I'm happy to report that I have the Pardini SP New .22 LR pistol now in my possession.
Thanks Larry
Larry of Larry's Guns came through and I received the new pistol without any problems. I'd like to thank Larry along with Amanda and Dianna, who all worked with me every step of the way on this purchase and handled all the issues and questions that came up along the way. I am very satisfied with the level and quality of service that I received from all of them.
Grip Size
I finally decided to give the grip issue a rest after having difficulties deciding on what is the proper grip size to choose (factory Large, or Rink Large or XL) and just decided to go with the factory standard Large size grip because I can always change it later to a different grip.
The quality of construction on the factory grip is great, and it is slightly better than the Rink XXL grip that I saw on the previous pistol. The lines on the grip are very square and the construction is very solid. The size of the grip across the knuckles is perfect with the bottom palm shelf only needing to be adjusted up by 2mm in the front for the pinky and 1mm in the rear, creating a slight angle upwards. The previous Rink XXL hand guard had to be moved up by at least 15mm or more to the most minimal position and even then it did not provide any support.
The only issue that I possibly foresee with this factory Large grip is that the
volume of the grip is "normal" and my trigger finger extends far into the trigger guard area requiring me to bend my finger square 90-degrees causing my trigger finger to lift off the grip all the way up to the knuckle. This might require me to change the grip to a "thick" volume grip. I will use this grip for a little while to see how comfortable I feel with it before I decide to change it. Otherwise the other parameters of the grip, like the
0-degree angle, and
convex form feel very good and natural.
One accessory that I might consider is the optional
Anatomical Palm Shelf accessory that is contoured with a grove for the palm swell area, since the standard palm shelf is flat. My hand has a considerable palm swell muscle from weight lifting so this is something for me to consider and something that came up with the grip size discussions with Larry. However, I will have to decide this option after I figure out if the volume of the grip is proper and comfortable for my trigger finger.
I was unable to figure out and decide on what kind and size of grip that I need without having the gun with the standard factory Large grip to spend time with. Now that I tried this grip I can say that I know what I want and what I should have. There is no substitute for hands-on experience no matter how many hand traces, measurements, or scans are performed.
Magazines
I purchased another 5-round magazine for this pistol since it came with two so now I have a total of 6-magazines which is perfect for the slow, timed, and rapid-fire events without requiring me to reload in-between.
I've tested all the magazines in this SP New model and they all insert and eject properly. One of the magazines required me to remove and replace the floor plate back since it wasn't ejecting properly after locking in. After that quick adjustment it pops out of the gun like all the others.
Upon insertion the magazines lock-in through the magazine release and when the release is pressed forward, towards the magazines, they eject out by force of a spring clear out of the pistol. When this is repeated with the gun upside down the magazines still pop-up out of the gun and are easy to remove out of the frame. This is a very reliable ejection mechanism on this new model.
The older model did not do that and required the magazine release latch to be pressed forward while simultaneously gripping the front of the magazine floor plate and to remove the magazine.
I am glad that I opted for a new model instead of modifying the previous model since now I can be confident that the current and future magazines will perform flawlessly in this pistol.
New Frame
I already disassembled the gun and removed the grip to inspect it and to take pictures of it before firing it and I can say that the frame on this SP New model is different with certain parts of the frame being reinforced. The most visible location for this is underneath the gun where the slide lock button resides and the serial number if printed. The SP Old model gun has a straight body and the button protrudes out from the frame, while the SP New has a double-thickness frame there up to the button that is now recessed into the frame with a grove.
The quality of the construction on the frame is absolutely perfect and flawless with all parts outside and inside being well machined with smooth rounded faces and edges. The entire frame is covered with a very hard enamel type paint including all the internal faces of the frame. The workmanship on this pistol is of the best quality that I have ever seen, even better than my custom made and fitted Les Baer 1911 Concept pistol, S&W 686-6 6-inch revolver, and my Sig Sauer P226 Elite model.
There is some serious engineering that has gone into the creation of this pistol and it looks like it is well worth the price.
Trigger Adjustment
The trigger came unadjusted from the factory. It had a very long 3-4mm movement in the first stage (take-up), a nice and crisp break requiring only medium pressure for the second stage, but a long 1mm over-travel. This unadjusted trigger was quite sub-par from such a special target pistol and I immediately proceeded to adjust it.
The first step that I did was to move the trigger forward into the trigger guard on the trigger rail to move the trigger as far forward as possible, positioning the trigger in the middle of the guard and giving me additional length for the distance of my longer trigger finger.
Afterward, I used the CP (Sear Engagement, First Stage Length) screw to reduce and remove the first stage travel length and slack on the trigger. Then I used the TS (Rear Stop, Over-travel) screw to remove any noticeable over-travel of the trigger after the break. Then I slightly adjusted the PG (Forward Stop, Disconnector) screw to allow just enough motion for the trigger to reset and the sear to engage the hammer again after firing. I noticed that if this last screw is adjusted to remove all second stage motion of the trigger that the trigger will break correctly but it won't have enough motion forward to reset and the sear won't engage the hammer again without moving this screw a little back.
Finally, I moved the CS (Second Stage Engagement, Outer Screw) up to meet the trigger lever so that it just contacts the ball-detent of the PS (Second Stage Weight, Inner Screw) allowing me to very slightly lower the resistance of the second stage trigger break.
I did not adjust the PP (Sear Spring Weight) screw yet since I did not want to reduce the trigger pull weight before trying the pistol. I most likely will adjust this screw out to reduce the trigger pull since it is just a bit to heavy right now for my liking
Scope, Rail, and Rings
This pistol came with the scope rail installed from Larry's guns and I already have the
UltraDot Match 30mm red dot scope for this pistol.
I am planning on purchasing the
Leupold QRW Quick Removable Rings 30mm Low Glossy (49860) rings for this pistol that I can practice and use this pistol with the fantastic iron sights that it comes with or with the red dot scope.
A few people already expressed their interest in using the iron sights when they try out this pistol and I am also very happy with the quality of the sights on it so these rings will give me a choice of how I wish to shoot this pistol. As an added bonus since the scope will be removable I will be able to cut out a an empty corner of the foam from the factory box to store the scope in the same box that the gun comes with.
Test Firing and Sighting
I will be test firing and sighting-in this pistol this weekend on Saturday at the range so I'll post the results and targets of it then.
Adjustment Diagrams
*I found these adjustment diagrams posted on another thread and they were created by another user of this pistol but I am reposting them here as a reference to the trigger adjustments that I made.