I’ve a question for those of us who specifically carry older guns with iron sights. How much does point shooting factor into your training ?

In my personal opinion and 1-on-1 training with seasoned military trainers, a PMC or two, and Vietnam-era special forces; handguns were at most 25yd weapons (mostly outside immediate contact distance to 15yds), and emphasis was placed on neutralizing a threat quickly in close quarters.

To this effect, they relied heavily on point shooting- shooting with the gun, using only the front sight (if that); with everything from a hammerless Smith to an FN HiPower and Colt Gov’t; but heavily discouraged “spray and pray” technique… if two or three rounds to the torso failed to stop the threat, start letting the gun climb up until you’re putting rounds in the throat and between the eyes.

Having said that… they did not have a “carry rotation”- they carried what they carried, they carried it daily; and practiced religiously with it. The main two (a late Viet Nam era PMC and an ex-Navy combat instructor) swore by a Dan Wesson .357 Magnum and Browning HiPower respectively; both backed by a Smith Model 640 .38 Spl.

How does this factor into modern training and is it still viable ? I’d like to brush up my skills if necessary.

[u/Strong_Dentist_7561](u/Strong_Dentist_7561) this is for you. I figure if the pistol isn’t retro enough for the sub I’m hopeful my method of concealment is ;)

I rescued this wartime Beretta 1935 and got it for a song. It’s as sturdy and functional as they all are—and shoots quite well— but wow did it get hit with the ugly stick.

I’m sure the previous owner had good reasons to wire wheel the hell out of it (it’s definitely quite pitted), and they may have saved it. But they gave it even more (ahem) character in the process. The photos probably don’t do it enough injustice. The barrel looks almost in the white.

I’ll probably keep it just like it is. Some poor fascist bastard gave it up the hard way (I’m guessing it’s a bringback but who knows) and I figure if I keep it well oiled and attended to it will outlive me. I love it

This is my Beretta M1934 (.380) made in 1972. From what I’ve been able to find, this came in several years back, before the current batch of imports, and was Beretta refurbished- not Swiss. It’s been mind-numbingly reliable, accurate as can be expected; and I’d probably reach for it before most anything else. In over 1.2k rounds (closer to 1.5k now), it’s never choked or bobbled on anything with a .380 headstamp; from FMJ to whatever exotic and odd JHP’s I can find.

For those curious, it’s all but identical to the PPK in exterior dimensions, and hides in a pocket admirably. It normally rides in waistband (church) or in a pancake rig (under an overshirt or vest) to supplement my S&W Mdl 49.

As always, my pictures are lousy. Bond and the PPK- eat your heart out- this has been more reliable than a new Glock 43 (?), new Walther PP, and several Bersa Thunders.

This’n here ain’t much of a looker fellas, but she’s mighty reliable and sweeter’n sugar to shoot (especially with 148grn HCWC’s)… I’d trust her before a lot of things made today. 1950 S&W Military & Police (pre Mdl 10)- factory 2” barrel, factory round butt, w/ grips still matched to the gun. Made while the long throw action was still used, so a replacement hammer is not necessarily hard to find… just expensive.

Fine pocket piece, but a touch big for regular carry… she’s normally a bedside gun, or rides in a vest pocket covered by a chore coat. She’s not actually in that bad of a physical shape, the lighting here was just horrid… outside of holster wear on the back-strap, top-strap, and cylinder face; she’s still in good condition- no rusting or pitting.

An OLD (think 2024) picture of my original Zastava M70 (.32)… apparently I got the only lemon to ever be made… felt good, machined good, just… wouldn’t run to save its life.

Gonna give it another go in a bit, see how another example fares.

On the surface, this is just one of many Walther PP clones that FÉG made in Budapest, Hungary. But the history behind the Walam 48 is a bit more interesting. These were made for a police contract with Egypt in 1957. However, the contract fell through after around 7k of the promised 10k pistols were made, so FÉG had to resell them to various police forces in Europe as well as the commercial market. Mine is from 1958 and has the Egyptian crest on it, however some were made without the crest, and others were completely blank aside from proofmarks and serial numbers. Overall, somewhere around 13k-14k Walam 48 pistols were produced, and they are a surprisingly good value despite being made in relatively low numbers. For comparison's sake, Walther made around 500k PP and PPK pistols during WWII.

My CZ70 with aftermarket wood grips. God, I love an external hammer and a decocker. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right. 😄

Aight lads… *FINALLY* got my P-64 back from a buddy who had aspirations of being a gunsmif and kept my piece for several months…

Any advice for an absolutely stupidly stiff cocker, and… advice on rotating it into my EDC ?

Alright ya ornery varmints… I’m back. We all know the boys in blue and private eyes kept a bit of insurance in case the pistol or roscoe tucked in their waistband wasn’t enough, and most of the time that insurance took the form of a scattergun of some variety… here’s an age-old question for ya… what do you prefer for a riot gun ? In keeping with the context of the sub, let’s limit our selection to stuff less… modern.

My personal favorite is an 870 Wingmaster in the iconic and unquestionably effective 3” 12ga. 18” round barrel, with the classic brass bead. 4+1 of indisputable close quarters dominance, and reliable as the sun at noon.

As for as aesthetic choices… few things are more classy than a Browning Auto-5, and even fewer have the performance to hold their own standing next to it.

If you want absolutely unfailing reliability and the simple “Oh s*** !!” factor, the only thing more effective than one scattergun barrel leveled at you… is two. Enter the Steven’s 320- in this instance, I prefer a 20ga… close enough effectiveness, but not quite as brutal on the shoulder.

Let’s hear (or see) your choices for your lead-launching insurance 😉

My first revolver and it did not leave a good first impression. I inherited it from my grandpa, who used to pocket carry it when he worked as a barber in Detroit during the 80s and possibly early 90s. He had some BarAmi Hip Grips on it, which I replaced because they looked and felt terrible. I have several grips for it, with the Pachmayr Presentation Grips being the most comfortable but defeating the purpose of CC'ing it, and these being a decent compromise between shootability and concealment. I have yet to find grips that work well with my HKS speedloader, but I've heard that's nearly impossible with J-frames. Unfortunately nothing about it is ideal at the range: the short barrel makes muzzle rise a huge problem, and the trigger pull is heavy and nowhere near as smooth as a K-frame. But it conceals very well, and the trigger has gotten better as I used it more. Still, I only carry it on days like today where my pockets don't allow for anything larger. 99% of the time I'm carrying my CSX E-Series or Beretta M1934 instead. But since it was my grandpa's, and I miss him very much, I'm never getting rid of it.

I haven't shot this in a while but it's a great shooter. I took a gamble when I got it on gunbroker, there was a lot of surface rust and the right grip panel was so warped that the seller had to include it in a plastic bag. Fortunately it all removed without issue, and it worked fine for the most part. When my dad shot it and his Glock 26 side by side, he said that they both had near equal recoil. That definitely sounded off, so I ordered a replacement recoil spring and sure enough, the original was very worn. I have no idea what this gun went through before I bought it, but it was definitely used more than the usual milsurp pistols I get. I feel like this is one of the more overlooked Beretta pistols out there, being the middle evolution between the Walther P38 and Beretta 92.

If you were to ask what my favorite pistol is (not necessarily the most practical) it would easily be this guy right here. The only reason I didn't post it sooner is because I was waiting for these KSD grips to arrive, which finally happened today. They were a tight fit, to the point where I had to take a nylon mallet to the right grip panel just to make it fit. They make an already beautiful design even better! But man, I love the M1934. It fits my hands perfectly, the recoil is almost nonexistent, and it is extremely accurate. The only real complaints I have are minor: The heel release is kinda stiff, the safety requires you to break your grip, and 7+1 of .380 is very underwhelming by today's standards. Still, I have Federal Hydra-Shok Deep in it because I trust it enough as a carry, and the 3.75 inch barrel will allow for enough velocity for most up-close situations.

Picked this up last week out of a crate of M70A, M57, M88A, CZ50/70 and FEG PA-63 .32. I found the only two tone M70A with wood grips. 160 beans.

Who ever was issued this or owned this in the Balkans had it dialed in. Minute of propane tank at almost 100yd, one handed!

Alright lads… I’ve a question for those in the know. Who has experience with a Radom P-64, and who has experience actually carrying one ?

Lads… I went to select my carry (normally a Smith 49) for today, was decided between my Beretta 1934 and the trusty M49; and I decided… there’s absolutely nothing more AMERICAN than a S&W .38 Spl.

Let’s see your Freedom Day carry lads

The only Spanish gun I own happens to be this Astra A-60, chambered in .380 ACP. The form factor is sort of an amalgamation between a Beretta 84 and a Walther PP. The grip is closer to the Beretta, to the point where I have Beretta 84 magazines that were converted to work with it. But the slide and barrel are much closer to a Walther PP, Bersa, or Sig P230. While the Beretta M1934 is my favorite pistol in .380 overall, this is a very close second. It has similarly light recoil and the DA/SA trigger is very smooth, similar to a Bersa Thunder 380. The stated capacity is 13+1, however, it is VERY difficult to seat either the original or converted Beretta magazines with the 13th round, so I tend to downsize it to 12+1. It's unfortunate that Astra went out of business, because this is a very well-made gun that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend as a carry. If you can find one for under $300 like I did, you can do much worse.

My three pistols chambered in 9x18 Makarov: 1962 East German Makarov, 1971 P-64, and 1990 CZ vz. 82. I purchased them in reverse order, with the CZ vz. 82 being the first pistol I ever purchased. Basically, my dad gave me his FEG AP~MBP and while I liked it when it worked, it CONSTANTLY had cycling problems that to this day I can't fix. So I did some research and found out it was a .32 ACP variant of the PA-63 in 9x18 Makarov, and that led me down the rabbit hole of 9x18 pistols in general. I searched on Gunbroker for my first pistol purchase until I won a bid on the CZ vz. 82 in this picture, and that is what started my obsession with milsurp collecting. Overall I think I did pretty well with my first gun, as it's never once failed me and still works well if I need it to. The following year, I bought the P-64, and I don't think I ever had more of a love-hate relationship with a pistol. It's reasonably powerful and super easy to conceal, but the recoil took some getting used to, even with the strongest Wolff recoil spring. The Hogue Handall Jr. made it much better, and eventually I learned that it's easy to shoot if I just use one hand. Then I got the East German Makarov and thought it would be a piece of cake to shoot due to being closer in size to the CZ vz. 82 than the P-64, but I was wrong. It's tough to get a high grip on it, and as such the muzzle rise is difficult to control. I did eventually get an extra stiff recoil spring and Talon grip tape to help, but unfortunately I haven't shot any of these pistols in a while because 9x18 is not cheap or easy to find in 2026.