If ammo was available and affordable would you be interested in a modern pistol chambered in 7.62x25?

HELL, yes! The pistol I shoot second best of all the ones in ny collection is my Model 57 Tok. I like the CZ-52 as well, but the "back-asswards" safety irks me no end. I'd LOVE to find a way to make the "U.N.C.L.E. Special" with no safety, since it does fit my hand well (though not as well as the Model 57).

Seriously. When someone is looking for a personal defense gun for EDC, I always recommend the Model 57 as a possibility. Yes, it is a ComBloc design. But that just means it will work when you need it to, no matter what. Yes, the sights are clunky. But they are surprisingly good, to the point you need to go to those green dot tritium sights that came on the market a couple of years back to get much better. (Hmmm ... there's an idea -- a Model 57 with modern sights.) Yes, it's only a 9 + 1, but the point has been made by experts like Jeff Cooper that if you can't solve your goblin problem with 10 rounds, it may not be solvable. (Maybe take the Model 57 design and extend the grip so it takes a 10 round magazine for our modern pistol?) But the most important points are these, in no particular order: It has minimal muzzle rise, and you can eliminate that with the muzzle brake; felt recoil is almost nonexistent even without the muzzle brake; and most important, the 7.62x25 cartridge delivers more terminal energy at average pistol combat ranges than the standard 9x19mm NATO cartridge. Personally, I don't see how you can do much better.

I wonder if Ruger could make a double stack version of the Ruger Mark III with a six inch barrel and an integral red dot sight with combat laser sight? That would make a really good goblin-repeller. Or maybe a 4 inch barrel Mark III with a muzzle brake, to elevate the muzzle blast from the "Ohmigawd, he's got a Dirty Harry gun!" to "OHMIGAWD, he's got a bleeping CANNON! Run!"

Or, instead of reinventing things, how about we take the ideas in the second paragraph and build a Model 57 with a 10 round magazine, those green tritium dot sights, maybe add a laser to that. Use 90 grain bullets, perhaps in semi-wadcutter as well as FMJ and JHP, and even if the goblin is wearing body armor, unless he has AR500 plates or better in there he is bound either for the ER or the morgue depending on how well you place your shots.

I suspect there are more than a few people out there who would buy either a Model 57 Update or a Ruger Mark III 7.62. I know I would.

They look like this.

The Norinco like this. Either one would be welcome at my house.