New to the family

[Parrot-Head]

Hello all,
I have been looking for a CCW candidate, and have been studying up on all of the wonders of the 82.  I have been very impressed by the accuracyand reliability this weapon is claimed to have and took the plunge and purchased one today at a gun show.  I must say, it is quite the beauty and is in very good condtion.
Many thanks to Todd @ Family Firearms & Finishes for all of their help.  I look forward to shooting her and getting to know her fully.  It's great that these are C&R eligible to boot!

[SMSgt]

Welcome! Looks like an '86 model with the squared lanyard loop. I've got both an '86 and an '88 and they pretty much identical other than the lanyard loop.

I loved shooting my -82. I reload, make my brass from 9mm Luger cases, so having ammo is not a problem. I haven't found what I consider "good" SD ammo yet. Hornady makes some but isn't rated very well. Silver bear also has HPs but hard to find. Most of the Russian ammo (Brown/Silver  Bear) is really dirty but so far has functioned well.

The one common issue with the -82s is the grips work loose because of only one screw holding them. Some place a small O-ring under the screw and say it works. Green or blue Locktite will help also.

Functionally, the little pistols work great and have a nice trigger. Mine runs like a sewing machine, even with my hybrid reloads. If you want to sprice it up a bit, you can get a set of wood grip from Marschalgrips.com. He does great work, nice finish in many choices, and for a decent price. The down side is they have to come from Hungary and it takes 6-8 weeks.

Enjoy your new pistol!

[Parrot-Head]

Thanks for the info.  I did pick up some Silver Bear HPs at the show as well.  I didn't want the Brown Bears since they were lacquer coated.  I also see Prvi makes some brass cased ammo as well?

[SMSgt]

Several companies use brass cases, Fiochi (sp?)etc., and it all seems to work well. I haven't run any "scientific" gel tests with HPs at Mak velocities, so I don't know how effective they are as far as expansion goes. The bullet is larger in diameter than the 9mm Luger (.365 vs .355), and I feel penetration is more important with the smaller calibers. It's not like any of the 9mm HPs expand to .45 size anyhow. FMJs driven at a respectable velocity should do the job for most cases. There're cases where no handgun caliber is guarenteed 100% of the time.

Most commercial bullets are 95 grn, most lead bullets are 93 grn and I've seen some 130 grn bullets but haven't found any reloading data for them. If I pumped up the LRN 93 grainers to the max end of the spectrum, they'd probably serve the purpose.

[tf34mech]

Fins up!  My 82 is most accurate with Silver bear  S&B was the worst.  And I usually buy ammo from the Sportsmanguide.

[Parrot-Head]

Fins up!  My 82 is most accurate with Silver bear  S&B was the worst.  And I usually buy ammo from the Sportsmanguide.

I see they have some pretty good pricing, too. 

[lklawson]

It's not like any of the 9mm HPs expand to .45 size anyhow.

Not to be contentious, but, yes they do.  Lots of them.  .45 with regularity, frequently over .5 and, in one case, over .6 average dia. expansion.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x19 Luger
Brassfetcher's 9x19 Luger gel tests

In Makarov caliber, they reliably expand to >.45 (often >.6) and nearly meet the FBI penetration standard while exceeding the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x18 Makarov
Brassfetcher's 9x18 Makarov gel tests

Heck, there are even some .22LR that will (sometimes) expand to between .357 and .43 while meeting the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

.22 expanded to >.40 (thread in KTOG)
Golden Loki's gel tests - .22LR

Ammunition technology has vastly improved in the last 10 years.  So much that it is, frankly, astounding to me.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

[SMSgt]

It's not like any of the 9mm HPs expand to .45 size anyhow.

Not to be contentious, but, yes they do.  Lots of them.  .45 with regularity, frequently over .5 and, in one case, over .6 average dia. expansion.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x19 Luger
Brassfetcher's 9x19 Luger gel tests

In Makarov caliber, they reliably expand to >.45 (often >.6) and nearly meet the FBI penetration standard while exceeding the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x18 Makarov
Brassfetcher's 9x18 Makarov gel tests

Heck, there are even some .22LR that will (sometimes) expand to between .357 and .43 while meeting the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

.22 expanded to >.40 (thread in KTOG)
Golden Loki's gel tests - .22LR

Ammunition technology has vastly improved in the last 10 years.  So much that it is, frankly, astounding to me.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Guess I was a little unclear. Yeah the 9mm is going to expand (x1.5 or so) but so is the .45, so the expanding 9mm will not be as large as the expanding .45. Some things don't ever catch up. You want a guarenteed .45 hole, use a .45.

[gandog56]

I think my CZ92 is accurate enough. This is a target from the very first time I fired mine. At 25 feet.

[billjohnso20]

It's not like any of the 9mm HPs expand to .45 size anyhow.

Not to be contentious, but, yes they do.  Lots of them.  .45 with regularity, frequently over .5 and, in one case, over .6 average dia. expansion.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x19 Luger
Brassfetcher's 9x19 Luger gel tests

In Makarov caliber, they reliably expand to >.45 (often >.6) and nearly meet the FBI penetration standard while exceeding the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

Golden Loki's gel tests - 9x18 Makarov
Brassfetcher's 9x18 Makarov gel tests

Heck, there are even some .22LR that will (sometimes) expand to between .357 and .43 while meeting the U.S. Boarder Patrol penetration standard.

.22 expanded to >.40 (thread in KTOG)
Golden Loki's gel tests - .22LR

Ammunition technology has vastly improved in the last 10 years.  So much that it is, frankly, astounding to me.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Guess I was a little unclear. Yeah the 9mm is going to expand (x1.5 or so) but so is the .45, so the expanding 9mm will not be as large as the expanding .45. Some things don't ever catch up. You want a guarenteed .45 hole, use a .45.

Magic bullets do not exist. The only real superiority the .45ACP has is when using only FMJ ammo. In fact, when the .45 got its reputation for being so effective (WWII) all semi-auto ammo was FMJ. Some studies have shown that with older HP designs, the .45ACP had the worst performance out there. Older HP designs didn't reliably expand at .45ACP velocities. The same was also true of 147gr 9mm ammo just 10 years ago.

The belief by many that the .45ACP is more lethal because of its bigger hole is unrealistic. Studies have clearly shown that shot placement is far more important. Unless a person belongs to the spray-n-pray party, one must regularly and effectively practice with whatever caliber/gun combination they choose to carry to be as accurate as possible under stress. Even the .22LR is a proven man-killer. I won't pit the .22 against even a .380 but the .22 will work.

Am I trashing the .45ACP? No, I like it. I do admit I prefer the 40S&W but that's just me. I also use and carry .22Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380, 9mm, 9x18, and 40. Each caliber/gun combination allows for concealed carry regardless of wardrobe. In the Winter a 1911 is pretty easy to conceal but in Summer, my Walther PPS or Kel-Tec PF-9 are a lot easier. Likewise, my CZ-82 works pretty well for both Summer and Winter. I will say, my CZ-82 is the most accurate pistol I own.