Anybody familliar with this pistol ?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Anybody familliar with this pistol ?

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:12:13 PM EDT

These pistols are South African, they seem to be a fairly recent design, similar to a SIG P220 and available in 9mm and .40. Are they available in the US ? Do you think they should be imported or produced domestically ? I think they may be available in the US because I see on one of the pistols that it has markings suggesting it was imported by Century Arms. I personally like the frame-mounted 1911 style safety and I think a lot of the shooters on this board will, too. I've never seen these pistols before.

world.guns.ru/handguns/hg173-e.htm

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:25:57 PM EDT

[#1]

Looks pretty nice... if it were single stack, and not TOO heavy, might make a great carry gun!

ETA: The stamp on the side shows 'imported by cai', which is a US company, so they ARE being or have been imported. CAI is Century Arms International.

I might do a little research and see if I can find one of those.. .

ETA: Found a review on cruffler.com, rates it as a BUY NOW. www.cruffler.com/Features/DEC-01/review-December-01.html

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:28:03 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
Looks pretty nice... if it were single stack, and not TOO heavy, might make a great carry gun!

ETA: The stamp on the side shows 'imported by cai', which is a US company, so they ARE being or have been imported. CAI is Century Arms International.

I might do a little research and see if I can find one of those.. .

Yep, it looks like it's imported by Century. It's a single-stack like a P220. Probably fairly cheap, too.

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:38:06 PM EDT

[#3]

Not to worry, the company is likely out of business now anyhow. The SA government has bought-in hook, line and sinker to the UN's global war on guns and ammo. It is almost impossible there to buy a new handgun now, and the few defensive pistols that are sold are almost 100% Glock 9mms. As far as I know, there are no domestic manufacturers still building handguns in SA since about 3-4 years ago when Vektor shut down its assembly lines.

This was a copy of an Astra, but likely better made.

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:38:54 PM EDT

[#4]

The link above gives it a very good review. Shows the suggested retail price of $300. Not a bad price. Might have to see about getting one.

Posted: 3/20/2006 12:43:02 PM EDT

[#5]

A hell of a review from that link...............

"Conclusion
The RAP 440 would serve equally well as either a concealed carry piece or a home defense handgun. It very nicely finished and displayed excellent standards of manufacture. Additionally, it was reliable, accurate and extremely pleasant to shoot. There's really not much more one can ask from a compact self loading pistol.

Actually, that's not true. One could ask it to be an excellent value, and this the RAP 440 most definitely is. So let's just recap:
The RAP 440 is extremely well made
The RAP 440 is reliable and accurate
The RAP 440 is pleasant to shoot
The RAP 440's price is best described in relative terms: One could purchase the latest compact wondergun from certain unnamed manufacturers in Germany, Italy or Austria. However, for the same price one could purchase a RAP 440, a case of ammunition, a good quality concealment holster, a range membership, and a nice dinner for two.
Whether you're a law enforcement officer looking for an off-duty or back-up gun, or a civilian searching for something suitable for either home defense or concealed carry, we suggest you take a long hard look at the RAP 440 as it represents one of the best combinations of quality and value available today."

Posted: 3/20/2006 2:19:21 PM EDT

[#6]

I would recomend alot of research also the last south african pistol that was imported was shortly banned because if you slapped the slide to hard it would go off.

Posted: 3/20/2006 2:34:49 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
I would recomend alot of research also the last south african pistol that was imported was shortly banned because if you slapped the slide to hard it would go off.

Yeah, THAT definitely means ALL South African products are JUNK.

Posted: 3/20/2006 2:43:30 PM EDT

[#8]

Review is from December '01 not likely to fing one and certainly no magazines

Posted: 3/20/2006 2:49:15 PM EDT

[#9]

If you can except the odds that 1 of the five they have submitted to the us market has actually sold, then I guess their products must be the best.

Posted: 3/20/2006 4:15:48 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
I would recomend alot of research also the last south african pistol that was imported was shortly banned because if you slapped the slide to hard it would go off.

This is the weapon you're talking about. Ugly and probably a POS. South African weapons are usually pretty good (and often innovative), this pistol is the exception.

Posted: 3/20/2006 4:21:26 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
If you can except the odds that 1 of the five they have submitted to the us market has actually sold, then I guess their products must be the best.

Probably just as good as any of the cheaper pistols from Europe, such as Tangfolio, EAA and the like.

Posted: 3/20/2006 7:56:41 PM EDT

[#12]

Looks like a close copy of the Astra A-75, which I owned at one point. It was a decent gun, if heavy, and the trigger pull was long and stacked like a bastard. Other than that I really didn't have too many complaints about it. I think the A-75 had a decocker instead of a manual safety.

Posted: 3/21/2006 12:10:24 AM EDT

[#13]

How is this gun even remotly close to a SIG 220? Not even close!!!! Not a bad looking gun though.

Posted: 3/21/2006 10:58:02 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
How is this gun even remotly close to a SIG 220? Not even close!!!! Not a bad looking gun though.

Similar in general shape (the trigger guard, for example), using Browning Hi-Power style cam locking, and a double action single stack 9mm. The big difference being the size and that it's not actually a SIG.

Posted: 3/21/2006 11:07:59 AM EDT

[#15]

My understanding is that the South African arms industry sprang up to supply the country with weapons during apartheid, and the consequent embargoes. After that ended, the arms companies no longer were competitive...

Posted: 3/21/2006 11:10:45 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
My understanding is that the South African arms industry sprang up to supply the country with weapons during apartheid, and the consequent embargoes. After that ended, the arms companies no longer were competitive...

That's my understanding as well, and any weapons they do produce are intended for export.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Anybody familliar with this pistol ?

Handguns » Handgun Discussions

Win a FREE Membership!

Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!

You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us