I admit, I do not consider historical arms and curios to be irrational firearms to desire. The older something gets the more rational it is to want one, because it simply doesn't exist in volume anymore.
As soon as I settle into a permanent position, buy a house, and build/retrofit a weapons room in place, a C&R FFL will be issued in my name. There are a lot of historical firearms I want, because I enjoy them. In fact, antique arms and armor is a real passion for me.
At some point in the next decade, I'll probably have as many black powder arms as I do smokeless. My project this winter is going to be to build a .36 caliber "squirrel rifle".
I keep looping back to OCD on .32 Federal.
Today's stupidity is the thought that a revolver and a Henry lever would be a fun combo to carry in places that have only smallish critters.
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Not another dime.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
I keep going in circles on the Rugers, like a dog that can't make up its mind to lie down.
I really want stainless because swamp-arse Gulf climate. They make the Single Seven in stainless with longer barrels, but not Bisley grip. The one pictured above has the Bisley, but the barrel could be an inch or two longer and it's not stainless. I like the SP101, but the longest barrel is 4.2 inches and I haven't figured out grips for my big paws. The GP comes in seven shot with a six-inch barrel and stainless, but that's a big, heavy tank when a lot of the attraction is just everything being dainty. The Lipsey's half-lug is attractive, but I already have one in .357.
A five or six-inch barrel SP101 or a stainless Bisley Single with longer barrel would have me flopping over. So it's probably good those don't exist.
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Not another dime.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
Got a case of irrationality this past week. Got to obsessing over getting a steel Jframe so I can mostly shoot the steel one, and mostly carry the Airweight. And, as luck would have it, my favoritest LGS happens to have a number of used revolvers for various reasons.
I’d been there every other day, looking them over. The 36 was an immediate draw, to the point that I nearly snapped it up the moment I saw it, but it was strategically laying down on top of some pretty bad scratches on the cylinder. Other than that, it’s in great shape, but the money he wants is too much for the cosmetic damage (to me).
640 Pro? Um. Let me think about it.
Pair of 640-1? Super nice trigger on the older one, but also lots of carry and shooting wear and very noticeable cylinder notch peening. Gritty, hitching trigger on the other, very little wear. Same price for both - $450.
3” 37? Wow, super nice, but ultimately not what I was looking for. Neither was the worn 67.
A 3” 60 with adjustable sights gave me pause, but the Hillary hole convinced me to bypass it.
Finally noticed a 60-9 .357 Ladysmith hiding in the corner. Finish and wear indicate it might have a few boxes of ammo through it, and little to no carry use.
Trigger is heavy but useable. Got it out the door for $450, and ran 105 rounds through it today. .38 factory ammo, 3 different brands. Stupid stuff is really expensive now. But it ran it all fine, tore the center out of the targets. No blood on my hand, though my trigger finger was a bit tired of it by the end. Don’t know that I’ll ever run any magnums through it. Now I have to sell something I’m not using to pay for it.
It is exactly what I wanted and hoped it would be: much more shootable than the 642, but still much more packable than a steel K Magnum, or even an SP101 (they had a 2” and 3”, both for a bit more than the 60). Pinned front ramp, so I can replace it if I decide to, but I’ll probably just paint it orange and be done with it for now. It fits a couple of holsters I already have, so. I bought a new gun.
I still can’t carry a gun at work.
A little update on the G19 I posted about..calling Glock, they told me that it was made on Sept 29, 1999, so it’s an early Gen 3, more info from the LGS, and this came from a LEO, who used it as a off duty carry pistol. Taking it down, it appears to have been shot very little. I think I may have really scored with this, it ejects like it’s supposed to, and has seen little use, I had originally thought about flipping it and making a few bucks, but the more I think about it, I think I’m going to keep it...Pistols that run like this, are what made Glock famous.
If Henry releases the 16.5" .327 lever action with a side loading gate, it will be yet another "Damnit . . . not again. But okay" moment. I'm gonna end up with more .32 revolvers than AR-15s at this point, Lord help me if .32 lever guns start coming into the picture.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
Disclaimer: I have previously worked in the firearms industry as an engineer. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not those of my prior employers.