Re: Perry london "knockoff"

[MadSparrow869]

wow thread has risen from the dead

[redsleighdown]

Well, a little later than expected, but my flintlock is on its way back from india

[redsleighdown]

It arrived. Overall it feels good, but boy does it need a LOT of work if I want this thing SA. Pics soon.

[Captain McCool]

It's surprisingly un-scary, actually. And very fun!

[liarr]

Jeff had them made as non-firing replicas in order to pass customs, and drilled the powder holes after getting them.

[Capt Jag]

Mine should be here today... I can't wait to get it!!! I feel like a kid at Christmas!!

[Capt Jag]

Soooo...I got my CJS Perry pistol last night...

The weight and finish are nice. Not overly heavy but it sure beats having the Zizzle, both in hand and in sash. The color is a nice dark wood, and the fittings are German silver. The barrel and lock have a nice polished finish.

Here's my overall review. Pics of it to follow after this weekend as I will be away.

Overall finish - B+/A- Some uneveness in the final shaping of the wood, but overall not bad. The color is nice, the fittings are tight, the silver is shiny. Not bad.

Details - C-/D - Now, this is a bit tricky... Jeff points out that they are not 100% screen accurate, and that much of the engraving in the metal is not there. No worries - knew it wasn't there, wasn't expecting it. The lock and the cock/hammer are engraved and detailed, and nicely so. The tang of the barrel (that metal bit that extends beyond the rear of the barrel) is also detailed, and there are some crosswise groves between the octagnal and round barrel sections. The butt cap is totally different then on the real pistol, and more oval rather than round. Again, this was to be expected. There is also a plain silver thumb inlay. All in all, this would have probably given it a solid C+, maybe B. However, the side plate is a bit of an issue. In the prototype pics, the side inlay, while not detailed, is roughly the same size and shape as the orignal. However, the pistol arrived with a large, somewhat blobish looking sideplate. Not at all close to the original, and really just looks like a glob of silver. It is inset into the stock, so in order to swap it out for a more accurate (or even just nicer) version, it will have to be filled with wood putty and sanded. If you look at the pictures HERE you will see that, while plain, the side inlay is at least the same general shape. The finished models have the aforementioned hideous blob on the side. Had the pistols been around $300 I don't think it would have been as much of an issue to me. But at this price I expected some nicer fittings. The thumb inlay is another point. I knew it was plain, but the inlay was not done overly well. The wood around it is uneven, and not a smooth finish. Again, some work would need to be done to make it a little nicer. Again, the issue of cost/quality comes into play here. $300 pistol - ok. $550 pistol - a little more quality in the final fitting and finish of the inlay should have been done.

Customer service - A+ Jeff was very good at keeping us updated, and when complications arose and ensued they were overcome. Much of it was, quite honestly, out of his hands. The delay in delivery was totally out of his control, as were the imperfections of the finished piece. They are all hand made in India, and I suspect that they were rushing to get them done.

It is a nice pistol, and Jeff is filling a much needed niche with a not insanely priced CJS style pistol. For those of us without building skills, it is a great alternative. I just don't honestly think it is worth the price given the overall final finish. It would be a great $300-$400 pistol. But at the current price I expected it to be a little more nicely finished. Again, this is no fault of Jeff's. He is doing his best to keep costs down and provide an alternative for us. I just think the manufacturing process needs to be tweaked a bit in the finishing. And for the love of God *please* find a better side inlay...

Overall I am happy with the pistol. Not as happy as I had hoped, but don't *regret* buying it. I do think that it is overpriced for what you get, but also realize this is a first production run and that Jeff will no doubt take steps to see that problem areas get tweaked. For me, having a real pistol to be able to use in shows is a big plus. The only other option was to attempt to modify existing pistols into one or build one from scratch. With the first option you would end up spending around the same amount (though it might be closer to Jacks fittings wise) but then there is the time you would need to take to do so. And building one from scratch - yeah, if I could do that I wouldn't be writing this review...

Now all that said - I will say this. I haven't worn it as Jack yet, but I'm sure once I do there will be one more factor:

The price of having some smart @ss kid/adult saying to you "That isn't even a real pistol" then having the ability to pull it out, pull the cock back and hear that nice clicking sound while saying "Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow...savvy" (while NOT pointing it at them of course) - Priceless

[Capt Jag]

Follow up:

I spoke with Jeff from Pirate Trading Co., and he said that there were some changes made while they were being produced in India (such as a change in the sideplate and the non-engraved thumb inlay) that were out of his hands. He offered to let me return the pistol for a full refund, but as I said overall I do like the pistol. Customer service-wise Jeff has been very, very good.

The reality is most of the issues were out of his control (delayed delivery by the company in India, imperfections, etc).

Basically it comes down to how bad you want a functional Jack style pistol that goes BOOOOOM.... If you do events where you will be firing blankshot, and don't have the skills to make your own this is the way to go.

I have chosen to keep my pistol and do a few tweaks myself (adjust the frizzen issue, smooth out some of the rough areas of wood, and maybe eventually replace the side plate). To be honest, the more I handle it the more and more I start to really like it. It feels really, really good in the hand, and tucked in the sash. I'm actually going to wear it for the first time in full gear tomorrow for an event. I guess once the initial feeling of "this cost me $550 so it better be near perfect" passed and the reality of "if it was near perfect you would be paying $1000 for one being made since you suck at woodcraft so suck it up you girly git" took over I really started to appreciate it... And like I said the more I handle it the more I like it. The more I hold it, caress it, run my fingers over the engraved hammer and lock, gaze longingly at...er....okay I'm just going to stop this here before it gets a little too weird...


Yeah, I know...too late...

[Mojo Turbo]

and I know you can get a non-firing version. But you don't save that much money.... oh and...

[redsleighdown]

So, PTC has decided to go ahead with the real firing Queen Anne's pistol. I'm really interested, but "fool me once..." What do you all think? Estimated a $550 price with an additional $50 off for those of us who bought the Perry pistol.

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