.357 weekend

[Intheshop]

Shot my sons new 3" 686.

On a QC standpoint,it is spot on WRT critical metrology.That's the "pros".

The cons;the fancy factory grips suck in pretty much every way.I didn't say a thing.Him and his brothers had that figured as soon as they handled it.The action is TIGHT @4#'s SA...12#'s DA.We were killing coke cans @20yds with 160g CB's and 1000fps unique loads.

What's incredibly ironic? was.....went to work over the w/end after shaking down the 686 with a "player" in the collectable handgun mkt.He hands me a "tuned" 6" .357 King Cobra with a Burris red dot and says....."can you sight this in"?

First off,being a Colt guy,it was extremely nice to get a snake back in my grubby hands.He doesn't know what a handload is,much less digesting them...doh.

Coke cans @50 were a big,no problemo with factory 125's.He needs it for feral cats and smaller varmints on his river front property.

 

[9.3X62AL]

Those Colt J-frame 357s are TANKS. Very simple and robust lockworks, ACCURATE as H-E-double toothpicks. I miss having them in production.

 

[Intheshop]

9.3,I've never really shot too many of the newer Colts,...Anaconda,King Cobra.Just here and there.I have got many "miles" on Pythons however.

The KC above musta been smithed by someone who knows their way round the block cause,it was DANG smooth.Like butter.

I sent him a text,challenging a shoot off with my 8" Python hunter,next weekend haha.

Did like the red dot.We were shooting down in a shady river bttm and it was pretty durn easy on my 60 y.o. eyes.

 

[freebullet]

Sounds like you had a good time.

Boy, the prices on the snake guns sure went through the roof the last 10 years or so. Seems impossible to find deals on them anymore.

 

[Intheshop]

Free,where "most" of mine came from...

Imagine painted and hand lettered storefronts.Sitting just above flood plane of a major river.1840 or there abouts is the born on date of this once iconic hdwr store.Built on a hillside,the buildings foundation was of small car sized river rocks or,jacks.Opening onto the terrace level loading docks.With a main st 1st fl level.Rising above this was two more floors overlooking the busy st below.

Me and the "ole man" were fixtures.Basically given the keys(trust) to the joint,I would go exploring,learning the art of mid 19th century const techniques.Whilst E.D.(the man I was in biz with) would drink all their coffee,talkin chit with his buds.

My understanding was,they had been "the" Winchester &Colt dealer for the area since well,forever.Never carrying any other brands.As the 1970's was a time for change,the B&W era gets a color change.Gone are the hand painted lettering...replaced with 3 color posters haphazardly thrown in the windows.Semi autos are replacing revolvers.Remember,this is the East...only cowboys we got,now are sporting credit cards.Colt starts to feel the crunch.

So wide eyed,sitting in a 3rd fl small BR sized room with 100+ y.o. Racks of Colts,what do you do?

 

[Intheshop]

Ask if my contractor discount applies to handguns?

Trying not to bother E.D.'s stories of the moonshine days of carrying his triple lock .44 on main st. back in the day.They'd get a little snoot full watching western movies and start shooting holes at the bad guys on screen....doh.

So the owners would let me have pretty much anything,"at cost".Looking up from their discussions long enough to OK the sale and assign someone to do the paperwork.I got a BUNCH this way.Built a 100m range complete with shoot shack.Old woodstove and concrete bench....Lazy Boy recliner from the dump.

Get married and get on with building our house.Whelp,need someplace to live...reproducing with concessions twds residential...I pretty much build the style of these grand old buildings,at about 25 years of age.Need a place to practice archery AND shoot handguns,we put in an indoor range.Used that for about 10 years or so and it finally yields to finished rooms.

So,to see my boys enjoying shooting revolvers brings a smile.Seeing folks hoarding/collecting Colts....not so much?They are made to shoot.