My Oldest Gun and Some New Acquisitions?

My oldest weapon, by not all that far, is an English Enfield, 1858 Pattern (I think) pistol. It has a manufacture date of 1863. I understand that there are evidently a lot of knockoffs going around that were made in one or more of the Stan counties like Pakistan and Afghanistan and some others made in India. This one though has all the qualities of the real McCoy as I understand it. The proof marks abound and are correct for the era. In addition the great majority of the stampings appear to be fairly deep, a sign of good craftsmanship. Whatever, I believe it is real - so it must be real cause I just said so on the Intraweb!

It's already for dale on GunBroker.com at:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/747109432.

This 92FS is in pristine condition and looks to be unfired.

The Glock 30 also appears to be in unfired new condition.

I have no clue if it is safe to shoot or not. I don't want to find out either - no desire to shoot it. I probably will not keep it all that long, already have it up for sale being I was just at another Hessney auction this weekend and bought three modern pistols while there. The three new ones are a Beretta 92FS in 9mm (looks to have never been fired), a Glock 30 in 45 Auto (allegedly new), and a Colt Detective Special, 1st issue.


When I say first issue, I do not mean a first issue from the recent version of the Colt Detective Special but an original pre-war (as in pre WWII) first issue. It is in what I consider good condition, which means at least 70% of metal finish remaining in my untrained gun rating opinion. I am hopeful it is a real first issue and not a put together from parts gun; everything except the ejector rod seems right - that groove in the knurled part of the rod gives me pause for concern - otherwise, the square butt, the stampings on the barrel, and the serial number date it to 1932 or in other words signify it is indeed a pre-war first issue Colt DS. I'll have to see what Colt would want in the way of a fee to authenticate it (just found out it is going to be $75 but I'll have to wait until I have it in hand to get some information off of it that Colt requires for an archive letter). It may well be worth the cost because if it is a real first issue, then it is worth a lot more than I paid for it - maybe three or more times as much and that would be a very good thing. And yes, that would mean I got a steal on a cop gun!


I believe, I believe, I believe - so it must be a first issue - right!
Maybe though, I ought to have it checked by Colt to make sure.

Yes indeed, it was the cop gun of its time and whoever Christened it with the moniker of Detective Special should have been given a huge bonus by Colt; it was their best selling revolver for decades. Of course, while I paid for those three handguns - I do not have them yet, I need to get a purchase document from my county PD and then return to the auction house with it to take possession. maybe this weekend or maybe in late march at the next Hessney auction.




Speaking of old weapons, that Colt DS is pretty old but not my oldest firearm. My oldest gun is a Chilean Model 1895 Mauser in 7mm Mauser (7x57mm). My next oldest gun is my Ortgies pistol in 32 Auto; it was made in the mid to late 1920s as best I can tell. Pre-war first issue Detective Specials were made from around 1926 through 1936. Mine was made in 1932 according to Colt's 'Firearm Serial Number Lookup - Year of Manufacture' page (an excellent tool to date old Colts). Being it was manufactured in 1932, it is probably my third oldest gun. No wait a minute, I have a European pinfire revolver, that I picked up in January, that is possibly the second oldest gun I own but I do not know the date it was produced so am guessing there. I did not even think o it at first because it is not functional, is basically a rusted and broken POS, and is only good as a wall hangar at best. So let me clarify thusly, my oldest, second oldest and third oldest functioning firearms are as I listed them above before remembering that pinfire revolver which may or may not be the second oldest of my guns (but as I said, it does not count because it is a non-functioning POS).

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Foxy Vixens On A Trampoline...

...and they are naked too. Thus it is behind the cover, so click below.

Another Such A Deal - 22WMR Ammo

When is the last time you saw 40 grain 22WMR ammunition selling for as low as $8.99 per box of 50? It had to be awhile back. Anyway, much to my happiness, prices have fallen dramatically to that level just recently at an online ammo dealer I use frequently. In fact, it is offered at the even lower price of $7.99 per box by at least one other dealer as per AmmoSeek.

I am ordering at the substantially higher price of a dollar more per box for a couple of reasons: I am giving my dealer some well deserved loyalty because of: their speed of shipping, their willingness to send ammo to NY State, their always getting my order right, the excellent availability of ammo they have at most times and their overall very decent to excellent pricing. I am also going with my usual dealer because the other dealer did not have in stock the 7x57mm Mauser ammo I also wanted to add to the same order. In addition, that other dealer, who has that much lower price, told me a while back that they refuse to ship to NY even though their website seemed (and still seems) to indicate they will ship to NY - go figure.

Anyway, regardless of where you shop for ammo, now is the time to stock up on 22 magnum ammunition if you need it because prices have not been his low in a long time.

All the best,
Glenn B

Obama's Job Creation Plan...

...was evidently little more than a bogus dream. Maybe he really believed it would have to be magic that would bring jobs to America and thus our economy suffered so badly under him especially with reference to jobs creation or the lack of it. 

On the other hand, it is not magic but the reality of getting things done to spur on the economy, instead of passing more restrictive laws and regulations as did Obama to hinder it, that has led to unemployment being at its lowest in decades and at its all time low for certain ethnic groups. The economy is booming and jobs are being created and filled because of the sensible and proven methods of our president, Donald Trump, to improve it.  What Obama sadly believed was a magic wand was in reality merely a love of our country, an intelligent approach at solving the problem and the gumption to get it done that worked to create jobs. In other words - hard practical work instead of mere political bullshit.

Thanks Mr. President.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yet Another Week At Work

They still have not completed the hiring process for the new person where I work, so it looks like I am on for at least another week. I cannot complain about that, the money I make for what I do is quite welcome and needed to supplement the pension. NY is that expensive that my pension alone does not cut it and it is a pretty darned good pension. How I wish I could convince the wife to move to a less expensive and freer (in terms of liberty) state.

All the best,
GB

Your Requested 2017 TaxAct E-file Notice: New York Return Rejected

NY State - Politicians say no when it comes to calls for ID being required to register to vote and to vote. Yet,  they say it is perfectly okay for ID to be supplied by the tax payer to get your taxes filed electronically. In fact, if you have a license or other state issued ID, they demand you supply your driver's license or your state ID info to them before they will accept your electronically filed tax returns.

"This return has been rejected by the State of New York because it is missing required driver license or state-issued ID information. If the taxpayer and/or spouse has been issued a driver license or state identifcation card, this information must be entered. In the situation the taxpayer and/or spouse does not have a drvier license or state-issued ID, they will need to indicate this within their TaxAct return. You will need to complete the driver's license section of the Filing step within this return and enter the ID information or select "Do not have Identification"."

That is what it said in the email I received today (yes the misspellings and all) after filing my taxes yesterday and clicking on the option to not supply my ID info to them. Now think about that for a second - hey say it is too burdensome for someone to get an ID in order to vote and it is racially fair to require such! Well then, why is it not too burdensome to require me to enter that info onto my tax return and why is that not racially unfair!!! The answer is simple: so, as long as it puts money in NY State's pocket, or assures that someone is not stealing money from the state by way of a tax return filed in someone else's name, it is okay to require ID; yet, when voting for the same officials who think up this utter bullshit it suddenly becomes overly burdensome on ethnic and racial minorities and the elderly to require ID that proves or at least supports your claim to U.S. citizenship and proves your identity, to vote. You cannot make this stuff up, at least unless you are a super-leftist or ultra-right politician (and yes there are idiots on both sides).

All the best,
Glenn B

When Rodents Speak...

...or should that be squeak, and I hear it, I usually set the mouse traps. That is of course except on February 2 each year when I, like millions of others, pay attention to the predictions of the groundhogs. I like to hear what one in particular has to say, Punxsutawney Phil. This year I missed it altogether. It's no that I forgot it was Groundhog's Day on Friday but that I spent most of the day in bed sick as a dog and while I had meant to check on the little critter's prediction I just never got it done that day. Supposedly though, as I just read here, we can expect 6 more weeks of winter (as often is the case, the arsehat groundhog in the zoo on Staten Island in NYC disagrees). It's not like we should not have expected such being that winter does not end until latter end of March but I guess we almost all hope for an early spring.

All the best,
GB

I Just Read The Memo

It seems to me, and mind you I was a federal LEO / federal agent for 32 years, that if everything in that memo is true then someone at the FBI, the DOJ and the DNC, in fact more than one person at each, needs to be arrested and tried. The charge: at the very least for felony conflict of interest for some in the FBI and DOJ and conspiracy for others if not for all who may wind up having been criminally involved. I believe there are other charges that could and should be filed, and the charges I just mentioned are mere starting points.

What else is there for me to say but it is OBVIOUS to me that there was a concerted effort, a conspiracy, by those within the FBI, DOJ and DNC to assure that Donald Trump would either not become president or would be brought down by way of him being arrested should he have been elected and that all based upon utter made up bullshit. Folks, I think that amounts to an attempted coup or in other words and in my opinion to treason.

If you have not read it yet, you can click on this link to do so. I used to wonder now ad then had we become a banana republic or worse yet had we become just like our enemies in the com-bloc nations of the world. The answer, I think, is yes we finally have done just that - at least our premiere law enforcement department and agency seem to have done so. Now, to whom are we to look for a thorough, impartial and truly just investigation into all of this! I am guessing it could only be a tribunal of the people, by the people, for the people. May the Heavens bless America - and give us the strength to survive our fall into the abyss so we may rise again to greatness.

All the best,
Glenn B

Knocked Out Our Tax Returns Today...

...and was very happily surprised to see we had overpaid by quite the wee bit more than I would have imagined. So, we are going to get an exceptionally nice refund from the federal government and a nice one from the state too. Into the bank at least the federal refund will go. The state refund probably will be used for something on the fun side of life.

The thing that got us a very nice sized federal refund is that my wife cut back a lot on her hours at one of her two part time jobs. That was done so she could babysit our grandson when our daughter works. Well, she did that but I did not change the withholding from my federal pension, which I had already raised a year or two before to assure we would not wind up owing anything at the end of the tax year when she as working the longer hours. It made for an awfully nice refund this year of money that was never missed.

Hopefully the Trump tax plan will not hut us even though we live in uber taxed NY State The U.S. Office of Personnel Management already lowered my withholding from my pension this year but I went in and adjusted it to even a bit more than what it had been last year. I did that because I expect my wife to be working more this year, know my pension will be a bit higher than last year (Trump gave us a small cost of living raise) and am none too certain how the Trump tax plan will effect us. Anyway, I am not of the belief that me paying just the right amount or  owing a bit at the end of the year is good for us, at least not better than letting the feds hold my money and then having them return to us what I would otherwise have wasted. At least when getting a refund, we get it all at once and can either spend/bank some or all of it all at once or just stash it all away at once.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Safety - A Rather Risqué Primer

This video on firearms safety certainly is an eye catcher. One of the better minute & a few seconds I have spent all week.



All the best,
Glenn B

Shit - Has It Been Almost A Week...

...since I wrote my last blog-post! Work and my commute each day have kept me busy and normally would have kept me on the tired side. Getting up to hit the head somewhere between 3 to 7 times per night for a few days more than a month now has kept me exhausted. Add to that the fact I have a flulike virus or whatever, have had a tooth ache over the past few days, have gout in my left knee and you can see I have been a basket case. Took the day off today and slept about 4 extra hours this morning. That helped a bit.

I got most of my monthly bills paid today. That was a  relief because there is still some cash from my monthly pension check left over in the account. Later, if I feel up to it, I may see if we have received all of our tax papers and if so may tackle that mess. I hope they owe me and not me them.

I will try to get some blogging done over the next few days and talk about something of more interest than my maladies.

All the best,
GB

Such A Deal...

...and in fact it was so good of a deal, I have to say it must have been one of the easiest I have ever made and produced a nice profit. A few weeks ago or so, I ordered two pairs of 5.11 Taclite Pro Pants from Optics Planet. They had a decent deal in that almost every pair was about $10.00 and they offer free standard shipping. To make it even better, the particular size I wanted, in black and only in black, gave me another $5.00 off. So instead of paying the usual $49.99, I only paid to pay $34.99. As if that was not good enough, the pants came with a free gift - one that was actually something right on target for me - a 5.11 Singe Pistol Case. So, what did I do but order two pairs of pants in separate orders to assure I got a pistol case with each pair. Too bad I did not order a couple or few more pairs but the discount was only applicable to the exact size I wanted in black - yes I tried green and khaki and neither the $ discount nor the bag came with the ones in my size in other colors - and I only needed two pairs in that color. 

The pistol cases by themselves sell for $29.99 each and that price is shown on both on the 5.11 site and any other website I searched. Today, I got $20.00 each for them. Such a deal but alas that deal is kaput!

All the best,
Glenn B

For Once I Am Not The Bidder...

...but am the seller of a gun and the bidding on it is going well! The auction of my Polish WZ48 Trainer that I have up on GunBroker.com has just over a day left before the auction closes and I am only $10 shy of what I paid for it out the door a few years back. While I would like to have seen it increase in value and while I hope that the bids will go higher over the next 21 hours & 7 minutes (as I type) that are remaining in the auction, I will be more than merely content if it sells at the high bid it has right now.

So, despite my Mossberg 44US (marked U.S. Property) not selling by its end of auction today, I may yet wind up with some money in my pocket if and when I attend the next Hessney Rod & Gun auction on February 10th. Of course, I am not giving up on the Mossberg 44 selling and it was automatically relisted at the close of auction for it today.

My other Mossberg MVP LR-T does not yet have any bids either but it has about 42 minutes to go - so who knows. It also will be relisted automatically if there are no bids at the close of is auction today.

Nice to know though, that the Polish WZ48 should sell (so long as the high bidder is legitimate).

All the best,
Glenn B

Chillin and Grillin Today

Grilling today - only hotdogs and the buns; the wife already made potato salad and will heat up some kraut. I already put some garlic/horseraddish pickle spears in a bowl for the brave among us. The even braver will slather their dogs with garlic/horseradish mustard - it is hot. Anyway - it all should be good especially since I started chilling/drinking at 5 minutes to 12 tis afternoon (quite unusual for me but I feel so good I may have to change my ways)!!! I deserve that after working most of the week despite being retired.

All the best,
GB

Great Deal On Antique Revolver...

...and it was fired only once.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Canadian Gets it Right

All the best,
GB

The Rising Tide Floats All Boats...

...or so they say. Downing Tide Pods though is another thing altogether and I think could well sink you to six feet under. Anyone who is out of his mind enough to eat one of those qualifies A Darwin Award if he dies or for honorable mention if he lives. If he lives, he should also be required to get a free lobotomy. 

All the best,
GB

 

2017 - Not A Bad Year Firearms-Wise

Checked my records, last night, for 2017. It was a good year for my collection. I bought 12 new modern firearms including a pistol, three shotguns and the rest were rifles. I also picked up one antique muzzleloading pistol, six knives and three bayonets (not including the two bayonets that came with two of the above mentioned rifles).

I have already have gotten off to a decent start this year with a more or less modern rifle (1895 Chilean Mauser), two muzzleloading pistols (1 modern in kit form, 1 antique) and a pinfire revolver. As to the pinfire revolver, sadly it was in sad shape and sadder still is the fact I bid on it thinking I was bidding on something else. That was due to a glitch in the brand new video system in auction house. Regardless of that, I took it without complaint to use as a wall-hanger.

Picked up all of the guns and blades at the Hessney Auction Co. in Geneva, NY at several different auctions they held. Their next gun auction is February 10 and the bug is gnawing away at me already. At least I now have three of my other guns up for sale on GunBroker to scrape up enough to be able to bid at the next one. The latest one I added to GunBroker today was my WZ-48 Polish Training Rifle - it has the potential to be a very good deal or someone since it has a starting bid of only $150.00.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yet Another Week Of Work

Yep, going back to work today. Seems I have been working full time, more or less, for about the past month or month and a half. I've been filling I until they find a replacement for someone who quit (or maybe was fired but too proud to say so - who knows). Anyway, I will be working four days this week - taking Tuesday off for a couple of appointments I have on my schedule). Thus the blogging probably will again return to nil or close to it for the rest of this week.

Hopefully I will have the enthusiasm to post at least a few posts during the week but if not then you can bet it is because I am exhausted. It's not that I do anything requiring any great effort at work but getting up at 0530 and out the door by 0610, then walking a bit more than a mile to the train, taking two trains, then walking just under a half mile to work, then sitting on my arse bored to tears until a 15 minute break when I rapidly walk to the luncheonette to gobble down a quick lunch, then back to work for a couple of hours until my real 1/2 hour lunch break when I walk another mile or more just to wake up, then back to work until 415 when I again walk about .9 of a mile to my afternoon train, then taking one train home only to arrive at my village and then walk just over another mile to my home, get home, eat dinner, feed my critters, clean up a bit, watch some TV and pass out until doing it all over again is getting to me. I mean, I am supposed to be retired and loving it - not working through it. If only could hit the top prize in the lottery!

All the best,
Glenn B

Pride & Punishment

 

Go figure,

Glenn B

I Must Be Weird Cause I Ain't Thinkin' Bout Trucks!

 

All the best,

GB

Trump On North Korea, China & Russia

All the best (except for commies),
Glenn B

Some Guys Woud Do Anything For A Piece...

...and that makes me wonder just what was the guy, all the way to your left in this photograph, doing to that critter at the time the photo was shot.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thank You Mr. President, You Have Done Much In One Year

President Trump, during his first year in office, has accomplished quite a bit for the betterment of our country, our citizenry and our legal resident aliens. It seems though that the Dems just don't get that those are the entities they are in office to serve as opposed to serving illegal aliens.

All the best,
Glenn B

Clearing Out My Mossbergs

Just in the event that anyone of my readers is interested, I figured I would post links to a couple of Mossberg rifles I have up for sale at GunBroker.com. I know I am going to regret it if I actually sell the Mossberg 44 U.S.. On the other hand, I will be happy to shave sold off the Mossberg MVP LR-T rifle in 5.56 NATO, it is not my cup of tea as some would say. It is just too small a rifle for my liking (and I have nice wood laminate stocked CZ 527 I am hanging onto in 223).

Nothing mechanically wrong either of the ones I am selling as far as I know. The MVP is good as new, cosmetically and mechanically and I only fired about 75 rounds through it. The 44 U.S. has a few tiny dings in the wood but is excellent mechanically. Both are decent shooters, in fact the 44 U.S. is a tack driver as I recall. The thing is, I need the cash and the room for the guns of auctions to come. I am still hoping to find that Remington Model 8 (or maybe a Model 81) in 35 Remington in very good to better 
shape at a steal of a price for today's market. So out with the old to make room for something else even more desirable.

All the best,
Glenn B