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New (to me) 32ACP/7.65 Pistols

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  • 00-Guy

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    Jul 27, 2011
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    So rather than clutter-up the thread on Loving 32ACP pistols, I thought that I would start a new one.

    The Beretta 81 7.65/32ACP Italian Law Enforcement turn-ins are available from several different online retailers. Prices vary. One of the forum sponsors has them listed for sale as well.

    I opted for one listed as Good to Very Good Surplus condition. While at it, the Zastava M70 32ACP was also on sale. I figured "in for a penny, in for a pound" and bought one of each.

    Holy Spumoni, the Beretta appears to be in unissued condition without even any apparent holster wear! And for the price the M70 was in Good or Better condition.

    All in all, very pleased. Now off to the range to try them out.
    Venture Surplus ad
     

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    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
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    Oct 4, 2013
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    Gunz are icky.
    Less talking. More shooting!

    Today was Italian love.
    Took the new Model 81 .32 to the range.
    Fired a number of different brands of ammo.
    300 rds fired.
    Had one malf with the Winchester white box. Cartridge lip damaged and wouldn’t feed.
    All others ran perfect.
    Sights a bit off to the left for me but thats an easy fix.
    View attachment 181937

    View attachment 181938
    Very pleasant to fire. Recoil is easy.

    Have you hugged your .32auto today?
    Last pic is for Darkpriest. Brass pile RAFFS at him.
    View attachment 181939
     

    m5215

    Pistoleer
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    Sep 3, 2018
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    McKinney, TX
    I have the Zastava M70 as well. One big problem though about it. Recoil and magazine springs are not available anywhere for it so once either spring gives out the pistol will not reliably fire. Every now and then I search for these springs but I can't find them anywhere. I even tried contacting Zastava Arms directly for assistance with finding them but they never bothered to respond back to me.

    This pistol taught me the lesson to always check for a reliable source(s) for replacement consumable parts before buying any firearm.
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    Oct 14, 2017
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    In the woods...
    I got one of the 81's from Classic. Paid the extra $20 for hand select. Yours looks nicer than the one I got, but I'm very pleased. Internals are pristine but it shows wear/speckling on the frame.

    I think that "hand select" means they used their hand to select it out of the crate.
     

    jar

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    Got one from DK. Internals look great and externals very good. Some wear on edges but minor. Gave mine a SPA Day then a WalkAbout at the range. I gave my older 81 to my friend who has been bugging me for it for years. This one certainly looks better than my old one did and shoots the same.

    I still will likely carry the 1935 or 70 more often than the 81 or my Pico.
     

    00-Guy

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    Jul 27, 2011
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    So as promised, a range report.

    The Zastava is a nice pistol, decent accuracy offhand at 7 yards. 6 mags worth of ammo with 4 light strikes on rounds in mag 3 (2) and mag 5 (2). Reloaded the rounds into the next magazine and they fired. For what I paid for it, into the tackle box it goes. Also note: FMJ and JHP fed nicely through it.

    The Beretta is a great pistol. Good accuracy offhand at 7 yards. Shoots to point of aim nicely. 6 mags with no issues. No issues with either FMJ or JHP feeding. Really enjoyed shooting it. Now to find another magazine for this gun that isn't $45+. Glad I bought it.

    Hope that Helps others.
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    In the woods...
    Yes, for the price the 81 is selling for right now, I would opt for the Beretta over the Zastava every time.

    I'll be firing my 81 this weekend and will keep you posted.
     

    skfullgun

    Dances With Snakes
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    In the woods...
    If you are hesitating to buy one of these surplus Beretta 81s, don't. I fired four magazines through mine this afternoon. The first magazine was PMC bronze FMJ. The second magazine was some old, F-N FMJ, flat points I had laying around. The third mag was Winchester silvertip hollow point. For the 4th mag I mixed them all up. The Beretta functioned 100%. Not a hiccup. Shoots soft and sweet. Decent trigger in DA, very nice trigger in SA. For a Beretta selling at less than $275 delivered and transferred, it really isn't a difficult decision.

    "Yeah", you say, " but it's a .32 acp mousegun!". "So", says I, "it's an historically proven self-defense round and it's a hoot to shoot, AND in a quality pistol!"
     

    Ozzman

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    Aug 17, 2015
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    El Paso, Texas
    I picked one up too from Classic last week.
    Came in on Tuesday morning, picked it up at lunch time, wiped the grease down with a baby wipe and shot it in the afternoon after a visit to Academy for some ammo.

    Went through 50 rounds of Winchester FMJ (Whitebox) with the one magazine it came with. Great to report that I didn't have any issues. Hit POA at 20'. It is my first .32 acp handgun and I was impressed with the accuracy and reliability. The finish on mine is immaculate and I didn't pay for extra for hand select either.

    The price for ammo is surprisingly on the steep side. I paid $26 for 1 box. Fished out all 50 casings from the sand put them back in the box. I will invest in some Lee dies for the caliber. I think I still have the mold for the 93 gr RN .311 cast bullet.

    Overall, I am impressed. Very nice Beretta.
     

    Moonpie

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    Gunz are icky.
    They're a wonderful handgun.
    With this large influx of pistols hopefully we will some aftermarket goodies like grips and sights.
    There is already an aftermarket grip available but its ~$50!

    Both of the ones I recieved from vendor DK run perfectly.

    The trick on the ammo is to order on-line in quantity.
    You can get PPU, Aquila, Fiocchi for around $10~12 per hundred if you use one of the ammo seekers.
    Buying it one box at a time is mucho$.
     

    rl96ss

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    Feb 20, 2013
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    CenTex
    Bought one the 81's from Aim Surplus and ran 100 rds of the Aguila with no issues.
    Paid almost $50 at Academy for the ammo, so yeah I'll be putting in an order at Sgammo for some bulk. They're also seems to be a little less choices there since last I looked, must have sold alot of the 81's.
     

    jar

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    Bought one the 81's from Aim Surplus and ran 100 rds of the Aguila with no issues.
    Paid almost $50 at Academy for the ammo, so yeah I'll be putting in an order at Sgammo for some bulk. They're also seems to be a little less choices there since last I looked, must have sold alot of the 81's.
    Check out Geco 32acp. I often find it online for under $10.00/50 rounds and usually even better if bought in quantity.
     
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