I’m at all times fascinated when a gun has a trademark from a rustic that not exists. I am keen on a West German P220, and now I’ve a gun marked West Germany that was made in Hungary. That gun is the AP66, a clone of the Walther PP. FEG made the AP66, however a West German reseller known as Hege Weffen, a West German firm owned by a person named Georg Hebsacker, offered the gun.
These little handguns had been a reasonably frequent import to the US for years, however appear to have dried up. With that in thoughts, the markings different. West Germany dates the gun, so does the Hege Weffen title. These had been imported with less complicated markings, together with Made In Hungary FEG-Budapest, which tends to be pretty frequent.
The AP66 sequence got here in .22LR, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP. Because the resident One True Caliber fanatic, I’ve the .32 ACP model. There are numerous fashions, together with weapons imported with adjustable sights, numerous finishes, and grip panels. There are additionally a couple of different-sized weapons which can be nonetheless simply known as the APP66. Hungary has a protracted historical past of manufacturing related pistols.
FEG began producing Walther clones within the Nineteen Forties. The FEG PA-63 was a Walther PP clone in 9mm Makarov that served because the Hungarian service pistol. In 2000, they even obtained a license from Walther to provide the .22LR Walther PPK/E.
The AP66 – The PP Clone
The AP66 is, for all intents and functions, a Walther PP clone. I do know this may sound odd, however I don’t have a PP, however I’ve an arsenal of PP-related jokes. The AP66 offers us the Walther PP system. It’s a direct blowback-operated, semi-automatic, DA/SA handgun fed from a single-stack seven-round journal.
The barrel is mounted and acts because the recoil information rod. The AP66 contains a left-side security that additionally acts as a decocker. This AP66 is a two-tone mannequin with a shiny-finish body and black slide, a reasonably frequent theme with Hungarian pistols. The unique PA-63 used the identical two-tone design.
A shiny army pistol doesn’t make a lot sense, however this reflective polish end was low-cost, and that’s why it grew to become a favourite of FEG weapons. At its core, the FEG AP66 is only a .32 ACP PA-63. Whereas these weapons are basically Walther clones, there are some notable variations.
The magazines usually are not interchangeable, for instance. The latch cuts are somewhere else, and plenty of Walthers have a slight tab on the left aspect of the journal to carry the slide open when the final spherical is fired.
The AP66 has a passive firing pin security and a hammer drop security. With the AP66, the hammer sits above the firing pin when the hammer is down. As you pull the set off or manually cock the hammer, the firing pin raises to align with the hammer. The PP has a passive hammer block, and the AP66 doesn’t. The hammer profile is totally different between the 2 weapons as nicely.
Taking pictures the AP66
The AP66 in .32 ACP handles like a dream. I hate capturing Walthers or Walther clones in .380 ACP or 9mm Makarov. They are typically painful and uncomfortable to shoot because of the skinny frames, direct blowback design, and slide chunk. That’s not true with the .32 ACP variants.
There’s an obvious purpose why James Bond initially went with the .32 ACP. It’s pleasant to shoot. Recoil is subsequent to nil, and the gun barely strikes in your hand. The little .32 ACP spherical is the perfect mouse gun spherical for low recoil and respectable efficiency. It makes capturing the little gun tons of enjoyable.
Individuals who declare you received’t see your sights in a gunfight should have shot a variety of weapons just like the AP66. I can barely see the sights on the sq. vary. The dinky little entrance sight blended with the tiny rear sight makes it powerful to seek out your sights rapidly. Doing any type of transition drill is a little bit of a problem.
Whenever you discover the sights and get them correctly aligned, you have got a surprisingly correct gun. At 25 yards, it’s simple to place {a magazine}’s value of ammo right into a six-inch group. The AP66 can put these little .32 ACP tablets the place you need…as soon as you discover the sights.
However the Set off
That stage of accuracy assumes you might be utilizing the single-action set off. Attempting to make use of the double-action set off is a visit. If you wish to construct grip energy, pull the AP66’s double-action set off. It’s extremely heavy, and the pull is weighed in double digits. I might weigh it, however it maxes out my set off scale. It’s so heavy that Alec Baldwin couldn’t make it ND.
The AP66’s single-action set off is a little bit heavy, at the least for a single-action set off, however it’s advantageous. The Jap Europeans appear to be largely towards the concept of good triggers. Additionally they appear to be towards the existence of left-handed shooters.
The left grip panel options an aggressive thumb relaxation. It’s advantageous for right-handed shooters however could be uncomfortable for lefties. A whole lot of the controls are Walther-like. We’ve a push-button journal launch, however the journal doesn’t drop free. It pulls a Hello-Energy, and the journal simply barely strikes and must be stripped for a correct reload.
The slide-mounted security additionally decocks the gun. It’s simple sufficient to achieve and entry with a firing grip. There is no such thing as a slide launch, however the slide does lock to the rear on an empty journal. If you happen to’ve shot a Walther, what to anticipate. The AP66 replicates the PP ergonomics to a T.
An Inexpensive Choice
The AP66 sequence isn’t all that in style lately. You received’t discover them behind Shotgun Information for $199 anymore.
Nonetheless, they are typically fairly inexpensive. The design was by no means tremendous in style, and Jap European weapons hardly ever develop into collectible.
The AP66 might be a viable carry gun, and for those who can decide one up for 150 {dollars} or so, it’s a stable deal and a great shooter.
