I Have Lost My Mind

[Kentucky Colonel]

OK... 

This is not a 'gun' space. This is a black powder space. 

But, I am nuts about beautiful guns. I have been since I was a teen. 

And, when I was young? No money. 

I still am not rich, but my father told me this year that his main regret
was that he did not DO things while he still could. He kept waiting. 

So, I am doing. Now.

And, I am doing a little more than I budgeted for... Twice. (Wait for it.)
And, TOTALLY impractical... I am in Florida... our deer are dog sized. 
But, it is very very pretty.

.348 Browning, Limited edition, Lever action

I have always wanted a lever action. The Rifleman scarred me. 

And, no... I am not done... (Actually, Thrice. Wait for it.) John Wayne, I am out of the Ruger business for now.

Yes. I always wanted this, too. My first Colt after decades of stories.

And... I may have accidentally already bought a little Sig 226 MK 25...

Go ahead. Say it. I am. Mid-life crisis.

But, let me serve some free-range truth.

I asked a custom BP rifle maker to make me a rifle. He said he would take the order, but it would be 2 years before 
he could get to it. :suspect:

Hey. I am old. I never intended to get here, but I have been worker-bee-ing it for the future all my life. 2 years? 
That is likely (best case) 20 percent of my remaining life. F-that!

So... show some respect!

Back to the lust...

Whheeee!!!!

Show me some love people. You all know you want to! :twisted:

 

[Muley Hunter]

Can you use it in Florida?

 

[exMember]

Good lord that is beautiful!!

2 years?!! What in the world!

If it was house, I can understand that as I am sure he gets a ton of rifles to build and with what he puts out, that time is reasonable.

You need a nice Hawken, not one of them precious dandy kentucky rifles

 

[patocazador]

That Browning is very nice. Not for me though. I shoot them all and scratch up the pretty ones eventually.

The Sig is nice if you don't have a handgun for protection otherwise I'd pass on it. Owning guns for the sake of owning them doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Standing Bear]

The .348 is a piece of ART!   Beautiful.  The 1911, well, I like 1911s and high end series 70s especially. 

While waiting 2 years on your custom BP rifle why not contact Tip Curtis and get a ready made semi custom .40 flintlock to make the wait more bearable?
TC

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Very beautiful!  There are some extremely talented people in this world.

I read an article on the .348 because I didn't know too much about that caliber.  The author said the beauty of this caliber is that you can hunt "anything" you want to.  On those Florida deer though it will waste a lot of meat and the rifle "kicks" like a mule. 

 

[Jotjackson1]

Hey John, nice guns. Life is way to short to not enjoy it. Each of us have different interest but share a special interest in ML. Enjoy your new treasures. Everytime I bring home a new gun, Pam's comment is,"When can we go shoot it'. Have fun my friend.

 

[Whokalouie]

No Mid-life crisis, just a weakness and love of firearms. Good thing I had specs on or my eyes would have popped completely out when I saw the Browning Beauty, wow.

John

 

[patocazador]

At 107 you should be dead already. If you are really about 58 which I suspect is close, then you only expect to live to be 68.
Muley, John, Falcon, and I should be crawling with worms by now using that math. Is that Common Core math????

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

At 107 you should be dead already. If you are really about 58 which I suspect is close, then you only expect to live to be 68.
Muley, John, Falcon, and I should be crawling with worms by now using that math. Is that Common Core math????

LOL. Of course it is common core! And, I am 107. On Luna we grow older more gracefully due too the 
lower gravity. As to earth years, I will only tell Bob that he is incorrect. :alien:  

Bob, I do not scratch my firearms. I get scratched. They do not. (yes, it happens. Rarely. Then, I blame someone else!)

I am not owning just to own. I have reasons! irat:

The Browning... well, it is just beautiful. I mean... jeez! Look at it. Yes, I can use it in Florida, Muley. 
Real reason? It is shiny. It go big boom. Mongo like. Want to play! I also want to see how it feels. :rabbit:  
It is a gorgeous Browning. I will lose no money here. 

The Colt... Everyone in history has owned a Colt but me. All my friends have owned Colts but me. 
Real reason? Bucket list, I have never owned a .45, I have never owned a 1911, AND this is a Gold 
Cup shooter. I shoot range matches. Colt has filed for bankruptcy. It is dang hard to find new ones 
under normal circumstances. I will lose no money here. 

 The Sig... Did anyone notice the naval anchor? This is what the Navy Seals used. NCIS was (last I looked) 
a Sig agency. My Uncle when down off the coast of Borneo in WWII and all my family are Navy. Navy means 
a lot to my family. I consider this an upgrade from my Glock 19 which is serviceable. I also wish to move 
another 9 MM into a small safe in another room of the house for security sake.

Real reason? I shoot steel matches. I want an upgrade and Sigs 'feel' better over-all for me. 
Should I sell, I won't lose much. 

I have a close friend who always seems to have a new 'toy.' I have finally figured out how he did it. 
He sells his old stuff and cycles in the new. So, he gets to experience a lot of guns. I figure it is sort 
of like renting them? :twisted:

Anyone want to make an offer on my old Huntsman .58 calibre? :tongue:

Anyway, I want to thank all the folks for their comments. I appreciate the support. I even appreciate 
the questions. This means I am not living a dull life because you guys are interested in my shenanigans! 
I hope you are having as much fun as I am. :king:

Thanks!

Oh! BTW, I can not explain the lead time of master gunsmiths. I can only report what I am told. 
If I get enough expert support, I MAY try to build one myself. I will acquaint myself with Tip Curtis.

 

[patocazador]

After you shoot that Gold Cup, the Sig trigger may not feel quite so good. If I were to buy a double action combat type pistol, I would pick a Sig over a Glock 100 out of 100 times.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

After you shoot that Gold Cup, the Sig trigger may not feel quite so good. If I were to buy a double action combat type pistol, I would pick a Sig over a Glock 100 out of 100 times.

You may be right. The Sig will be my first double action. We will see. 
I have never even held a Colt. I pick it up this week.

I do believe the Glock is a great piece. But, the Sigs I have shot have a 
better feel. I can't wait to see.

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

The lever action is beautiful, no doubt about it. The 1911 everyone should have one, I like mine. Serious handgun for a serious handgun user, can be used for a carry gun, use mine al the time. The Sig 226 Navy, I want one bad. Compared to the Glock the Sig is like the Cadillac and the Glock is  the kick and go.

The trigger pull and operation of the two are different, as you know, but with training and practice you will have no trouble mastering the weapons. 
  
Make the deal and enjoy them while you can. Don't be like your dad and keep putting it off. I have done the same and I too have some regrets, but not many.

just my thoughts on a cold winter night.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I am holding my first Colt, my first .45, and my first 1911 in my hands! 
They even gave me a ball cap! :cyclops:

The others are en-route. 

I already upgraded the Colt magazine. They come with 7 in the mag, 1 in the chamber. 
The Wilson magazine is 8 in the mag, 1 in the chamber and it is hardly noticeable. 
I got that for free.

My inner 12 year-old is very very happy.:tongue: 
I have never spent so much on guns in one day. :shock:

I am actively looking for .348 cartridges!

 

[patocazador]

"I am actively looking for .348 cartridges!"

You may have to reload them to make it worthwhile. I haven't bought ammo (except .22s) for about 20 years, just components. Finding .358 Winchester ammo is almost impossible. I just resize .308 cases to .358 and load .35 cal. bullets.

I just checked online and the cheapest ammo for .348 was $3.30/shell. They went up from there. A box of 20 was between $67 and $74/box. You can buy RCBS dies for that price. Since it's a rimmed cartridge, finding a 'parent' case to reload may be difficult. Once you find some, buy 50 and keep your loads reasonable and you can shoot them over and over for years.

Here's a link for brass. I'd buy 100 and you'll be set for life.

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/25340

Here are the dies:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/696331/rcbs-2-die-set-348-winchester

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I just checked online and the cheapest ammo for .348 was $3.30/shell. They went up from there. 


Oh, my! (I am editing this because Bob caught me off guard!) 


Thanks, Bob for the info! Gulp!:shock:

Bob, is right. The ammo ain't cheap. But, it could be worse... 
It could be in .50 calibre! (Gun shop had a .50 calibre in the store for 
$15,000. I did NOT buy that!)

I looked into re-loading. Watched the videos. Asked a lot of questions. 
I even own a die for my .303 British Enfield. :study:

But, for rifles, it comes down to the case trimming that puts me off. 
Each time a brass case is fired, it stretches. At a certain length the brass is 
no longer within acceptable specification. That throat seems a lot less straight 
forward than with handgun casings. I respect powder! It go boom! :cherry:


That and I do not live near anyone with loading experience. I can't leave 
garage and ask one of you guys to come in and coach me! That would 
help tremendously. :Laughing blue:

PS. I discovered Buffalo Bore Ammunition because they are frequently 
associated with providing this calibre. Seems an interesting site. But, they 
are out of stock on the .348 Win.

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

Hey Colonel, how's that 1911 feel in your hand. I have never held a 1911, no matter the brand or model that felt bad in my hand, they just have a natural feel to me .

I hope you enjoy everyone of them.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

Hey Colonel, how's that 1911 feel in your hand. I have never held a 1911, no matter the brand or model that felt bad in my hand, they just have a natural feel to me .

I hope you enjoy everyone of them.

Thanks! 

I recommend experiencing a 1911. Springfield Arms has a nice Army 1911 
for around 600 (?) that has the classic form and some of the weight. I shot 
a friend's. For me, 1911 means .45. But, I like old school. 8)

And, thanks for inviting me to talk about the new pistol. It seems to ooze 
history and personality, but maybe I am too caught up in the romance 
of it all. 

My Colt feels heavy, but solid and balanced. It is put together tight. The 
movement is smooth, but requires more muscle to start than most of the 
other slides I have used. It feels like a nice old school tool, built to last by 
craftsmen. It actually 'feels' like 1940 to me if you can relate to that; Mostly 
steel and iron... little polymer on this. It takes up all of your hand, but is 
a pleasant weight. The grip is rough and does not coddle you. This is a 
throwback proud of it's roots.

Ah! I just thought of the perfect comparison. Using the Colt is like using a 
classic muscle car. You note the metal, sound,weight, and old school construction. 
You feel the power. There are few frills. It does not try to do a hundred things, but 
what it does, it does very well. Vroom. :Mischief:

I will tell you if there is nothing like it after I shoot it!

 

[patocazador]

My 1st Colt .45 auto was a mismatched 1911 frame with a 1911A1 slide. Someone did a nickel job on it and I got it and a GI holster and web belt for $55. It's sloppy and rather inaccurate but feels good. Then I picked up a 1911A1 parkerized, accurized with target sights and a trigger job for $100 after the owner's widow sold it. Then I got a SS AMT "Hardballer" that is real tight and accurate. I had to pay about $300 for it. I quit after that one but I like them all.

Be Careful, they're addictive.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I will, Bob!

You were the 'Ammo Prophet of Doom' about the factory made ammo for the .348 Win. 
All the suppliers I know of are out of stock. 

I even looked for new brass and dies. No dice! 

I am not worried. I just need to be patient and put out some feelers. 
I may end up re-loading after all!