I traded off my Glock 17 today for an Armalite AR-24. I'm pressed for time and I just got it home about an hour ago. I will post a range report the second weekend in April (the first time I can get away).
First of all, it's closer to an EAA Witness than a CZ-75, but they are very similar. The DA trigger pull is heavy, but very smooth. The SA pull is like my friend's Taurus PT1911. There's just a bit of creep and crud before a very crisp and reasonably light break. My trigger finger says its about 4.5 or 5lbs. Not bad at all.
This thing also came caked with cosmoline. I looked at the finish and saw swirls and chunks, and my first thought was "Man, the finish on this thing SUCKS!". It was not a bad job of parkerizing, it was just globs of cosmoline. I tried taking it off with Rem Oil, but no luck. I will get out some serious solvent later. I lubed the rails with moly-lithium grease, and the action is slick and tight. There's just a hint of a rattle at the back of the slide. I'm no slide-to-frame fit nazi, and sorta prefer a bit of rattle in my pistols. This is just about perfect for me.
The grip panels are a bit fat in the palm swell, but the grip angle is ideal for my hand. It fits like the guys at the Sarsmilaz arsenal in Turkey made it just for my hand. Your mileage may vary.
The action can be used as a traditional DA/SA, or it can be carried cocked and locked--1911 style. That's why I traded my beloved Glock for this pistol. Oh, and the AR-24 can use (cheap!) EAA Witness Steel Frame magazines. I ordered a pair of 16rd 9mm magazines at $20.99 each from a place in Denver (the link isn't in front of me right now. ask and ye shall receive). I also ordered a Hogue wrap-around grip with thinner side panels and finger grooves added to the front strap--exactly like the one on my 1911A1.
From a mechanical standpoint, this thing has potential. Serious potential.
Stay tuned!
2 comments:
Have you whittled down that trigger yet? I'm thinking of clipping coils off one of my M9's striker springs. I'm pretty sure if I tell Jeff R. at SAI that I disassembled it and shot the spring across the room and lost it, that he'll give me a new one when I cut it too far and make the functionality less than optimal...
I don't consider the break-in period to be complete until 500rds are downrange. If the trigger doesn't improve after that, I'll break out the Arkansas stone. I think the trigger is already getting better. Not that it was terrible to start with.
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