Anybody know much about these?

I don't often talk much here about the specifics of hardware and tech stuff--my main interest is in fighting against the political forces that would render such discussion moot (who cares about "What's better--AR-15, or AK-47 clone?" if we can't have either?). Also, I can't really afford much of the really cool stuff, anyway. In recent weeks, though, I've gotten a bit less serious about my weekend blogging (when readership tends to be down, anyway), and there's a bit of hardware that has piqued my interest.

I have had, for a while, a Cz-52--a Czech-built and issued service pistol that served from the early 50's to the collapse of the Iron Curtain. It's a neat little gun, it's available cheaply (although I couldn't resist paying for one refinished in hard chrome, and putting walnut grips on it), and being designated among the "Curios and Relics" list, I could get it shipped right to my door. Also, it fires the surprisingly powerful 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge (speaking of which, my TT-33 arrived at the door Friday--now my Cz-52 has a "caliber buddy").

That "surprisingly powerful" cartridge leads me to my question. As it happens, a barrel is available for it in a new, arguably more powerful caliber, the .22 Reed Express. If you scroll down and see the velocity figures, it becomes apparent that this is a round at least as capable of penetrating soft body armor as the "dreaded" FN Five-SeveN. The supposed armor-piercing capabilities of the Five-SeveN has prompted statist, pantywaist politicians to call for its ban.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

(1) Law enforcement is facing a new threat from handguns and accompanying ammunition, which are designed to penetrate police body armor, being marketed and sold to civilians.

(2) A Five-seveN Pistol and accompanying ammunition, manufactured by FN Herstal of Belgium as the `5.7 x 28 mm System', has recently been recovered by law enforcement on the streets. The Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS192 cartridges are legally available for purchase by civilians under current law.

(3) The Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS192 cartridges are capable of penetrating level IIA armor. The manufacturer advertises that ammunition fired from the Five-seveN will perforate 48 layers of Kevlar up to 200 meters and that the ammunition travels at 2100 feet per second.

(4) The Five-seveN Pistol, and similar handguns designed to use ammunition capable of penetrating body armor, pose a devastating threat to law enforcement.

It's not that I have any interest in taking on armored adversaries in a gunfight--if such a situation comes to pass, I suspect I'll not be long for this world, no matter how I'm armed. My main reason for wanting it is to upset the aforementioned statist pantywaists with the knowledge that a five-and-a-half decade old pistol, available for not much more than $100, through the mail, can be modified to be a poor man's version of the high-tech "cop-killer" gun of which we're all supposed to be so terrified.

Anyway, I'd like to get one of these barrels, when they're in stock again, along with some of their 45 grain hollowpoints (when those are in stock again), but before plunking down more money for a barrel than I did for the entire gun (which cost me almost double what I could have gotten it for, had I been willing to eschew the hard chrome), I'd kind of like to hear about other people's experiences with it.

So, if anyone can tell me anything about it, please leave a comment, or drop me a line at 45superman@gmail.com.