pistols

Nagant Revolver 
One thing about military pistols of that period was that power apparently wasn’t a priority. Some of the contemporaries of that period like the Nagant lacked serious power such as the French 8 mm Lebel revolver and the 9 mm Jap. Apparently the side arms of that period were more for decoration then actual combat. The 38 Colt brought out by the U.S. is another example of the underpowered side arms of that period. 

The original patent was brought out in 1879 by Emil Nagant a British citizen. The model 78 was adopted by Belgium in the 9 mm and the 83 by Sweden in the 7.5. Norway also adopted it in 9 mm then the 7.65 caliber. The model 83 was made in both double & single actions.   Do not fire 32 H & R magnums in any Nagant as they have higher pressure and could be very dangerous providing they fit. 

The original caiber is the 7.62x38R Nagant Gas Seal Cartridge, with the intent of using the .32 ACP ammo for plinking and target shooting, and saving the original cylinder for the day when I found a good deal on original ammo. Some searching on the Web, and some helpful folks over at the Gun Boards Nagant forum, turned up some interesting information. Usable cases can be made from 32-20 Brass. There was some mention of having to thin the rims of the cases for some revolvers, but I didn't find this to be the case for me. I ordered a set of Lee Steel Dies and some Star Line 32-20 brass and got to work.






Akdal Ghost
The Akdal has been designed with high ergonomic quality with a comfortable grip and well balanced weight. The TR01 uses a short recoil operated locking breech mechanism which is also seen in Glock 17s. The locking breech is based on the Glock 17's Browning model in which the barrel engages the slide with a single lug, entering the ejection window.^[1] The pistol utilises a pre-cocked striker, which takes some of the workload off the shooter by allowing the trigger to be pulled less to fire off a shot.

The pistol has several safety mechanisms to prevent a misfair or accidental discharge. These include a trigger safety, a firing pin safety, decocking indicator and a chamber indicator. The rounds in the magazine are double stacked which means that they are less likely to jam, as sometimes occurs in fully loaded single stacked magazines, due to increased pressure on the spring.

The sights for the pistol are fixed, but a Picatenny rail can be fitted in front of the trigger guard or in front of the ejection port for a laser or Aimpoint sight. Finally, the stock is made of lightweight polymer and the barrel has six right hand rifling grooves.

Akdal Akdal TR-01 pistol is short recoil operated, locked breech pistol. It uses modified Browning-type locking, in which barrel engages the slide with single lug, entering the ejection window. Unlocking and locking (lowering and rise of the barrel) is controlled by cam-shaped projection below the chamber, which interacts with steel insert, removably set into the polymer frame. The pistol is striker-fired and utilizes pre-cocked striker, which is put to full by the pull on the trigger. In case of the misfire, user has no 'second strike' capability and must cycle the slide to re- the striker to its pre-set state. Pistol also has no manual safeties; instead, it has automatic trigger and firing pin safeties.

ALFA Combat 

The proven concept of the self-loading service and defence pistol in modern design with a polymer material frame. The breech locks in vertical movement of the barrel and the action cycle drive is controlled with short recoil of the back blow assembly. This pistol uses Browning-type breech locking system distinguished with simplicity, reliability and dirt-resistance. The trigger and striker mechanisms are designed with the minimum number of parts to allow also field disassembly for emergency cleaning.

It works in both the single- and double-action modes being equipped with quick response manual safety lock. The arm is equipped with a striker lock designed to allow permanent carrying of a cartridge loaded in the cartridge chamber having the gun always ready-for-use. Low weight, high magazine capacity and simple handling are appealing for demanding shooters. The high precision permits use of the gun for centre fire shooting sports disciplines. The three effective bores and two size versions offer a selection for a policeman as well as a sports shooter.

The proven concept of the self-loading service pistol in modern design with polymer material frame. the reliable breech and firing system design, low weight, high magazine capacity and simple handling are appealing for demanding shooters. The striker lock design allows permanent carrying of a loaded and ready-for-use gun. The high precision permits use of the gun for large-bore sports shooting disciplines. Three effective bores and two sizes offer a selection for a policeman as well as a sports shooter. Simple stripping, maintenance and resistance - a good option for users who take their security seriously.

ALFA Defender

The Alfa Defender is a Czech-made semi automatic pistol created for military, Law enforcement, and Sport shooting purposes. There are two different series of Pistols made by ALFA, the Combat series and Defender Series.

The proven concept of the self-loading service and defence pistol in modern design with a polymer material frame. The breech locks in vertical movement of the barrel and the action cycle drive is controlled with short recoil of the back blow assembly. This pistol uses Browning-type breech locking system distinguished with simplicity, reliability and dirt-resistance. The trigger and striker mechanisms are designed with the minimum number of parts to allow also field disassembly for emergency cleaning. It works in both the single- and double-action modes being equipped with quick response manual safety lock. 

Arcus 94 

The Browning Hi-Power is one of the greatest pistol designs of all time. The design was started by John Moses Browning and finished by Dieudonne Saive after Browning's untimely death in 1926. The history of the Hi-Power involves many countries and the Hi-Power is one of the few firearms designs so solid that it was used by both the Axis and the Allies in World War II. The Hi-Power and derivatives are still in use in a lot of countries by military and police forces.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the designers of the Hi-Power should feel very flattered. The Hi-Power is one of the most copied pistol designs in history. Some interesting features made their debut with the Hi-Power, most notably the "double-stack" pistol magazine.

AMT Auto Mag ii

The AMT AutoMag II is one of four autoloading handguns chambered in .22 WMR, the others being the rare Grendel P30, the Excel Arms Accelerator Pistol, and the newest Kel-Tec PMR-30.

here were a number of engineering challenges to overcome in designing an autoloading .22 WMR handgun. Not the least of which are extraction problems. The extraction problems stem from the fact that the slow burning rifle powder of the .22 WMR cartridge develops a late peak pressure. This can cause the case mouth to expand and jam in the chamber when fired from a handgun. AMT overcame this issue by drilling 18 holes at 90 degrees to the chamber. A sleeve was then welded over the chamber; providing a tiny amount of clearance for the excess gas to escape from the first set of holes on back to the second set, thereby relieving the pressure enough to prevent the case from sticking.

The stainless steel slide has a large cutout over the barrel, similar to the Beretta M9, to facilitate better cooling and ejection of the spent brass casing (more likely it is simply to reduce the moving mass of the slide to allow for the blow-back operation). The stainless steel construction throughout makes rust a non-issue.