Imitation of the Original

[PhillyB]

We've all seen them. Those guns on the rack or in the display case that you recognize, but somethings seems a little off.

Surprise! It's not actually what you expected, but a copy by another company. Sometimes this is done with the original manufacturer's consent, sometimes not so much. Sometimes they're actually better made than the original! Sometimes, it's best to fire them from a safe distance with a clamp and a piece of para-cord.

I have a few copies myself, and have experience in both areas.

But I wanna hear from you guys! Stories, photos, whatever. Have at it gents!

I'll start it off. My first pistol was a Sterling Arms Mk2 in .380ACP. Essentially a copy of a 1911. Beautiful looking, and generally well made.

But, the thing was so unreliable that I would get about 3 rounds in and one of the following would happen.
1) An unfired round would stove-pipe itself on the way in the chamber
2) The base plate of the clip would work it's way loose, sometimes coming off altogether
3) More than one round would pop out of the clip at once

The thing only had a 7 round magazine, but I was never able to get it to go through a whole magazine in one go. Not exactly the best characteristic for a carry pistol. Needless to say, I traded it in at the first chance I got.

 

[simon1]

We've all seen them. Those guns on the rack or in the display case that you recognize, but somethings seems a little off.

Surprise! It's not actually what you expected, but a copy by another company. Sometimes this is done with the original manufacturer's consent, sometimes not so much. Sometimes they're actually better made than the original! Sometimes, it's best to fire them from a safe distance with a clamp and a piece of para-cord.

I have a few copies myself, and have experience in both areas.

But I wanna hear from you guys! Stories, photos, whatever. Have at it gents!

I'll start it off. My first pistol was a Sterling Arms Mk2 in .380ACP. Essentially a copy of a 1911. Beautiful looking, and generally well made.

But, the thing was so unreliable that I would get about 3 rounds in and one of the following would happen.
1) An unfired round would stove-pipe itself on the way in the chamber
2) The base plate of the clip would work it's way loose, sometimes coming off altogether
3) More than one round would pop out of the clip at once

The thing only had a 7 round magazine, but I was never able to get it to go through a whole magazine in one go. Not exactly the best characteristic for a carry pistol. Needless to say, I traded it in at the first chance I got.

Nope. Never got an imitation one. I do have a Jennings .380 that was found abandoned and was given to me years ago. Finally got the safety to work and the striker to fall. I recently got a box of .380 and I think I need to do the clamped in an old tire and string on the trigger from behind cover on that one.

 

[OkieStubble]

I picked up a Lorcin .380 years ago, for the awesome, great price of $60. It only took one time shooting it to, for me to figure out why it had an awesome, great price. I told the guy I sold it to, what a worthless piece of junk it was, but he still thought it was a good deal for the $20 he paid.

I swore I would never purchase another gun I didn't do my research on. Have bought and traded a few guns over the years I didn't like, or wanted something better, but have never purchased another, worthless junk gun since.

 

[nortac]

I had a LLama .380 ACP that was a scaled down copy of the 1911. IIRC, the trigger was a bit rough but other than that, it functioned fine and was a fun plinker. This was before the advent of better defensive ammo in .380 and so I sold it off. Wish I still had it. I'm sure I could have improved the trigger on it, knowing now what I did not know then about 1911s.

 

[OkieStubble]

I had a LLama .380 ACP that was a scaled down copy of the 1911. IIRC, the trigger was a bit rough but other than that, it functioned fine and was a fun plinker. This was before the advent of better defensive ammo in .380 and so I sold it off. Wish I still had it. I'm sure I could have improved the trigger on it, knowing now what I did not know then about 1911s.

I knew a guy years ago, who swore by his Llama .45.

 

[jar_]

I've had some really great clones of the Browning P35, ones that were as accurate, reliable, looked as good and in most cases parts compatible. The closest were the FEG PJK 9HP and the FM Model 95-Classic. My Arcus M-94 was almost as close but had a different trigger guard.

FEG PJK9HP:

FM Model 95-Classic:

Arcus Model 94:

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Also, I have been very happy with my Dan Wesson Patriot/Pointman Experimental though I'm not sure if it qualifies as an imitation.

DW Patriot/Pointman with Bucheimer holster:

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In the realm of SAA Clones I've been shooting some likely Italian made/German proofed examples proofed through Schmidt and Sauer & Sons.

​

 

[Big_John]

I had a Davis .380 that I bought back in the eighties. It was a cheap pot metal *** that I got at a gun show. I needed something small to carry at the time and had no money to spend, so the $45 Davis fit the bill nicely. After a couple times at the range, I started to have problems with it and discovered the ramp had distorted slightly, causing a small bump. I fixed it, getting it to feed pretty reliably and by then I was doing a little better and could buy something else. I sold it to a friend and bought a S&W 9mm 3913NL that I still have.

 

[auk1124]

Have an Astra 960 Spanish police revolver that is basically a dead on copy of a large frame S&W, albeit in 38 Special. Darn good revolver. My wife shoots it better than I do and it is her nightstand gun.

 

[shoelessjoe]

I had a LLama .380 ACP that was a scaled down copy of the 1911. IIRC, the trigger was a bit rough but other than that, it functioned fine and was a fun plinker. This was before the advent of better defensive ammo in .380 and so I sold it...

I picked up one of those ventilated ribbed 1911-ish .380 Llamas back in the early ‘90s & yessir, it was a fun, fine-shooting pistol. I sold it to get into something else and every once in awhile, such as right now, I regret doing so.

My $119 + tax (sale + rebate) Remington RM380, with its ambidextrous mag release, is a (improved?) copy of the $1200, heel mag release Rohrbaugh R9. I have never handled a R9 but I would imagine its tolerances would be closer than those on the RM380.

Lastly, save for the cylinder release latch & innards, the oft-ridiculed 2” .38 +P Taurus 85 is a dead-ringer to the superior S&W J frame. However, a set of Wulff springs later, and the 85 is every bit as smooth & dependable as a J frame. I picked the Taurus up to throw into my fly fishing vest, but the wife has taken to carrying it in her CC purse. Sometimes I feel a tinge of guilt, because I if I loved her a bit more, she’d be carrying a S&W, eh? )