I picked up my BRNO pistol last week. This gun is extremely impressive in every way. As some of you know, I don’t buy many new production handguns. Anything built today has to be pretty special for me to purchase it, so this is a rare occasion for me. The new gun I bought was a Freedom Arms revolver.
Unlike some of my older gun purchases, there is plenty of information currently available online for the BRNO, so there’s no reason for me to rehash it in too much detail. In short, the BRNO is heavily based on the tried and true CZ design from the mid 1970’s. However, it is modified to handle a much more powerful cartridge, producing 900-950 ft/lbs of energy. The heavy recoil spring, along with a 5oz weight is positioned well below the barrel to keep the recoil impulse low and lessen muzzle rise. While I have not shot mine just yet, the recoil seems very tame from what I have seen. The design is SAO, with no ambidextrous controls whatsoever.
Opening up the very sturdy case and you will find the gun, two 16 round magazines, an extra (heavier) recoil spring, an extra set of sights (3-dot), and a very nice full color owner’s manual. As you can imagine, everything is packaged extremely well. Even the cardboard outer case seems well done. The case is also serial numbered to the gun, which is a nice touch. The FK also ships with a box of ammo.
As for the pistol itself, I must say that I’m quite highly impressed in every way. Build quality appears impeccable. The refinement and fit and finish is top notch. There isn’t a machine mark anywhere on the gun inside or out. The entire pistol has a “melted” appearance and everything is nicely rounded without a hint of a sharp edge to be found anywhere. The aluminum G10 grips are like artwork and also fit the pistol incredibly well. The finish is called "dark gray nitration'. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it looks flawlessly beautiful and is supposedly very durable as well. It looks not unlike a really nice bluing from years past. It’s really impressive. Even the roll marks are done with the utmost care and precision. The slide rides inside the frame like its on ball bearings and it locks up extremely tight, which is not surprising considering the pistol’s accuracy prowess. The slide release is extended and easy to operate. The thumb safety is perfectly weighted with a very positive feel. The beavertail completes the FK’s outstanding ergonomics. The front of the trigger guard and the front strap are both finely serrated. The bottom of the grip frame is flared into a small magwell.
The standard rear sight is called a butterfly, which is very different from anything else I own (see picture). The front sight is a super small red dot. It was designed small to not block targets 200 yards away. As mentioned above, it also ships with a set of 3-dots, but I’m going to try to get used to the butterfly. The gun’s heft is readily apparent as soon as you pick it up. It weighs 51oz empty, making it one of my heaviest semi autos. Between the large size, the muzzle weight, and its all-steel construction, that’s to be expected. This is welcome for me because I love heavy pistols at the range.
The trigger is good, but not great. The weight is only 3lbs, but there is a slight bit of creep after the take up, which I found disappointing. That being said, the FK wasn’t designed with target shooting as its main objective. Its meant for use in the field. I personally don’t quite get that, but it is what it is. My only other minor complaint is that the serrations on the front strap are so fine that it almost feels smooth. Coupling that with the slick finish and I’d imagine it can be hard to get good traction with sweaty hands. I will say that the serrations are so nicely done that I can get over it.
The proprietary 7.5 FK round is a scorcher. The 95 bullet has been chronographed at almost 2100fps. When zeroed at 100 yards, bullet drop is minimal at 200, so it’s a very flat shooting cartridge. Watching some YouTube videos of people testing the round is very entertaining. The performance is incredible and it hits like a ton of bricks. FK will be coming out with some different loadings in the future, but there is only one at this time. At $1.50 per round, it isn’t cheap either. While it looks a lot like the 7.62 Tokarev round in size and shape, it is much, much hotter (as in nearly double the energy).
Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to getting this to the range. The accuracy is supposed to be second to none and I will bench test it against my current most accurate pistols. If I can master the trigger, I don’t see why this won’t be my new champion.
At any rate, that’s enough babbling. Have any of you had the pleasure of shooting one of these yet? I understand BRNO wants to build 1000 of the Field Pistols and then possibly move on to a 5” model. Whether or not that’s true, I’m not sure. Perhaps the 5” model will be a bit more affordable if and when it does appear.
Please enjoy the pictures and share your thoughts on my latest.
Thanks! :supergrin:
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Unlike some of my older gun purchases, there is plenty of information currently available online for the BRNO, so there’s no reason for me to rehash it in too much detail. In short, the BRNO is heavily based on the tried and true CZ design from the mid 1970’s. However, it is modified to handle a much more powerful cartridge, producing 900-950 ft/lbs of energy. The heavy recoil spring, along with a 5oz weight is positioned well below the barrel to keep the recoil impulse low and lessen muzzle rise. While I have not shot mine just yet, the recoil seems very tame from what I have seen. The design is SAO, with no ambidextrous controls whatsoever.
Opening up the very sturdy case and you will find the gun, two 16 round magazines, an extra (heavier) recoil spring, an extra set of sights (3-dot), and a very nice full color owner’s manual. As you can imagine, everything is packaged extremely well. Even the cardboard outer case seems well done. The case is also serial numbered to the gun, which is a nice touch. The FK also ships with a box of ammo.
As for the pistol itself, I must say that I’m quite highly impressed in every way. Build quality appears impeccable. The refinement and fit and finish is top notch. There isn’t a machine mark anywhere on the gun inside or out. The entire pistol has a “melted” appearance and everything is nicely rounded without a hint of a sharp edge to be found anywhere. The aluminum G10 grips are like artwork and also fit the pistol incredibly well. The finish is called "dark gray nitration'. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it looks flawlessly beautiful and is supposedly very durable as well. It looks not unlike a really nice bluing from years past. It’s really impressive. Even the roll marks are done with the utmost care and precision. The slide rides inside the frame like its on ball bearings and it locks up extremely tight, which is not surprising considering the pistol’s accuracy prowess. The slide release is extended and easy to operate. The thumb safety is perfectly weighted with a very positive feel. The beavertail completes the FK’s outstanding ergonomics. The front of the trigger guard and the front strap are both finely serrated. The bottom of the grip frame is flared into a small magwell.
The standard rear sight is called a butterfly, which is very different from anything else I own (see picture). The front sight is a super small red dot. It was designed small to not block targets 200 yards away. As mentioned above, it also ships with a set of 3-dots, but I’m going to try to get used to the butterfly. The gun’s heft is readily apparent as soon as you pick it up. It weighs 51oz empty, making it one of my heaviest semi autos. Between the large size, the muzzle weight, and its all-steel construction, that’s to be expected. This is welcome for me because I love heavy pistols at the range.
The trigger is good, but not great. The weight is only 3lbs, but there is a slight bit of creep after the take up, which I found disappointing. That being said, the FK wasn’t designed with target shooting as its main objective. Its meant for use in the field. I personally don’t quite get that, but it is what it is. My only other minor complaint is that the serrations on the front strap are so fine that it almost feels smooth. Coupling that with the slick finish and I’d imagine it can be hard to get good traction with sweaty hands. I will say that the serrations are so nicely done that I can get over it.
The proprietary 7.5 FK round is a scorcher. The 95 bullet has been chronographed at almost 2100fps. When zeroed at 100 yards, bullet drop is minimal at 200, so it’s a very flat shooting cartridge. Watching some YouTube videos of people testing the round is very entertaining. The performance is incredible and it hits like a ton of bricks. FK will be coming out with some different loadings in the future, but there is only one at this time. At $1.50 per round, it isn’t cheap either. While it looks a lot like the 7.62 Tokarev round in size and shape, it is much, much hotter (as in nearly double the energy).
Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to getting this to the range. The accuracy is supposed to be second to none and I will bench test it against my current most accurate pistols. If I can master the trigger, I don’t see why this won’t be my new champion.
At any rate, that’s enough babbling. Have any of you had the pleasure of shooting one of these yet? I understand BRNO wants to build 1000 of the Field Pistols and then possibly move on to a 5” model. Whether or not that’s true, I’m not sure. Perhaps the 5” model will be a bit more affordable if and when it does appear.
Please enjoy the pictures and share your thoughts on my latest.
Thanks! :supergrin:
