Well, I got an SMC .380 from KBI last week. They've changed some things from the way they were in every online report I've read. The main reason I'm writing is to ask whether anyone has any idea where to pick up extra mags - no one seems to have any (Tim's Clips and toys4boys don't have them). Any help? I've seen Triple K mags listed, but I'd like to stick with factory if possible.
The FEG-manufactured SMC .380 is a 6-shot-magazined PPK equivalent (the firing pin safety is a little different, and the frame's a tiny bit higher), the smallest pistol to be imported after the 1968 gun control act. I'd read a lot about them online and decided I needed one, so I had my dealer special-order one for me. The pistol I received was somewhat different than those I'd read about.
As far as things changed from the reviews I've read, the number of mags shipped with the pistol is number one: everything I've read about these indicates they're shipped with a pair of magazines, but this one came from Davidson's to my dealer with only one. Bummer.
Everything I've read indicates the SMC has an alloy frame and a total weight of 18.5 oz. Mine has a steel frame and weighs 24.5. The slide was supposed to be nicely blued, mine was parkerized. Only the trigger guard, finger-rest magazine and safety (huh?) are blued. (And this is not an APK Mk. II - it says "SMC .380" on the slide.) The left grip still has a finger-rest (and the original grip is no longer included with the pistol - although a Mossberg-style cable lock is), but this one appears to be considerably more rounded than those on the earlier guns I'd seen. (As a Southpaw, I don't see any need to file this one down at all.)
It is a nicely-put-together thing, though. The hammer-etched slide markings and serial numbers look pretty cruddy, but the workmanship seems nice. The feed ramp was a teensy bit rough looking, but I got out the Flitz and polished it right up while I watched the boob tube.
We went to the range today. I shot Fiocchi FMJ and HPs, and Blazer FMJs. The pistol printed exactly on at 10 yards, and was capable of making .5 - .75" groups with all three types of ammo. The pistol has somewhat more protection for the web of one's hand than a PPK, but the ring hammer still gave me (medium-sized hands) a little "Walther bite." The side of the slide also wanted to cut me when I took a two-hand grip for a Weaver stance.
The SMC surprised me in that it gobbled 150 rounds without a single hiccup. Generally with smaller pistols I find that my initial oafishness alone causes a couple of jams - not a problem all day. (I don't know what the case would have been without the Flitz polishing, though - the ramp was a little rough looking.) The trigger is stagey, heavy and reasonably horrible, but I was able to work around it.
I'm pretty happy with KBI's SMC .380, but I'd sure like to know where to get mags. (I may just wind up writing to KBI.) I was also somewhat taken aback to find my special order gun showed up with a steel frame and a parkerized finish - anyone wanting an SMC might want to be aware of the change. Still, a value for the money.
The FEG-manufactured SMC .380 is a 6-shot-magazined PPK equivalent (the firing pin safety is a little different, and the frame's a tiny bit higher), the smallest pistol to be imported after the 1968 gun control act. I'd read a lot about them online and decided I needed one, so I had my dealer special-order one for me. The pistol I received was somewhat different than those I'd read about.
As far as things changed from the reviews I've read, the number of mags shipped with the pistol is number one: everything I've read about these indicates they're shipped with a pair of magazines, but this one came from Davidson's to my dealer with only one. Bummer.
Everything I've read indicates the SMC has an alloy frame and a total weight of 18.5 oz. Mine has a steel frame and weighs 24.5. The slide was supposed to be nicely blued, mine was parkerized. Only the trigger guard, finger-rest magazine and safety (huh?) are blued. (And this is not an APK Mk. II - it says "SMC .380" on the slide.) The left grip still has a finger-rest (and the original grip is no longer included with the pistol - although a Mossberg-style cable lock is), but this one appears to be considerably more rounded than those on the earlier guns I'd seen. (As a Southpaw, I don't see any need to file this one down at all.)
It is a nicely-put-together thing, though. The hammer-etched slide markings and serial numbers look pretty cruddy, but the workmanship seems nice. The feed ramp was a teensy bit rough looking, but I got out the Flitz and polished it right up while I watched the boob tube.
We went to the range today. I shot Fiocchi FMJ and HPs, and Blazer FMJs. The pistol printed exactly on at 10 yards, and was capable of making .5 - .75" groups with all three types of ammo. The pistol has somewhat more protection for the web of one's hand than a PPK, but the ring hammer still gave me (medium-sized hands) a little "Walther bite." The side of the slide also wanted to cut me when I took a two-hand grip for a Weaver stance.
The SMC surprised me in that it gobbled 150 rounds without a single hiccup. Generally with smaller pistols I find that my initial oafishness alone causes a couple of jams - not a problem all day. (I don't know what the case would have been without the Flitz polishing, though - the ramp was a little rough looking.) The trigger is stagey, heavy and reasonably horrible, but I was able to work around it.
I'm pretty happy with KBI's SMC .380, but I'd sure like to know where to get mags. (I may just wind up writing to KBI.) I was also somewhat taken aback to find my special order gun showed up with a steel frame and a parkerized finish - anyone wanting an SMC might want to be aware of the change. Still, a value for the money.