When deciding to go against the main stream, IE make use of a "unicorn", it should be approached with caution and validation. I put a lot of rounds, including premium carry ammo, and including weak limp wrist / awkward grip testing. I haven't been able to make it fail. Not that you shouldn't do that with every eligible defensive handgun, but with something like Glock, Beretta, etc, you're staring with a baseline.Originally Posted by Clusterfrack
Talk about a gun I've never understood the appeal of.
I can even understand why people hate 1911s and others, more than I can understand why the P7M8 is even in existence. I always felt like that was a gun in search of a problem, instead of a solution, especially since its contemporaries (the P225 and Walther P5) made much more sense as handguns. I assume that it's just one of those things you "get" or don't get.
It was a gun that was fantastic on paper. Offered one trigger pull, without a heavy double action only and / or manual safety. Instantly safe when not held / gripped. Fast slide release, using the decocker. I saw the promotion advertisement for them and it was really convincing. Then I shot one, and admittedly I was underwhelmed. It's still cool in it's uniqueness, but too many "cons" for me to consider.
Last edited by Bucky; 11-13-2018 at 05:56 PM.
No! My 1997 Classic Customs and 2000-ish Stainless Gold Match had multiple problems, each. Three strikes; Kimber was out.
The P7 is a very good one-hand handgun, developed before the modern thumbs-forward two-hand grip. The heat generated by the gas-retarded blow-back system was not an issue, because one’s support hand did not venture onto the forward part of the frame. (I did not adopt a forward support-hand position until 2002, or later.)
I had a pair of them, in the mid-Eighties. They went away because no PD-approved Level III duty holster was available for them, at a time when lean times compelled me to sell-off everything except one duty handgun, one back-up handgun, and a duty shotgun.
Notably, my P7 pistols enabled my sore right wrist and thumb to heal, after too much shooting of .44 Magnum. I was silly enough to carry a 4” Model 629 as a duty sixgun, during my rookie year, and my belief in training with “realistic” ammo caused much damage, as an N-Frame is, really, too big for my hands, unless I used ultra-thin “splinter” grips panels.
The P7 was an “orthopedic” pistol, for me, until I resumed using Magnum revolvers, though .41 Mag, rather than the more-sensible .357 Mag, in a more-sensible frame size. Live and learn.
Yes, the P6 (P225) and P5 were/are, arguably, better designs, for more folks, especially with the advent of more-forward placement of the support hand.
Last edited by Rex G; 11-14-2018 at 12:42 PM.
Many moons ago, my first trip out with my new Kimber Stainless Target II saw my slide stop break. That led me to 1911forum where I was disheartened to find I needed to gut my new 1911 and replace all the parts.
Besides that slide stop (which I replaced with a Wilson, just because the LGS had one), I had no other problems with that or other 5" Kimbers (TLE II and Eclipse II), even with the infamous external extractor. Kept all the mim parts in 'em too. 1911's were a long and expensive road to go down, when I honestly was probably better off just keeping the Kimbers and shooting the heck out of them.
My biggest problem with scaled down 1911's is that half the time instead of being designed from the ground up, they take a Gov or Commander, scale it down, and file it under "This Should Work". This new model may have been designed from scratch so I'll say I'm not as skeptical of this as I would be a new Officer or micro 1911.
geekery
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
A buddy has one for sale, with mags.
Just sayin.....
I had a “real” (i.e. not surplus) P7PSP for about 20 years. I fell out of love with it relatively quickly, especially once I started carrying it when I got my first FL nonres CCL. They blow to holster and will beat you up.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
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