Purrrdy Guns

SENSEI · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:39 am Post subject:

I have been meaning to ask this stupid question in regards to your signoff
"Life's too short to hunt with an ugly gun"
what constitutes an ugly gun ???.....lol....

Captains Cat · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:21 pm Post subject:

Not sure of his definition but for my part, this one isn't too pretty!!

Charlie

416rigby · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 9:50 pm Post subject:

The good Captain was right...that was an UGLY gun! Your post made me laugh! I never expected to be asked that question. But seen' how you did...here are a few of our "non-ugly guns." BTW...they're part of the reason we're still driving a NCD...have too many hobbies!

My #1 frame 12ga Parker GH built in 1903

Donna's Ruger M-77 Magnum .375 H&H and my .Ruger No.1 .416 Rigby

There ya have it...like my signature says...

Da Nag · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:38 am Post subject:

I just had to split this discussion from the other one...not because I care a lick about keeping a topic on track, I just wanted to talk about fancy guns. Mr. Green

A good friend of mine had his FFL up until a couple years ago. Selling firearms in CA, particularly out of his home in the suburbs, just became to problematic. Let's just say the climate ain't what it used to be around here, and leave it at that...

Anyway, every year we would take our trek to the Shot Show in Las Vegas. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's the firearm industry's annual trade show. The general public is not allowed in - you must be affiliated with the firearms industry, and I always slid in as "Vice President" under my buddy's FFL. Manufacturers, distributors and dealers from around the world are there. It takes up acres of space at the Las Vegas Convention Center; it takes at least two days just to get around all the booths.

My favorite stop, every year...The Perazzi booth. It's unreal...you walk into their booth, and just start picking up $10K shotguns - and those are the cheap ones! As you work your way up the scale, the engraving gets increasingly more elaborate, and the grain you see in the stocks just makes your jaw drop.

Not only is that stuff way out of my league, I typically enjoy firearms that are more utilitarian. Still, I've always had a soft spot for a good lookin' gun.

One of my all time favorites is the Winchester Model 1906. Many of you may remember them from your youth, back when the carnivals actually had real gallery guns. They've got a tube magazine that extends the length of the barrel, have a pump action, and are just a ball to shoot. While the originals are getting a little rare, you can still find a decent shooter for a couple hundred bucks if you keep your eyes open.

I've got one that has had untold thousands of rounds through it - picked it up for $75 many years ago, and it was pretty beat up then. Rusty and pitted...it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was an actual carnival gun. The fact that it looks like something that got tossed in and out of a pickup bed for years, is one of the reasons I like it so much. It still shoots great, and has character! But...it definitely falls into the category of "ugly gun".

So...my one and only "looker" is a little unique. While drooling over the Perazzi's at the Shot Show many years ago, it hit me - I could have a shooting beauty that meant more to me than any of those fancy Italian jobs. My goal: to build a custom version of my favorite plinker - the Winchester Model 1906.

Got back home, and started looking. Within a few months, I found a sweet 1906 at a local gun show. It had some minor bluing wear, but no rust and in perfect mechanical condition. My buddy with the FFL thought I was nuts, but he obliged me...he dealt with a lot of older Colts and Winchesters, and knew the best of the best in the antique firearms restoration business. I packed my 1906 up, and sent it off to Turnbull Restorations - an outfit known for incredible attention to detail. They use the techniques of old, including color case hardening and charcoal bluing. Demand is huge for their services...they had my 1906 for almost a year.

For the stock and fore-end grip, I scored a real find. I wanted something in walnut, and real fancy. I knew that meant going custom, and the wallet was already hurting from Turnbull. I called up a custom stock maker referred to me by my friend, and after telling him what I wanted, I couldn't believe my ears. He had taken on the exact project for a client, but the guy never paid him - he had a fancy walnut stock and fore-end grip, in stock, and shipped it that day. And the best part...the guy had forfeited his deposit, and the guy let me have it for a song. When it arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes...simply beautiful.

Well, enough jibber jabber - here's my baby. Most folks think I'm nuts when they find out how much I spent on an old gallery gun, and perhaps they're right. But I still get goose bumps every time I pick her up... Mr. Green

Here's a link to a hi-res version of the same photo - shows off the wood and color case hardening a little better.

416rigby · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 4:54 am Post subject:

Wow, Bill...she's a beauty! I'm a sucker for nice walnut and nice case colors and Doug T does great work indeed. Who did the stock? That's a helluva nice piece of feathercrotch. As for getting goosebumps whenever you pick her up, well, that's what it's all about! I'd offer no appologies to anyone for what you did...damn fine rifle!

Never been to the SHOT show, but we have a couple of friends in the industry and we're told it's quite the spectacle. I'll be happy just to go to a regular ol' gun show when we move to Alabama next year. I really miss them. Not very many shows up here.

Anyone else have sexy hardware they'd like to display? We'd sure love to see 'em.

Rick

Da Nag · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 12:22 pm Post subject:

416rigby · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 1:20 pm Post subject:

Great American Gunstocks did my 416. Thery're in Yuba City, CA...great folks. Very affordable as far as custom stocks go. I dumb lucked into mine, too. I happend to check out the Fajen website one day and found this buttstock in their bargain bin section...said 100 bucks...so I called them to see if it was an obvious misprint....must have left off a zero...lol...but they didn't. They were clearing out a bunch of inventory. I bought it on the spot. It's the only thing I've ever lucked into like that. Course, it cost a lot more than that to have it fitted and a forend made, then checkered and oil finished, but for the price of a blank I had a completed rifle. Dumb luck is fun, eh?

On the hand-held side of the house...

Freedom Arms .475 Linebaugh that Donna surprised me with a couple years ago. Our friends at Mag-Na-Port tricked it all out for me.

Kimber Gold Match .45ACP that she surprised me with last Christmas. Is she great or what? I didn't even ask for it! Holster rig by William Tucker of Houston, TX.

Da Nag · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 1:41 pm Post subject:

SENSEI · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:58 pm Post subject:

I am not into modern firearms but have had several muzzel loaders in my time. sorry to say I have no pics to show but my pride and joy for a short time was a custom built 54 cal. St Louis Hawken Shop rifle with a Bill Large Barrel. alas, someone wanted it more than I did and made me an offer that was too good to turn down.now I am in the middle of converting a custom Kentucky full stock capper to flint and she is all in pieces right now.it has some nice curly maple for the stock.

M1911 · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 30 City/Region: Framingham, MA

Uh, well, I'll give you 3 guesses as to what kind of handguns I prefer...

Sweet lookin' Kimber. I've got three down in the safe.

I'm afraid that most of the guns that I hunt with are ugly. For shotgun season, I use an 870 with composite stock. In muzzle-loader season, I use a composite stock Remington 700ml.

Just got a Kimber rifle in .270 WSM, but that's also got a composite stock.

I like pretty guns. But I also like the black, plastic evil semi-auto kind as well. Paint it black, call it tactical, and add 10% to the price. Besides, my safes are so crowded that pretty wood stocks get beat up fast.

416rigby · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 10:40 pm Post subject:

.454 Casull, you say? Hmmm....lemme see...(digging through safe)...ah-HA! You mean like this?

Yep...these toys are a bunch of fun for sure.

Roger... bet that Hawken was sweet. I love the looks of those traditional front-stuffers. Sure wish you had a pic of it. Make sure you get some pics of that project rifle of yours when it's done. I'd love to see it.

Bill...that 629 is an excellent revolver. I've shot a couple and they always work great. The 475 Linebaugh can be a handful to folks who haven't fired a lot of big guns, but is really very controllable and not bad at all once you get some experience with it. Of course, I don't shoot a gazillion full power loads in one session. I usually shoot mild to midrange loads which you can shoot all day long. Very comfy and plenty of power for big game. I'm shooting the 425gr. LBT from Cast Performance. Great bullets and great folks to deal with. I hunt with handguns almost exclusively...it's a lot of fun...try it!

1911...Nothing wrong with the "working guns" at all. I have a few myself. My waterfowl gun for crappy weather is a Moss 835. Rugged and simple and reliable. Heard those Kimber rifles are pretty well made...how's she shoot?

Rick

M1911 · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 30 City/Region: Framingham, MA

AK Angler · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:05 pm Post subject:

Captains Cat · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject:

And then there's Newton's 4th law that says:

If it knocks you down when you shoot it, you either need to gain some weight or get a smaller gun!! Laughing

That was Sir Ralph Newton, not Sir Isaac BTW... Rolling Eyes

wineman · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:55 pm Post subject:

Finally a post I can reply to. I don't own a C-Dory (I've got Chuck"s) but I do have a few guns. I also have a Winchester 22 Model 06 that I got when my Dad died years ago. I grew up with this piece and still shoot it one in a while. He also left me a Winchester 12 ga. model 1897, a Winchester rifle model 1886 in 50.110 caliber, a Winchester model 1873 in 38 cal. Of the guns that I have acquired in my adulthood, my favorites are a SW Model 66 on .357 magnum, and a sweet shooting Browning carbine in .243 caliber. The Browning comes in handy keeping the deer out of the vineyard.

Wineman