Sunday, February 18, 2018

I Just Couldn't Wait Until...

...the next Hessney auction in late March and decided to go up that way this weekend to pick up the three pistols I bought at auction last weekend. It amounted to an extra expense, that is if I was to have gone to the next auction in March but I am none to sure I'll be going to that one. I have plans that may have me out of town in another direction for around that time.

So, it was this weekend or bust and I drove up there on Friday night. I spent the night in the cheapest motel I could find, right in Geneva, the Days' Inn. It was okay by me and I only found one bug in my room - yes the six legged variety - but I killed it swiftly and did not see another. Some ugly looking thing about an inch long that was at the junction of the ceiling and the wall over the window. Oh well - at least there were no bedbugs and in fact the place was decent.

Got to the auction house on Saturday morning around 930 and walked right smack into the middle of a stamp, coin and jewelry auction. Ran into the owner and said hello and he suggested I look around at what was being auctioned off. I politely declined by telling him that I did not need yet another addiction. We both laughed at that and while my laugh was a happy one because I would not be spending even more money there, I think he had a bit of dismay in his laugh at not landing me as a customer for yet a different type of auction! I'm only kidding - of course! Anyway, I got to the front desk and told the gal I was there to pick up my guns and she was definitely dismayed. It was evident she was doing something for the auction that was taking place at that precise moment. She asked me, no - actually she told me, to wait.

I waited about ten minutes at most and she attended to me with a smile as usual. Had the guns all signed, sealed and delivered a few minutes after that. I looked around a bit at some items they will have up for sale at the next firearms auction and I am guessing at an antique or estate auction and when I got to liking a couple or few of them very much - I decided to leave. I drove back home, all 300 plus miles with stops for breakfast, lunch, to pick up a box of 38 ammo, at a state forest to shoot the Colt Detective Special (but there was too much snow on the side of the road for me to even think about trying to pull off to park) and a bladder relief stop along the way.  Damn, it took me about 7 1/2 hours to get home, I guess due to my stops and due to a couple of traffic jams, especially the one caused by the snow that started falling just before I hit the northern end of NYC.

After arriving home last night, I filled out the online form to have Colt Archives check out the info about my new Colt Detective Special and issue an archive letter if appropriate.. They offer that service for $75 and it probably will be well worth it to me if they authenticate the Colt DS as 1st issue (because if they do so, it is worth a lot more than I paid for it). The only drawback about requesting them to do so would be if it turns out to be a gun put together from parts to make it appear to be a 1st issue; I think not though but time will tell. Speaking about time, it takes anywhere from 90 to 120 days for the turnaround on submitting the form and them sending out an archive letter. I can wait though as I am not prepared to spend the additional $100 they charge to expedite the matter to only a 48 hour turn around! The nerve of those bastards charging a $100 to make it 48 hours and having a regular time of 90 to $100 days!!!

Today, I cleaned up the three pistols - a Beretta 92FS, Glock 30 and the Colt Detective Special  and gave them each a quick once over inspection. From what I can tell, I did very well on these new to me shooters. While the Colt has a good deal of normal wear from use, both the Beretta and Glock are like new. They both were probably test fired and while the Glock maybe was fired once after that (with very few rounds through it), the Beretta looks to have only ever been test fired. They are extremely clean as far as any wear goes. One thing I must point out that was a disappointment is that the Beretta now comes with a polymer or plastic recoil spring guide rod. I have to check my Beretta (2 repair kit and see if it contains a metal rod. if not, I am going to see about buying one from Beretta or from Numrich gun Parts Corp.. Plastic just does not seem to me like a good choice for that particular piece but then again the Glock two piece recoil spring guide rod is partially polymer, or so I think.

Add to all the above that I just sold two more guns on GunBroker, one for which I have received payment and the other on which I am awaiting it, and I am a happy camper.

All the best,
Glenn B