FEG question.

jwise

New member
Hey guys, I was in a gun shop the other day and ran across a Hungarian FEG in 9X18. It looked nearly identical to a Walther PP, except the grips.

What was I looking at? What's a good price for one of those? Any comments on its reliability/accuracy?

Thanks,
 
My guess is that it was a FEG PA-63.

The one that I owned was accurate (for a small pistol with small sights and a heavy trigger) and reliable. The sharply serrated trigger and light weight made it unpleasant to shoot, though.
 
FEG apparently makes several variations of their near-clone of the PPK. I've got a .380 version (FEG APK MK II) and it is a nice pistol. Surprisingly accurate and very reliable.

If you're going to get a 9X18, there will be a bunch of people here who will tell you to get a Makarov.

But if you want something a little smaller and lighter, the FEG is a good alternative. $250 would be as high as I'd go. You should be able to get a Mak for $50-125 less.
 
Thanks for the info so far. I looked up a FEG PA 63 and that's it. How does it compare w/ an SMC380? Is there an authoritative web site I can go to to find out more info?
 
The 9x18 Makarov is a more powerful cartridge than the .380. That PA-63 is a pretty good gun, though like most FEG pistols, it needs going over by someone to smooth things up (including grinding down that Johnson and Johnson* trigger). Once done, it is a pretty good gun and they seem reliable and reasonably accurate. In spite of the outer resemblance, no parts interchange with the Walther PP.

*J&J makes Bandaids and the PA-63 trigger increases their sales.

Jim
 
Well for what its worth(my opinion) the pa-63 is
a fine little gun, accurate, lite,not as high
quality as the makarov. The smc380 (all steel
frame) is top quality, accurate and function is
better then the 400-$500 walther.
Pa-63 sell for between $89.00-$200
smc380-sell for $130-180
 
My endorsement

I carry my FEG SMC-380 90% of the time. After a little smoothing in the feed ramp area, it never misses a beat. For me, it's also more accurate than either of my Colt Govt. .380s. I got the "thinner, flatter left grip" from KBI.

www.makarov/others

From Gene Gangarosa's "Complete Guide to Compact Handguns", courtesy of Gregg Brewer:

The SMC-380 is of historical interest because it is the smallest gun ever imported legally into the U.S. since the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (according to which a gun cannot be imported if it is less than 4.0 inches in height). The SMC-380, which is barely 4.1 inches high, had to have a target-type left grip installed to meet the government's stringent importation criteria. The left target-style grip widened the pistol from 1.1 to 1.3 inches, but that was a small price to pay. A thinner, flatter left grip panel is also available on request.

Like the PMK-380, the SMC-380 is available only in .380 ACP caliber. Its alloy frame makes it smoother and two or three ounces lighter than the PPK. It also carries better in a pocket than the higher-priced German gun and it fits the average hand better. Its sights, while tiny, are easy to line up quickly, thanks to the comfortable curve of the backstrap. In testing an early SMC-380, the pistol proved quite accurate. One 25-foot offhand group placed five shots in a one-inch pattern, using Remington 88-grain jacketed hollowpoint, the second-best group at the same distance measured 1.1 inches across, using Samson 95-grain FMJ. Unfortunately, the pistol used required an extended breaking-in period of several hundred rounds before it fed consistently and reliably. Later, though, a second SMC-380 tested much better, with only one breaking-in jam. It's always a good idea to run at least 200 rounds (four boxes) of any particular brand of ammunition through any gun, without a single malfunction, before relying on that gun/ammunition combination for personal protection.


Regards.
 
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