charliebravo77
12-11-2007, 12:23 AM
I've been fascinated with firearms for as long as I can remember and vowed that one day, I would own as many as I could. I remember when I was about 5 or 6 flipping through an encyclopedia and being the inquisitive little kid I was, looked up "gun" and was saddened that there were no pictures, only "See Firearm." Well, that wouldn't stop me, I quickly started turning pages until I came across the picture that began this expensive hobby. It was a cutaway diagram of a 1911, and the intricate workings of the pistol fascinated me in a way that few things have since. Since then, I began watching as many movies and television shows as I can about firearms and their complexities, reading books, websites, and forums.
Finally, in August 2006, after 20 years of waiting, I made my first purchase.
A 12 gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=143&g2_serialNumber=2
When I first got it, it was a bit beat up. I suspect it was a police officer's at some point, due to the areas of wear on the forend which seem to indicate that it was secured in some sort of holder often, and the 20" smooth-bore barrel with sling mount welded on that's non-traditional of the Wingmaster series. Regardless, I love it and the character it has.
A couple months after I bought it I decided to give the wood a very light sanding and refinished the stocks, bringing it back to life as a home defense gun with a SureFire mounted on the magazine tube.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1883&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1879&g2_serialNumber=1
It's my favorite gun, and I'd never sell it. I hope to pass it down to my eventual offspring one day.
Guns number two and three I bought not too long after the 870. The gun bug bit and it bit hard. During the craze of Schmidt-Rubin K31 buying over the last couple years I swore that one day I would own one. The quirkiness of the straight-pull bolt action grabbed me and I instantly fell for the Swiss engineering. Fortunately, I found a mil-surp utopia about an hour from my university and set off to purchase one of their $125 K31s they had on special. When I arrived, I immediately found the rifle I wanted. It was a 1943 production with a not-beat-to-shit walnut stock, practically brand new bore, and a nearly pristine engraving on the receiver. It had to be mine.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2196&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2193&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2190&g2_serialNumber=2
It wasn't long before the tactilol bug bit me and I added a non-destructive scope mount and scope to the K31.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=152&g2_serialNumber=2
But was it all for naught?
I don't think so. After sighting in the scope, I shot this group at 50yds on the second occasion I had ever shot the gun.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=548&g2_serialNumber=2
Not spectacular for 50yds, but I was damn excited and eager to improve.
Today the K31 wears a bit fancier of a scope, but unfortunately due to the price of GP11 it doesn't get to go out much.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2133&g2_serialNumber=2
You might remember me mentioning that guns two and three were bought the same day, well here's number three.
A Harrington and Richardson Model 765 in .22S/L/LR.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2202&g2_serialNumber=1
Nothing special, but I couldn't pass it up for $60. It is/was a great gun to learn with and knocking over a few bowling pins in a row at 100yds with iron sights on a .22 is a great experience for a novice shooter. I did some DIY work that I probably wouldn't have attempted on a more expensive gun, but it was a good experience. I drilled and tapped the receiver and barrel for a scope mount and added a bipod one night when I got bored. The scope mount has pretty much stayed in tact, though one of the screws stripped the threads inside of the receiver.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1088&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1111&g2_serialNumber=2
With the bipod and scope it was a tack driver at 100yds, surprising for a ~55 year old .22.
Unfortunately, the sear and firing pin striker have worn down so much that they won't engage anymore and I'm left to decide if it's worth the $40-60 it would cost to get replacements and fix it, or if I should just buy a new bolt action .22 to take it's place. I'm leaning towards the latter at the moment
Gun four was an impulse buy, plain and simple. An internet acquainted mentioned that he was interested in selling his .44 mag revolver, and no sooner had I scrounged the money together I was driving across the state to meet him and do the deal. There isn't really much back story on this gun so I'll cut to the pictures.
Taurus Tracker in .44mag with a 4" ported barrel.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=908&g2_serialNumber=2
While it's nice having a big fuckoff revolver, it's ungodly expensive to shoot, gives me a terrible flinch, I don't have to worry about being bear raped, and isn't all that much fun. I'm normally not one to sell my guns, but I've already got a deal in the works to sell it to a friend of mine who has more money than sense for more than I bought it for.
After learning my lesson with the Taurus, I decided to plan my next purchase more carefully. My birthday was coming up and I wanted to buy myself a semi-auto pistol that I could use for CCW when I got my FL non-resident permit. I had shot a few different models the summer before and had determined that I would like a Sig, GLOCK, or XD. I posted a few WTB ads on various forums and started fishing. A few weeks before my birthday I got a PM from a guy on GLOCKTalk who had a G23 for sale in my home state for a good price and I jumped on it. After an exchange of gun, money, and paperwork in a shopping center parking lot I was the proud new owner of gun number five, a GLOCK Model 23.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1891&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1901&g2_serialNumber=1
Money well spent this time.
Now that I had at least one of each type of firearm, I decided that I needed to work on my skills. 12ga target load has always been pretty cheap, so I was covered on the shotgun side, the H&R .22 hadn't committed suicide yet so I had a cheap rifle to shoot, but what I was lacking was a cheap to shoot pistol. After fondling a few MkIIs and MkIIIs I decided that while built well, there was just something that turned me off about them. If the Walther P22 or Sig Mosquito had a better reputation I would have snagged one of them no questions asked, but I had to find a different plinker pistol. I had heard the Browning Buck Mark praised across the internet, and one of the shops near my parents' house happened to have a model for sale in their used display. As soon as I asked to see it and picked it up I noticed that if it was indeed used it only had a handful of rounds put through it. It looked unfired. After calling a friend to check and see how much a new one was worth, I quickly decided that the gun was well worth the price tag and 72 hours later I had a practically new Browning Buck Mark URX with 5.5" barrel.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1905&g2_serialNumber=1
The full-length top rail sold me.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1907&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1909&g2_serialNumber=1
Either out of necessity in the case of the K31, or frugality in the case of the H&R 765, all of my guns were used. After working my ass off as a delivery driver for a catering company over the summer of 07, I decided I needed a new gun. A brand new gun. I wanted a rifle, something between the K31 and .22lr and fairly accurate. I shot a Remington 700 in .223 just before the summer and decided that .223 was a solid caliber and a good starting point for my new gun to be based off of. Originally I had decided that a bolt action .223 was what I wanted, and even went so far as to fill out half of a 4473 for one, but an act of god intervened. As I was filling out the form, a guy walked up to the counter and asked if the store had any .223 for his AR-15. My stomach sank as he said it, because in the back of my mind the whole time I had convinced myself I wanted an bolt action, what I really wanted was an AR-15. After thinking about it for a second, I stopped filling out the form, apologized to the clerk for wasting his time, and went home and started ordering parts for my new gun.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1800&g2_serialNumber=2
It's a Rock River Arms lower, with DPMS internals, and a Stag A3 upper.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1827&g2_serialNumber=2
They're tons of fun to add all sorts of 'tactilol' crap to.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2026&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2029&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2032&g2_serialNumber=2
All in all, I'm very happy with my little collection so far. I've got a newfound appreciation for firearms, their mechanics, and my abilities as a shooter. I've also had a chance to sharpen my skills as a photo hobbyist as well. As you might have noticed, some pictures are your average 'here is a picture of a gun' and some are a bit more composed, properly lit, and exposed. Hopefully all my skills will continue to grow as my collection expands. Next gun purchase will probably be a Remington 700 in .308 or .30-06 so I have another North American hunting gun to complement my 870.
Finally, in August 2006, after 20 years of waiting, I made my first purchase.
A 12 gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=143&g2_serialNumber=2
When I first got it, it was a bit beat up. I suspect it was a police officer's at some point, due to the areas of wear on the forend which seem to indicate that it was secured in some sort of holder often, and the 20" smooth-bore barrel with sling mount welded on that's non-traditional of the Wingmaster series. Regardless, I love it and the character it has.
A couple months after I bought it I decided to give the wood a very light sanding and refinished the stocks, bringing it back to life as a home defense gun with a SureFire mounted on the magazine tube.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1883&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1879&g2_serialNumber=1
It's my favorite gun, and I'd never sell it. I hope to pass it down to my eventual offspring one day.
Guns number two and three I bought not too long after the 870. The gun bug bit and it bit hard. During the craze of Schmidt-Rubin K31 buying over the last couple years I swore that one day I would own one. The quirkiness of the straight-pull bolt action grabbed me and I instantly fell for the Swiss engineering. Fortunately, I found a mil-surp utopia about an hour from my university and set off to purchase one of their $125 K31s they had on special. When I arrived, I immediately found the rifle I wanted. It was a 1943 production with a not-beat-to-shit walnut stock, practically brand new bore, and a nearly pristine engraving on the receiver. It had to be mine.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2196&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2193&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2190&g2_serialNumber=2
It wasn't long before the tactilol bug bit me and I added a non-destructive scope mount and scope to the K31.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=152&g2_serialNumber=2
But was it all for naught?
I don't think so. After sighting in the scope, I shot this group at 50yds on the second occasion I had ever shot the gun.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=548&g2_serialNumber=2
Not spectacular for 50yds, but I was damn excited and eager to improve.
Today the K31 wears a bit fancier of a scope, but unfortunately due to the price of GP11 it doesn't get to go out much.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2133&g2_serialNumber=2
You might remember me mentioning that guns two and three were bought the same day, well here's number three.
A Harrington and Richardson Model 765 in .22S/L/LR.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2202&g2_serialNumber=1
Nothing special, but I couldn't pass it up for $60. It is/was a great gun to learn with and knocking over a few bowling pins in a row at 100yds with iron sights on a .22 is a great experience for a novice shooter. I did some DIY work that I probably wouldn't have attempted on a more expensive gun, but it was a good experience. I drilled and tapped the receiver and barrel for a scope mount and added a bipod one night when I got bored. The scope mount has pretty much stayed in tact, though one of the screws stripped the threads inside of the receiver.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1088&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1111&g2_serialNumber=2
With the bipod and scope it was a tack driver at 100yds, surprising for a ~55 year old .22.
Unfortunately, the sear and firing pin striker have worn down so much that they won't engage anymore and I'm left to decide if it's worth the $40-60 it would cost to get replacements and fix it, or if I should just buy a new bolt action .22 to take it's place. I'm leaning towards the latter at the moment
Gun four was an impulse buy, plain and simple. An internet acquainted mentioned that he was interested in selling his .44 mag revolver, and no sooner had I scrounged the money together I was driving across the state to meet him and do the deal. There isn't really much back story on this gun so I'll cut to the pictures.
Taurus Tracker in .44mag with a 4" ported barrel.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=908&g2_serialNumber=2
While it's nice having a big fuckoff revolver, it's ungodly expensive to shoot, gives me a terrible flinch, I don't have to worry about being bear raped, and isn't all that much fun. I'm normally not one to sell my guns, but I've already got a deal in the works to sell it to a friend of mine who has more money than sense for more than I bought it for.
After learning my lesson with the Taurus, I decided to plan my next purchase more carefully. My birthday was coming up and I wanted to buy myself a semi-auto pistol that I could use for CCW when I got my FL non-resident permit. I had shot a few different models the summer before and had determined that I would like a Sig, GLOCK, or XD. I posted a few WTB ads on various forums and started fishing. A few weeks before my birthday I got a PM from a guy on GLOCKTalk who had a G23 for sale in my home state for a good price and I jumped on it. After an exchange of gun, money, and paperwork in a shopping center parking lot I was the proud new owner of gun number five, a GLOCK Model 23.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1891&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1901&g2_serialNumber=1
Money well spent this time.
Now that I had at least one of each type of firearm, I decided that I needed to work on my skills. 12ga target load has always been pretty cheap, so I was covered on the shotgun side, the H&R .22 hadn't committed suicide yet so I had a cheap rifle to shoot, but what I was lacking was a cheap to shoot pistol. After fondling a few MkIIs and MkIIIs I decided that while built well, there was just something that turned me off about them. If the Walther P22 or Sig Mosquito had a better reputation I would have snagged one of them no questions asked, but I had to find a different plinker pistol. I had heard the Browning Buck Mark praised across the internet, and one of the shops near my parents' house happened to have a model for sale in their used display. As soon as I asked to see it and picked it up I noticed that if it was indeed used it only had a handful of rounds put through it. It looked unfired. After calling a friend to check and see how much a new one was worth, I quickly decided that the gun was well worth the price tag and 72 hours later I had a practically new Browning Buck Mark URX with 5.5" barrel.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1905&g2_serialNumber=1
The full-length top rail sold me.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1907&g2_serialNumber=1
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1909&g2_serialNumber=1
Either out of necessity in the case of the K31, or frugality in the case of the H&R 765, all of my guns were used. After working my ass off as a delivery driver for a catering company over the summer of 07, I decided I needed a new gun. A brand new gun. I wanted a rifle, something between the K31 and .22lr and fairly accurate. I shot a Remington 700 in .223 just before the summer and decided that .223 was a solid caliber and a good starting point for my new gun to be based off of. Originally I had decided that a bolt action .223 was what I wanted, and even went so far as to fill out half of a 4473 for one, but an act of god intervened. As I was filling out the form, a guy walked up to the counter and asked if the store had any .223 for his AR-15. My stomach sank as he said it, because in the back of my mind the whole time I had convinced myself I wanted an bolt action, what I really wanted was an AR-15. After thinking about it for a second, I stopped filling out the form, apologized to the clerk for wasting his time, and went home and started ordering parts for my new gun.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1800&g2_serialNumber=2
It's a Rock River Arms lower, with DPMS internals, and a Stag A3 upper.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1827&g2_serialNumber=2
They're tons of fun to add all sorts of 'tactilol' crap to.
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2026&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2029&g2_serialNumber=2
http://guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2032&g2_serialNumber=2
All in all, I'm very happy with my little collection so far. I've got a newfound appreciation for firearms, their mechanics, and my abilities as a shooter. I've also had a chance to sharpen my skills as a photo hobbyist as well. As you might have noticed, some pictures are your average 'here is a picture of a gun' and some are a bit more composed, properly lit, and exposed. Hopefully all my skills will continue to grow as my collection expands. Next gun purchase will probably be a Remington 700 in .308 or .30-06 so I have another North American hunting gun to complement my 870.