Gang, I have to lay this story on y’all.
Last week, I posted this in passing, in the Quinn .44 thread:
When I saw that rounded butt, classic Ruger snub in the case, looking well-preserved, I could hardly believe my luck. Despite being in a hurry, I gave it the lock-up and push off once-over, and quickly threw a down payment at them, and filled out the paper. There are times when one needs to know when to take “yes” for an answer, and this was one of those times. Details can be sorted later.
As it happened, yesterday at close of business was the day that I got word that I could pick it up. So I crammed in a quick trip at opening this morning. And, given that I still had an hour before I had to teach, I figured I’d zip by the range for a quick shake out on the way home. I took my range bag with me, and filled a 100-round plastic cartridge box with 75 rounds of .38 fmj, and a few rows of assorted .357 that I had, just to try.
So, I get to the range, and I’m enjoying the “it’s new wheelie day!” buzz, and I throw a FAST target up and send it down the cable to the 7 yard line. While the target is stabilizing, I pull out the Speedy, and the ammo box, and I grab the first cartridge to start loading up, one of the .38 fmjs. It won’t go all the way in. “Man, this panic era QC is really something” I think to myself, so I throw the cartridge on the table, and grab another. It won’t go in either. “WTF?” I try the next chamber in the cylinder; same deal.
For a split second, I am thinking that maybe someone swapped a 9mm cylinder on there, and didn’t tell my guys. I mean, the tag in the case last week said “Ruger Speed-Six, .357. The receipt said “Ruger Speed-Six, .357.” They asked me if I wanted to buy a box of the .38 ammo that they kept in reserve specifically for the people who buy guns. (“Nah, I’m sitting on a pile of .38 fmj range fodder. I’ll leave it for your other customers that are more desperate...”)
I literally did not have a parking space in my head for this thing NOT being a Ruger Speed-Six, .357.
I flip the gun over to look at the elfin engraving on the right side of the barrel.
“9mm PARABELLUM CAL.”
Far out. I guess I bought a 9mm Speed-Six with a 2.75” barrel by accident.
Fortunately, I had the dregs of a Glock outing from a couple of months ago in the bag: about half a box of 115 ball. The thing is a tack driver, even without the moon clips. I was only able to run 4 cylinders, and of course, the reload portion of the FAST was totally off the table, but the group in the top box was a little over quarter-sized, with 8 rounds in it, and the other 16 were all present and accounted for in the circle, hitting the trigger at what I’d guess was a roughly 2 per second clip; fast, but not pushing at all.
I’ll find out more when I go back to the LGS tomorrow to see if the offer for a box of range ammo still stands, since I’m not sitting on Ks of 9mm, but I think there was an assumption that it was a .357, and I certainly didn’t stop to look a gift horse in the mouth, after feeling the lock up on all 6 cylinder chambers, and getting a quick feel for the good condition.
Pretty funny, in all. Even better part: I have a 9mm Speedy now. Best part: my new eyes work great with the old-school sights, so I can actually take advantage of my wheelgun stable, including my new-to-me 9mm range toy. I’m a pretty happy camper.
Nobody saw this one coming: