identity problem

[deepinder]

i got this .32 pistol from my dad-in law posted in manipur
he said its chinese star pistol
had some work done on it, the gunsmith said its a copy of mauser
another pal saw it and said its probable a colt model
wats ur guys opinion[img=center]C:\Users\dr sandhu\Pictures\102NIKON[/img]

[cottage cheese]

i got this .32 pistol from my dad-in law posted in manipur
he said its chinese star pistol
had some work done on it, the gunsmith said its a copy of mauser
another pal saw it and said its probable a colt model
wats ur guys opinion[img=center]C:\Users\dr sandhu\Pictures\102NIKON[/img]

Hi Deepinder,

It looks like a local cobble job to me. Darra type affair.

The lack of any markings points to such.

No Mauser connection here...or colt...or Chinese.

The makers apparently were trying to achieve a Makarov look but the DA mechanism may have been too much of a challenge for limited facilities. They instead grafted a SA mechanism. While the general finish points may look poor, its very nice for a 'hand-made'...certainly better than our IOF pieces

[deepinder]

actually it came with star hand grips
i got it blued and had wooden grips installed
dad in law insisted it was .30, but registered as a .32,
but 30 ammunition just doesn't fit in the mag
my friend in the army said u get 30 bullets with a slimmer casing which would fit into
the mag

comment

[Sakobav]

CC

If its Dara made would it be safer than IOF?

Best

[cottage cheese]

actually it came with star hand grips
i got it blued and had wooden grips installed
dad in law insisted it was .30, but registered as a .32,
but 30 ammunition just doesn't fit in the mag
my friend in the army said u get 30 bullets with a slimmer casing which would fit into
the mag

comment

Hi Deep,

Actually, almost anyone can fabricate a 'Star' grip and fit it to a gun. The resultant Chinese 'Star' trade mark could be a good selling point no matter what the design of the gun. The Darra folks also seem to have gained expertise with rudimentary plastics in recent years.

.30 is too big to fit in this particular gun. It more probable its .32ACP. The general design of the gun, in this case, the Makarov parentage of the slide, points to a simple blowback action - which is a technical impossibility with .30 Cartridges.

There is no .30 with slimmer casing other than .30US Carbine, which is in any case over powerful for the gun.

Hopefully you have tried firing 32ACP successfully. There is a chance it could be chambered for the Chinese Type64 or 7.62x17- If so it will be a difficult circumstance.

regards,
cc

[cottage cheese]

CC

If its Dara made would it be safer than IOF?

Best

Hi NG,

Certainly, I wouldn't try to blandly assume that IOF pieces are complete junk.

They do function reasonably well and my crib is more to do with quality and obsolete designs.

Lately I've noticed extraordinarily well made pieces (Presumably Darra) appearing in seized inventories around the country. Most are copies of Tokarevs(M20's), older Berettas, Spanish Llamas, or hybrids of all. I must admit they have been done very competently. The design and features are certainly better than what the IOF has to offer to us poor civilians, while the long term safety and quality cannot, as yet, be commented upon since most legit folks don't own any. I suspect they are fairly robust since the art of gun smithing isn't exactly rocket science. If the remote Konyak village smiths have been hacking up decent muskets for centuries with crude hand tools, certainly the well equipped Darra workshops with an equally old tradition can produce(I'd say mass produce) hardware that would pass Proof testing and be fit for the market.

In the same breath, while most of us assume 'Darra' when we see a 'non-branded' piece, there are other lesser known makers equally competent in SE Asia and supposedly in country as well.

Regards,
cc

[Lawman]

Hi CC, what is a "Darra" product ? Please explain.

Lawman

[deepinder]

does t lack of markings make it a darra type
cos most of the seized weapons used by insurgents have no markings
i,ve seen a FN Browning GP35 9mmx19mm , similiar to one used by army officers
but with all markings filed off, so would that also qualify for the darra parentage

regards
ds

[Sakobav]

Thanks CC maybe IOF plans to make next gen Laser guns..why retool. Just for kicking the CAN around any three designs you would recommed.

Mine would be CZ 83 , CZ 75 and Glock.

Beest

[cottage cheese]

Hi CC, what is a "Darra" product ? Please explain.

Lawman

Hi Lawman,

Darra, or more precisely Darra Adam Khel, refers to a famous or infamous place (depending on how you view things) in NW Pakistan(the untamed area) that has a centuries old tradition of gun-making (Mind you not Gun smithing) as a cottage industry. This was tolerated by the British and later the Pakistan Governments generally as long as the tribes didn't get lively on the political front.

Almost any steel/wood gun you can imagine has a Darra made equivalent. The quality and build is extraordinarily good. They make AKs too!!

This link will take you to older historical info on Darra
http://www.armscollectors.com/darra/darra.htm

Else simply google to see current info and pics of Darra.

Mashh1 can help with more info here.


Regards,
CC

[cottage cheese]

does t lack of markings make it a darra type
cos most of the seized weapons used by insurgents have no markings
i,ve seen a FN Browning GP35 9mmx19mm , similiar to one used by army officers
but with all markings filed off, so would that also qualify for the darra parentage

regards
ds

Well DS... no markings should not necessarily translate to a Darra parentage. It is standard procedure in clandestine arms supply to have all markings erased. I don't know if it's still current but most AK ammo seized in JK have the markings milled off!! Imagine the poor geezer in the appropriate Q branch, who has to spend time doing it manually by the thousands!! Thats unless they have specific machinery and jigs for clandestine work.

We should also remember that there are certainly other equally competent underground manufacturers other than Darra.

Jonah can attest to that

Darra stands out because its hardly underground.

[cottage cheese]

Thanks CC maybe IOF plans to make next gen Laser guns..why retool. Just for kicking the CAN around any three designs you would recommed.

Mine would be CZ 83 , CZ 75 and Glock.

Beest

Recommend for what? ownership or for IOF to make?

Ownership - CZ75

Why?
The 83 is an ugly thing.
The Glock is what it is.

Cz75- I'm pretty traditional when it comes to guns. Of the three I like the dependable stylish old world aura that surrounds the 75. The Cz chaps managed to do that and at the same time made it modern enough feature-wise, for it to stay current for a long time.

Plus, I like to have control over the workings of my gun. The 75 affords me that with external hammer, decocker/safety, visual observation of state of gun etc. The Glock in the guise of 'safe-action' doesn't afford me that level of control...and I don't like that.

Of course that is not to say the other two gusn are not nice or anything.... just my personal preference...

[deepinder]

hi cc
do these darra artisans have the capability to make rifled barrels
just qurious

ds

[cottage cheese]

hi cc
do these darra artisans have the capability to make rifled barrels
just qurious

ds

Definitely...
Been doing it for ages. Methods are crude but they suffice.

Heres a self explanatory pic....

[Sakobav]

Deepinder
Check out this pistol from Darra
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DX