I did have a Bisley Vaquero listed on my want list, but perhaps I should wait for a New Vaquero in .45 Colt. If only they would make a Bisley grip for it.

I've owned a S&W M629 4" for over 18 years and never really become attached to it. Oh, sure, I've deer hunted with it, potted the odd groundhog and carried it quite a bit. I've just never become attached to it. Why? Because the grip doesn't suit me. It is too large for my hand and I feel that I have to stretch to reach the trigger in double action. Single action is just fine and I've done all my field shooting with it that way. So, somewhere in the back of my mind is the nagging thought, "why not just have a single action?" I'd sell this gun if I got a good offer.

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I have a tong tool my dad gave me about 1970. Thought it was long gone but it showed up in a box of stuff I'd not unpacked for a while (too much gun stuff!). I knew I had stuff missing but no idea what. First thing is always to get a manual or parts list. Having never used this gift (I went into the army IMMEDIATELY after receiving it) was another impediment to knowing what had gone missing. I finally found page 1 and page 2 of an Ideal instruction sheet.

Those 2 pages were an immense help. I discovered that I was missing an extractor, a decapping chamber, and a proper adapter die. This adapter die looks like a .38 but seems a hair small for the .357 case I had in my pocket.

It is a .44 Special/.44 Mag set (for that long lost and despised Winchester .44 Mag M94 carbine). Closer examination revealed that somebody stuck a case (.44 Mag?) in the I don't know who did it (might have been my now deceased brother, 18 years younger than me) since I never used it (well, not this one). I'd shipped out right after this was given to me and reloaded with my long loved Rockchucker. I couldn't remember the name of it before (hence needing the instructions/parts list) but the adapter die although marked "3" is too small inside diameter to be correct for the .44 Spec/Mag. Maybe that is why he got the case stuck. He didn't use the adapter die and apparently ran the case directly into the decapping chamber.

I contacted Lyman and they asked for a want list before they would tell me what they had. It takes them at least 3 days to respond to an e-mail. They responded and I've made up a list which I sent them but hadn't received a reply yet.

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That experience with Lyman and my posting about it on Leverguns.com (GREAT bunch of guys) elicited several comments about calling vs. e-mailing to get service.

Personally, I really dislike the phone. I dislike waiting on hold and maneuvering through a multitude of menu options. Not particularly normal especially when you consider that there are millions opting to carry their phones EVERYWHERE with them and talk on the phone all the time.

I prefer e-mailing because I can do it at my leisure, can read the response when I want and not be tied down waiting for an answer (I can do other things) and can actually talk to important people (like Mom, the wife, my kids) on the phone while I ask for service from a company with whom I'd consider doing business. I also have a written record of the "conversation" so that I can be certain of what I need to do and what to expect. It also permits (although some companies don't get it) the transmittal of photos, scanned documents, etc. to explain what it is that I want, need, or must do.

Maybe this is a peculiarity which will only strengthen as I progress in curmudgeonliness...