my ERMA 552 (mini ppk) story

handgunner

handgunner

CGN Regular
Rating - 99.7%
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Location
Southern Ontario
I wanted to share my experiences with the members of the Board regarding my recent addition. Let me preface by saying that I'm not 12.6 grandfathered and that I reside in the Toronto area.

In August 2009 I spotted an ERMA 552 which is a mini-ppk style pistol here on the EE. The pistol is of course prohibited due to barrel length. It is chambered in .22LR so caliber wasn't a problem.

After discussions with the seller, who was excellent to deal with by the way - he agreed to ship the gun from his location in Quebec to a well known gunsmith on the West Coast. I paid for the pistol in full but of course couldn't start the transfer of it.

The gunsmith received the pistol but warned that he had a big backlog of work, and it may take a while.

Fastforward to March, 2010 and I am notified that the work is complete and that the process to change the status is now underway.

April & May 2010, discussions with the RCMP: apparently there is no FRT # for this pistol with a 108mm barrel, so their people have to generate it and add to the database. They also have to review the application and the gunsmith's verification report.

July, 2010 - Pistol is now a restricted firearm. The standard ownership transfer through the CFC/CFO commences.

August 2010, Pistol is now in my name. Final charges settled with the gunsmith and he ships it out. The gun arrived this morning.

Now I know what some will say; the thing is an abomination -it's ugly with such a long barrel. Well, it's either this way or I can't own it. So I'll live with it. Besides, if the RCMP was correct - this is a one-of-a-kind gun.

Comments & discussion are invited.

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At this point, after all the bother etc, all that matters is if it shoots.

I once had one of these in 12(6) form ~ 25 years ago. It shot pretty well with hi-vel .22 lr ammo but didn't like CCI Stingers, though.

It does kinda look funny with that long barrel.

If you like it & it shoots who cares what anyone else thinks.... ;)

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NAA.
 
Nice. What was the approximate cost on the re-barreling? The reason I ask is more for curiosity's sake since my father (who has 12.6 status) has one of Erma's EP-652 model pistols. It would be good to one day see it handed down to someone in the family instead of remaining prohibited.
 
Neat! Kinda looks like your ERMA has a hard on.:p
As long as you have fun at the range with it, that's what really counts.
I was talking with a fellow CGNer that goes by the user ID "cdill", apparently
he's a collector of the ERMA's, and he was telling me that you should only use
lower velocity ammo in those types of guns. I don't know if he was referring to the
552 specifically, but he seemed to know his stuff. You might want to touch base
with him and see if he has any insight into the 552 as well.
 
So, have the barrel threaded and make a fake silencer, or a "loudner" if you will. PPK's always look neat with a big can screwed onto the end!!

Scott
 
The new barrel was only part of the equation. Apparently the stock extractor didn't work properly with the new barrel, so the gunsmith had to modify the extractor which increased his shop time and my final price. After paying shipping, taxes etc this venture cost me almost $300. Had I known it was going to be that expensive, I would have seriously considered pulling the plug on it, but I was past the point of no return.

I know there is already an FRT# for the 652 - A buddy of mine and fellow CGN'r owns a restricted one.

Re: shooting it and using subsonic rounds - I too have heard this about the Erma's and will keep it in mind when it goes to the range.

I suppose at that it wouldn't take much to have the barrel threaded and have some guy at a machine shop make a faux-silencer to screw on. At this point, though I've stopped spending money on this project for now.
 
The longer barrel only looks odd at first - we become accustomed to it. As to what other people think - one minute after they say it is ugly, they will try to buy it from you. I have done a lot of those little guns for myself - tuning them up to work smooth and reliable can burn up a lot of shop time, but I am not on by the hour - it is just a winter hobby. The Erma models are all suitable, but not the best for the change.

Many of the little guns don't work well at all when I get them - so the lights may not go out 'till late and fickle little issues can burn up a lot of test ammo. A smooth operating gun is a beautiful thing.

It is great fun owning and shooting something that is unique - everyone has a Ruger etc. but one of these little guns is a treasure - keep it forever - and shoot it frequently.
 
Yup, a fake can rigged up to shroud the extended barrel would look very james bondish.

All is not lost.
 
I for one wish there was more gun owners like you out there.
Otherwise these little guns could end up being destroyed in some furnace. Good for you. I own an emra 752. Great little gun and I have had no problems with it. If anyone has a spare mag please sell it to me.
 
Thanks for all of the kind remarks. I agree that this is a very sad reflection on our gun laws but am grateful for these "loopholes" that allow such guns to remain in the hands of collectors and not as the last post suggests, destroyed by government.
 
handgunner said:
The new barrel was only part of the equation. Apparently the stock extractor didn't work properly with the new barrel, so the gunsmith had to modify the extractor which increased his shop time and my final price. After paying shipping, taxes etc this venture cost me almost $300. Had I known it was going to be that expensive, I would have seriously considered pulling the plug on it, but I was past the point of no return.

I know there is already an FRT# for the 652 - A buddy of mine and fellow CGN'r owns a restricted one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I kind of figured it wouldn't be cheap, but it would be the only way for dad to pass it on to me or one of my brothers some day.
 
m39a2 said:
So, have the barrel threaded and make a fake silencer, or a "loudner" if you will. PPK's always look neat with a big can screwed onto the end!!

Scott
Click to expand...
+1 on the loudener. No harm making it more comical-looking than it already is.

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