What New Free Pistol

[rkittine]

Morini CM83E or Hammerli FG60? And why?

Thanks, Bob

[joel]

The Morini is very nice, but I went with the Matchgun MG-5. You can get mechanical or electronic trigger.

Good Luck and 73,

Joel

[rkittine]

Thanks Joel. Do you know if Walther had dropped the Hammerli FG 60 and replaced it with the FP500?

Cheers, Bob

[joel]

I honestly don't know. I'm not sure what happened, but we used to have the Walther rep on TT, but I haven't heard from him in a long time. If I didn't have the MG, then for sure the Morini. I had the Steyr and it was fantastic, but a bit heavy for me. The Hammerli FP60 is also a good choice.

Joel

[Ricardo]

I bought a pre-owned Hammerli FP60, sold my TOZ, and find myself shooting FP more than anything else. I just love it. I've heard that the Morini is a bit heavier but can't say from experience. The Hammerli has a plastic set trigger lever, which could break if you smack it around like it was a TOZ, but it requires so little effort that you'd need to be careless to break it. I would take into account parts availability, though. I needed a new trigger post and it was a bit of work to get it. If Morini has good support for their FP it would make a difference if i were buying new.

[Rover]

Learn to shoot your old one.

You can't buy points.

[william]

Learn to shoot your old one.

You can't buy points.

You're bad for business.

[rkittine]

I pretty much do more buying than shooting, but I do like to have at least two of things that I expect to shoot a lot. I bought the TOZ-35M and ordered Rink Grips, which have not come yet, so I have yet to shoot this gun and have never shot Free Pistol. I will shoot mostly what I feel works best for me and then have the other for back up. Not sure I want two TOZ-35Ms though.

So after a lot of input from everyone, here and on other sites, I am down to the FP500 Walther and the MatchGun MG5 both with mechanical triggers, but first I am going to shoot the TOZ and my friends FG60 and see if I even want to pursue this.

As far as score, my shooting will be club shooting at two local private clubs I belong too and just for fun.

Bob

[TomAmlie]

Don't overlook the Pardini K22; someone did a nice write-up on it several years ago. I've owned and shot a lot of free pistols over the years. The only one I didn't care for was the Hammerli 160 (not the FP60, but an earlier model). My MG5 has been nothing but an expensive paperweight; although it's a dream to dryfire I never got it to function reliably, and support in the US is nonexistent. Steyr FP1, Morini CM84, and Pardini K22 have all been very nice to shoot. If i had to get rid of all of them but one I'd keep the Steyr.

[rkittine]

Thanks Tom, I may look into the Pardini too, but currently I am leaning toward the Walther FP500. Fort Smith will provide support.

Bob

[william]

"I will shoot mostly what I feel works best for me and then have the other for back up."

Of ALL the pistol disciplines, FP is the one that strategy is least likely to work in. More than any other, a free pistol has to become an extension of the shooter; and having two quite different ones doesn't look to me like a good recipe for either much success or much enjoyment (unless it's really just plinking with expensive hardware)..

There's an old quote:
"Beware the man with only one gun. He knows how to use it."

I'd say it applies in spades to FP.

[rkittine]

I really have not intention of getting into serious competition at my age and medical condition. This will be with 4 or 5 others at my local private club that also want to "Play At" Free Pistol.

That being said, I do have back up guns for everything that I shot more seriously. So maybe two of the same thing would make sense from that stand point.

Bob

[spektr]

I guess Im missing the point about free pistol..... I shoot all of them about the same. I collect (according to my wife) mechanical triggered free pistols because I enjoy them. I have 5 right now and all of them have different personalities. All will find the 10 ring, each does it differently. All of them have the rare magic day when they funnel everything into the middle. All of them have that day when you just cant communicate with it. None of them are ever getting sold because I love the challenge of finding what is talking to me each day and drilling the 9 ring with it. I have room for more because as an engineer, I get them. Curiously enough, I have only 4 air pistols, 2 never see the light of day and my 777 comes out to play rarely since the P44 is so good. The 747 and 717 get passed around like a drug dealer to hook people. I am of the opinion that there isn't really an ultimate free pistol, because it and I are a team, and I change as I age, get hurt, have eye strain, cant lift as much or feel better, take my eye vitamins get stronger and so on..... My variability doesn't make the guns any better or worse, but it does change what works best for me and that in itself is reason enough to collect these little jewels.........

[Rover]

You can collect 'em or shoot 'em; I stand by my original post.

Hell, even Sweet William agrees!

[deadeyedick]

There is another option....

Collect them and shoot them !

And even another....collect them, shoot them and eventually sell them. ( this is my preference )

[ghostrip]

try as much as you can before buying. free pistols are in a class of their own.
currently in production are CM84E, MG5(mech/elec), Walther FP500, Pardini FPM
i have shot club's k22 and TOZ and i own MG5. shot very little of cm84.
CM84 has best fit and finish. K22 despite its age is very solid with low bore axis.
FPM looks like it has very nice fit and finish.
TOZ is well TOZ. loved by everyone.
MG5 at least here in greece has taken some market share and we see them
regularly in matches (including mine). they are a couple of notches down in fit and finish from cm84
but they have been fairly reliable. all mg5 here are mech.
cm look fabulous but if is only electronic and if electronic board goes wrong it is very
expensive to get a new one.
since you got toz already i would try to get a second fp. i would try to get spare parts
and a good grip (morini, rink , K&N etc)

[rkittine]

I have Rink Grips coming. They are supposed to ship on July 9th. Will be interesting to see how long they take under the current world wide situation.

I shoot some Rim Fire Bench Rest at 100 and 200 yards and have a process for buying ammo for my 2 bench rest .22s. What do you guys do regarding ammo for your handguns. At 50 feet and 25 yards, I am not that picky about it, but at 50 yards, I would think ammo can make a big difference.

My benchrest rim fire rifles are totally different when it comes to which ammo they like as well as which lot number.

Suggestions for a starting point? Do the Pistol Match grades really differ from the regular match grades?

Bob

[Rover]

"What do you guys do regarding ammo for your handguns. At 50 feet and 25 yards, I am not that picky about it, but at 50 yards, I would think ammo can make a big difference."

Naah, very many of us use CCI Standard Velocity for everything. Except Conradin, he uses ELEY tenex.

[SeanM]

"What do you guys do regarding ammo for your handguns. At 50 feet and 25 yards, I am not that picky about it, but at 50 yards, I would think ammo can make a big difference."

Naah, very many of us use CCI Standard Velocity for everything. Except Conradin, he uses ELEY tenex.

Before the match put your CCI in an old Tenex box, it's good for at least 5 points over the course of the match!

[rmca]

In free pistol, the limiting factor is your ability to hold the pistol one handed, not the ammo.
That said, consistent ammo is what you are looking for. Most "decent" brands will group inside the ten ring.
Expect smaller groups as the price goes up, but that doesn't matter if your hold can only grant you a 7 ring group...

Hope this helps