is much better and hopefully the double action pull will loosen up a bit with time and further shooting.

At the range, the PA-63 fed all rounds perfectly, from the standard 9x18 ball to the Silver Bear hollow points.

Its a nice pistol at a great price.

The Bulgarian Makarov

This is a military surplus Makarov manufactured in Bulgaria and it was still encrusted with cosmoline when I purchased it.

Designed by Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, the Makarov pistol became the Soviet Union's standard military side arm from 1951-1991, replacting the 7.62x25 Tokarev. Satellite nations such as East Germany and Bulgaria and China also produced Makarov pistols.

This Bulgarian Makarov's trigger is very nice and smooth and far better in both double and single action than the FEG, indeed this trigger while not a match trigger by any means, is more than adequate for self-defense and plinking. Smooth in both double and single action, hits on targets were easy to achieve, even with the smallish sights.

An 8 round magazine and a price under $250 makes this yet another excellent carry choice when using hollow points. It fits tightly in a jeans front pocket or decently in a cargo pocket and multiple holsters are available for carry.

The Makarov design shines in the area of reliability and this one was no exception - ball, hollow points, it ate everything with no problems at all.

The PA63 and the Makarov are great pistols, both as carry and historical pistols and reminders of the Cold War. Both firearms are a testament to the excellent East Bloc small arms manufacturing industry while unable to provide consumer goods of quality to their subjects.

So Happy May Day and here's to the West winning the Cold War.

For proof, see the video below.

Don't try this at home or on the range - a 9 is not the same as a 9.

Shooting for a Darwin award:

He's darn lucky the pistol didn't a) blow apart into pieces ripping his hand into shreds and/or b) send the slide flying off the frame, ripping back toward him at high velocity.

It's a testament to the design strength and quality of the Hungarian FEG PA-63 pistol that he got away with it that time, the next time he may be far less lucky.

Here's why there's a major problem with this clip, and why you should never do this:

The 9x18 and 9x19 are completely different cartridges

The 9x18 Makarov is designed to work in blowback pistols, ie the action is kept shut by the weight of the slide and spring until the pressure drives it open.

The 9x19 (otherwise called the 9mm Luger, 9mm parabellum, or 9mm NATO) is designed to work in recoil operated firearms, where the action is locked together until fired when at a certain point under recoil the parts unlock and separate with the slide moving backwards to eject the case and reload the barrel.

So why is this a problem?
Simple -- it's the pressure difference.

The pressure the 9x18 Makarov generates when fired is about 23,200 psi.
The pressure the 9x19 Luger generates when fired is about 35,000 psi.

The PA-63 is a blowback pistol designed for the 9x18 Makarov, it is not designed to take the pressure from a 9x19 Luger, a cartridge designed to be used in recoil operated firearms.

You'll notice the action when this fellow loads the pistol with the 9x19 does not even fully close, leaving the brass exposed. This is known as firing a gun out of battery and it is a great way to blow the pistol up, likely inflicting serious injury on the hand holding it as well. When the bullet does not properly fit, it's a signal that it's time to quit.

There are lots of 9mm cartridges out there, and while they often sound alike, they are not interchangeable. (Yes the Soviets did design the 9x18 Makarov pistol to fire the 9x17 aka .380 ACP in exigent circumstances, but its not going to be very accurate, and the 9x17 is a lower pressure cartridge than the 9x18, and just because it can doesn't mean you should, the Soviets have a much lower value assigned to their troops than you hopefully assign to yourself). 9x17, 9x18, 9x19, 9x21, 9x23 are all different with very different operating pressures and even bullet sizes. Do not interchange them and do not put a high pressure round in a pistol designed for low pressure blowback operation.

Never force a cartridge into a firearm's chamber. Use only the same caliber the gun is designed for (and marked for on the slide). If it doesn't fit it's time to quit. If brass is still showing when the cartridge is loaded something is wrong - stop, do not squeeze the trigger, unload and figure out why its not working properly, the hand you save will be your own.