The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > The Smithy

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 12, 2015, 12:00 PM   #1
DA/SA Fan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 30, 2014
Location: Missouri
Posts: 661
Any such thing?

Hi.
New section of the forums for me and I have a dumb question to start out with. I've always liked oddball things and I will get around to scratching an itch for a 7.62x25 one day. Pretty sure it's something I will enjoy shooting but I was wondering if there is any such thing as a custom made handgun barrel. I mean, I'm sure enough money can buy almost anything but would it be totally outrageous to have a 7.62x25 barrel made for a TriStar 9mm pistol?
__________________
"Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"
CASTLE DOCTRINE STRONGLY ENFORCED
"Happiness is a warm gun"
DA/SA Fan is offline  
Old October 12, 2015, 12:44 PM   #2
9x18_Walther
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 2, 2015
Posts: 500
Quote:
I mean, I'm sure enough money can buy almost anything but would it be totally outrageous to have a 7.62x25 barrel made for a TriStar 9mm pistol?
Only aware of the 7.62x25 conversion barrel for 9mm and .38 Super 1911s. I believe you have to use .38 Super magazines too.
9x18_Walther is offline  
Old October 12, 2015, 01:30 PM   #3
Glenn E. Meyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2000
Posts: 20,064
There were Ruger P series pistols made in this caliber IIRC. Haven't seen any, though.
__________________
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
Glenn E. Meyer is offline  
Old October 12, 2015, 11:00 PM   #4
DnPRK
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 24, 2001
Location: LC, Ca
Posts: 1,917
The 7.62x25 is quite a bit longer than a 9x19. It could be an issue if the magazine isn't capable of accepting a longer cartridge.
DnPRK is offline  
Old October 13, 2015, 05:02 PM   #5
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
The 7.62x25 is too long for the standard M1911 magazine housing, and it won't fit any standard magazine. The VC converted some by doing a lot of filing on the inside front and back of the magazine well, then making new magazines from sheet metal, but that is not (IMHO) a very practical solution. It might be simpler to just buy a Tokarev or a VZ52 to shoot that cartridge.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 13, 2015, 07:01 PM   #6
9x18_Walther
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 2, 2015
Posts: 500
Quote:
The 7.62x25 is quite a bit longer than a 9x19. It could be an issue if the magazine isn't capable of accepting a longer cartridge.
The only conversion I could find requires that you start with either a 9x19 or .38 Super 1911.

Regardless, you have to use .38 Super magazines.

It's not a great idea, even if it works.
9x18_Walther is offline  
Old October 14, 2015, 01:09 AM   #7
DA/SA Fan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 30, 2014
Location: Missouri
Posts: 661
Was hoping for some way to get a double stack. I did see something about converting an RIA 9mm that would at best be a bear to get running right. Maybe a Tanfoglio .38 super? Oh well guess I'll put that one on the back burner for a while.

Thanks for not beating me up for the dumb question!
__________________
"Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"
CASTLE DOCTRINE STRONGLY ENFORCED
"Happiness is a warm gun"
DA/SA Fan is offline  
Old October 14, 2015, 10:00 PM   #8
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
.38 Super magazines won't work unless you handload and seat the 7.62x25 bullets deep.

This question comes up from time to time, and almost always it is claimed to be an easy conversion; just get a .38 Super 1911 type, change the barrel, and look, Ma, a .7.62x25 pistol. I don't say it can't be done; if the VC, working in tunnels, could do it, a competent gunsmith could. But the VC gunsmiths didn't charge their customers or have to make money.

Would anyone who has had that job done please let us know how much it cost and how well it works? Please, no "my cousin Joe" stories; I am interested in a conversion of either a .45 or a .38 Super/9mm 1911 type auto pistol to 7.62x25 by a gunsmith who will do others, and his price.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 15, 2015, 02:21 AM   #9
kozak6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 3,113
7.62 Tokarev is super long for a pistol cartridge, so it doesn't really fit well into other guns or their magazines.

I did run across a thread on another forum where the guy shoehorned shortloaded 7.62x25 into a double stack .22 TCM magazine with the J&G barrel.

http://singleactions.proboards.com/t...s-25mm-tokarev

Why not a .357 Sig?

Quote:
There were Ruger P series pistols made in this caliber IIRC. Haven't seen any, though.
Actually, those were in .30 Luger, or 7.65x21 .
kozak6 is offline  
Old October 15, 2015, 07:31 AM   #10
F. Guffey
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Posts: 7,249
Quote:
Actually, those were in .30 Luger, or 7.65x21
I have one, with two barrels complete with slide, barrel and captured spring. Most were converted to 9mm, the 30 Luger was not a good ideal.

F. Guffey
F. Guffey is offline  
Old October 15, 2015, 07:59 AM   #11
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
Regarding the 7.62x25 1911s, I saw a fair amount of them showing up on dealers' tables in the 80s. At the time, the general "story' was that they were converted by the Chinese to shoot their standard round (at the time). This is the first I have heard about them being VC, but as time passes new info is uncovered.

I would generally concur with others in that a conversion of any existing commonly available gun today would be futile, and most likely a disaster (or, at best, a fiasco).

Best look around for a Tokarev and have a lot of fun and very little aggravation.
__________________
As always, YMMV.
__________________________________________
MIIAA
SIFE
gyvel is offline  
Old October 15, 2015, 10:27 PM   #12
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
I understand that both Ruger and Colt (and maybe S&W also) made pistols in 7.65x21 (.30 Luger) for export sales in countries like Italy, where ownership of guns in the 9x19 military caliber is prohibited. But that is not the same cartridge as the 7.63x25, aka 7.62x25, aka .30 Mauser, aka 7.62 Tokarev.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 16, 2015, 12:19 PM   #13
F. Guffey
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Posts: 7,249
My 2 P89 Ruger barrels are stamped 30 Luger.

F. Guffey
F. Guffey is offline  
Old October 16, 2015, 06:06 PM   #14
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
So is the barrel of one of my Colt Commanders. But the caliber is actually 9mm Luger. Apparently Colt had an overrun on an export order and converted them to 9mm for domestic sale.

Actually, I would like a Commander size pistol in .30 Luger. It is powerful enough to be effective, yet has light recoil and little muzzle blast, plus being an easy cartridge to reload.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 16, 2015, 08:33 PM   #15
9x18_Walther
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 2, 2015
Posts: 500
Quote:
Regarding the 7.62x25 1911s, I saw a fair amount of them showing up on dealers' tables in the 80s. At the time, the general "story' was that they were converted by the Chinese to shoot their standard round (at the time). This is the first I have heard about them being VC, but as time passes new info is uncovered.
Why would they choose a 1911 design over a TT-33?

The simpler trigger/hammer single-piece assembly makes replacement in the field a breeze. It certainly edges the 1911 in this regard.
9x18_Walther is offline  
Old October 16, 2015, 09:26 PM   #16
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,491
Because we supplied the Nationalist Chinese with a lot of stuff in WWII and the Red Chinese ended up with it, including 1911s.
They had and preferred Mausers and Tokarevs (also PPSh) and rather than load or procure .45 ammo, they converted the Yank guns... rather crudely.

Some of the converted 1911s came home when Red China dumped their worn out Broomhandles on the U.S. surplus market.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old October 17, 2015, 04:01 PM   #17
BoogieMan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 2012
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 2,217
Just a thought here. I dont know the OAL of the TOK. But starting with anything that was made to accept Largo (9x23) might get a lot closer from the start. Lots of those old pistols selling cheep out there.
__________________
Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.
Milton Freidman
"If you find yourself in a fair fight,,,
Your tactics suck"
- Unknown
BoogieMan is offline  
Old October 17, 2015, 06:58 PM   #18
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
None of the 9mm pistols have magazines and magazine wells long enough to accept the 7.62 Tokarev/.30 Mauser without a lot of alteration.

Not to doubt anyone, but the VC altering captured 1911's to use 7.62 Tokarev makes more sense than a large country like China doing so. The Chinese were making the Tokarev for their own use in that era and altering a bunch of old pistols would not seem cost effective.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 17, 2015, 10:31 PM   #19
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
I suppose either story is believable.

One dealer back in Miami during the 80s had a pile of them and about 25 or so Jap Type 38 carbines that were converted to 7.62x39. He claimed they came from China, but he could have been misinformed. One thing for sure is that they were all beat to crap. What I noticed on the 1911s is that the front and back walls of the mag well were machined out to almost paper thin thickness to accommodate a 7.62x25 length mag. The Jap T38s looked to fairly well done, but were generally "well used."

It is entirely plausible that these were modified in Vietnam, as they showed their capability by producing a modified "Quan-Doi Cao Dai" copy of the Browning Hi-Power in what has been described as a "jungle workshop." (Apparently some 1911 copies exist that are marked the same way as well.)
__________________
As always, YMMV.
__________________________________________
MIIAA
SIFE
gyvel is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:08 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.04842 seconds with 10 queries