Man, I see why everyone is changing out their grips!

[kargo27]

I shot my P64 for the first time yesterday. I shot 50 rounds of Silver Bear hollow point 64 (or was it 62) grain.

Not one hiccup, burp, FTF, FTE, FTL. The handgun cycled flawlessly. I'll take reliability over anything else, any day.

I did order a 20 lb hammer spring and 20 lb recoil spring from Wolff as well as some new grips. I love the gun though! It's more accurate than I am.

[juniustaylor]

The Silver Bear HP's are 94 grain as far as I know. Mine has been reliable as well. So far I've shot Norinco ammo and some other kind out of it with no problems. Recoil isn't that bad IMO. Before each shot I tend to "reset" my grip and I normally don't feel recoil that bad. Glad your results were good kargo!

[buds]

Glad you enjoy your P64. I"ve put a couple hundred rounds through my 1977 version and it works flawlessly. My P64 is my primary CCW.

[kargo27]

The Silver Bear HP's are 94 grain as far as I know. Mine has been reliable as well. So far I've shot Norinco ammo and some other kind out of it with no problems. Recoil isn't that bad IMO. Before each shot I tend to "reset" my grip and I normally don't feel recoil that bad. Glad your results were good kargo!

JT, great point about resetting your grip! I had to do that as well.

I was cognizant of the slide and didn't want a "kiss" from it, but the stock plastic grip had a shard of plastic that gave me a nick.

I love the little Combloc shooter, though, and am working on getting a holster for it.

Buds, thank you, and I think I'll use it as my primary CCW as well.

Karl

[Weasel640]

JT, great point about resetting your grip! I had to do that as well.

Buds, thank you, and I think I'll use it as my primary CCW as well.

This is a bad idea if you intend on using it as a CCW. There is a common saying "train as you fight"! What are you going to do if you EVER get in a gun fight? "Wait stop shooting, I have to reset my grip." In those types of situations normally all thought goes out the window, but there is something to be said for good muscle memory. You get good muscle memory by training often and consistently. If you don't "train as you fight" you just jacked your muscle memory.

My suggestion is to find a good grip (that you don't have to reset all the time) and find touch points for that grip. I.E. places you can feel that let you know your grip is in the right place. Then practice these touch points with you draw, it does not cost anything to train yourself to draw other than time.

Just my 2 cents, from experience, and input from time tested lessons learned.

I was cognizant of the slide and didn't want a "kiss" from it, but the stock plastic grip had a shard of plastic that gave me a nick.

If this is the case it sounds like you got grips with a defect. It should not be to hard to remove the grips and fix this problem. Aside from this, there is nothing wrong with the grips. They only get replaced for the same reason someone would upgrade the grips on any other service pistol, looks.

Weasel

[juniustaylor]

This is a bad idea if you intend on using it as a CCW. There is a common saying "train as you fight"! What are you going to do if you EVER get in a gun fight? "Wait stop shooting, I have to reset my grip."

Weasel, you bring up an intersting point. I am merely a target shooter. I do not have a CCW permit and I probably won't have one in the next few years. kargo stated that he even had to do this while shooting. It's only commonsense. You're not going to leave your hand in the path of the hammer/slide. If he were practicing "self defense" with it, he'd probably unload the magazine and be done... afterall, you're not going to put 50 rounds into a perpetrator. You have a valid point if kargo does decide to carry it. You're either stuck "sucking it up" and taking the bite or find some way to fix the grips. Even if you have to ghetto it up so you have a bigger area or whatever you need to do with it.

I was cognizant of the slide and didn't want a "kiss" from it, but the stock plastic grip had a shard of plastic that gave me a nick.

I do agree with Weasel here. Take a look at your grips where the thumb web sits. If it's uneven so that you could get pinched or gouged you can try heating the grip at the defective area with a hair dryer and mold it as you see fit. Otherwise, get a knife/razor blade and make them match if heating doesn't work.

[kargo27]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I need a lot more practice, btw. Nothing really feels comfortable at this point.

[juniustaylor]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I need a lot more practice, btw. Nothing really feels comfortable at this point.

Problem is... the darn Polish didn't design it to be comfortable. I think it was just an attempt to have a small weapon firing a decent cartridge. However, the poor grip area mixed with high recoil was just one reason why they abandoned them and went on to develop the P-83 and it went on from there. I don't think you're really going to find a comfortable grip for it, you just have to learn to live with it. Take care kargo, and have a good week.

Junius

[Weasel640]

I do want to mention, another plus of identifying touch points is that with practice you should be able to draw without LOOKING for your weapon. This gives you an advantage in that you will be able to keep an eye on your target while drawing. Once you have your weapon out you just move it into your line of sight on the target and take aim. It also lets you react quicker if the situation changes.

If you waste time looking for your pistol you put yourself at a disadvantage, not to mention you will have to reacquire the target once you get your weapon out and that takes more valuable time. Not all targets stay still.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I need a lot more practice, btw. Nothing really feels comfortable at this point.

First fix the grips themselves, like juniustaylor said there are multiple ways to do this. Then experiment with how you're gripping the weapon to find a way that will work for you. Once you've found, it identify touch points and practice it the same way every time. It's not always natural, there is a reason the military and law enforcement spend so much time/money on training.

Weasel

[rottenrick]

If you just want a firm comfortable grip, the Handall jr. slide on is great. I've used it on the 64' and I have it on my High-Pwr clone. I'm planning to get a second P-64, it will have the stock grips and Handall jr. slip-ons. I have a set of Dennis's grips on the first one.

[kargo27]

Well, I did get the black set of these from buckshot..... viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3293&start=0 Which should be here this week.

I think I'll eventually take some handgun training course. I'm more of rifle guy (can I say that here? ) but I really like this little handgun. I like the simplicity and streamline design of it.

Junius mentioned the P-83. Are those available in the US? I Googled it but didn't come up with anything. What about the CZ82 and 83?

[Weasel640]

P-83

J&G is the only place I know of that has them. They are larger and will not conceal as well. But then in the right clothing I could conceal a full size Beretta 92.

Weasel

[cubsfan]

The P-83 and the CZ-82 are great pistols. There are several P-83 posts on the site. They are a little larger and heavier than a P-64 but they are quite accurate and hold two more rounds. J&G is the only place that has them that I know of. The CZ-82 is also very accurate and has been available from more sources. Again, its heavier and larger than a '64 but holds 12 rounds in a double stack magazine.

[camekanix]

I have a pachmayer slip-on with finger grooves and found the grooves too closely spaced on this short grip weapon. got a 26" bicycle innertube and cut a piece to fit. Not the fanciest grip out there but feels great and I can make about 10 for $4.22.