I've owned my '63 for less than a year now, got it this past summer, but have put a considerable about of ammo through it (1,000+ rounds I'm thinking).
Last month I started to notice some 'stratching' on the lands of my barrel, something that definately WASN'T there when I acquired the thing. At the time I thought mabye it was some fouling from shooting HP silver bear or that dirty Wolf ammo that I've most recently been plinking with, but after having throughly cleaned the gun, the wear marks are still there.
So my theory is that the grooves in my barrel have taken some considerable wear and are letting the bullet actually 'scrape' the barrel lands when fired . Another reason I have this suspicion is that my 9mm copper brush no longer feels as snug when cleaning.
has anybody had these problems with their 63??? What would be the best course for fixing the problem??? New barrel or just a new 63?!??!?!
Hmm... that sucks... oddly enough, when I first got my PA-63 (years ago), it jammed constantly. BUT- I had been shooting it with the billion rounds of Wolf ammo I had laying around for my Makarov. I switched to American Eagle 9mm Mak, which had a different shaped bullet (longer), and brass cased, and it's never jammed since... and there are no marks or wear that I can see...
It's been my only problem with Wolf ammo ever, and I just chalked it up to the gun... I often wondered if it just needed breaking in, it was brand new (unfired) when I got it. Hell, even Kimber states you should shoot 1000 rounds through their $1000 pistols to break them in... I paid $120 for my PA-63!
Sorry... I don't have any answers... that really sucks. The PA-63 is (was?) a really good and accurate pistol for the money...
Hey, is the accuracy suffering? Maybe it's just normal wear... but you sound like you know what you are talking about, on top of it being a obscure pistol.
thx for the link! I've put some serious wear on this little pistol, and it wasn't in 'new' or even 'like new' condition when I bought it. I think once I'm finished with the rest of my Wolf ammo (I've got about 150 rounds of 9Mak left) I switch back to the brass cased stuff or mabye even Brown Bear ammo. Even the BB and Silver Bear stuff I've shot through it seemed only slightly dirtier than the MFS and other brass stuff.
I dont think the accuarcy is suffering overall, but when I shoot the Wolf ammo it gradually gets worse and worse over the course of the day (from being so damn dirty is why I'm guessing). The bore is still shiny. I always clean my guns right when I get back from the range - no exceptions. But the 'scratching' on the grooves of the barrel is what concerns me. I think the lands of the barrel have taken some serious wear and are starting to let the projectile scrape the grooves as it leaves the barrel. I'll have to try and take some pic soon to show what I'm talking about.
Thx again for the link, I think I may just pick up that new barrel. I was think about getting another '63 but I'd rather just revamp the one I've got. Now I ned to look up how to replace the barrel!
I like that SS barrel! How do you remove it from the frame, do you remove the little black pin on the forward edge of the frame just under the barrel?
That's what I was thinkin as well, but I wouldn't even tinker with it unless I had the proper instructions.
what I found really interesting was the threaded .380 barrel. could you simply swap out the barrel and have yourself a PA-63 in .380 that was ready for a silencer??? that would be too cool!
Yeah, I like the silencer idea too, but this is my conceal carry and I carry it in the small of my back...if I had a silencer on it the silencer would ride in my crack!
I would hazard a guess and suggest that the scratching may be being caused by the cleaning method employed.
Are you using a good quality plastic covered cleaning rod?
You are not reversing the travel of your cleaning brush in the barrel?
Possibly you fired it with some dirt, grit or spiders in the barrel??
I would hazard a guess and suggest that the scratching may be being caused by the cleaning method employed.
Are you using a good quality plastic covered cleaning rod?
You are not reversing the travel of your cleaning brush in the barrel?
Possibly you fired it with some dirt, grit or spiders in the barrel??
Yes to the barrel pin.
I use a 9mm copper wire brush with a copper rod that is not plastic coated, but I am pretty darn careful when cleaning the thing. I make sure that the rod dosent bang against the barrel, and I DEFINATELY do not reverse direction when running the copper brush through the bore. THis is the first pistol that I've really owned so I make darn sure the thing is well maintained, as far as grit and dirt or even spiders(!) are concerned.
One thing I have done though is run two or three hundred rounds of MFS +P marakov through it, and also 500 Wolf and 200+ Silver Bear for a grand total of what I'm thinking is more than 1000+ rounds of ammo in less than 9 months of shooting.
I'll try and take some pics of the barrel again (first attempt didn't go so well ) since it seems I'm not describing the problem very well.
As for as the caliber swap, the maximum pressure loading for .380 is less than that of 9mm Mak, correct? So after the barrel is swapped I should be good to go! I think that the magazines I have now should hold .380 rounds no problem! mabye the only problem would be my pistol reliably feeding them?
Last edited by CzechPistol; 02-25-2009 at 04:35 PM.
Yeah, I like the silencer idea too, but this is my conceal carry and I carry it in the small of my back...if I had a silencer on it the silencer would ride in my crack!
I'm no lawer, but I think a silencer on a CCW would be kinda illegal . That, and I think silencer permits are fairly hard to get anyways.
It would be a really fun project though, and you would end up with a pretty unique little bond-esque pistol too. I'm actually seriously considering buying the .380 barrel to do the conversion. I would have to take it to a gunsmith or buy a barrel press to do it proper though, but it probabaly wouldn't be all that much extra.
I'm no lawer, but I think a silencer on a CCW would be kinda illegal . That, and I think silencer permits are fairly hard to get anyways.
It would be a really fun project though, and you would end up with a pretty unique little bond-esque pistol too. I'm actually seriously considering buying the .380 barrel to do the conversion. I would have to take it to a gunsmith or buy a barrel press to do it proper though, but it probabaly wouldn't be all that much extra.
Actually here in Utah silencers are legal, you don't even need a Conceal Permit. With one exception, you have to remove it from your barrel within Salt Lake City limits.
In fact, you can have dual 50 cal machine gun with silencers sticking out of the sun roof in your suburban, locked and loaded, out where everybody can see them, in the state of Utah, you just have to remove the silencers in SLC, all without any kind of permit.
So the barrel is pressed-in on a PA? I can't do the switch that easily? I want to go with the SS barrel! It sounds sweet.
Actually here in Utah silencers are legal, you don't even need a Conceal Permit. With one exception, you have to remove it from your barrel within Salt Lake City limits.
In fact, you can have dual 50 cal machine gun with silencers sticking out of the sun roof in your suburban, locked and loaded, out where everybody can see them, in the state of Utah, you just have to remove the silencers in SLC, all without any kind of permit.
So the barrel is pressed-in on a PA? I can't do the switch that easily? I want to go with the SS barrel! It sounds sweet.
Sorry, nope. Federal law states that a silencer is Class III and does require that you have the proper Class III stamp as well as everything required to get it including the extensive background check and everything else. It is not up to the states to make that call.
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"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe." - Luke 11:21
Yep...what musicmaniac said. The National Firearms Act of 1934 prohibited suppressors without the proper tax stamp and background check...in any state. It's a Federal law for which the individual states have no authority to ignore. The same act which regulates machine guns, short barrel rifles, short barrel shotguns, and destructive devices. They will lock you up with Bubba for a long time for this stuff.
If you are just wanting some bad-a$$ look, screw on one of those fake suppressors from Cheaper Than Dirt. They are simply a solid aluminum piece with suppressor-type threads.
Myself, I have a PA-63 for 9x18 shooting, an AP-7 for .32acp shooting, and .380's for .380acp shooting....and I leave the "suppressed look" alone.
Oh really? Wow. Thanks for straightening me out. Must've got some bad data. I did some quick checking around on the internet, some manufacturers/distributors say it's legal, but when I get to the utah.gov stuff, you guys are right, "unlawful".
BTW- I got that Stainless Steel barrel. I'm going to instal it tonight, I'll post how it went.
Just got it installed, looks cool. It extends beyond the slide just a touch more than stock, plus it's got that ss shine to it, so it's obvious.
I was in such a hurry to instal it I didn't look at the two next to each other. Afterwards I lined them up in the frame, the stainless is a touch longer, maybe 2-3mm.
I'll get some pix up tomorrow at work, when I got free time, hehe.
Just got it installed, looks cool. It extends beyond the slide just a touch more than stock, plus it's got that ss shine to it, so it's obvious.
I was in such a hurry to instal it I didn't look at the two next to each other. Afterwards I lined them up in the frame, the stainless is a touch longer, maybe 2-3mm.
I'll get some pix up tomorrow at work, when I got free time, hehe.
nice! be sure to show off some pic soon
what did you use to change the barrel? a barrel press???
nice! be sure to show off some pic soon
what did you use to change the barrel? a barrel press???
Didn't use any type of press. Remove the pin under the barrel and just tap it with a hammer (brass is probably best). You have to remove the Sear Push Pin and it's spring and housing by removing the Sear Push Pin Housing Pin (BTW, easier installed if hammer is up). Other than that it's a drop-in.
This pix shows the SS barrel:
This pix shows the barrel tip sticking out just a touch more than stock:
Looks great man, very slick! Thanks for the tips on changing the barrel too. I was a little anxious about ordering the ss barrel without having a barel press or anything.
Just an update on my new SS barrel...finally got a chance to push some lead thru it, about 40 rds, no signs of wear on the ramp, no jams nor misfeeds. Fit is still tight. One pull with a swab and she's clean enough to eat off of.
PA63 Barrel Wear! 
. Another reason I have this suspicion is that my 9mm copper brush no longer feels as snug when cleaning.
. That, and I think silencer permits are fairly hard to get anyways.
