TargetTalk

Fellow UNIQUE owners check in and say hi, what models are you shooting?

These fine target pistols are rarely discussed and would be good to know how many are still allive, competing, needing parts ... or in safe storage.
What "Unique" models are in your collection?

M.S.

des 69, not used in competition, but shot every now and then. Great pistol, but the lack of an importer, spare parts and current production puts it in a secondary position to my Pardini or Russian.

I own a DES 69 I bought in 1975 and a 32U I bought from Don Nygord in
2001. The DES 69 is my all time favorite .22 but alas, the magazine lips that act as the ejector need adjusting and I'm afraid I haven't been very successful getting them back in to adjustment.
Good thing I'm not currently an active competitive shooter.

DES 69. My favourite ISSF pistol: excellent trigger, seems to point so easily and is fairly forgiving (with heavy muzzle weight). 100% reliable.

Another DES 69. This one is strange: has had feeding problems. This seems to be because, compared to the other one, the face of the breech lies further to the rear. Can't remember the distance, but in the order of 1 or 2mm. This means that the feeding round jams obliquely in the breech, before it has cleared the magazine lips, causing the top of the feeding ramp to indent the underside of the bullet. It must be a manufacturing defect. When time permits, I'll machine it back and attend to the chamber, as required. Also, someone has stoned the sear abutment process so that the sear engagement is enormous. Not good. Laser welding firms (to build up the sear without destroying its heat treatment) are few in NZ. Grips butchered. Will make new ones one day. So this one sits in kit-form, awaiting restoration.

Actually, the one I use has been made from the best bits of the two.

DES 32. Recent acquisition. Disappointed to find rust-pitting under the grips and elsewhere. Mechanically seems good. Someone has drilled a blind hole into the underside of the barrel, in an attempt to prevent the barrel weight from moving. The rear clamp screw projects into the recess. Nasty! Another welding job, paying attention to minimizing heat deposition - any ideas? Low-current 'pecking' with TIG is all I can think of, in the absence of laser welding around here. Not fired yet: in pieces.

One day, I'll get around to manufacturing front and rear sight blades and windage screws, but there's rather a lot of other things to do first...

Want a DES 96!

Good responses so far, not sure how many more will chime in from TT site.
I started with an inquiry here at TT and aquired a beautiful DES69 .22LR it looks and shoots like a dream, the blueing has deep perfect luster, I have it being outfitted with medium size walnut Rink grips.
I also aquired a DES96U .22LR (top loading) here at TT, this particular target pistol has the titanium nitride treated slide and is extraudinary. It's by far my favorite of all examples of .22 target grade pistols.
I aquired a 2nd DES69 from a communication at another site, who gave me contact informtion at a dealer who had one at their shop. I presently shoot this one in my b/e league. This particular example is 100% original and has deep blue luster and great patina on the wood grips. It shoots awesome, and functions flawless.
I have each DES69 adapted with Ultradot scopes for b/e competition, the 96U will remain as is.

Unique owners need to be very resourceful to locate parts so keep watching the sites and ask lots of questions. One never knows what's lurking in old toolboxes or tucked away in safes.

M.S.

I'm shooting a recently-acquired DES/32-U. The grip is too large for my hand so a Rink is on order. Nonetheless it's a fine shooting pistol. I suspect that most examples of this pistol have a barrel weight which doesn't remain as stationary as we would like. I've locktited the two retaining screws and will see if this helps. Don't worry, it's "service removable" grade 242 Loctite so this is not a permanent fix.

Trigger feel on this pistol is quite extraordinary. I've never shot any of the .22LR Uniques but if they feel at all like the .32, w0w!!!!

My DES/32-U has a functional problem and I'd appreciate hearing the thoughts and recommendations of more knowledgeable Unique owners/shooters on how to restore proper functioning. The slide will not latch in the fully-open position. It appears as though the pawl on the slide itself has been rounded, thus giving no purchase for the hold-open latch. This latch works well to keep the slide held open in the "barely open" position.

Is this a common problem with the Unique .32 pistols? Is there a fix for this that won't endanger the life of the slide? I don't want to fix the hold-open only to cause a cracked slide later in life.

Your well-considered responses are very much appreciated.

I just bought a DES/32-U. I did not see or try it, but seller insisted it was in good condition. Maybe a bit risky, but at the price of €266 I was willing to take the chance. It is from the national millitary team who recently replaced all their guns. Next week he will recieve some of the most common spare parts, so I will then add firingpin, recoil springs and hopefully a spare mag to the order.

Funny thing is that here in Denmark Unique is in rather low value, not because it is bad guns, but because they are out of production. In Sweden on the other hand, Unique pistols are much more common and in high value.

In Germany, the Unique DES are not highly esteemed either. Strange, that. Only some oldtimers shoot them. But at least they may have inspired the design of the Ziegenhahn IV.

As to Denmark, if I were Danish, I would much prefer an Agner M 80 or and Agner & Sander M 5 to any foreign target pistol. Wouldn't you, too? ;-)

Alexander wrote: As to Denmark, if I were Danish, I would much prefer an Agner M 80 or and Agner & Sander M 5 to any foreign target pistol. Wouldn't you, too? ;-)

Well first of all they are not made in .32, but in .22 I would not choose any of them either. Well, to be honest I have never seen nor tried the M5, the thing is very rare but I have heard that is should be very nice. The M80 I have tried and eventhough the building quality leaves even the AW93 in the dirt, I find the shooting quality to be only at a medium level and would prefere a modern gun any time. But speaking of spare parts, if that is concern with the Unique, the M80 and M5 should not be consideret at all as a gun used frequently but only as a collecters items.

Some pictures w/ non-English text:

Ziegenhahn IV
Agner M 80
Agner M 80
Agner & Sander M 5

Dear TB: as the linked advertisement from Nordisk Vapenforum shows, the Agner & Sander M 5 was at least planned in .32 S&W WC, though I do not know whether these exchange systems were ever manufactured...?

Alexander wrote:Dear TB: as the linked advertisement from Nordisk Vapenforum shows, the Agner & Sander M 5 was at least planned in .32 S&W WC, though I do know know whether these exchange systems were ever manufactured...?

I know Nordisk Våpenforum and you are right that the M5 brochure states that there was a 32 WC availeble but in another thread it is said that this only made it to the proto type stage. It is also mentioned that there was only produced 50 M5's, serials 101-150.

Sort of a Holy Grail thus, just like the Ziegenhahn modern pentathlon .22 revolver of yore?

Staying on topic for UNIQUE as in the titled thread:

There seems to be DES69's & 69U's mostly in european countries and spotty here & there finds here in USA, .... I'd be really curious how many DES 96 U's are around and would be cool to see a bunch of photos from shooters & collectors abroad. .... I know of only (3) DES96-U .22LR examples in USA.

M.S.

Would anyone be interested in a Beeman published DES69 owners manual?

I've shot a Unique DES 69 for 30 years with no problems until recently. The extractor has worn thru the slot opening up the chamber to the point that I had several case ruptures at the rim, one cracking the right side grip. At this point I have not found a fix other than a newly made barrel which is cost prohibitive. If anyone has a barrel for sale let me know.

Barry G wrote:I've shot a Unique DES 69 for 30 years with no problems until recently. The extractor has worn thru the slot opening up the chamber to the point that I had several case ruptures at the rim, one cracking the right side grip. At this point I have not found a fix other than a newly made barrel which is cost prohibitive. If anyone has a barrel for sale let me know.

That is a shame the pistol is down for the count with the extractor issue.

Barry, is there any chance you could supply a photo(s) of the extractor worn through the slot?

M.S.

MS, I have no idea how to post a picture on a forum. I can barely type. If my son-in law shows up over the holidays I'll get him to do it. Barry

Hello, I currently have two VO79 rapid fire pistols, I will try to post a photo. I also have a DES69, and a DES823U. I sold my two best Unique pistols to buy a Krieghoff Trap gun, I wish that I still had them! They were a Pristine DES69 and a DES96U, also pristine. Unique made some very nice guns, it's a shame that they couldn't continue to do so.
Cliff

Hi Cliff,

thanks for posting those nice photos. Who knows what might have been sold may possibly have been aquired by a fellow TT member. Did you have a posting at Guns America at one time? There's a few closed listings I've noticed on GA & GB

Those Kreighoff trap guns sure are awesome yet expensive, way out of my league! :-)

M.S.