Winter 2021-22 Antique Pistol Restoration Project

Antique "Sterling" .38 cal.rimfire restoration project update...

  It seems that I could have bought an E.L.Dickinson "Parts gun" a couple of weeks ago, but I passed, not realizing a the time, th...

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Sig wasn't the first to make a hi-capacity belt fed air pistol pellet magazine!

In 2014 there was a "Kitchener Gun Show" event held at a German heritage type of Club nearby my apartment.
I attended because Mr. Marvin "the airgun guy" was going to be there with a few tables of vintage, and new air rifles & pistols.
More importantly, he was bringing the Crosman Trapmaster 1100 .380 caliber Co2 Shotgun for me to pick up, instead of shipping it after I purchased it from his website the previous week.

It was no quick in-and-out for me once I laid eyes on the  4 or 5 tables of airguns, specifically all the marvelous air pistols!

After picking up a few rarities, I noticed a somewhat compact looking pistol, that reminded me of the Walther P22 and I asked Marvin about it.

The pistol was a Russian made Co2 semi-automatic .177cal/4.5mm pellet or BB pistol that came in a case with two 28 round belt magazines, and a cleaning rod plus a pellet seating tool.

It was an Anics "skif" A-3000 that was made in the late 90's to early 2000's in Moscow, Russia.
The slide is metal, and the frame is a heavy duty ballistic polymer.
The Anics skif A-3000 really feels like a firearm in your hand.
It looks very realistic as well.
The rear sights are fully adjustable, with a fixed front ramp sight, and the action can be cocked by racking the slide. You can also cock the hammer to shoot in single action
Double action is heavy, since the trigger pull moves the 28 round belt magazine before releasing the hammer to fire the pellet, lead roundball, or steel BB.
The Anics skif A-3000 is field stripped for cleaning & maintenance just like the Glock, by pulling down the two switches on each side ofothe frame in front of the tigger guard.

When I first saw Sig-Air's "belt magazine" for their P320, I recognized the system immediately, and thought that someone at Sig-Air must have seen or owned an Anics skif A-3000 at one time!











The last two photos are of my Anics 'skif' A3000 Co2 pistol.
I generally only shoot 4.5mm Gamo lead roundball ammo since I prefer how roundball ammo cycles compared to lead pellets.
Steel BB ammo will also work, but the lead roundball fits the barrel tighter, and interacts with the barrels rifling.




Friday, February 8, 2019

Coming soon...







I was thrilled a few days ago when I was browsing through a myriad of air pistols sold by an army surplus store in Vancouver, and they claimed to have a Gletcher TT-33 gas blowback 4.5mm BB pistol, this is an excellent replica of the the Russian Tokarev  TT-33 pistol!!!
I immediately ordered one and was waiting to receive a tracking # once they had shipped the replica Co2 pistol.
Sadly, it just wasn't meant to be, and instead of a tracking #, I received and apologetic email, explaining that the webpage was wrong and the pistol was "out of stock" and they didn't know if it would ever be in stock.
The stores sales manager generously offered me 10% off on whichever airgun I wanted to receive instead of the Tokarev TT-33 replica, which I gladly accepted.

There was another replica in stock that was on my airgun replica bucket list, the Mauser M712/C96, or better known as the "broomstick Mauser".

I ordered the Umarex Legends M712 full/semi automatic 4.5mm steel BB pistol in place of the out of stock Tokarev, and for the same total price as the Tokarev, including $15 of steel BB ammo!

I still hope to find a Tokarev TT-33 Co2 replica pistol and will not stop looking.
This is nearly an obsession for me now!
I can't believe that I cannot find one anywhere and that includes 4.5mm steel BB & 6mm airsoft versions by 3 or 4 different companies:
-Baikal mp-656k(4.5mm)
-Gletcher TT & TT-NBB(4.5mm), plus the TT-A(6mm)
-KWC TT(6mm)
-KWA TT(6mm)

You'd think that the odds were in my favour to find one from someplace in North America, and on the used airgun market, but no such luck as of yet.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Tokarev TT30/33 replica co2 pistol


 The cartridge firing Tokarev TT-30/33 was a  Russian military sidearm throughout the 1930's and WW2.
They fuction in a similar manner to the Browning deigned Colt M1911.

The TT-33 has inspired different companies to make a few excellent Co2 replica air pistols over the past 20 years.



Gletcher TT-NBB 4.5mm steel BB :
These days there is only one 4.5mm steel BB version of the Tokarev TT-30/33, and it is this Gletcher TT, which comes with full blowback or Non-blowback.



IZH BAIKAL MP-656k :







The IZH Baikal MP656K used to be available for $199 US, but has been 'out of stock' for a few years. It is a Co2 pistol that I wish I had bought while I could get one, but now, if one pops up for sale it will probably cost $500 Cdn like the Makarov Co2 pistols do!



I found a high quality, 4.5 mm steel BB TT-33 replica made by MWM Gillmann on a German webstore that sells for 599.00 euros!!!

TT33 Full Steel Model T656 Air Gun 4.5mm Co2 Pistol:









Back in 2012 Crosman teased North American AirGun enthusiasts by only releasing their version of the TT33, the Crosman C-TT to the European market 🤔






The IZH Baikal MP-656k is still the Tokarev TTC-33 Co2 pistol that I really hope to find someday...










"SOBR" TT
The SOBR TT is a Ukrainian made Tokarev 4.5mm steel/lead BB Co2 pistol that is build like the IZH Baikal MP-656K, were surplus Tokarev firearms are converted into Co2 guns.
I had a brief opportunity to purchase one, but the asking price is around $1000!!!!!
The Baikal pistol also costs as  much on the collectors market.







The last photo is a Baikal Mp-656k that was sold at auction in 2013 for $120 US, but since then they have become so rare that the prices have sky rocketed!




The most recent Tokarev TT-33 replica 4.5mm steel BB Co2 Pistol is the KWC TT-33, a single action only, single shot, full metal, fixed slide and non-blowback steel BB pistol.
It has a muzzle velocity rating of 424 fps, and doesn't have a cut out slide ejection port, but damn, it looks nice and seems to shoot nice, based on the video reviews on YouTube.
I will be adding this to my collection this summer, once I can afford to buy a new air pistol.