This isn't a new firearm, and a lot of people- Kim for instance- have written about it before. But this was the first time I've had a chance to fire one, so...
Specifics first: 16.5" barrel, 35.5" overall, 6.25 pounds.
Unlike the Hi-Point, it uses a hardwood stock with pressed-in 'checkering' and has a much more traditional look; like the Hi-Point, it's a straight-blowback action. Which, in a .45, means a big, heavy bolt.
Sights are a 'U' notch rear and a red plastic front bead. Safety is in the front of the trigger guard like a M1 Garand.
It uses any magazine that will fit a full-size 1911, which is a nice touch.
The trigger pull was not a 'clean break', had a fair amount of motion before it broke(less than the Hi-Point) at about 5-7 pounds.
The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for a scope base, from what I've read it uses the same one as the Model 336 lever-action.
It has the Marlin micro-groove bore.
I'm tempted to say that this is like the Hi-Point, only more so. Short, light, easy to shoot. Recoil is minimal- at least some of it due to that massive bolt cycling back & forth- and fast repeat shots were easy to do. We fired it with a combination of S&B ball and cast 230-grain ball handloads. It handled all of them without a hiccup, and at 30 yards put them into about a 3" group. Ejection is not 'positive': it's downright robust, throwing most empties a good twenty feet to the right and forward.
We didn't have any hollowpoints to try, so no guesses as to how it works with them. From what I've read, seems to feed them pretty well for those who've tried them.
Bad things
Mainly two. The first is, the sights would suck on a cheap .22; on something like this, they suck bigtime. I think the groups fired would have been a bit better with sights my eyes could pick out better in a not-too-well-lighted lane. I'm told you can get a replacement front post and a rear aperture that mounts on the receiver, which would be good. Probably even better in some ways, it would be real easy to put a red-dot or similar optic on it. THAT would be real nice.
The other is that the .45 version(it also came in a 9mm) has a reputation for the stock taking damage behind the receiver due to A: a weak recoil spring and B: a recoil buffer that tends to break. This one had the original spring and buffer, and I wonder if the felt recoil would be even less with a stronger spring.
Overall, I vote yes. Like the Hi-Point, this would be a good truck gun or home defense firearm, the latter preferably with a good hollowpoint that feeds reliably in it. A stack of McCormick ten-round magazines, and you'd be loaded for bear. It balances well, this one came with sling swivel studs, and points well. Accuracy was quite acceptable, and it fed reliably with both the factory mag and two different 1911 mags I took along, one an old military and one a Metalform.
If I found one of my own, I'd replace the spring and buffer as soon as I could, and do something about the sights. And I'd get the checkering tools out(which reminds me, I need some new cutters) and convert the pressed in texturing to actual checkering. And I'd like to find one of my own. 'Finding' being the key: as Kim has mentioned, there is one other bad thing about them: Marlin stopped making them. So it's find one at a show or in the used rack at a store.
No comments:
Post a Comment