Pawn Shop Circuit: Stainless Smiths, Blue Ruger

I went by Kenny's today, and he had two stainless Smith & Wesson's out of hock. Both had rubber grips. Kenny said the same guy pawned them both. One was a 686, the other a Model 60-9 in .357 magnum. I never have been overly fond of the 686. Yes, it is one of the toughest .357 magnums ever built. It just doesn't do much for me. The one Kenny had was in excellent shape, and he had it priced at $325. Someone will be happy with that deal.

The .357 magnum Model 60-9 is a firecracker to shoot. I already own a model 60-9 that I bought at a pawn shop a couple of years ago. In fact, I think I bought it from Amber, Kenny's predecessor. I paid $235 for my Model 60-9, Kenny was asking $275 for his. It will make an excellent carry gun for someone. I already have one. I don't need another.

I drove over to Neil's on instinct. I had recently bought a Springfield GI45 from Neil, but something was drawing me to his store. Alongside the Glocks and a Taurus, Neil had added a Ruger MKII. It was a blue 4 inch taper barrel version, and it was tempting. Neil had it priced at $199, which was pretty fair. I checked it over, and the only flaw was a bit of pitting on the front sight. Even so, I could not justify buying another MKII. Instead, I called a friend who has a three year old son and informed him of the pistol's location.

Neil asked how the Springfield 1911 shot, and I told him I was happy with it. It has become more accurate and consistent since that first shoot. I suppose the barrel is settling into the lugs. It might be me adapting to the trigger. It might be a little of both. I bade Neil goodbye, and went on to other errands.

Carnival of Cordite #78

Carnival of Cordite #78 is up at Spank That Donkey!

The Arms Room

When is a Smith not a Smith? Tamara has launched a new blog, dedicated solely to firearms.
One of Tam's handguns that fascinates me the most is this revolver. At one time I lived in the Philipines, and I saw craftsmen gather scrap metal from bombing ranges to smelt and forge new creations. I have always loved the Philipines. It is a country poor economically, but vastly rich in creativity and generosity. Sometimes I still miss the PI.

Tam, if you ever want to sell.......

Idiots With Guns #55

The very last thing the camera man should say, after "Smile!" is "Fingers off the triggers!" There's always one in the crowd.........

The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate. Over the years we have seen photos of people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. This is usually the camera, another person, or themselves. These photos are often difficult to google up, because of the pages they are shown on. If you have archived any of these photos, feel free to send them in to bayouroversATjamDOTrrDOTcom

The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

Pawn Shop Circuit: Range Rumors

I was at the range this morning, contentedly shooting my Gold Cup and my Clark 1911. I noticed, after several magazines, that a fellow in black BDUs was watching me intently. I shot another magazine through the Clark gun, and he sauntered over. "Want to run a mag or two?" I asked.
"No," he said, "It's just that I had one of them nine-eleven guns and it weren't worth crap. All it would do is jam up"
"Really?" I asked, "What kind was it?" I suppose I was expecting him to reply Armscor or Kimber.
I was surprised when he replied "Springfield."
"Yep, I just sold that some bitch," he declared, "I lost three hundret dollars on it too. It weren't worth crap."
"Where did you sell it?" I asked.
He gave me the address of Neil's pawn shop.

"Hello Neil!" I said cheerily as I walked inside.
"Where have you been?" Neil asked, "You missed a good .357 magnum last week."
"Dadgummit," I replied. "Well, since I'm here, let me see that old chrome pistol over there."
"This 'un ain't old," Neil stated as he removed the Springfield GI45.
"Mind if I fieldstrip it?" I asked.
I noted a McCormick magazine as I began the field stripping, and I asked if there were any additional mags. There were not. Once inside the pistol I saw that it had never been lubricated or cleaned. It had soot and silver metal filings all through it. I wiped a bit of the soot and metal dust onto a finger tip and sniffed it in front of Neil.
"How much?" I inquired.
"Tag says $349," countered an unimpressed Neil.
"Yep. Now how much do I have to give you to get this pistol out your door?" I smiled.
"Hell Xavier, $350 out the door." said Neil, "I know I can get that for this pistol."
"Yep, you sure can," I said. I broke out the checkbook.

I had the day off, so I took the Springfield home and began to clean it up. It quickly became evident that this pistol had very little wear. It had never been cleaned. There was evidence that some type of machine oil had been squirted across the top of the frame in a feeble attempt to lubricate it. I detail stripped the gun, cleaned it all with brake cleaner, then reassembled and lubricated it with Break-Free and Tetra grease.

The pistol actually cleaned up really well. As I worked it over, I made note of the MIM sear and disconnect, as well as the MIM extractor. I'm pretty sure there is more MIM in this pistol, but I'm not really concerned. I'll probably do nothing at all to it.

Once cleaned and lubricated, I took the stainless GI45 to the range to try it out. I shot 200 rounds of Winchester White Box, a box of MagTech, and some reloads. The pistol never skipped a beat. It was not my most accurate 1911, but it was reliable. It's amazing what a little lubrication will do.

I am not certain what I will do with this pistol. I may keep it for trade fodder, I may return it using Neil's generous return policy. There was a time that I wanted a stainless Springfield to learn checkering and engraving on. I may sacrifice it to that cause. One thing is for certain, however, this Springfield GI45 was a reliable firearm. It's previous owner just did not know how to properly lubricate it.

Pawn Shop Circuit: Mystery M&Ps

I found myself back in Bossier City this afternoon, and I decided to check out a few of the pawn shops. The largest shop is by far Top Dollar Pawn, with a billboard sign that can be seen from the interstate. Top Dollar also does car audio, and the boom boom music in the store is nauseating to an old codger like myself. Nevertheless, I spent a bit of time at the gun counter. Among all the overpriced Mil-Surps, Lorcins, Hi-Points and chrome jamamatics sat a Smith & Wesson Model 13 for $339. It was in good shape with deep bluing and a hint of muzzle wear. It was also sitting on top of a box. The price was over what I would pay though. Top Dollar had another interesting Smith, a nickel K frame revolver with an unshrouded ejector rod. The patent dates were on the side of the 4 inch pencil barrel, along with .38S&W Special CTG and US Service CTG. I probably should have memorized the serial number, but the revolver wore Pachmayr grips, and had the ejector rod replaced with a later style. As soon as I noted the wrong knob on the end of the ejector rod, I handed it back to the salesman with a no thanks. They were asking $299 for it, a bit to much I think, regardless of what it was.

On the way out of town, I spun by Clark Custom to get the scoop on possibly melting the nickel Commander. Jim said that he would have to have the nickel removed, then have the gun refinished in addition to the melt. This added an estimated $250 or so to the total cost for the job. I could not justify that. I'm leaning more and more towards Ford's for the refinish work. Jim did have a Smith & Wesson 38-200 Victory in his used gun case,. It had worn magna grips and no lanyard loop, but Jim only wanted $135 for it. It was loose as a goose, and I did not even check to see if it had been converted to .38 Special or not. Many of the British proofs had been ground off or obliterated with a punch. I figured that I could find a better example somewhere. It did have an aura of having been there though. I suspect Jim would have taken a Franklin for it, but I could not justify taking it home.

Poster Girl

The decisions we make define us. Beccy Cole is a beautiful Aussie lass. She supports her troops regardless of her fans' opinions. Rather than kowtow, she eloquently tells them to kiss her ass. God bless you Beccy. Would that the US would have entertainers so noble.



H/T to Black Five

Colt Commander: Thumb Safety

I completed the installation of an Ed Brown single sided extended thumb safety on my Combat Commander this evening, along with a flat, checkered aluminum mainspring housing. The grips were made from buffalo horn by a Vietnamese artisan.

I radiused the underside of the safety lever, and carefully removed metal from the lug, refitting it every three or four file passes, until I obtained the perfect snick of the safety engaging. A properly fitted safety should engage and disengage easily without moving the hammer, but also without any slop between the safety lug and sear foot.

Gun Facts 4.1

Gun Facts is a free e-book that debunks common myths about gun control. It is intended as a reference guide for journalist, activists, politicians, and other people interested in restoring honesty to the debate about guns, crime, and the 2nd Amendment.

Gun Facts has 84 pages of information. Divided into chapters based on gun control topics (assault weapons, ballistic finger printing, firearm availability, etc.), finding information is quick and easy.

Each chapter lists common gun control myths, then lists a number of documented and cited facts that directly dispute the gun control claim. Thus when a neighbor, editor, or politician repeats some slogan propagated by gun control advocacy groups, you can quickly find that myth and straighten their ass out!.

Go here to download your free copy.

Triggers

Grant Cunningham of The Revolver Liberation Alliance has likely forgotten more about revolvers than I ever hope to know. He has put his thoughts out in cyberspace regarding what makes a great trigger, and why so few people would recognize a good trigger if they pulled one. Go here to read Grant's thoughts on the matter. Remember, the world isn't flat, and your gun doesn't have to be either!

Carnival of Cordite #77

Carnival of Cordite #77 is up!

Dehorning the Commander

At first, I was a bit concerned regarding 'smithing my electroless nickel Combat Commander. Then, I ascertained that a satin electroless nickel Commander is really not as rare as the Blue Book claims, and that they often sell for less than a blued Combat Commander due to the expense of refinishing. I shot a hundred or so rounds through the gun, and found it to be reasonably accurate, and reliable.The rear of the Commander, however, was not comfortable to hold or shoot. The corners of the grip safety tang dug into my hand and needed some adjustment. I took a Dremel and some fine files to the corners of the tang, and the horns of the frame. I removed metal until I could shoot the pistol without discomfort. Then, I smoothed out my work with decreasing grits of crocous cloth.

By removing the metal, I removed the nickel finish, and I insured that I would be refinishing this pistol. Of course, I would have had to anyway, because the ejection port had been flared when I purchased it. I replaced the original hammer with a much lighter Nowlin Speed Demon hammer, which all but insured the pistol would not bite. I paired up the Nowlin hammer with a Nowlin sear. The Pachmayr wrap around grips are about my least favorite type of grip. They were beginning to crack near the triggerguard, so I removed them and took a scalpel to cut away the wrap around part. I still do not particularly like them, but they will suffice for now.

I replaced the short, solid Colt trigger with a longer McCormick adjustable trigger. The McCormick trigger allows for pre-travel adjustment as well as overtravel adjustment.

I continued to dehorn the sharp corners of the Colt. I worked the areas around the triggerguard and mag release, especially. I radiused the edges of the slide stop, and the underside of the slide. Finally, I carefully straightened the lines of the frame above the triggerguard. I will replace the thumb safety with an extended Ed Brown unit, which will also be dehorned for comfort. Along with the thumb safety, I will be ordering an inexpensive flat mainspring housing. I decided against the bobtail conversion.

In addition to smoothing out the edges on the right side of the pistol, I decided to countersink the slide stop pin. I have considered serrating the front strap, but I have never done that before. I do not like an aggressively checkered frontstrap, but I have learned to appreciate the serrations on my SW1911. I am loathe to pay someone to cut serrations, but perhaps I will have them cut prior to refinishing this pistol.

I just placed my order with Midway instead of Brownell's this time. Midway is clearancing some flat aluminum 20LPI checkered mainspring housings made for Smith & Wesson, and the price is $10.99. These come complete with the internal parts. I ordered two housings, along with the Brown extended thumb safety and a Cylinder & Slide sear spring. With the USPS shipping, it all came to $60.

Finally, I took the Commander to the range. I shot 400 rounds of ball and JHP ammo with no failures. That was good news, the gun was reliable. The Commander was not as accurate as I had hoped, however, and shot low until I adjusted for elevation. The front sight will likely have to be changed on the Commander as well as the bushing. I shot my Clark 1911 for a couple of magazines and printed cloverleafs where ever I wanted to be sure of my results. The accuracy problem was definitely the Commander and not myself. I shot the Commander until I ran out of ammunition, and I was pleased to find 100% reliability and a grip safety that did it's job. While not as comfortable as a beavertail, the combination of the radiused grip safety and the narrow Nowlin hammer prevented me from getting bit by the hammer no matter how high I held the pistol. It looks like I will be ordering an EGW Melt bushing from Brownell's. I suppose I should get a couple of checkering files too.

Idiots With Guns #54

Caryn thought Maria was an idiot for buying two Hi Points instead of a Glock. She was wrong. It ain't the equipment, it's the person using it that makes the difference.
The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate. Over the years we have seen photos of people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. This is usually the camera, another person, or themselves. These photos are often difficult to google up, because of the pages they are shown on. If you have archived any of these photos, feel free to send them in to bayouroversATjamDOTrrDOTcom

The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

Pawn Shop Circuit: Magazines!

I stopped by Dave's pawn shop today to see what he had under the glass. The selection did not impress me much, it was the usual fare of Glocks, with a Sigma thrown in for a bit of spice. I scanned the wall of long guns, trying to spot Leupold scopes on rifles, or extended magazines on shotguns. Then, beside a black basketweave police gun belt behind the counter I spotted a stack of magazines. Wilson Combat magazines. Wilson Combat magazines are the standard by which other 1911 magazines are judged. It has been said that 70-80% of all 1911 failures can be cured with a Wilson magazine. They are that good. Dave had five behind the counter. Four of them even had my preferred low profile base pad.

"Hey Dave," I asked, "How much do you want for those old magazines?"
"You mean these clips?"
"Yeah, those clips......."
"Hmmmmmm, how about five bucks a piece?"
"Heck Dave, all I have is a twenty......"
"That'll do."

Some days, the stars must be aligned!

Jeff Cooper on Weapons

"Weapons are the tools of power. In the hands of the state, they can be the tools of decency or the tools of oppression, depending on the righteousness that state. In the hands of criminals, they are the tools of evil. In the hands of the free and decent citizen, they should be the tools of liberty. Weapons compound man's power to achieve whatever purpose he may have. They amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree., having no will of their own. Thus, we must regard them as servants, not masters--and good servants of good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it."

Colt Commander Series 70 Nickel

When I first saw my satin nickel Combat Commander at a gun show, I immediately noted that the sights were not original. The Pachmayr wrap around rubber grips are better than duct tape and cardboard, but just barely. Still, the pistol had many good things going for it. It was original other than the sights and grips. The barrel locked up tightly. There was barely any wear. It came with a Wilson magazine.

I had been hankering for another 1911 to work over, and this Series 70 Commander with a lightened slide seemed to be just the ticket. I examined the pistol closely, inside and out, and finally decided to make the deal. I traded a nickel Kahr K40 and a bit of cash for it.

Once I had taken the pistol to my car, I discovered someone had lowered and flared the ejection port. It was a good job, so I wasn't concerned. Next I noted the barrel was throated. I removed the barrel and placed a round in the chamber. I found that it was not unsupported anywhere. Thus, the pistol had another positive attribute. Because this pistol is already irreversibly unoriginal, I will continue to push it. I have a Nowlin Speed Demon hammer and sear waiting for it, along with a McCormick trigger. I am considering a healthy dehorning of the grip safety, perhaps a beavertail, a flat mainspring housing, an extended thumb safety and perhaps before I refinish it, I will let Jim Clark melt it down. I've been wanting a Clark Meltdown gun, and I may consider a bobtail conversion as well.

Tam is writing about her Sistema build, so I suppose I will blog about this one. Next stop? Check to make certain I'm not messing up by customizing it! Then a trigger and the hammer & sear will be installed.

Carnival of Cordite "Spirit of 76' Edition"

Carnival of Cordite "Spirit of 76' Edition" is up at Spank That Donkey.

1 Million Rounds A Minute

H/T to Mr. Completely

Gunshow Swapping & Gun Snobbery

I had heard through the grapevine there was a gunshow in town today. Somehow, I had missed all the signs and radio spots. Thankfully, a member of The High Road asked me if I was going, and I put it on my schedule. I wasn't able to be there when the doors opened to the convention center this morning, but I did make it by noon. I brought along my Kahr K40 as trade fodder.

I was shocked at some of the guns I saw. Several guns looked like they had been beaten up with the ugly stick. Beretta had a new monstrosity out named the Beretta 90 Two. It looked like an overpriced tennis shoe with a light rail to me. Like it or not, the Beretta 92FS was a fine, functional gun. This thing is a fashion nightmare. I looked over several Desert Tan HK USPs and Glocks, as well as a Desert Tan Walther P99. The light colored tan plastic instantly looked cheap and flimsy. I was amazed that anyone would buy those. Moving along, I came to a selection of Hi Point 9mm Carbines. This rifle is supposedly a reliable shooter, but it has always been about as ugly as a garfish with a fungus. It seemed, however, that Hi Point was not content with the ugly rifle award. They cast some of the stocks in black and tan swirly plastic reminiscent of Franzanite handgun grips. The result was stunningly horrid. The seller called it camo. I call it something else. I felt a primordial urge to upchuck the chilli dog I had consumed outside the doors for lunch. Finally, I decided to check out some Kahr pistols to see what was available. Kahr has apparently launched a line of low buck pistols to compete with KelTec and Bersa. The CW line of Kahr pistols appeared universally cheap, with flashing poking out of the plastic, and crudely stamped markings on the slides. These plastic pistols, the Kahr CW9 and CW40 were each priced at $399. They were nowhere near the quality of the K40 I carried, not even close. It is good to see Kahr making pistols at a lower price point, but I hope it does not harm perceptions of their previous offerings. I don't mean to sound like a gun snob, but damn these things, from the tan HK to the low budget Kahr, all looked cheap!

As I passed the tables, I came upon a seller who had a Colt Combat Commander up for grabs. It was a Series 70 Model with the lightened slide finished in original electroless nickel. It wore Pachmayr rubber grips. The pistol was in good shape showing very little wear, but it was not pristine. I asked if I could examine the pistol and received the go ahead. I checked it out using my series of 1911 checks. I received permission to field strip the Commander, and everything checked good. I reassembled it and continued under the seller's watchful eye. It had a nice trigger, and it was priced attractively at $675.

I offered my Kahr to the seller, and he laughed. I revealed 2 hundred dollar bills as well, and he agreed to the trade. It was ironic, arriving at the gunshow with a Kahr pistol in electroless nickel with rubber grips, and leaving with a Colt in the same finish and grip material. Now, the decision will be whether to customize or not.......

Give Them Back!

The NRA is asking for donations to help fund the fight specifically to force the return of legally owned, illegally confiscated firearms in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Over one thousand firearms are still being held by New Orleans police in a doublewide trailer. Owners are showing up with serial numbers and receipts, and still, their guns are not being returned.

Go to GiveThemBack.com to learn more and make your contribution. The video evidence of these confiscations is now available, containing much more footage and testimony than has ever been released before. If you think you have seen the extent of this constitutional rape, you are wrong. You have only seen the tip of the iceberg! A DVD documenting these illegal confiscations, as well as the NRA response will be shipped for donations at or above $30.

Idiots With Guns #53

Carli's boyfriend bought her a Makarov at the gunshow. He bought her some ammo too. She was then prepared to defend herself, they thought. The first time around, he had to show her how to load the magazine. She decided to not unload it, and to just be careful. Unloading it was to many buttons to manipulate.

After Carli broke up with her boyfriend, she showed her girlfriend her new gun. "Cool!" said maria. "Can we take some pictures?"
"Badass!" said Carli.

To bad it was Friday 13th.............

The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate. Over the years we have seen photos of people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. This is usually the camera, another person, or themselves. These photos are often difficult to google up, because of the pages they are shown on. If you have archived any of these photos, feel free to send them in to bayouroversATjamDOTrrDOTcom

The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

Robbery Prevented in New Orleans

9PM last night, a man and a woman were walking down Rue Rampart in New Orleans, enjoying the balmy night air. Suddenly the woman felt a gun to her back, and the couple heard the words "Give it up."

The couple resisted the strong arm robbery, and the man drew his own gun, and ventilated the criminal three times. The criminal died as a result. The would be victim holds a valid Louisiana concealed carry license, and the shooting has been ruled justifiable.

Chaulk one up for the good guys.

Pawn Shop Circuit: No Guns, No Service

After work today, I drove to Kenny's shop to see what he had on the shelves. He had sold the reblued Victory Model that he had. I'm wanting my next Victory to be in better shape than that one was, preferably with US Property markings. They are, however, getting harder and harder to find. Kenny did not have any other new guns, so I eyeballed the tools. There was nothing new there either.

While I was on Kenny's side of town, I decided to drive over to the pawn shop that had the round butt Model 10 a couple of weeks ago. I had a couple of Franklins in my wallet to offer for it, so I decided to take a chance. a cowbell rang as I walked through the door, announcing my presence. The same sales lady as before looked my way as I approached the gun case. The round butt Model 10 was still in the case, priced at $229. I waited in front of the gun case for several minutes, and I was once again ignored by the young lady behind the counter.

I have heard that there is a gun show coming up this weekend, although I have not seen any signs or advertisments. I decided to just save my money and check the next gunshow. Perhaps I can find a round butt Model 10 with a three inch barrel, a bull barrel, or possibly all three features. I gazed at the Model 10 through the glass, looked at the saleslady across the empty shop, turned, and walked out.

Jeff Cooper on The Nanny State

January 2005 - "We happen upon two somewhat different conclusions from our friends down there in Iraq. On the one hand, our selected riflemen are scoring very well, sometimes at long range but mainly at inner-city distances. On the other, we are bedeviled by reports that the people we send over there are basically unfamiliar with rifle shooting. This may be so, and if so, it may be attributed to the increasing urbanization of our culture, in which there are large numbers of young men who have never touched a weapon of any kind (possibly excepting a baseball bat) prior to putting on a soldier suit.

This may be a reflection of the 'nanny state,' in which a large proportion of young men have no fathers at home. Even if there is a man around the house, he is usually not a father figure. If he does not know anything about firearms, he is unlikely to have anything useful to hand on to his sons. This need not always be the case, of course, since my own father, who was expert in many things from viticulture to epic poetry, never owned a gun of his own and had to be educated by his sons."

My First 1911

I make no bones about my preference for the 1911 as a handgun. I will stop short of declaring it a divinely inspired sidearm, but I do maintain it is one of the best weapon platforms ever devised by man.

My first 1911 was a Springfield Mil-Spec that I purchased new for $469. That was a chunk of change for me back then, and it still is, I suppose. I had been at the range with my son, and I had shot his Colt Compact M1991A1. I was amazed by my ability to instinctively shoot my son's pistol. I had been a wondernine devotee for almost a decade. That was over. I had at last found shooting nirvana.

As we left the firing lanes of the indoor range, I spotted this Mil-Spec for sale, new, at the gun counter. It was a plain Jane black plastic gripped pistol, and the salesman touted the NM prefix of the serial number as being somehow special, a "national match" pistol. He did not need to spread the bullshit that day, I was sold on a 1911 before I reached his counter. I bought the Springfield Mil-Spec, and thus began a journey into the ever deepening crevasse of John Moses Browning's creation.

Over the years, I have developed a distinct preference for Colts, but I still hang on to my first Springfield 1911. It has been a reliable performer from day one, and with a King's bushing, it became a very accurate pistol. Over time, the Mil-Spec has metamorphasized as I honed the skills necessary to customize my pistols to my liking. Today, it is not a flashy pistol, it is all business. Most of the changes are so subtle that they go unnoticed. The front sight was lowered a bit to match up with a McCormick rear sight. A plain Colt long trigger fills the triggerguard. The King's bushing makes certain the barrel returns to a firm, consistent lock-up. A checkered mainspring housing replaced the stock unit and thus eliminated the internal locking system. An Ed Brown ambi safety locks a wide spur hammer back. I kept the original Mil-Spec grip safety. Kim Ahrend made the cocobolo grips.

There were times that I thought about installing a beavertail, a full length guide rod, and a holey trigger. I am glad I resisted that urge. This is not a cookie cutter pistol, it is unique. As the frame of this parkerized pistol transitions to a greenish patina, I am well satisfied with it's looks, it's performance, and I suspect I will never sell it. It was my first.

Idiots With Guns #52

College. Ivy covered halls of higher learning. Hopefully not the school of hard knocks. That could be tragic.

The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate. Over the years we have seen photos of people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. This is usually the camera, another person, or themselves. These photos are often difficult to google up, because of the pages they are shown on. If you have archived any of these photos, feel free to send them in to bayouroversATjamDOTrrDOTcom

The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

Pawn Shop Circuit: Police Positive Revisited

I went back to Neil's shop today, to take another look at his Police Positive Special. I was hoping that Neil might have come to his senses and dropped his $275 tag on the gun. The old gun had several deficiencies, and it would cost to much to get it back into reliable trim. Still, it would be a good tool to learn about the Colt action.

No finish remained on the revolver, and it's original grips were forever lost, with Franzenite replacements screwed on. The once solid Colt lockwork was worn loose by many many rounds shot down the barrel. The rifling was a faint reminder of it's former self. Somebody at sometime sought to polish the rust off, and in so doing removed the prancing pony rollmark as well as diminishing the barrel's markings. To return this revolver to it's former splendor would not be cost effective. $300 can buy a very nice Police Positive Special in most places.

I removed eight twenty dollar bills from my wallet and offered Neil $160 cash for the gun. I could see Neil start to waver, and then he countered $250. I saw where that was going, but I would not give two hundred for this gun. $160 was my top offer, and I would wait. I thanked Neil, handed him his gun back, and asked to take a look at a Browning shotgun on the rack.........

S&W Registered Magnum Grip Adapter on ebay

The latest S&W ebay craziness is a pre-war N frame grip adapter suitable for a Registered Magnum. You can follow the auction here. The seller is no doubt thrilled!

Winning bid: US $1,042.77

No kidding!

Ropers on ebay

A set of Roper grips for a large frame Colt is up for grabs on ebay. Click here to see.

Current bid: US $280.00

Jeff Cooper on Heroism

May 2006 - "We talk a lot about heroes and heroism today. In doing so we denigrate the term. Heroism, properly speaking, is rare. Everybody I knew in World War II fought because he wanted to, but, of course, combat duty does not necessarily involve death. That it involves the chance of death in the line of duty is perhaps commendable, but it is not heroic. The phrase 'above and beyond the call of duty' is indefinable since anything that you can do is what you should do. Lord Nelson defined the heroic death at Trafalgar. He was convinced--correctly--that his wound was mortal. As he lay there on the deck, his repeated words were, "Thank God I have done my duty!' He fought because it was his duty to fight, and he died doing his duty. This is heroism."

The Creole Cowboys

Pawn Shop Circuit: Pretty Stainless, Ugly Iron

I got a chance to stop by Dave's shop today. I had been a while since I last darkened Dave's door, and he still had the Ruger GP100 for $329. Not unexpectedly, Dave's selection of hunting rifles was thinning, as were his shotguns. The handgun case contained a couple of Glocks and other plastic guns to keep the Ruger company. I really could not tell if they were the same ones as last time. Dave did have a Remington 870 Express with a synthetic stock going for $99. I thought about it, and decided to wait on that one.

I traveled on over to Neil's pawn shop, and he greeted me with a big hello when I went inside. That's always an expensive sign. Under his glass, Neil had a new looking stainless steel Ruger Vaquero with ivory polymer grips. .Neil was asking $299 for the single action gun, not a bad price if that was your style.

The revolver that interested me, however, was an old Colt Police Positive Special. It had a four inch barrel, and the early checkered thumb piece and trigger. Unfortunately, the Police Positive had ugly plastic replacement grips, a null and void finish, a sloppy lock-up, and the kiss of death, a high price. Neil was wanting $275 for it.

I finished looking it over, and decided to let it sit in Neil's case for a while reminding him not to overprice old guns. At $150, I might have bought this revolver, just to tinker with, and explore the ancient Colt lockwork. For nearly three hundred, I expect a lot more, a whole lot more.

Carnival of Cordite #74

Carnival of Cordite #74 is up at Spank That Donkey.

The Sistema Diaries, Volume II

Tam has begun building her Sistema in earnest. It's shaping up to become a unique shooter, but then what would you expect from Tam?

The Kahr K40 Revisited

Back in 1999 I purchased this Kahr K40 as a carry gun. I found it at a used gun counter, and forked over $489 for it. Unlike many of it's brethren, this pistol is plated in electroless nickel, making for a durable and beautiful finish.

I carried the pistol for a while, until my wife shot it. It then became her carry gun. The Kahr is one of the first pistols that was designed on computers through CAD/CAM and 3D modeling and then produced on CNC equipment. The result is a mass produced pistol that has the fit and feel of surgical precision. It is not a flyweight pistol like some of the polymer Kahrs that followed it. The K40 has heft. You know it is on your belt.

The K40 utilizes polygonal rifling, and a 6 round single stack magazine. Until the pistol is grasped in a firing grip, it feels top heavy. Insert a full magazine and grip the pistol properly, and all that changes. It becomes an imminently pointable pistol, an extension of one's hand. The Kahr pistol incorporates six different design patents that make it unique in the world of firearms. It sits lower in one's hand, and the single stack magazine provides an almost straight path for chambering ammunition. The feed ramp is offset, allowing the trigger to be next to it, rather than below it. The barrel hood is relieved to facilitate ejection from tight quarters. The result is a pistol that carries the maximum amount of ammunition in the smallest space, while maintaining the lowest possible bore axis, without compromising reliability.

The Kahr K40 is not a match quality pistol, but it is accurate. I can keep all shots on a 5X9 index card at 10 yards. Other people had better accuracy, but then, gun magazines usually have better results. The Kahr K40 does exhibit some snappy torque on recoil. It's not unmanageable, but it is stouter than a Government Model in .45ACP. I no longer care for the trigger on the Kahr. It is silky smooth, but it progressively stacks until sear release. For a man grown accustomed to 1911s and Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Kahr trigger is disconcerting. For other shooters, it may be ideal. When I bought the pistol in 1999, I liked the trigger. In fact, I bought the pistol because of the superior fit and finish, and that trigger. It's strange how perceptions change over time.

My wife now carries a J frame, and I prefer a 1911. I don't have any .40S&W practice ammo in my cabinet any more, and the Kahr rests in it's plastic box in my safe. I don't shoot it any more. I suppose the time is coming that it will be traded off. It is a good pistol though, just not my taste anymore.

Makarov Torture Testing

This may be an old thread from Glock Talk to some readers, but it was new to me. If you haven't read about the Mak torture testing, click here.

Another Level

There are those who go out and buy a motorcycle, and think they have a chopper. Then there are those who screw a bunch of chrome geedunk on a bike and call it a chopper. Neither of those are chops.

Choppers are built from the frame up, not bought. A proper chopper is built by it's owner, not some bike shop on the east coast or west coast with a fancy logo. Of course Jesse doesn't want to tell you that. Chopper builders understand though. Even so, chopper forms tend to follow function, leading to bikes that appear similar in many ways.

Then, along comes some mad hatter who breaks all the damned rules, who inspires others to reach down deep and build that which has never been seen before. See more of this unique chopper here.