Let's dicuss the best C&R pistol for around $200

[leadcounsel]

There's the various Tokarevs from Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland, the Polish P64, the CZ 82, and a few others...

What do you like best, and why?

The ergonics of the CZ 82? The hard hitting 7.62x25 Tokarev? The compact size of the P64?

Or... what?

 

[kenjs1]

Well I have a Polish Tokarev and a FEG PA64. Completely different beast but both have an inviting feel in the hand. The TT-33 is skinny and works great squeezed between the seats of the trcuck. It is also not tough to tuck in the back waisteband. The Tokarev has a terrible trigger- not just pull, overall feel and while the PA64 trigger isn't great it is easier to control. One thing I do love about the Tokarev is you can empty an entire clip VERY fast. It is a loud sob though - and the fireball it produces at dusk is a thing of beauty!

Of all I would definetely look at the CZ. I own some CZ's and my opinion is they will be a better quality piece overall. Cool round and neat pistol.

 

[rellascout]

CZ 82 because of the trigger. You can spend $800+ and not get a better DA/SA trigger IMHO.

 

[hAkron]

CZ 82. Primarily because I have one, but also because it shares MOST of its parts with the CZ 83 that is still in production, so replacement parts are going to be less of a problem.

 

[firesky101]

well you already mentioned the tokarevs, Other than that the cz70 is a cheap option that has a James Bond feel to it.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Um, find what you want and go with it, really just make sure you can get the ammo and that it works for you cause they all have thier 'hick ups'

The 82 is a fat girl (large and heavy for size)
the 64 is a gorillia, 20 pound trigger DA, 2# SA, and it's very heavy for it's size and LOW capacity having 6 rounds

the 63 is harsh on the hand, (64 ain't a treat to fire) and somewhat fragile, but much lighter.

The Mak is very reliable but middle of the road

Overall in 9mak I find the 82 the most pleasant to shoot.
All around gun, I'd find a police trade-in S&W or a CZ clone, CIA has almost new Israeli BUL and Jericho, and you can find HiPower clones too for reasonalbe.

Consider a single case of ammo will cost you as much as your gun, why not spend a little more for what you'll like to shoot.

 

[knoxy]

I'll put another vote for the CZ82. Nice trigger, very accurate, high capacity, and spare parts are plentiful. I have one & love it.

Been looking at the Toks too. Just waiting for my C&R to get here.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Toks are nice, and don't discount old guns like the ruby, right now thats my favorite

 

[Dr.Rob]

If a real milsurp Mak can still be had for under $200, that is one of the best out there.

 

[nathan]

The Yugo Tok are very nice to have right now. Melt the cosmolene off by soaking in mineral spirits overnight. The 9 mm mak CZ 82 is also a thing of beauty. Mine had a broken trigger return spring. I have to order parts for it soon to get it back into action.

 

[mgmorden]

If a real milsurp Mak can still be had for under $200, that is one of the best out there.

Haven't seen them under $200, but they are still plentiful for under $250.

As to other choices, I will say that MOST of the lower priced milsurps have a quirk or two that puts their price down there. Most are also completely reliable pieces (military guns HAVE to be), but just compared a modern commercial offering things are different.

- PA-64 - size of a pocket pistol, but steel vs polymer weighs a lot more. As has been mentioned, it also has a trigger pull from hell.

- various Tokarevs - Not bad. Single action guns, but they didn't originally include a safety and the ones that had one added later for import shouldn't be carried cocked and locked. Overall though for shooting on the range I do really like the thin profile.

- Nagant revolver - probably your cheapest option. Its comfortable in the hand but balances a bit odd compared to other revolvers. Loading is tedious, the trigger pull is bad, and the ammo is hard to find (though .32ACP conversion cylinders are still available, and these can easily be reamed out to .32 S&W Long or .32 H&R Mag if desired). Its main attractive point is price. Not as much now that they're over $100, but back when these things were $70 each, you almost had to get one if you had a C&R .

- CZ-82 - Probably the most modern option. IMHO the grip is too thick for what it is, and the mag release on mine is not only stiff but recessed at an odd angle into the grip profile, but it's still a DA/SA double stack with a button mag release and external slide stop.

Also, none of the low priced ones shoot what has become the "holy trinity" of autoloader cartridges: 9mm, .40S&W, or .45ACP. There are a number of surplus 9mm and .40S&W's on the market (particularly from police departments), but these usually fall into the $275-400 range - even for surplus. The Walther P-1's have been slowly coming down in price though. We'll see how low they go, but they're nice guns.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

CZ-82 gets my vote.

 

[armarsh]

well you already mentioned the tokarevs, Other than that the cz70 is a cheap option that has a James Bond feel to it.

I don't think the CZ70 is C&R. The CZ50 is. I would be delighted to find that I am wrong.

Out of all mentioned so far IMHO I think the CZ82 is by far the best value.

 

[firesky101]

I live in Cali and bought a cz70 from a dealer so it must be a C&R, otherwise it would have to be on the roster and I doubt anyone would pay the extortion money to put it there.

edit: went looking around and I should not have been able to order that pistol well I don't know what to tell you.

 

[MCgunner]

For actual carry, the P64 Radom. It's a VERY accurate little gun, reliable as all the mak guns are. The trigger is useable after a Wolff spring install, can routinely hit 6" plats off hand at 25 yards DA with it, and the SA is light and crisp even before. The transition from DA to SA is still a might tough, though. But, this thing is amazingly accurate and points as natural as any pocket gun I've tried. It's the only real pocket sized mak gun and that's how I carry. It is a might heavy, all steel gun, but not that bad, about like an all steel J frame. Prefer carrying my 14 ounce 9x19 Kel Tec, but the P64 is a keeper, anyway.

I'd like a CZ82 if I found one and had the money on me. That's what happened with the P64. Also, the Hungarian PA63 is a pretty nifty gun, love the duotone.

 

[CZguy]

Let's dicuss the best C&R pistol for around $200

CZ-82 hands down. Having said that, the next in line would be the P-64.

 

[Olympus]

The P64 is a tank. I kept it in CCW rotation for several years. Then the wife took it over for a vehicle carry. I installed both the heavier recoil spring and lighter hammer spring. DA pull is still stiff, but the SA pull is really good now. And it's accurate as hell! I can shoot tighter groups with it than I can with my Sig P238.

 

[armarsh]

I live in Cali and bought a cz70 from a dealer so it must be a C&R, otherwise it would have to be on the roster and I doubt anyone would pay the extortion money to put it there.

edit: went looking around and I should not have been able to order that pistol well I don't know what to tell you.

I didn't mean to get you in trouble!

This is a wonderful case-in-point that complicated gun laws only serve to make criminals out of honest men.

 

[Godsgunman]

I just recently acquired a FEG PA-63 and a CZ 82. Both are very cool guns and I think very fun to shoot. I did have to replace the hammer spring on the 63 because the DA pull was just stupid. Now with an 11# pull its much nicer. The 63 just fits my hand so stinking nice it feels so natural. The 82 also feels good but not like the 63. As far as accuracy the 82 is amazing and the trigger pull is like butter. The 63 is accurate enough but the sights on the 82 are so much better. I plan on carrying both but probably the 82 more often because of accuracy and higher capacity.

 

[Lj1941]

I'll put a vote in for the CZ-82. It is the most accurate hand gun I own. It doesn't pack the punch of a 9x19 but anyone who is double-tapped in center of mass will take notice or fall down and take notice. I would rather hit them with this than miss them with anything else!

 

[harmon rabb]

CZ 82 because of the trigger. You can spend $800+ and not get a better DA/SA trigger IMHO.

If you're looking for trigger quality, this is very true. It's not even close. You'd need a Sig worked over by Gray to match the stock cz-82 trigger. And even then, it may be as light but probably won't be as smooth. For a milsurp gun, the cz-82 trigger is hilariously good.

Since this is apparently limited to c&r, I guess the cz-82 does indeed win. But if we can bring in non-c&r milsurps, I think the makarov has got to win. The mak has a very decent trigger -- it ain't the cz-82 trigger, but it wouldn't be out of place on a modern gun in the $500-$600 range either -- is dead nuts reliable like a glock, has very cheap and readily available parts, and is about the easiest gun out there to detail strip.

Of the other c&r's.... what do we have left? the p64. reliable, very compact, seemingly designed for concealed carry... but a drastic difference between the DA and SA triggers. DA is unusable with the stock springs. Switch them out and it's ok, but then SA is like 2lbs, and the transition from 12lbs or so to 2lbs is so bad that it takes some practice to not double fire the thing.

Of the non c&r's left... eh.. pa-63? DA trigger like a p64, SA trigger a little stiffer so the transition isn't as bad, reliable, but ... it's the same damn size as a real makarov. And holds one round less. So, it loses. Even if it is pretty and modern looking.

p-83? Well, if your goal is the goofiest looking 9x18 semi-auto, you win. In all practical shooting, it feels very much like a makarov, so much so that I think the poles WANTED a makarov but couldn't just ask for the design out of pride so they made something resembling it in how it shoots. in a blind shooting test, i don't know that i could tell a p-83 from a makarov. but, well, p-83 parts don't exist, so i couldn't call them a better deal than a mak. and i do own a couple of p-83's, and think they're cool in their own way.

so, yeah, for c&r only, cz-82 is king. for same price range guns, i think the true makarov wins.

 

[harmon rabb]

I'll put a vote in for the CZ-82. It is the most accurate hand gun I own. It doesn't pack the punch of a 9x19 but anyone who is double-tapped in center of mass will take notice or fall down and take notice. I would rather hit them with this than miss them with anything else!

Now there's something to this. Before I got my EMP, I carried my cz-82 at all times when i wasn't pocket carrying, over a G27. Why on earth a cz-82 over a G27? Well, I'll take a hit with a 9x18 over a miss with a .40s&w any day, and I am much better with an 82 than any glock. The 82 is one shootable gun.

 

[Bentley4700]

CZ-82, no doubt. Best pistol value there is. C&R or not.