🚀 go-pugleaf

Last night I got a look at my Tokarev (I filled out the paperwork
and get to wait the 15 days now...).  I ordered one from Clayton
Cramer with both the 7.62 Tokarev and 9mm barrels.

It looks great!  I don't know if it is just the 'luck of the draw'
or if Clayton just does business with the right distributors,
but the only 'defect' visible was a slight smear of copper on
the right side of the sights and roll pin where it looks like a 
brass/copper punch was used to drift them in.

The rest of the finish is a very nice blue/black.  It did come
dripping on oil ...  Racking the slide takes a good tug (more
than I'd expected, but not extreme).  The trigger has a bit of
take-up (but far far less than on a DA Ruger ...) to a clean
break with just a smidge of creap (about the same as my Springfield
Amoury, with just a hint more hesitation to break) at what I'd
guess is about 5 lbs.

The fit seemed good and the slide and action was not noticably 
rough in any way.  For about $200 (including both bbls, 4 magazines(!)
(two each in 9mm & 7.62 Tok), I'm a very happy camper!  It came
to about $225 including DROS fee and sales tax.

The gun is physically smaller than I'd expected, the grip is 
a smallish fit in my big hands, with my little finger feeling
a bit squeezed to get on the grip with all the other fingers ;-)
but if feels OK (and my wife will probably like it.  She likes
grips that feel just a smidge small to me).  At 29 oz or so,
it would make a nice gun for packing ... and at $200 you wouldn't
mind so much when it got taken as evidence post self defence use ...

I'm very glad that I got the 9mm bbl, since it has been a bit
of a hastle to find 7.62x25 Tokarev ammo, and what has been
found is berdan primed an MAY be corrosive (have to wait till
it comes in to find out ... I forgot to ask Clayton...)

If I wan't interested in it as a bit of history (so I want the
original 7.62 Tok bbl available) I'd have likely gotten the 9mm
only version for cheaper...  (I think it was something like $160?
whatever, I've forgotten now...).

At any rate, I may end up shooting my Tokarev before the Springfield
Armory, since it is off to the 'Smith now for repair ...  

Sorry all you 'Norincos are lousy, buy American only' folks, but 
the fact is that my expensive American gun arrived broken and both
the SKS and the Tokarev seem flawless.  What can I say.  I find
myself in the odd position of wishing I'd ordered a Norinco 1911-A1...

Well, time, as they say, will tell.  In about 3 weeks I hope to
post a review of how they BOTH shoot, and we'll see if I've just
got new-gun-itis or not ...



-- 

E. Michael Smith  ems@apple.COM

'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has
 genius, power and magic in it.'  -  Goethe

I am not responsible nor is anyone else.  Everything is disclaimed.