AZAndy
Member
There are five models of pistol chambered in 9x18 commonly available in the United States. I recently got the last of the five, despite having no actual use for it, just so I could have the complete set. Yes, the collector’s mind is irrational. They’re listed in worst-to-best order, according to my opinions.
Here are some thoughts about each:
The FEG PA-63:
There was a time a few years ago when the country seemed awash in these Hungarian pistols. I first encountered one in a tiny gunshop in Wickenburg, AZ, while looking for a .22 single-shot rifle to use as a training tool for a young lad. I found such a rifle, bought it, and looked the pistol up on the internet when I got home. I went back and bought it for $89 the next day. The same tiny gunshop also had 9x18 XTP reloads for it, so I got a hundred of those as well.
Within a few days, I found a little spare time and drove a ways into the desert to try it out. It was accurate enough to suit me, although the light frame and odd ergonomics made it a bit snappy, recoil-wise. It seemed like a good cheap choice for a truck gun, so I put it in the van and there it stayed until the van was stolen a couple of months later. I got both the van and the gun back eventually, but that’s another story— the short version is that the pistol was used to rob a drugstore of cash and antihistamines. I don’t leave guns in vehicles anymore.
Double-action on these is despicable. My trigger gauge maxes out at 11 pounds, and that’s not enough for this one. It’s not Nagant-revolver-bad, but it’s not good. Single action is a gritty 5 1/4 lbs .
There’s no slide release; after inserting a fresh magazine, you pull back on the slide to reload.
The palm swell on the back of the grip is peculiar and uncomfortable. Perhaps someone with larger hands would find it suitable. Between that and the lack of heft, it’s not much fun to shoot.
These are cheaply made pistols, and look it. That said, they’re reliable and accurate enough that I’d carry one if I had to, and would be a suitable option for the budget-challenged if there is still any availability.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 7
Barrel: 3.9”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 5 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 8 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) up-to-fire, frame-side magazine release (RH only), aluminum alloy frame
The Polish Radom P-64:
Speaking of despicable double-action, this one also goes beyond my gauge’s maximum. I’d guess it to be about 20 pounds. Single action is 4 1/4 lbs., and very clean— not crisp, but not gritty, with a distinct and noticeable reset. Like the PA-63 above, there’s no slide release.
There’s a loaded chamber indicator on the back of the slide, which I don’t personally care about, but some people do. The sights are sort of there, once you can find them. It’s accurate enough though unpleasant to shoot— I’m told that new springs from Wolff can improve both the double-action and the recoil, and I may try those remedies one day.
It’s little-bitty and it’s well-crafted from actual steel, so it’s got that going for it. The bore is chromed, which I always like. It’s slender enough that pocket carry wouldn’t be out of the question. I wouldn’t have any trouble carrying one if I was okay with such a small capacity— it might make a nifty backup gun. Unfortunately, the magazine release is on the heel, which I have an unreasonable prejudice against.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 6
Barrel: 3.3”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 5 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 7 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) up-to-fire, heel magazine release (boo!)
Another Radom: the Wanad P-83:
This is the one I got for the sole purpose of completing the set. It’s made of stamped steel, and thus has a somewhat cheap look and feel, but is perfectly reliable. The slide release is positioned well and has nice little grippy-grooves, though it’s a bit ugly in that it’s just a piece of flat steel bent into a curve.
The trigger is about 12-14 lbs, which I’m guessing by comparing it to a new J-Frame. Single action is 5 1/4 lbs and nothing special.
The grip is a little blocky, though not quite Glockishly so. Sadly, the bottom of it has another one of those damnable heel magazine releases. The bore is chromed (yay!). I’ve had no accuracy or reliability troubles. It’s a little more bulky than it needs to be, so if I had a choice between this and the CZ-82 for carry, I’d take the latter and get an extra 4 rounds.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 8
Barrel: 3.5”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 9 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 12 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) down-to-fire, heel magazine release (boo again!)
And now, the actual Makarov:
Mine’s a Russian IJ-70, with adjustable rear sight. Why you’d want to adjust the rear when the front is nearly invisible is a question to ponder. Of course, my eyes are older than the rest of me, other than my knees, so maybe that’s just a personal problem on my part.
It’s easy to see why this pistol has so many fans. It’s well-made, accurate, comfortable to shoot, and easy to operate. Double-action is 12 pounds, and single is 6. The grip is a bit more vertical than the other offerings in this loading, which results in better pointability for me. The slide release is even more amusing than the Wanad’s— it’s just a slightly bent piece of flat steel. Russian manufacture seems to specialize in the simple and durable (hello, AK!) and this pistol is a prime example of the genius in that way of thinking. I wouldn’t hesitate to carry one of these, despite the location of the magazine release, though better sights would be on order if I did so all the time.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 8
Barrel: 3.7”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 8 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 11 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) down-to-fire, heel magazine release (oh, all right, I give up)
The CZ-82:
If this had a better finish on it, it would be the Rolls-Royce of the genre. It’s apparently sprayed with black Testor’s enamel, which tends to chip off (especially on the slide). The first time I saw one of these, I laughed at it and mocked it because of its completely ludicrous trigger guard, which throws all its aesthetics off-balance. Then I picked one up and held it. When the grip for this pistol was designed, CZ must have found a model whose hands are identical to mine. Hello and thank you, hand-twin Czech person! After I was finished apologizing to the gun for my hasty judgment (turns out the funny-looking guard is so you can wear gloves, like you might need to do in Czech-land sometimes), I bought it and took it on a range date. And fell in love.
If, like me, you spend a lot of time with 1911s, the controls on the 82 will all be familiar to you. The substantial slide release is right where it should be, and the frame-mounted thumb safety goes the same way as your 1911 (you can even ride the safety if you want). You can even carry this in condition 1, just like you would with your 1911, though the double-action is not so horrible that you’d actually have to. Even the slide release is where you’d expect it to be.
It’s quite accurate, points well, the white-dot sights are not invisible, and there are 12 rounds with which to do your work. Though a double-stack, the grip is not unreasonably thick, and is perfectly concealable under a Hawaiian shirt. The bore is not only chrome-plated, it also has polygonal rifling— this makes for speedy cleaning, in my experience, and I wish all barrels were polygonal. Double action is at 10 lbs., with single at 5 1/4.
Alone amongst the 9x18s, this pistol has ambidextrous controls, so rejoice, my sinister colleagues!
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 12
Barrel: 3.8”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 11 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 15 1/2 oz
Ambidextrous 1911-style thumb safety, ambidextrous frame-side magazine release
It has just occurred to me that some photos might be a good thing, so I will see about getting some together and posting them here.
Here are some thoughts about each:
The FEG PA-63:
There was a time a few years ago when the country seemed awash in these Hungarian pistols. I first encountered one in a tiny gunshop in Wickenburg, AZ, while looking for a .22 single-shot rifle to use as a training tool for a young lad. I found such a rifle, bought it, and looked the pistol up on the internet when I got home. I went back and bought it for $89 the next day. The same tiny gunshop also had 9x18 XTP reloads for it, so I got a hundred of those as well.
Within a few days, I found a little spare time and drove a ways into the desert to try it out. It was accurate enough to suit me, although the light frame and odd ergonomics made it a bit snappy, recoil-wise. It seemed like a good cheap choice for a truck gun, so I put it in the van and there it stayed until the van was stolen a couple of months later. I got both the van and the gun back eventually, but that’s another story— the short version is that the pistol was used to rob a drugstore of cash and antihistamines. I don’t leave guns in vehicles anymore.
Double-action on these is despicable. My trigger gauge maxes out at 11 pounds, and that’s not enough for this one. It’s not Nagant-revolver-bad, but it’s not good. Single action is a gritty 5 1/4 lbs .
There’s no slide release; after inserting a fresh magazine, you pull back on the slide to reload.
The palm swell on the back of the grip is peculiar and uncomfortable. Perhaps someone with larger hands would find it suitable. Between that and the lack of heft, it’s not much fun to shoot.
These are cheaply made pistols, and look it. That said, they’re reliable and accurate enough that I’d carry one if I had to, and would be a suitable option for the budget-challenged if there is still any availability.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 7
Barrel: 3.9”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 5 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 8 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) up-to-fire, frame-side magazine release (RH only), aluminum alloy frame
The Polish Radom P-64:
Speaking of despicable double-action, this one also goes beyond my gauge’s maximum. I’d guess it to be about 20 pounds. Single action is 4 1/4 lbs., and very clean— not crisp, but not gritty, with a distinct and noticeable reset. Like the PA-63 above, there’s no slide release.
There’s a loaded chamber indicator on the back of the slide, which I don’t personally care about, but some people do. The sights are sort of there, once you can find them. It’s accurate enough though unpleasant to shoot— I’m told that new springs from Wolff can improve both the double-action and the recoil, and I may try those remedies one day.
It’s little-bitty and it’s well-crafted from actual steel, so it’s got that going for it. The bore is chromed, which I always like. It’s slender enough that pocket carry wouldn’t be out of the question. I wouldn’t have any trouble carrying one if I was okay with such a small capacity— it might make a nifty backup gun. Unfortunately, the magazine release is on the heel, which I have an unreasonable prejudice against.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 6
Barrel: 3.3”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 5 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 7 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) up-to-fire, heel magazine release (boo!)
Another Radom: the Wanad P-83:
This is the one I got for the sole purpose of completing the set. It’s made of stamped steel, and thus has a somewhat cheap look and feel, but is perfectly reliable. The slide release is positioned well and has nice little grippy-grooves, though it’s a bit ugly in that it’s just a piece of flat steel bent into a curve.
The trigger is about 12-14 lbs, which I’m guessing by comparing it to a new J-Frame. Single action is 5 1/4 lbs and nothing special.
The grip is a little blocky, though not quite Glockishly so. Sadly, the bottom of it has another one of those damnable heel magazine releases. The bore is chromed (yay!). I’ve had no accuracy or reliability troubles. It’s a little more bulky than it needs to be, so if I had a choice between this and the CZ-82 for carry, I’d take the latter and get an extra 4 rounds.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 8
Barrel: 3.5”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 9 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 12 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) down-to-fire, heel magazine release (boo again!)
And now, the actual Makarov:
Mine’s a Russian IJ-70, with adjustable rear sight. Why you’d want to adjust the rear when the front is nearly invisible is a question to ponder. Of course, my eyes are older than the rest of me, other than my knees, so maybe that’s just a personal problem on my part.
It’s easy to see why this pistol has so many fans. It’s well-made, accurate, comfortable to shoot, and easy to operate. Double-action is 12 pounds, and single is 6. The grip is a bit more vertical than the other offerings in this loading, which results in better pointability for me. The slide release is even more amusing than the Wanad’s— it’s just a slightly bent piece of flat steel. Russian manufacture seems to specialize in the simple and durable (hello, AK!) and this pistol is a prime example of the genius in that way of thinking. I wouldn’t hesitate to carry one of these, despite the location of the magazine release, though better sights would be on order if I did so all the time.
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 8
Barrel: 3.7”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 8 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 11 oz
Decocker/safety (RH only) down-to-fire, heel magazine release (oh, all right, I give up)
The CZ-82:
If this had a better finish on it, it would be the Rolls-Royce of the genre. It’s apparently sprayed with black Testor’s enamel, which tends to chip off (especially on the slide). The first time I saw one of these, I laughed at it and mocked it because of its completely ludicrous trigger guard, which throws all its aesthetics off-balance. Then I picked one up and held it. When the grip for this pistol was designed, CZ must have found a model whose hands are identical to mine. Hello and thank you, hand-twin Czech person! After I was finished apologizing to the gun for my hasty judgment (turns out the funny-looking guard is so you can wear gloves, like you might need to do in Czech-land sometimes), I bought it and took it on a range date. And fell in love.
If, like me, you spend a lot of time with 1911s, the controls on the 82 will all be familiar to you. The substantial slide release is right where it should be, and the frame-mounted thumb safety goes the same way as your 1911 (you can even ride the safety if you want). You can even carry this in condition 1, just like you would with your 1911, though the double-action is not so horrible that you’d actually have to. Even the slide release is where you’d expect it to be.
It’s quite accurate, points well, the white-dot sights are not invisible, and there are 12 rounds with which to do your work. Though a double-stack, the grip is not unreasonably thick, and is perfectly concealable under a Hawaiian shirt. The bore is not only chrome-plated, it also has polygonal rifling— this makes for speedy cleaning, in my experience, and I wish all barrels were polygonal. Double action is at 10 lbs., with single at 5 1/4.
Alone amongst the 9x18s, this pistol has ambidextrous controls, so rejoice, my sinister colleagues!
Specs:
Magazine capacity: 12
Barrel: 3.8”
Unloaded weight: 1 lb 11 oz
Loaded weight: 1 lb 15 1/2 oz
Ambidextrous 1911-style thumb safety, ambidextrous frame-side magazine release
It has just occurred to me that some photos might be a good thing, so I will see about getting some together and posting them here.
Last edited:
