Hi-power clone: too invested!

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Marvinash

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
83
When I got my trigger-work done on my Arcus 94 (and removed the mag. safety-mandatory on a P-35) my gunsmith said it was the highest quality steel he'd ever seen on a hi-power. He said that even Browning was using some soft steel. (if I shared my opinion on Browning 'quality/price' I'd get kicked off this page.)
I should have stopped there, but Ace Grips was selling some "black" walnut grips that looked so good, I had to have them, but I didn't"t like the Parkerized slide, so I sent it to Robar to put on brushed nickel-plating that matched the frame
Then it was a Wollf recoil spring (the original spring was flawless with 124gr., but a little fussy with 115gr. -preferred Fiocchi),
It has a 4 1/2. Lbs. trigger and I have 6 of those 17 rd. Mag.s from S.Africa.
Yes, I love how it shoots, how it feels, and it's beautiful, but I have to quit "polishing-turds"
CA limits your options on which guns you can buy.
I don't know why I keep doing this with cheap 'knock-off' guns - living in CA makes you isane!
 
I don't know why I keep doing this with cheap 'knock-off' guns - living in CA makes you isane!
Click to expand...

I know I'm an oddball. But I know that sometimes the "cheap knock offs" tend to be of high enough quality that with a LITTLE bit of work put into them they can turn out being better than the original. And besides it's always nice making something that is (on occasion) considered a peice of junk into something awesome.
 
Made in Belgium
Pachmayr grips
Adj. sights
Pretty accurate--under 2 # trigger
Nickel plated/////////////////////////////:):)

p35r.th.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder
Click to expand...

Or so they say.

If you like your guns, put as much money and time into it as you please. I spend my time and cash on east bloc stuff with special love for Mosins. People think I'm a little nutty but hey, it makes me happy, so why not?
 
I am picking up an Arcus 98DA today, this is a double action HP (sort of) clone. I'll post a report as soon as I can get to a range.
 
Arcus 94 is a cheap and good gun. A least the first production years were like that. I'm glad that you liked yours. Ugly but functional pistol it is.
ldsgeek, as for the Arcus 98, keep a close eye to the lower barrel lugs - they are cut on the right side to accommodate the DA lever. This is a design defect and the lower lugs on Arcus 98 are known to break - sometimes at relatively low round count - bellow 2000 shots. Sometimes the cheap rubber grips block the movement of the DA lever - easy to solve problem with just a pocket knife.

Off topic, but (maybe) an interesting story about the Arcus - first it was called Belitsa - unlicensed copy of late production Browning Mk.II, sold to some Middle East countries (around and bellow the embargo :)). Then the Israelis liked the pistol and Arcus began producing the Kareen Mk.II and III only for export to Israel and after the contract expired some time in the middle 90's Arcus decided to enter the civilian market - export pistols to the USA.

Boris
 
You almost always will invest way more in a "custom" gun than you can ever hope to "get back" out of it.

Hopefully, you chose a gun you really like, and hopefully, you are very satisfied with it.
If the answers are yes, and yes, you did just fine.
 
Arcus 94

I got a lot on my plate today, but I'll try to post pics asap.
Yes, I DO love the Arcus, more than the Star model B 9mm I picked up cheap and had brush-chromed.
I got it because, with the chrome finish, it's the same gun Samuel Jackson called "Mr. Nine Millimeter" in 'Pulp Fiction'. I thought he had a 1911 until he called it that. It turns out that that particular model, with pearl grips, is a classic ghetto-pimp gun. Got some nice grips on it, but 'pearl' is harder than he'll to find. I still like it (came with a 3 1/2 lbs trigger!), cost less than $200.00. Maga are a bitch to load, tho ... still looking for the pearl grips.
Then there's the Bulgarian Makarov! I chromed it, got some Pierce rubber grips. Had the trigger brought down to 4 lbs. This is a nice little piece; I don't think I could CAUSE it to jam - never has! More fun than my Glock 30.
Steel case ammo is still relatively cheap, but most CA ranges prohibit steel cased ammo. Great to take to Mojave for a rattlesnake plinkfest.
Pictures, yes, gotta get around to the pictures
 
Man i feel your pain.
Once you find a gun you love and dont feel happy unless its in your hand or in your waistline or for ccw. Then you don't mind dumping money into it when you know you will never get your money back out of it if it came down to that.

I just dropped $650 in parts for a full rebuild and a refinishing job on a Taurus PT1911.
I did all the work myself so i cant put a price on the labor but it was easily 25-30 hours involved hand fitting and fine tuning it.
So now with the cost of the gun and the rebuild i have $1250 without labor in a gun worth $400 in a FTF deal, $300 trade in value if im lucky.

Thats stupid crazy imo. But i love the gun as it was my first 1911 and it taught me to work on them. And it shot so well just stock out of the box and more accurate than i am i dont regret the bad investment one bit.

They better bury me with that SOB as no one could appreciate it like i do.

Ive seen the Arcus HP's and was really impressed with them when they were alot of them on the market last year. I wouldn't mind have owning one but im not so much a 9mm guy, I prefer to overpay for my range ammo and shoot slow .45 acp boulders.

Anyhow i know another guy here did the same thing as me to his PT1911 so you can join us in the club of wasted money in the name of love for a gun.
 
Yep, Cali makes you insane. My too.
Finding a well cast frame is a great point to start a custom on, don't care what name is on it.
By the way, 17 round mags are illegal in Kali, only 10 are allowed, unless of course you bought them before the stupid laws were inacted, and or you are a gangbanger that votes Democrat.

Look at it this way: At least you have a gun you really like, and, the legislature has yet to take it away from you, though they have banned the very magazines, over 10 rounds, that make the Browning advantage part of what it is.

Guns I can no longer own in Kali that I used to have:
Two beautiful FN Browning Hi-Powers, blued, 14 round mags.
3 mac 10's.
Two converted M1A's.
3 converted AR 15's.
M60 parts.
belted ammunition of any kind, but a can or two of .50 caliber.
.308 belted machine gun ammunition, issued by the US government.
Most any handgun Jerry Brown could rationalize, or otherwise, not putting on the Kali gun list.

So, thank God you have a gun, enjoy it, and don't ever sell it, since in Kali, you may soon not ever be able to buy another one.
 
too much invested

...and left side, right side Star pow-pow-pow 12.jpg

pow-pow-pow 14.jpg

The flash put some "yellowing" on the Star and exaggerated the contrast on the Arcus...
But you get the idea!
 
too much invested

So, $250.00 for the Arcus, $195.00 for the Star and $150.00 for the Makarov - that's $595.00 for all three, but then...
Add abouy $80.00 each for the Chrome Finishes
Mak. grips from Pierce were $15.00, but Ace grips for hi-power were $65.00
Arcus and Mak. were $75.00 each for trigger work (Star didn't need triggerwork, and I did the grips myself))
I was in AR in Aug. and bought every 17 rd. hi-power mag I could find ($25.00 each)

Do the math, brother - it adds up!
 
LOL. You've got nothing ion the guys who tart up cheap AKs, and while ARs are not cheap rifles, I've seen many where the accessories were worth more than the gun. Heck, how many of us have built $1000+ 10/22s?

As long as you like it, enjoy.
 
Guilty also.

I have a 295 dollar FEG that I had Heinie sights put on, re-parkerized, and added nice grips.

As a result of this, I now have an extremely nice looking Hi Power clone worth about 295 dollars. However, I now like the sights; it is less ugly, and I can hold onto it real well.

Had a good time doing the project though, and I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.
 
GunTech said:
LOL. You've got nothing ion the guys who tart up cheap AKs, and while ARs are not cheap rifles, I've seen many where the accessories were worth more than the gun. Heck, how many of us have built $1000+ 10/22s?

As long as you like it, enjoy.
Click to expand...
That was the point of the original post.
As for ARs, I carried one over 40 hrs. ago, and it gives me gallows-laughter to see them tweak it into an 8 lbs. accessory hanger that still directs the gas into the chamber/bolt.
Kind of like directing your car's exhaust into the air conditioner.
I would put in "LOL", but that's the weapon we put into the hands of someone who's risking his life for us, and that's not funny.
 
Feeli' done

That was kind of lame of me to get "heavy" on a friendly post.

On a lighter note, I noticed something on the "ARCUS" label - if I really wanted to hide the fact that My favorite gun (I have Colts/S&Ws etc.) is a cheap knock-off, I could carefully put some silver Jiffy Weld into the "C" stamp and make it look like "AR US".
I really must have too much time and money.
 
I have an FM (Argentine) Hi-Power. Got it for $325, about seven years ago. Since then, it's had:

Cylinder&Slide safety, sear, hammer, hammer strut and spring
Wolff recoil and firing pin springs
Novak sights
Complete Gunkote finish (satin black)
Uncle Mike's grips

OP, I feel your pain ;)
 
fM hi-power

FM hi-power! I've wanted one of those since I passed on one at a really good price (about what you paid) - thought better of it, went back in the next day...(Do I have to finish this story?)
My Arcus was from the 1st. wave imported by Miltex. Since then, Century Arms has brought in a (very) slightly different version (no ambi safety on newer ones, different grips etc)
It's interesting to hear that Arcus was making the old Israeli model. I didn't know the name, but I'd heard that the Israeli hi-power was the 'best you could get'. It certainly isn't the Browning. I have one of those, too. I use the mags.
 
I too have a MilTex. Has to be one of my favorite pistols. Built like a tank and reliable. Wish I had bought a couple more when they were available and cheap.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
FEG PJK-9HP (Hungarian Hi-Power Clone)
Replies
10
Views
4K
Dr.Rob
Dr.Rob
S
  • Locked
Hi Power Handguns
Replies
11
Views
1K
Husker_Fan
H
R
  • Locked
Makarov and Arcus 94 find a new home. Question about Arcus grip
Replies
1
Views
562
railroader
railroader
rpenmanparker
  • Locked
New Tisas Hi-Power clone
2 3
Replies
72
Views
10K
USBP379
USBP379
3
  • Locked
Hi-Power
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
bluecollar
bluecollar
Back
Top