Old Paco handed down several firearms to me before I ever bought one, including an L.C. Smith shotgun, a Ruger Super Blackhawk (pre-transfer bar), a Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum (with a stainless steel finish),and a G98/40 carbine. But the first one I ever bought for myself, I acquired at a little gun store in Miami around, I believe, 1985. The fellow who owned the shop was a melancholy sort, a gunsmith who seemed to resent the fact that he had to run a gun store in order to supplement his inadequate income from gunsmithing, which is what he really loved. In any event, he didn't have a whole lot of inventory, and I was eager to have some kind of home protection, so I bought a Ruger Police Service Six (click to enlarge photo).
The "Six" series of handguns manufactured by Ruger - the Security Six, the Service Six and the Speed Six - represented Ruger's first foray into the market of double action revolvers. Chambered in .38 Spl or .357 Magnum, they were very popular, and have become minor collectors' items (the "Six" line was discontinued in 1988, replaced by the GP-100). The Police Service Six was a subset of the Service Six, and was aimed at the law enforcement market. It's a no-frills duty revolver, with a notched rear sight and a fixed ramp front sight. Mine is a .38 Spl, and it's a pretty gun and a sweet little shooter, although I don't take it out to the range much any more.
My first and still most expensive is a Kimber Ultra Carry2. It's a beauty, and for me there's nothing like a 1911. In fact I'll probably get another one at the other end of the 1911 price range. I'm figuring a Rock Island GI with a 5 inch barrel, it's more my style, a working mans gun. But, like Chuck Conners I'm a rifleman. I had no idea when I started shooting that I am a long AR guy by nature. First rifle was a Marlin 30-30 but then I got a stock DPMS Oracle and the rest as they say is history.
ReplyDeleteI bought my buddy's Ruger GP-100 when he was broke and I realized that since I lived in VA I could buy one without asking permission.
ReplyDeleteI sold it back to him when he wasn't broke, it was his first pistol, he'd bought it 10 or 20 years before.
I bought one for me shortly thereafter, both were blued. I sold that one when I was broke then bought another when I wasn't broke anymore. It's stainless, I prefer S&W revolvers but I do like that one.
My first gun was a Remington Speedmaster my father gave me when I was 14. I still have it. Great gun. It's beat up but still shoots great. It's now against the law in NY I think. It has the 15-20 round, tube mag.
It's obviously defective though as, even though it spent probably 7 -10 years cumulative in NY, it's never killed anybody but squirrels. I know, weird.
The first gun I bought in the mid 1960's was a Sears,Roebuck & Co. lever action single shot 22, aka a Ted Williams Ithaca Model 49 (which I didn't know till just now, when I Binged it:). I shot a lot of walnuts off the walnut tree with it, but sold it to a neighbor after college. I need to ask him if he still has it. Wouldn't mind having it back. His son is my friend that has a gun collection bigger (and nicer) than most gun shops, everything from a Kimber single shot 22, to a Barrett 50BMG. If his dad needs one, he could probably supply his dad with a replacement for my old rifle.
ReplyDeleteMy first gun was an S&W 9mm, which I later sold -- I wasn't happy with it. The first pistol that I actually kept and carried was a .45 Colt Combat Commander, a 1911 design with a short barrel. At that time, the design was innovative. These days, it's a common design among multiple manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteI bought it at the kaserne gun club in Germany, and carried it in the field, strictly against regulations, generally in a shoulder holster under my tunic. That was in the early 1980s, when terrorism was common in Europe, but units would train in the field with all equipment and weapons ... ... but no ammunition.
True story, dat. No one, including the company commander, said a word about it. I doubt that I was the only one who did that. It was a good pistol, but I later sold it as well, for financial reasons. Unfortunately.
That reminds me of troops patrolling airports after 9/11 without mags in their M-16s.
DeleteFor every Mattis there are a dozen Wesley Clarks apparently.
An outstanding selection, guys.
ReplyDeleteV: Were they supposed to use 'em as clubs?
BTW, Paco, your Ruger Police Service reminds me of a Colt Police Special in 38 Special that my dad had when I was young. He got from a relative who had been a cop, somewhere. Dad had a old metal Band-aid box with some 38 special ammo in it, but I don't remember him ever shooting it. One day, when I was probably 14 or so, I was home by myself and decided I would do what I had been wanting to do for a long time. I took the Colt, and one round of ammo outside, loaded it, thought about the wisdom of what I was about to do, decided to go for it, then raised it and fired.
ReplyDeleteScared the bejeezus out of me!! The first & last time I shot it. In my defense, I had not only never fired a center fire pistol, I had never been around when one was fired by someone else. I had no idea (and no earplugs) it would kick like it did, or be as loud as it was. :)
It does look a little like one, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteNow, there's another interesting topic: the first time you ever shot a gun. I think the first gun I ever fired was some kind of single-shot, bolt action, .22 rifle. The first handgun? I'm not sure, but I believe it was one of the original Charter Arms Bulldogs.
I just told you about my first handgun experience. My first time shooting a gun was probably my dad's old 22 semi-auto Savage Model 6 (aka, click-clack, or gill gun). I don't remember exactly how old I was, probably 10 or 11, but that rifle had a looong barrel, and was about all I could hold up at that age. I didn't know the nick names at the time, but when I first heard them I thought "Oh, yeah, I know why". The action made a distinctive 'click-clack' sound when fired, and it had slots on the side of the receiver opposite the ejection port, that would remind you of shark gills. Another old gun from my youth I wish I had now.
ReplyDeleteWere they supposed to use 'em as clubs?
ReplyDeleteWithout bayonets ... ... pretty much, yeah. Another time I carried the keys to secure bunkers in remote locations across Germany, stuffed with high explosives, detonators, and other materiel intended to blast holes in the landscape ahead of the invading Soviet armada. Again, no ammunition. Officially. It would have been a nice haul for any terrorist.
That lack of trust permeates the military, and it causes serious weapon handling issues, especially when it comes to safety. The troops just aren't experienced.
When I was in Kuwait, accidental discharges were common at the checkpoints. Most of those were in the clearing barrels (full of sand, with a pipe to stick the muzzle into whilst you pulled the trigger), but a few people were shot by their peers. Most folks simply weren't familiar with weapons, and didn't bother removing the magazine before jacking the slide back to "clear" the chamber. Oy.
The first gun I fired was a Sears & Roebuck .22 single shot -- bolt action. Dad bought it from the catalog.
Good times, good times.