TargetTalk

When the finals of the 2012 Olympics showing that there were six Morini vs 2 Toz, I begin to wonder what are the choices out there for someone who wants to buy a currently in production FPs?

Here are the ones that I know currently in production:

Morini CM84E / CM84EL
Pardini FPE / FPM
Walther Hämmerli FP60
Match Guns MG5/MG5E
Thompson-Center G2 Contender

I cannot confirm whether Drulov is still in production, I do know that there are many still available for sale, including the model 90, but I wonder if these are new old stock. I cannot find any websites of Drulov, and the only "Drulov" that I know for sure in production is an air pistol.

Five brands. Match Guns has little to no success. Thompson-Center is not designed for competitive shooting. Walther marksmen ditched FP60 and used TOZ-35/TOZ-35M when it is Olympic time....

I wonder the reason why Morini is that far ahead that it becomes the default pistol of choice?

How come Tula stopped making TOZ-35M when obviously it is still a very competitive pistol? The company is still in business and I don't see what the reason is for not continuing to make the TOZ-35M. I am sure there will be a good client base for it...certainly one who prefers a mechanical trigger than an electronic one.

People actually use the contender for FP? Heck, I didn't even know they made them in .22

I'm surprised we don't see many of the Pardini FPs. I've shot one and it felt really nice.

I think if you have a look the tozs will be a 35 not a 35m

SeanM wrote:People actually use the contender for FP? Heck, I didn't even know they made them in .22

I converted/adapted an old .22LR Contender into a free pistol. I reworked the firing mechanism extensively to speed up the lock time & lighten the trigger. I made a full wrap around grip for it as well. Unfortunately, 60 plus shots with the rather stiff opening cycle was a good way to get blisters. You could use your other hand, but with the orthopedic grip, that was awkward.

It was a fun project, but once I could afford a real free pistol (Pardini PG75), I never looked back. Many years later, I sold the Contender to someone who wanted to use it for metallic silhouette shooting, and they did very well with it. Thanks to inflation, I sold it for more than I paid for it, admittedly with a large collection of spare parts. The surprise was that I also had a .45 ACP barrel for it, which they only made for a brief time. They had become a collectors item, and I sold the .45 barrel for more than I got for the pistol.

Having been through all of this, there is no way I would classify the Contender as any sort of free pistol, especially one "off the rack".

Wow, sounds like a fun project. I'd love to see pictures if you have any.

Unfortunately, whatever pictures I have of the Contender "free pistol" are "analog", and a bit buried at this time. I worked on it about 30 years ago, and bought my Pardini in the mid-80's. I thought I might have taken a digital snap shot or two before I sold it, but I can't find find them. That would have been around 2002, before I got married & moved to a new house.