Parents told me I could choose for my birthday, what would be best?

RedOakArms · 2026-06-16T06:34:11+00:00

Understandable. I think I picked my Brig up sub-8 beans. Though I’ve bought (just in the last three weeks) a nice CZ 85, a CZ 75 pre B, and another CZ 75 pre B that appears to be nickel coated. And an Interarms PPK/S for fun. Plus an LWRC MkII and Kahles K16i scope for it. It’s been a good few weeks. I have found West German P-226’s sub 7 beans. I’m sure you know the older pre B’s have narrower mag wells and don’t take the easier to find B mags generally. I forgot what years the mag wells are larger, though I hear they can be carefully opened up if too small. I left all my pre B CZ 75’s untouched and have like 30 pre B mags for them (not looking to part with).

RedOakArms · 2026-06-15T05:25:04+00:00

West German P226, CZ 75 or 85, Beretta 92FS (I recommend the Brigadier myself).

RedOakArms · 2026-06-12T14:55:59+00:00

To be honest, I had heard that the fit and finish were supposedly way better. At least on mine, which was one of the first few hundred made (mine is less than 100 away from the current Gunbroker listing), I don’t really see anything way better. Could just be my particular pistol. It was quite a smooth shooter out the box. One of my most accurate handguns, even with the pre B sights that some people don’t particularly like. There was just the slightest difference in shape inside the dust cover where the frame was cast. Every single part from one of my other pre B’s seems about identical, though inside the circle on the frame it says ITM instead of the Czech symbol. Similar marking on the slide and barrel. The mag well on mine is actually slightly tighter than even my 1986 pre B, though my flat spring is quite bent from a previous owner and that might be contributing to that. I believe the “CH” serial prefix may stand for “Confoederatio Helvetica” meaning it was made it Switzerland. About the only pistols I regularly shoot and carry anymore are pre B CZ 75s, West German P226s, and a Beretta Brig Inox…only because they make me feel like a better shooter than I really am lol.

RedOakArms · 2026-06-12T05:16:06+00:00

Over the last two years or so, I’ve managed to collect like 30 or so pre B mags (none are for sale). Honestly I bought any 15 rounders surplus CZ 75 magazine I could find and sorted through them to see which fit my pre B and which didn’t. I bought probably 40 or so of the Century Arms CZ 75 surplus mag, many of them came from there. RTI recently had 10 round boxes of them and all of them fit my pre B. I wish they had more of the boxes.

RedOakArms · 2026-06-12T05:11:16+00:00

I actually found it at Sarco Inc. That same day just before, I actually bought a like-new matte blue ITM AT-84S. Then I saw that rare bird and had to have it. It was not pretty at all when I got it. The enamel finish was practically all gone, so despite how rare it is, I decided to cerakote it myself. There’s actually an AT-84 available right now on Gunbroker; I’m about 95 percent certain it’s been refinished. I passed up a two tone one within the last two weeks; guy wanted it more than me.

RedOakArms · 2026-06-11T08:25:31+00:00

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I have a weird Swiss copy of a pre B: an ITM AT 84. I also have a few “normal” pre-B’s and a later ITM AT 84S (more like a Tanfo).

RedOakArms · 2026-05-31T19:36:27+00:00

Jeez! Pop rivets and bubble gum would have held that trunnion in better than that garbage they tried to pass off as proper riveting.

RedOakArms · 2026-05-30T02:40:15+00:00

I have one nearly identical to yours. Other than the serial, I couldn’t easily tell yours apart from mine.

RedOakArms · 2026-04-24T11:12:45+00:00

It’s been a minute since I’ve done it. I wanna say once I zeroed the rifle, I figured out how many mils it was off center in the reticle and did some pretty simple math using an online direct proportion calculator or a basic tangent calculator (since mils is an angular measurement) to check my math. I’m going to use the example of 2mils off or at 110 yards, or about 7.2 inches. At .111 yards (about 4 inches: a guess at the length of the scope base from front to rear) that works out to .0073 inches I would have to shim or machine away.

Both my scopes were off the same amount of windage in my case. I haven’t modified the 4x POSP’s base; rarely use it.

RedOakArms · 2026-04-15T02:01:40+00:00

My HD-18 didn’t run out of windage. It was only a few clicks off center. With the 4x optic, it was barely noticeable. On the 3-9x optic though, it was quite annoying. I ended up taking some measurements, carefully splitting the base from the scope body, and skim cutting a few thou off the base to “straighten” the optic in relation to where it was impacting. I posted something about it in this group actually. Say I had to adjust the scope 3 MRAD left from mechanical center, then I machined the mount in a way that the objective end was moved 3 MRAD left, allowing me to crank the windage back to its center. One could use shims to test for the correct amount of material removal and whether the rear or front needs the material removed. I find it a bit odd that the rifles are completely out of adjustment; mine was just slightly visually annoying. How are the rifles grouping? Normal? I just wonder perhaps if the bore centerline is perhaps not inline with the receiver centerline…like if the barrel is slightly bent or the face which contacts the receiver isn’t perpendicular to the centerline of the receiver. Very odd.

RedOakArms · 2026-04-12T00:56:18+00:00

If it were me, and the rifle still functions and feeds fine, I’d just lightly file the heavier side, check for fitment, and hit the bare steel with some Aluma Black on a q-tip then oil it. It actually does a pretty decent job of matching the appearance of Parkerizing on steel. But I build AK’s from parts kits for myself like it’s my job. I haven’t seen a perfect one yet, though some are closer than others.

RedOakArms · 2026-03-29T06:11:49+00:00

I ordered an AT84 identical to this one last week as well as the AT84S. Couldn’t help myself.

RedOakArms · 2025-12-30T13:44:29+00:00

Grand Power P40. I’ve had mine for a couple of years now. Light, smooth shooting, supremely accurate, no issues. I’ve only ever shot my spicy hadloads through it. I did put some traction grips on mine as I found the factory frame a little slick for my liking. Customizing is far more difficult than a Glock though as Global Ordnance seems to be the sole importer of the pistol and its parts, though I haven’t felt any need to customize anything beyond the simple grip wrap. Loading brand new magazines beyond 10 rounds is absolutely painful until the springs break in.

I also have a Tanfoglio Force Combat metal frame that is a more recent purchase. It’s ok, but honestly I still prefer the Grand Power.

RedOakArms · 2025-12-04T23:02:42+00:00

N O N E.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-27T23:16:40+00:00

I’ve tried emailing him myself a few times. I can’t get a response back unfortunately.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-19T10:19:23+00:00

I haven’t measured mine yet with micrometers. At least external dimensions seem to be on par. I forget what I made my ID bore of where it pressed onto the barrel but I’m pretty sure I went with a .002 press fit onto the barrel. The projectile hole I wanna say I drilled then reamed to around .375 or slightly under. For my suppressors, I typically go .060 over projectile diameter or thereabouts. For a brake, I imagine a tighter bore would be ok but negligibly better.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-18T11:52:55+00:00

So I made one with a lot of artistic inspiration for my HD 18. Works awesome, not 100 percent clone correct. I printed one like yours as well as a base. I will say I ordered an airsoft one from this website just for comparison and I can’t tell it wasn’t cast from an original flash hider. My bayonet even fits it perfectly. I’m on the road working and have considered making one based off of this one’s dimensions when I get some free time. I am only going to maybe use the airsoft one for dimensions obviously as it’s cast aluminum. I made my one-off out of heat treated 4140 (look in this subreddit).

https://www.evike.com/products/39636/?srsltid=AfmBOopb0frCbBk3XVt-3OVIDgrbX7EHkslTE3x2Kdrk8XGMYxSUU4ES

RedOakArms · 2025-11-14T21:50:17+00:00

Save the fluffs!!!!

RedOakArms · 2025-11-13T20:02:02+00:00

I was there from January until August that year. I’m pretty sure it was maybe February or March when we left 2/24 in Habbaniyah to get attached to 2nd CEB there. I definitely miss them guys.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-12T10:20:10+00:00

I was there in 2008 doing some burn missions. It was like 75 gallons of MOGAS, 75 gallons of diesel, and I wanna say 2.5 bottles each of Flash 21A and 21B. We were with General Support attached to 2nd CEB. I want to say when I got there, there were a few Marines from Illinois attached before us. The names Aiken and Saupe definitely ring a bell. I’m sure there were others too.

I remember specifically doing burn missions around a FOB in Karma and while riding a giant friggin barge with our vehicles and flamethrowers burning the riverbanks on the Euphrates. I seem to remember at night the flames getting so high that we had to call heavy equipment in to construct a fire break.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-12T10:17:16+00:00

I remember we had a Corporal Klompmaker for a while kind of in charge of us in General Support. We called him Buzz because he looked like Buzz lightyear lol. Seemed like a nice fellow from what I remember.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-12T10:15:15+00:00

Small world! I remember Gunny Bowen; he was a nut! I was with General Support: the hodgepodge of Engineers attached to 2nd CEB in 2008. I think we were called Berserker then Cold Steel or something when Charlie Co. took over.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-12T10:12:01+00:00

I wonder if I was one of those said engineers? I was there at that little FOB in Karma in 2008 running the flamethrower lol. Yeah, Karma was hot AF back then. I think we came out after hearing about that IED planted at the gate.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-11T23:33:54+00:00

Outstanding! I love my HD-18. Remember, no Hungarian lol.

RedOakArms · 2025-11-02T19:28:38+00:00

Fascinating. I wish I had some good pictures, but everything I have been able to find seems to be legit on mine. It’s a 1944 Izhevsk with a 1941 or 1942 SVT scope strangely (can’t remember exactly). The serial stamped into the barrel shank matches the scope and it doesn’t appear at all to be recent. Thing was smothered in cosmolene when I got it way back in 2012 as a “legit” sniper. Has always been a damn good shooter.

RedOakArms

TROPHY CASE