[Electric_Armadillo]

===========================================
This is the first part of my report. Pics are coming soon when I get webspace to plant them.
==========================================

My Valtro came in on this weekend. Although I've only had two hours at the range to get accustomed to it, I'll say that this gun is one that I will gladly devote some time to mastering. My thanks go to John Jardine for an excellent job.

The sights were a bit off when I tested, and I didn't have a screwdriver to zero them. I'll have to comment on accuracy later, but it did print a good group size so far. The gun comes back to target very rapidly after being shot. This gun looks like it was built for fast follow-up shots.

The gun took 2 clips to break in, thereafter, there were no ejection problems. I attribute this to the thick grease it was shipped with. Once this was worked in, the slide cycled faster, and ejected flawlessly.

Nice custom touches include front and back strap checkering, slide release checkering, front and rear slide serrations, and some sight work. There top of the slide has long serrations down the length that lead the eye to the front sight. Front and rear sights both have horizontal serrations to help them stand out from the gun.

The Valtro came with a great melt-down job, and you won't find a sharp edge anywhere.

The gun was shipped in a black plastic case with lots of goodies. Included are cleaning supplies, a bushing wrench, 1 mag, a leather tab, and an alien contraption that must be some kind of trigger lock.

More information to follow

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello and thank you very much. I am most interested in this pistol. While I do love BHPs, I've never hidden the fact that I truly appreciate and enjoy quality 1911s.

Best.

 

[Tucker Gunleather]

Great report on your Valtro. I liked the details you reported. Didn't expect the top of the slide to be serrated. Was it flattened and serrated or was the standard round slide top serrated?

How would you describe depth and color of the bluing? On a scale of 1-10? Did the thumb safety click on and off positively with that little "snick, snick" sound?

How is the bevel job on the magazine well? How about the trigger job? How did the gun feel in your hand?

Also, how long did it take to get once you had ordered it? I'm waiting on mine.


------------------
"Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it is a very bad idea."

 

[gyp_c]

How much are these running at this point?

------------------
>>>>>>>>>>g2<<<<<<<<<<

I Like The Shade Too!

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

I paid a bit over $1200 after shipping. The lead time was 3.5 months, although that should be improved now. Since these are the first to roll off the line, John spent a lot of time flying to and from Italy to iron out concerns. This gun is one of the first 250 done.

Most of Tonerguys q's will be answered when I post the pics. The trigger is excellent, and its the best trigger of any of my guns, including one that cost twice as much! The gun has a very natural feel in the hand. The safety *snick* is felt with the thumb more than its heard.

I'm going back to the range tonight, and I'll post pics tomorrow. My pics were about 1MB each in 1800x1400. They are being reasonably reduced today.
------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

[This message has been edited by Electric_Armadillo (edited 08-01-2001).]

 

[sned45]

The bevel in the magazine while not large but is well done. I have no problems loading a magazine in mine.

Yes you defently feel the safty when it's engaged.

The trigger pull is about 2 3/4 lb. accourding to my gauge. But it's smooth as silk on the pull.

I have had mine for about 2 months now and the finish still looks new..

[This message has been edited by sned45 (edited 08-01-2001).]

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

============================
Review Part 2
============================
In the gun mags, they always have the gun, a knife, and various items entirely irrelevant to the review. Heres my attempt to keep from straying from such a practical format.

The gun was shipped in a black plastic case with lots of goodies. Included are cleaning supplies, a bushing wrench, 1 mag, a leather tab, and an alien contraption that must be some kind of trigger lock.

Detailed below is the serrations that run along the top of the slide I mentioned previously.

Below is the magwell.

More pics to follow soon.

If you're having trouble seeing the pics, I have them stored at http://www.geocities.com/electric_armadillo/

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-



[This message has been edited by Electric_Armadillo (edited 08-09-2001).]

 

[Tucker Gunleather]

Thanks for the info on the Valtro and the pictures. Couldn't view them directly but could view them at your alternate suggested address.

Since they were so dark in contrast to the lighted areas in the pictures I couldn't see much detail. I saved them to my h.d. and viewed them and altered them using PhotoSuite. By lightening them up I could see the details very well.

The top of the slide is nicely flattened and serrated. The blue job looks great. The roll marks on the slide are BIG! Not butt ugly, though. The mag well looks fine. Now I just need to see mine in person.

------------------
"Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it is a very bad idea."

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

For some reason, this site doesn't pull up the pix, so I have another page set up with 3 more pics at:
http://www.geocities.com/electric_armadillo/Valtro_Pics_Vol_2.html

More will follow.

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

 

[gyp_c]

Ya' know...I think you did good...I kinda' like what I've seen. Do you know what type of parts were used in the trigger group? Sounds almost too good at that weight...I like about 3.5 on my all-around pistol, but there are definately times I just want to make one tiny hole and that trigger is VERY IMPORTANT...Congratulations! I think I'd like to see one of those up close and personal

------------------
>>>>>>>>>>g2<<<<<<<<<<

I Like The Shade Too!

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

I can now comment on the accuracy of the gun. I've shot quite a few groups with the four most accurate guns I own. A Ruger 22/45, a Pardini .22, an HK Mark 23, and the Valtro. For one handed shooting, the Valtro is more accurate than my prized HK, although the recoil is stiffer. It a bit ahead of the 22/45, and falls just behind the anatomical grip equipped Pardini. Very impressive. I didn't expect it to be as pleasent to shoot as a .22, but it is. Although you feel the recoil a bit more, the gun snaps right back to place. The HK does not and requires finding that front sight dot again.

For two handed shooting, the Valtro outclasses all but the HK. The HK is a bit more forgiving of human error due to the barrel length and weight, but the Valtro points easier than the HK, once you get a comfortable grip. The Valtro can consistantly group 1.5" at 25 yards if the monkey behind the trigger does his part.
http://www.geocities.com/electric_armadillo/Valtro_Pics_Vol_3.html

Vol_3 is now up. I've also added some buttons to make navigation between the pages easier. There's either an IDPA or an IPSC comp this weekend. I'll get some action pics posted next week.

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

 

[Tucker Gunleather]

Electric_armadillo,
I really enjoy your reports - great details and easy to understand. I'm not familiar with the guns you compared to the Valtro's accuracy. It sounded like at least two of them were .22's.

Do you have any pictures of the Valtro's front strap that show the checkering?

Thanks

------------------
"Stripping motivated people of their dignity and rubbing their noses in it is a very bad idea."

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

I'll just add to my review web page as I get more pictures. You can find the index athttp://www.geocities.com/electric_armadillo/

These geocities web pages only hold 3-4 photos each until I can find away around that.

-Electric Armadillo

[This message has been edited by Electric_Armadillo (edited 08-03-2001).]

 

[Tucker Gunleather]

Here's a few pictures of that Valtro that Electric_Armadillo took:

[This message has been edited by tonerguy (edited 08-07-2001).]

[This message has been edited by tonerguy (edited 08-07-2001).]

 

[Lupey]

Me jealous

Very nice gun!

------------------
The defensive firearm is a special-purpose piece of safety rescue equipment, designed to extricate a person . . . from the immediate threat of savagely violent crime. It is like the fire extinguisher. . . . Neither piece of equipment will do you any good if you don't know how to use it or are not psychologically prepared to face danger with that gear in your trained hands in a terror situation.

 

[ArmySon]

Are those true Bomars or is it a clone?

The pistol looks great aside from the giant 1998 rollmark. I hope shops in this area will stock em so I can take a closer inspection.

Thanks for great report.

[This message has been edited by ArmySon (edited 08-07-2001).]

 

[Tucker Gunleather]

ArmySon,

The sights are not Bo-Mars. The whole gun is made from scratch in Italy including the sights, the beavertail, ambi safeties, etc.
The sights underwent heavy drop testing without failure and were drop tested again while doing drop tests on the hammer for California.

Valtro makes and button rifles their own barrels. The frame and slide are 4340 nickel chrome moly steel rather than 4140 chrome moly steel which makes the steel harder (and harder to machine.) John Jardine wants the gun to be durable enough to be a treasured family heirloom.

All reports so far are that it is a reliable, accurate and well made gun that compares to a more expensive custom gun. We'll see.

------------------
"Your aim in life is not worth anything if you don't pull the trigger."

[This message has been edited by tonerguy (edited 08-08-2001).]

[This message has been edited by tonerguy (edited 08-08-2001).]

 

[ArmySon]

From the looks of the one pic, it looks like that pistol cleaning rod is made of metal. I'd be very careful using that in your barrel

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

ArmySon,

The included cleaning equipment is just for show. I've been using "Boresnakes" (TM) for a long time now, I doubt I'll ever go back to using pads for bore work. They are faster, easier, and better. They also roll up nicely so I can take them to the range with me. That way I can get most of the crud out of the bore before the barrel even cools down!

If you don't own a boresnake, you owe it to yourself to try. You won't be dissappointed.

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

Son, I noticed that you're in PA. If you're not too far from the Hidden Valley resort, you can see it for yourself next week. I'll be at Hidden Valley, PA from August 13th to the 17th before I drive to D.C.

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-