Tuesday, August 23, 2016

.38's

So, the security company my Gunsmith partners with does a lot of work in the District of Columbia.  And the city is finally letting up and allowing security firms to carry pistols that aren't revolvers.  So, now they had a stack of S&W Model 10s they can part with, and he bought them up.  Scores of revolvers.  Stuff he can then teach peeps how to revolver gunsmith, can sell some, etc.  All for good prices.  Many have low shooting mileage but the usual holster wear.  Most are bull barrels, but at least one is the pencil barrel.  And that one had marking from the Royal Hong Kong Police.  Cool.

That tempts me.  The good price.  I needed this 10 years ago.

But it was fun seeing him go through the pile of pistols, checking the cylinder, checking the timing... Even I know, now, how to check Smith and Wesson timing.  And all these were good.  If a bad gun came up it was obivious from the start and rejected.  For sale.  That'll be a class gun.  Maybe a parts gun.  It's hard to get parts from Smith itself and folks often have to cannibalize.

Oh, I did find out that the Security folks had to use a retention holster where you have to pivot the revolver forward in the holster to get it to release.  That this is harder if your elbows are closer to your belt as they can be with female officers.  Harder to get good leverage.  And you have to get the pistol out and 3 shots off in three seconds to qualify.  Not the easiest hoop to jump through

7 comments:

Comrade Misfit said...

Is he going to sell them online?

Does he have any 3" or 2" ones?

Comrade Misfit said...

if so... stinsongal aaattt gee-mail dahht you-know.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

No online sales. He is a gunsmith that sells guns, and being a gunshop isn't his raison de etres, ya know?

And no shorties. But I have seen him shop down and refinish one of these and made a pretty handsome snubbie out of it.

The Neon Madman said...

I have had a K38 for a lot of years, wonderful gun. The .38 is a great cartridge to shoot and I can reload them for about .08 a round or even a bit less. If you don't have on yourself, pick one up.

Comrade Misfit said...

Well, hell's bells.

Bob said...

Combine one of these with a Rossi lever-action Model 92 in .38/357 and you have a nice combo for home defense.

Mike V. said...

I have always thought S&W messed up when they discontinued the Model 19 & 66, especially the 2 1/2" barrel length. Great sights, heavy enough that magnum rounds aren't brutal to shoot and .38s are easy. Almost the perfect revolver IMHO.