Notes from the gun shop...

I think that people are really going to like the new store.  I spent much of the day moving ammo and other items to the store.  Jay S_____ showed me how to turn on all the lights, we pretty much got the gunsmith moved over but not quite set up.  There's lots of work to do still, but we're looking good.

The big quality gun influx has some real treats that continue to show up.  We have a list but it often understates the items.  For example, there is a 3d generation .44 Special Colt SAA in nickel with a 4-3/4" barrel and ivory stocks, several S&W J-frames including a Model 40 Centennial, a 649 and a 60. Looking at them all together in the case is almost overwhelming.

Another fellow brought in an interesting rifle for "appraisal" yesterday.  A Remington Model 30A, Express in .25 Remington with Noske scope.  A neat rifle but he's going to play hell finding loaded ammunition from the major makers.  Custom loaded ammo can be found of course, and he could load it himself.  That is a lot of rifle for the .25 Remington but recoil should be about nil...

Notes from the gun shop...

Busy day moving.  It will be a very nice store.  We had lots more ammo than we thought and most of it will be on the shelves "out front" now.

Saw a first for me, a "flat-band" Winchester 1894 in .25-35.  I've got a flat-band .30 WCF but I've never seen a .25-35.  I had thought that post WWII Winchester didn't produce any .25-35s but there it is.  We also have a fine condition Colt Banker's Special with what appeared to me in my cursory inspection to be factory Colt ivory stocks.  There were also two new in box Colt National Match 1911s of differing vintages. 

Notes from the gun shop...

Moving continues but stuff is coming in. Saw my first Remington R51 today. Underwhelmed maybe even disappointed. Trigger pull was pretty good. Size was pretty good. Feel in the hand was pretty good. Still, not enthusiastic. I would like to shoot one but I can't see spending my own money on it. Glocks are great guns but I still haven't bought one of them either!

Handled a bunch of great guns today as the big collection transits the store.

Notes from the gun shop...

Well, there's some big news.  The shop will be moving to 1301 Barterbrook Road and will open in the new location on 1 April.  Moving and stocking the new store location has already begun.  Hours will be the same.  There will be a gunsmith on site on Saturdays and Mondays. Phone number and fax number will be the same as well.  That's 540-886-3061 and 5640-886-3614 respectively. 

In the meantime, the shop has walked into a deal of almost 400 guns from the collection of a gun show promoter from Tennessee.  Really high grade guns ranging from shotguns to rifles to all sorts of handguns. 

Notes from the gun shop...

Handled a S&W 69 yesterday and in my view it is a 4" 696 with matte finish and better grips AND, of course, the Magnum chambering. I showed it to a friend who stopped by the shop and he allowed that it would be perfect with .44 Special level loads, which is true. Not to stir the pot but he didn't like the lock or MIM parts (trigger really) nor did he like the matte finish. People commented on the black screw heads with the stainless gun. I think the cash price would be around $775. I don't know if I can get excited about it at that price.

Glock is doing a good job of getting the G42 out to the public. We had another bunch come in and about half have gone out already. More coming. I've been told that Glock has devoted ALL U.S. production capacity to the G42 until the intial spate of buyers are sated.

I went to the new doctor today. Need a physical and will get one from this guy. He had to interview me before taking me on as a new patient. Dang. Is everyone going through this?

Notes from the other shop...

I was at the other shop and was paid a visit by Don S_____ of Waynesboro with his father's cartridge collection, or rather, a part of the collection.  Some neat things one doesn't often see.  Among those was a tin of Kynoch .470 Nitro Express cartridges.  Unopened.  Mint label.  No corrosion or staining.  WOW!  I'm including a photo of an opened tin just so you can have an idea what this is. 

Smith and Wesson K-22 Masterpiece

K-22 Masterpiece dated to 1948 with box

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to acquire a 1948 manufactured K-22 Masterpiece with its original box for less than the price of a new M-17. Since it was purchased new by the previous owner it has apparently sat in the box, unmoved although the tools were apparently "pilfered" sometime during that period. I haven't shot it much, but it does seem to have potential just as one would expect.

Production of the .22 on the M&P frame began in 1930 right at the beginning of the Great Depression.This would seem to be a bad time to introduce a high-quality handgun with a premium price. Christened the K-22 Outdoorsman in 1931, that revolver is now referred to as the K-22 First Model, and knowledgeable shooters and military and police training programs eagerly bought the revolver.

Original specifications were for a six-shot, K-frame revolver with a 6-inch round barrel, Circassian walnut grips and a Smith & Wesson medallion. Single-action trigger pulls were regulated to be 3 to 4 pounds. The 35-ounce revolver was guaranteed to shoot within 1 1/2 inches at 50 yards. The last of 17,117 K-22 First Models left the factory on 28 December 1939.

The new, improved K-22 Masterpiece replaced the First Model. Improvements included a shorter, faster action, a new micrometer-adjustable rear sight and a built-in, anti-backlash trigger. Despite the price of $40, quite a lot of money at that time, the revolver sold well. Unfortunately war was coming and Smith & Wesson had to redirect its resources and production efforts to supplying the British with M&P revolvers chambered in .38/200. Only 1,067 Second Models (collectors’ nomenclature) were produced in 1940 before all production efforts went to support World War II.

After the war, consumer desire for the K-22 made it clear that there was going to be a long-term demand for a quality rimfire revolver. Carl Hellstrom was first hired by the Wesson family in 1939 as shop superintendent then took over as president of Smith & Wesson in 1946 immediately after which he started implementing some cost-saving practices to the production line, as well as design improvements to individual products. Among those changes were the installation of a ribbed barrel on all K-frame target models—which swelled the weight of the new iteration to 38.5 ounces—with a new micrometer-click adjustable sight that did not have to be polished and was even to the frame, and a new anti-backlash trigger that no longer required the tedious and time-consuming fitting of the first Masterpiece series. The Masterpiece nomenclature was retained, partly because it was popular and partly because Smith & Wesson truly believed that it had produced a masterpiece revolver.

In 1949, a 4-inch barrel version, the K-22 Combat Masterpiece was introduced. Later it was to be called the Model 18. It was a great little trail gun, but sales paled compared to the 6-inch barrel version, and it was discontinued in 1985. My first K-22 was a 4-inch which I still have. I really enjoy squirrel hunting with it as well as range time. It is a great companion gun.

K-22 with Tactical Solutions conversion on Combat Commander frame

Rough week...

It has been a rough week.  We are accustomed to having the day revolve around Bailey's needs to eat, take bathroom breaks outside, etc and since that ended we have moments we are sort of at loose ends.  It has also been really cold for Virginia with temperatures as low as -2, we had some snow, we were putting away the Christmas decorations, taking Bailey's stuff either to put in storage for the "next dog" or to the SPCA to donate. Nana is picking up Bailey's cremains today.  I did work but it simply was not particularly interesting, in part because I miss the dog.

Bailey...

'There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; her eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated.'

We can only hope. Goodbye Bailey.

Bailey

We've been to the vet today.  Bailey has been off her food and lost weight, I had no idea how much.  She's been intermittently throwing up as well.  The vet visit confirmed my fears that Bailey's kidneys are failing (or have failed).  We've given her something to calm her stomach, fed her some special low protein food, administered some antibiotics and felt our own stomachs churn at the news.  Anything we are doing now is merely delaying the inexorable approach of the inevitable.

We are very fortunate to have been retired for almost her entire life meaning that she's been able to be with one or both of us most of most every day.  She has survived bladder stones, one of which was as large as a golf ball.  She has traveled over more than half the country.  She has been a good dog all that time. A patient companion, a hardy traveler, a curious tourist, and an enthusiastic devotee of doggy delicacies. 

Notes from the gun shop...

Yes, we've been to the shop.  No, there hasn't been much to report.  The ammo shortage continues.  Sales of what we have continue.  Nothing much of special interest is coming in, in fact, NOTHING of special interest is coming in.  The gunsmith quit.  We will do scope mounting and boresighting while you wait IF we have the mounts.  That's probably the biggest news.  Apparently there aren't any Weaver type rings for 1" scopes available.  Odd, isn't it?  I haven't figured that one out.  Today I'm at the other shop.  Nothing going on there either!  Some of this is rooted in the real economy which has 92 million Americans out of work and out of the work force, permanently.  The real unemployment rate is over 13%.  No money=no sales except for necessities.

Know your rights...

Militaria...

How they've been stored for 100 years (give or take)...

We had some very interesting epaulettes come into the shop for evaluation/identification and I must be overlooking something as I can find no references. 

Family tradition says these belonged to an ancestor who had revolutionary war service.
 
These are interesting in that they are actual articulated plates with an embossed American eagle (head towards the olive branch) on a cloth backing with wool padding and a silk (?) lining.  The silver bullion fringe is in excellent condition but the lining has deteriorated.

I took the time to take some close-up photos of the plates and the eagle device.

A side view attempting to show the overlapping plates and other details of construction.

A close-up of the eagle device.

Update 13 Jan 2014 from the owner:

My son, who is in the Va Guard working at the Bureau in DC pointed me to the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair.

It turns out that these are not epaulettes but are more properly called "wings" because of the scales which arch over the shoulder. These are militia rather than regular army and date from 1821 to somewhere in the 1840s.

I'm trying to figure out who, potentially, might have worn them.

Prayers...

This time of year seems to attract bad news for some people.  At the least it exacerbates trying circumstances.  People will often pray for help or ask for prayers to pull them out of trouble.  I've got to tell you kids something, I never pray for the solution to be done, I pray for strength to get through the trial.  I don't know what his solution/goal/plan so I might not get the result I expect but I know I'll get the strength to make it through to the other side.  He never fails me.  Never. 

THE M1 GARAND RIFLE by Bruce Canfield

Published by Mowbray Publishing with the least expensive price being at the CMP store although you can get it for $1.04 more but with free shipping at Amazon, this is one book you have to have. Yes, it is being hawked as "for collectors" but what a book for anyone with an M1 or an interest in military arms. Interested in WW II US infantry? Yes, this book has something for you as well. This was, after all, THE infantry rifle of the war, at least in effect if not in quantity.I know that the price is going to scare off some potential buyers but, let's face it, a quality book is going to cost some money.  With 872 pages and outstanding photos/illustrations, this book is a bargain even at $95.99!