FEG PA-63: sharing the joy - see pics!

[GLOOB]

I guess I'm a little bit of a novice. I bought a Hungarian "Makarov" for what I thought was a fair deal of $150.00. When I got home I googled "PA63" and I found out it is a different animal, altogether- one that is much more akin to a Walther PP chambered in 9x18.

Well, after doing some research, I found that I didn't get a great deal, but I'm still rather happy with the purchase.

I haven't gotten a chance to get to the range, yet. I woulda gone today, but it was closed. So instead I will do the next best thing - post some pics. Range report likely to come after this weekend.

I have already set about to deburr the dangerous little beast. The first to get the Dremel treatment was the thumb rest. Then I rounded off the razor sharp little corners on the front of the frame (these gave me a nasty surprise the first time I front-racked the slide.) Next up was the hammer spring... it went on a two-coil diet. Next, I rounded off the safety. Lastly, I rounded the sharp points on the back of the slide and bevelled the outer bottom edge. I actually started to sand down the camel hump on the backstrap, but I realized I didn't have the proper tools for it.

I have really enjoyed modding and reading about this little gun, and I am very impressed with the low parts count. I can't wait to see what's inside of a Makarov, when I can finally find one.

Anyone care to share their pics or ideas for further improvements? Ammo? Springs? Where to get spare mags?

 

[ForneyRider]

I've seen those go for $100-200.

$150 doesn't sound bad.

That said, I'd rather have the Bersa Thunder 380 for $200.

I've seen .380 barrels for it for 65$ in the gun mags.
Try Brownell's or SARCO.

 

[denfoote]

FYI, the gun you have is NOT Pistolet Makarova.

This is a true Makarov.



Hungary did not adapt the Soviet PM.
They came out with their own home grown gun designated the PA-63.
The only relation the two have in common is that they share the same caliber.
That said, enjoy your PA-63.
I would suggest that you buy as many magazines as you can afford because when the supply of these dries up, the first thing that is going to go away is mags!!

Just check out all the threads on people looking for PM mags.
They used to be plentiful as sand and cheaper than dirt.
That is no longer the case!!!

Edited to add: CDNN has PA-63 mags for $10. If I were you I'd take a "C" note and buy at least 10!!

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/fegmags.html

 

[Mad Magyar]

Looks like you have a nice pistol....After all, it's from Hungary!
I've seen plenty of them for sale on the internet, and your price is in the ball-bark. Give us a range report when you can....
Ammo at the gunshows and in Shotgun News, so that shouldn't be a problem...

 

[GLOOB]

Thanks for the comments, guys. It's nice to know I didn't pay too much. It's also nice to find some spare mags - and cheap, too. The only two places I could find charge more $$$ and are out of stock.

I promise it'll be test-driven ASAP, and report will follow. I'm way too curious to see if I have taken too much off the hammer spring!? I chose 2 coils based on a post on another forum, but the effect was much bigger than I expected. If it works reliably, I'll have to say I'm very pleased with the DA trigger pull. I estimate it to be about 12-15 lbs (vs. initially 20+) after mod and cleaning, and it is very manageable. With a two-hand hold, I can now easily pull through it without moving my sights, and I can even find and hold at the "break point."

That said, I'd rather have the Bersa Thunder 380 for $200.

I took a look at the Bersa 380, but it just looked too pretty. It looked like the finish would be easy to scuff up. But the biggest deciding factor was my understanding of the "Makarov's" reliability. So I actually bought it by mistake...

 

[GLOOB]

Range Report:
I definitely screwed up the hammer spring. I had to quit after 18 shots... 6 of which didn't fire. No failures to feed or to eject, though. Repeat strikes failed to ignite the failures to fire. There was a pretty decent indent on each of the primers, though.

My first group was vertically horrendous (5.25"), mainly cuz it shot about 5 or 6 inches high at 21 feet and I readjusted my aim to keep them on the paper. My second group of 5 shots measured 2.6" across. No doubt I would have been able to get them down even farther if I coulda continued.

For reference, I pulled out my Glock 21 and did two 5-shot strings at 50 feet. They measure 2.5" on the first one and 1.5" on the second.

Some people have complained about the recoil, but I coulda shot it all day. I didn't experience any bite.

On the way home, I took a look at a .380 Walther PPK at a gun shop, for reference. It is definitely much smaller in the grip and the slide is shorter. The trigger is a bit lighter and much smoother. But I like the price of the FEG... they were asking 540.00 for the Walther.. listed price of 595.00.

I stretched out the hammer spring when I got home, and it definitely put some snap back into the hammer. I guess that'll do till I get a replacement.

 

[MPanova]

you can find replacment springs at wolfsprings.com

 

[jakk280rem]

the pa-63 was the very first pistol i ever bought. i thouroly enjou it. the gunsmith bug bit hard and i am in the procces of hot rodding mine. i will post some pics when im done. also i have noticed my own gun and several others report that they hit high, i found a set of needle file at harbor freight tools that contained a square file that fit the rear u notch perfectly. by filing down in the u and making it deeper you can fine tune your impact zone. it also opens up the sight picture a little. as another bit of info i have never experienced any kind of malfunction. happy gunning

 

[GLOOB]

Kindred Spirit

Yea! I was hoping to find you. Please post the pics when you're done, and I will too.

If I had to choose from all the guns in the world or my Dremel tool... I'd go with the Dremel, and then I'd build a gun.

Mine is a general tinkering bug, but since getting this FEG, it's been directed towards gunsmithing (oh the joys of buying cheap, used stuff that you're not afraid to permantly alter). In addition to the above mods, I have managed to add a few more. I ground the face of the trigger flat, but it's a bit rough, cuz I haven't managed to disassemble the trigger mechanism, yet. I bevelled the mag well. I filed down the bump on the magazine, so that it drops free. I ground a bit of the lip off the magazine bumper pad, which I find too pointy. I also enlarged the retaining detents in the safety in order to make it easier to move (theoretically. It still sucks. I'll do some more work on it next time I open her up.)

I found something odd, though. I have read that there is normally a pin that interfaces with the safety detents. But I found a small steel ball bearing in mine. I wonder if the previous owner lost the original part?

I hadn't even considered filing the rear sight. Thanks for the idea. I may eventually deepen the notch and shorten the top of the sight... not that there's all that much there to shorten. But for now, I'm not too concerned. I don't mind a gun that shoots high. Low, that's a problem. Just my preference.

Hey, Harbor Freight tools... are you from Canada?

 

[carguy]

Great pistol...I love the 9x18 round...more powerful, better stoppping power and less expensive than .380. Sorry you had a problem, check out this forum for devoted 9x18 shooters...extremely knowledgable and helpful people. If it's broken they can help you fix it!

http://www.p64resource.com/

 

[dwave]

Hey GLOOB, if you get another hammer spring, order a new recoil spring if you haven't yet. I got a 13 pound spring that is 2 pounds over the stock one and it helps with recoil. It hasn't caused me any problems either, still works fine. I also replaced the hammer spring with an 11 pound one.

 

[iwannasee]

I bought one for $128 out the door. "Pretty little gun", my wife said. She couldn't cycle the slide or pull trigger in single action. Ordered a spring kit which included hammer spring and barrel spring and installed it.. Took it to the range and first shot out and was struck on the forehead with extractor. Lost extractor spring and other parts the ran extractor. Pistol never malfunctioned. Ran through rest of box of ammo, not one failure. Replaced extractor parts and still to this day have had not one miscue. Very reliable pistol, and now my wife really likes it because she can rack the slide and pull trigger without any problems, except a chipped nail. That in itself can be reason to call 911 in her books. Bought her a pair of pink softball gloves for her to use while target practice.

 

[Nickotym]

the BB you talk of is all that is there for the safety detent.

 

[GLOOB]

Ah, ok. I don't think of a BB when I hear the term "pin." So I guess I got all the stock parts. Well, thanks guys. I did order a 13 pound recoil spring, and I ordered the entire hammer spring set, so I can try them all.

iwannasee: so you're saying that the pistol ran a box of ammo, no malfunctions, without the extractor at all? I guess it's possible for a blowback. But that extractor spring also powers the safety detent. So the safety didn't accidentally turn on while shooting it without that spring? Btw, that's a very new looking gun. I would buy a pair of them in that condition for that price, right now!

So here's my latest pics. I'm pretty much done, except for final sanding and bluing.

I removed a little bit off the backstrap and added some vertical grooves. And I finally got the trigger out to finish smoothing it. While I was in there I loosened up the safety detents with a dremel carbide cutter, and it works wonders. That's in addition to a major reshape of the safety, itself. (I find it makes racking the slide from the rear much more pleasant.) And I found out that you can remove a bit of material off of the magazine follower's slidestop notch to make it fall free when empty, and it still works.

 

[GLOOB]

Range report

Recoil? Yes! Fun, fun, fun. I like the snappy recoil, which makes me wonder if I will actually like the .40 (never tried) better than the .45. Firing one handed is really fun. I find the pistol recoiling up and in, to a "salute" position, despite using a good, square hold. But due to the low weight of the gun, the follow up is actually pretty fast for me, even off hand, and it is less tiring than shooting my G21. Perhaps helped by the rounding I did to the back of the slide, I didn't experience any slide bite (nor hammer bite) despite slipping into a very high grip while shooting single-handed.

No, she's no tack driver, but she's pretty consistent. I fired three 5-shot groups, two-handed at 21 feet, for accuracy testing. These are the better of the three. The other had a single flier, opening up what coulda been a 1.3" group to almost 3 inches. I shot a 5 shot string single handed with either hand, and both groups measure roughly 4", well-centered. The entire time, I had to restrain myself from breaking the range's rapid-fire rule (too badly).

I used Casey Perma Blue on the safety, trigger, modded magazine follower, and rounded edges on the slide... and damn, was it easy. I even colored in the muzzle. It's about as quick and easy as using a permanent marker.

For some reason, the Wolff 11 pound hammer spring doesn't work 100% either, so I had to go with the 13 pounder. But it's a pretty smooth pull after a good cleaning. Zero FTF, FTE.

 

[Oktavius]

Hey guys, I just bought a PA-63 today. I get to pick it up on Thursday (still waiting on my CCW). I have been looking to order some parts. I plan to get the Wolff springs (hammer and recoil), new grips, and then do some reshaping as GLOOB has done.

I am also thinking of picking up a spare barrel. Parts seem hard to find for the PA-63 and I have only found one place that sells new barrels.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=222480&chrSuperSKU=&MC=

I understand that the barrels are pressed in. I haven't found a barrel press for the PA-63. I see Makarov.com has one for Mak's for $22 but says it doesn't work with the PA-63. Does anyone know where to find a press for the PA-63? I know I could make one, but if I could find one priced similar to the Makarov press, then that would be an easy solution.

 

[jakk280rem]

i didnt think of smoothing the trigger face. most of my efforts were concentrated on removing the seretions from the top of the slide. i was going to buy somy of that bake on moly from brownells, but shipping is so expensive that i think i will wait and combine shipping on multiple items. looking for some sights. probly go with dot or post and dot, maybe off a glock? or a kahr? something steel. oh waell, i'm not in a hurry so we'll wait and see

 

[GLOOB]

The smooth trigger makes a big difference if you shoot a lot. If you just carry, you won't benefit all that much, but it sure feels nice.

My safety "loosening" has broken in better than I could have imagined. It's surprisingly smooth and flicks off with a nice "snick." Even with the smooth external contour I put on it, it's easy to manipulate even when covered with oil. I'm actually starting to fear it will loosen too much, so I have stopped playing with it until I find the time to clean out any residual grit from the break in.

 

[MCgunner]

Lot nicer looking than a Makarov.

 

[makarovnik]

Bite your tongue!

 

[GLOOB]

Final result:
Sanded some machine marks away on the inside of the firing pin channel. Replaced the firing pin spring. Cleaned it out thoroughly. Not as beautiful as a Makarov, eh? Well, my GLOCK never inspired me to record a video.



I should have ended with a closeup of my thumb. It's not bleeding! I should have also done a chamber check after unloading it. Sorry for the bad example.

 

[Oktavius]

I pick mine up tomorrow. So when the mag is out, did you press the mag release to keep the slide back?

 

[GLOOB]

Actually, there's no external slide release on this gun. But you can pull up on the internal slide release through the ejection port with your left index. IMO, this is actually ideal, and I have considered trying to remove the external slide release from my GLOCK... but due to the design, there would still be part of the slide stop that could be contacted by the shooting thumb.

Another tip: The slide can be pretty difficult to rack. Cocking the hammer makes it easier. But for some reason I still haven't figured out, it is just as easy with the SAFETY ON, despite the hammer being down.

Also, after you decock the hammer, the trigger stays back. You can flip the safety off/on to release the trigger, but I have found a partial slide rack will also release the trigger. So after dropping in a round, a press check will release the trigger. If the trigger is not released, the hammer can still be recocked, which is why I don't like leaving it in this condition.

Oh.. for the record, I was wrong about the sights being off. I was hitting high because I was using a modified sight picture that works on all the other pistols I have shot. But the shorter slide on the FEG caused me to shoot high. The sights are right on the money.

 

[Oktavius]

Cool, that's for the info! Didn't get to pick mine up today. Will be doing it tomorrow!

 

[Oktavius]

Well, I finally picked up my handgun today! I have cleaned the cosmoline off and have given it a good fondling. I definitely need the lighter hammer spring. DA is VERY heavy. I can't use one finger without moving the muzzle around. SA seems pretty good for a surplus gun. I seemed to of found all of the sharp edges too (like the front of the frame). So I will be doing a smoothing job like GLOOB has done. The mags need work too. Overall I am very happy. I will be going to the range in the morning to press the loud button.