This is a Seecamp LWS .32 ACP. It's a 6+1 capacity, straight blowback pistol chambered in the diminutive .32ACP chambering. It's not mine - it's my father's new pocket gun, and since I'm the resident gun nut, he asked me to get it ready for his first time shooting it.
And it's a good thing, too, because the trigger pull was gritty and needed quite a bit of massaging (basically cleaning and oiling). Seecamp cautions against dry-firing, and I immediately found out why - the precarious arrangement of how the trigger links to the hammer is jarred out of alignment rather easily.
Without having shot it, I can't say I particularly care for this gun. It's heavier than my P3AT; has the same capacity as the P3AT but in an inferior cartridge; is finicky about ammo (from what I've read, once again, I haven't shot it); and lacks sights completely - not even a top groove like the old .25ACP pocket pistols. And the safety is, IMHO, superfluous, decidedly NOT intuitive, and silly - see below.
Funny story time: I get a call this morning on my drive into work. It's my dad. There's a problem with the Seecamp; they can't get it to chamber a round. I talk to the president of the gun club who's shooting with dad, and instruct him to take the safety off to fully cycle the slide and chamber the round. It worked.
You know you're a gun nut when a retired cop and the president of a gun club consult you for advice on recalcitrant handguns...
That is all.
10 comments:
Zed: Kay, give the kid a weapon.
[Kay opens a chest filled with intergalactic guns. He picks up a large rifle]
Kay: A Series Four De-atomizer.
Jay: That's what I'm talkin' about.
Kay: [picks up a very tiny gun and gives it to Jay] Noisy Cricket.
Jay: [stares the weapon in disguist] Hey, Kay, nah nah. Come on, man, y-you get a Series Four De-atomizer and I-I get a little - little midget cricket?
- Brad_in_MA
Not a huge fan of it either. No sights, I get that it's a belly-gun, but making the top flat is a little preachy. If I wanted a knife I would have brought one.
I'm still just waiting for my Kahr PM45. Now that's a pocket gun!
I hear they're on the spendy side as well; $600-$700?!!
I'm going for a commercial Russian Makarov myself next week. Should be a little more bang for the buck but not as shiny.
angus,
I've got one of those commercial Maks in .380 ACP, actually. Quite an accurate little gun.
Can't bring myself to carry it, tho' - not when the P3AT has only 2 less rounds and weighs about 2 lbs. less... ;)
The Seecamp was a wonder in its day, small, light (sorta), & concealable.
In today's market, it's a dinosaur; there are myriad other weapons that now fill that niche.
It was, however, the first of its kind I believe, & your Dad, being an old-schooler like yours truly, probably always wanted one.
So there, he’s got his new toy; now don’t give us any gruff lad…
The safety isn't something that Seecamp wants--The original relied on the double action trigger. It has been a while since I paid attention, but "California Edition" almost certainly refers to a model with a safety added to conform with California regs.
Jay, which pistol would you say you can be more accurate with? I need a lightweight pocket gun, but I'm drawn to the reliable steel especially if it's not made or imported anymore I'm anxious to hear how Bruce likes his LCP which, I think has replaced my desire for the P3AT.
for it's intended purpose, the Seecamp is a nice piece: a small, reliable pistol that's always with you. The entire idea behind it was to make a .32 that WAS "carryable": most .32s before were almost service pistols...
I love my Seecamp, but I don't have any illusions about it: it's a last-ditch weapon, when the fat's ALL the way in the fire. It's THE only weapon that I would carry without having a double-reload: if I have to reload the thing once, I'm pretty well screwed...
DT,
I think Dad got it simply because it's the next gen "cop BUG" - he's got a Baby Browning for the obligatory 25ACP hideout gun already... :)
Seems like every retired cop I know has a S&W model 36 (or other j-frame) and a .25 ACP (which is now the Seecamp).
Sevesteen,
I'm almost certain you're correct about the "CA Edition" (which, BTW, is also MA-legal). Seems like a mighty silly place and way to rig a safety...
angus,
No question about it - the Mak is several orders of magnitude more accurate than the P3AT. I can barely hit the ground with the P3AT at distances greater than ~ 15 feet, whereas the Mak routinely chews out the center of the target at 25 feet...
strings,
I feel the same way about the P3AT. It's a "belly gun" - i.e. don't use it unless it's jammed into the goblin's belly...
My daily-carry gun is a Seecamp LWS32.
I've never seen a Seecamp with a safety. I dry-fire mine all the time, and (again) have never seen a recommendation to the contrary.
That's probably THE most high-quality pocket gun ever made -- I'd LOVE to have one of the new .380 models.
Oh, and I hit golf-balls with mine at ~30 feet with no problem. Friends can't hit a barn wall from inside, so I guess it's just me, but I have no problems with this little pistol.
I've also drawn smiley-faces with it at 7 yards, and can consistently make ragged-hole groups at the same distances.
Tell Pop "good choice" for me -- will ya?
DD
PS: I also have a P3AT but somehow still usually end up carrying the Seecamp. I'm fond of it...
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