My FK BRNO impressions...

I don't even have a cell phone or a TV.I'm driving a rusty 85 Toyota 4x4.
While I did spend 30 years in machine trade,I retired as a school custodian.
I've never paid more than $4000 for a vehicle.
I do take ownership of my life.I'm comfortable living modestly.

But so long as wealth is come by honestly,I respect and celebrate the success of others.
I,myself,cannot comprehend spending $1000 on a smart phone. But I don't judge you for having one.

If you buy a Barrett 50,or a custom 1911,or a Holland and Holland,a Bugatti or a Ferrari,or a P-51 Mustang or A C-47,or an Otter or a Beaver...
If you enjoy caviar and truffles ,good for you.If you shown me pix and tell me about it,I'll enjoy and thank you.

I have no patience with the small people who embrace envy.

You know,just in terms of cars,I wish I could afford to replace the under $1000 cars I have owned. The 67 Chevelle SS 396,the 63 Mini,Sprite,and Volvo 544.

Some might think it crazy to spend $30 k or $40 k for a 67 Chevelle SS 396.

What does an AC Cobra bring?.
Maybe,if I won the Powerball....

But you show me yours, I'll smile and enjoy vicariously. Good for you!!

Local pub has great 50 cent chicken wings and cheap PBR's. I like the guy I see in the mirror. Life is good.

I have a $50 Caspian double stack frame casting and access to a Bridgeport.
Not only that,I know how to use it.I ended up,(legit) with a STI Trubore comped 38 Super barrel,Commander length. No charge.
I'm going to build what I could never afford,for not much more than the price of an RIA.

I MAY even have Docter Optic CNC the low mount cut for their red dot,with the "Hardened" package(All joints re-soldered and epoxy encapsulated)

If I do that,I'll have about $1k total in it.

What I enjoy,my satisfaction,is I made something I can't afford to buy.

And a lot of folks with money can't buy what I can do. Some will never know the experiences I've had from Alaska to Baja.

And that's OK. We all get dealt a fresh hand of cards every day.

To be able to enjoy is its own wealth.

I've enjoyed road kill venison.I've enjoyed carp fishing. I've enjoyedsharing a few potatoes andan onion with a friend who only had a bottle of catchup.
But he dug out some couch change to buy in. What a great meal!.

Folks enjoying lobster or prime rib never crossed my mind.

I guarantee they were not enjoying it any more.

I don't be grudge a Rolex. It takes nothing away from my Casio.I'm rather attached to my 85 Toyota. If you want to give me a new Escalade,well,I'd rather have the money to restore my Toyota.

But I can sure enjoy a ride in YOUR Escalade.

And I won't have a bad thing to say. Just "Thank You" That's a fine machine!"
 
I have no patience with the small people who embrace envy.
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I really like your post, however I would have used the word 'jealous' in place of 'envy'.

The two words are quite similar but there's a shade of meaning that's important.

Envy is more about wanting what other people have, or wanting to be what others are. I'm envious of lots of people. Envy can actually be constructive if it motivates a person to try to better themselves or to work for the things they see that others have.

Jealousy is more about being unhappy that other people have more than you do and begrudging them their good fortune, their achievements, or the fruit of their labors. Jealousy is destructive because it's not about wanting to be better or to have more, it's about wanting other people to be worse off and have less.
 
Do you have a source for ammo and how much is it?

That is a gorgeous piece of kit. Yet even though I have been known to have the financial restraint of PacMan Jones in a strip club this is far too rich for my blood. I am however very interested in your thoughts and pictures and very glad you posted.

This is not a firearm you buy as a tool. It is kinetic art, it is singular and odd and just plain a joy to own(I making that assumption based on similar things I own for reasons that go beyond intrinsic values).

Again thank you for the post and I am interested to hear about the ammunition.

Enjoy it in good health.

Chris
 
I actually can see its use as a field tool. Of course, I'm deep in hog and gator category and I believe the round would be very sufficient for either along with the small deer we have in this state.

Would be very interesting to see the caliber adopted in a PDW/SBR/carbine
 
bac1023 said:
Im not really sure of your point.

What does a Rolex do that a Timex doesn’t? It’s materials, fit and finish, accuracy, durability, etc. the FK clearly isn’t designed for mass production or your everyday shooter.

Some cars, guns, watches, etc cost a lot more than others for people who enjoy the nicest stuff. It’s not for everyone.
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My point is that for the price, there are guns just as good for half the cost. The only thing you can't get from those guns though is the experience of owning an FK BRNO, which is why I say I hope you enjoy the gun.

I would say the same thing to the person who owns the Rolex.

I'm glad that extravagant things exist because the relative nature of them compared to similar things helps rank what's better and what's worse, I just don't see why I'd buy a really nice gun over say, a used car or rent for a whole year or food for the next 2 years.
 
That pistol is gorgeous. It is a work of art. So long as you acquired it honestly, it is a piece to be proud of. I'm a simple guy and I like my cheap guns, but I sure can appreciate what others enjoy just as much. Thank you for sharing.
 
My point is that for the price, there are guns just as good for half the cost. The only thing you can't get from those guns though is the experience of owning an FK BRNO, which is why I say I hope you enjoy the gun.

I would say the same thing to the person who owns the Rolex.

I'm glad that extravagant things exist because the relative nature of them compared to similar things helps rank what's better and what's worse, I just don't see why I'd buy a really nice gun over say, a used car or rent for a whole year or food for the next 2 years.
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With all due respect, it’s all relative. This isn’t even one of my most valuable handguns, so I didn’t look at the price as overly extravagant. I own more than enough vehicles, so buying a used car just to depreciate or paying 12 months of someone else’s mortgage are not my idea of being smart about money. Handguns are a hobby, but also an investment for me.

I still don’t see what your point is. I also don’t quite understand how you’re so sure it has equals at half the price. I’ve been in the exotic gun business for many years and I have yet to see that. Once again, these pistols aren’t for everyone, nor are they intended to be.
 
For that kind of money they should at least put a proper grip screw on it. What is it with the Czech gun makers and their Phillips head grip screws on everything? Looks cheapy to me. JMO
 
Not judging your decision to send that level, but I would be absolutely leery of a brand new design which requires a new bullet.

Say it doesn't work out. That gun is worth less than nothing.
 
Say it doesn't work out. That gun is worth less than nothing.
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That would be true from a shooter standpoint. From a collector standpoint, I would imagine that the value would go way up.
 
Not judging your decision to send that level, but I would be absolutely leery of a brand new design which requires a new bullet.

Say it doesn't work out. That gun is worth less than nothing.
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The new round was the whole point to the gun.

I’m a collector first, shooter second. If it flops I’m fine with that. The gun will rise in value as time goes by. It’s all good. :)
 
Do you have a source for ammo and how much is it?
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I was in a shop about a month ago that two of these that had literally just come in door. The owner asked me if I wanted to see a $7500 handgun. I said sure. Nice gun, but I didn't see it being $7500, but hey, if you have it and are willing to spend it, what do I care. Apparently, both of the guns he had were already sold.

The owner was claiming they were shooting elk at 150 yards with them. OK. Ill watch. :)

He had ammo with the guns. Its a bottleneck round. According to him, ammo is $75 a box of 50.

I was in the same shop the other day, and asked about them again. The boy behind the counter was saying that one of the guys who bought one, had been shooting his, and was complaining about the recoil.

Guess Ill never know. But if he'd be willing to let me try, Im up for it. :D
 
I'm glad that extravagant things exist because the relative nature of them compared to similar things helps rank what's better and what's worse, I just don't see why I'd buy a really nice gun over say, a used car or rent for a whole year or food for the next 2 years.
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I understand your sentiment. I'm in the same boat. I can't imagine spending that kind of money on a pistol, just because I'm working class and have a wife and 3 kids to feed at home (kid 4, er should I say kid 1, moved out and is on his own now). But I work hard to put some money away for retirement, and my dream is to start a business that will earn me good money on top of my pension later on in life. It may work, or it may fail... but I will have given it my best either way. At that point, if I succeed, I could probably justify dropping money on one or two really nice guns. A Les Baer might be an option at that point... or maybe even a BRNO.

I have to admit that I can immediately see, even in pictures, the quality of workmanship that went into this pistol. The price tag is not a major shock to me. I knew immediately upon seeing the pictures that it was not something I would be able to even save up for.

What I enjoy,my satisfaction,is I made something I can't afford to buy.

And a lot of folks with money can't buy what I can do. Some will never know the experiences I've had from Alaska to Baja.

And that's OK. We all get dealt a fresh hand of cards every day.
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Here here... a man after my own heart. My wife gets mad at my garage projects (which typically include making things I couldn't justify spending the money on purchasing), but I enjoy building something and saying "I would spend good money on that if I had the money to spend" when I finish.

To be able to enjoy is its own wealth.
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Yes it is. If my kids ask about the "secret of life" (which used to be a big question, nowadays most folks are too distracted to ask) I tell them "contentment."
 
"What does a Rolex do that a Timex doesn’t? It’s materials, fit and finish, accuracy, durability, etc. the FK clearly isn’t designed for mass production or your everyday shooter.

Some cars, guns, watches, etc cost a lot more than others for people who enjoy the nicest stuff. It’s not for everyone."

Watches have always been a hobby of mine and like many a collector Rolex is a known brand. I've always liked the sport diver look since being a kid of about 9 years old. My first watch was a no brand $15 diver type bought from a five and dime store, it got wet inside the first time I took a bath with it, ruined. Now at a much older age I realize most watches I've owned take after the Rolex submariner. But to this day I always felt the need for a mechanical watch to need a complete cleaning/oiling every 3, 5 or 7 years to be impractical.

Most of my watches are analog quartz and non are mechanical. I appreciate the analog quartz because it eliminates the high wear areas of the all mechanical such as the regulator (balance wheel, fork and escapement wheel) and mainspring, the later is commonly replaced when servicing is done by a AD (authorized dealer).

Getting back to my first watch failing in the bath tub, the water resistance rating of the majority of watches on the market is, simply put, baloney. Its solely dependant on the maker. The only exception I know of is when it states "Diver's XXX m",the XXX being a numerical value and m means meters. An actual dive rated watch can be had for about $200, Seiko.

My watches are mostly Tag Heuer with a 200 meter rating, never experienced water damage issues in very warm tub, swimming pool and beach activity. I had a Heuer mechanical watch with no water issues but it had a mis-machined case that caused the back cover to mount at an angle, not flat. It also stopped running in about 3 years giving the impression a mineral based oil was used rather than the more expensive synthetic. The watch was bought new around 1972, right in the period of the quartz crises in Switzerland. The Swiss watch industry was decimated by the Asian quartz makers, namely Seiko. Marketing was changed, the Swiss watch went from being a tool to jewelry. I remember the submariner could be had for about $800 during the early eighties, Rolex was always pricey even as a tool. Today the submariner is closer to $9K!

That's some impressive marketing along with strategic supply limiting IMO.
 
"Not judging your decision to send that level, but I would be absolutely leery of a brand new design which requires a new bullet.

Say it doesn't work out. That gun is worth less than nothing. "

That's the same logic I used about the Walther P99 (original version). I'm familiar with Walther from the 80s because I have a couple of P5's. My thinking was the P5 was reasonably successful at over 50K pieces sold but the following P88 was not at perhaps 10K or less. I really liked the look of the P99 and it was loaded with features and felt good in the hand but warning bells went off in my mind. I believe like the previous P88 this was a much different design than Walther's previous models and that they did not or would not dedicate the resources necessary to make a good product. The P99 suffered IMO a design issue that caused breakage of the fire control group. Part availability can be an issue.

I'm still content with my Glock. Like most plastic arms the looks is not handsome or cute but its good enough for plastic.
 
I am not a big pistol guy, although I am getting into them a bit more and more. I was in a chat group and one guy that sounded fairly knowledgeable said that some 10mm loads were similar to the FK Brno in power. He didn't talk about range though if my memory serves. Sometimes it doesn't though....so maybe there is a difference in effective range. I haven't put forth the effort to pull up and compare the info though. But, if they are similar no way I am going to spend $6K more for a pistol and even more over the lifetime on ammo.
That being said I do love CZ pistols. I also think aesthetically it is beautiful.
 
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Gorgeous gun! I appreciate the gun for its design and craftsmanship. I cannot afford one, but that is my problem. As the song goes, "If it makes you happy.........."
 
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