Tam and I did a quick walk-through Friday evening; Sunday, The Data Viking drove down from his lair* and we hit the show bigtime!
Could not be more fun. This thing's too big to adequately describe; suffice to say that every aisle contained something I made a note to come back and see...and that wasn't time to do so once we'd seen it all.
I looked long and hard at Nagant revolvers, which are becoming ubiquitous and, at $129.00 and down, aren't such a bad deal, especially if you know someone who's got one of the .32 conversion cylinders for them; otherwise the going rate for the oddball rounds makes them a bit dear. One of days, I shall purchase either a Nagant or (preferably) a Webley or Enfield revolver. (With a Smith & Wesson expert for a roommate, if I'm going to buy wheelguns, it's either that or Colt$!)
We did pick up a nice little Colt, but not a revolver: a .25 pocket pistol. I've had an Eibar-type of similar size (a "Protector," quotes and all) but with an enclosed hammer to the Colt's striker. Browning's design incorporates a grip safety, which is smooth as can be. How's that for a pistol made in 1916! Glock fans who espouse Gaston G.'s straightforward design, please note that even the fancy Colt has just over two dozen parts. (Tam says, "It's like a gun, but smaller." --I'd say the same of the oddly kewl old Webley air pistols, myself).
SF writer/bladesmith and all-round cool guy Mad Mike Williamson was there, with his offspring and spouse. I bought a copy of Freehold, his first novel, which I should have picked up a long time ago! I'd been passing by his tables for several years and just happened to find a copy of The Weapon at a local used book store. --Should have bought another copy of that one, come to think of it, so I'd have one to loan out or give away. If you liked Heinlein's Starship Troopers -- not the movie, the book -- you'll like The Weapon. Count on it. So far Freehold is every bit as good. For awhile, I thought I was going to have to stop reading new SF; one reason why I'd been passing by Mr. Williamson's work was because I was leery of being disappointed. The more fool I -- his stuff is good!
All in all, another fine gun show. I saw cartridges I'd never seen before (missed the trounds Tam found at one table, darn it -- but I'd'a wanted to buy a Dardick to shoot 'em in), we all saw plenty of fascinating and wonderful guns and the Data Viking even found sugar-free jerky, which was utterly delicious. (I had to refuse more after a taste; otherwise, I would have gobbled the whole bag!)
So, if you were at the Indy 1500 and saw a tall blonde in a black CCA ballcap, a sturdy blue-eyed Viking with a friendly smile and a tallish dark-blonde with Bettie Page bangs, that was us. Say "Howdy" next time, okay?
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* Or penates, I dunno which. Give yourself ten points if that makes any sense.
Glad you had a good time. I've looked at the Nagants but they're just so damned ugly.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the 25, if you shoot somebody with one, just don't tell them, or they're really gonna be pissed.
Granted, the .25 ACP is almost as anemic as they get; but despite this well-deserved reputation, no one will ever go to the far end of the range and catch the bullets on the fly for me, no matter how nicely I ask.
ReplyDeleteWhen you consider the generally-intended use of these precursors to the Kel-Tec -- extremely close range and as a deterrent rather than a man-stopper -- .25 is not a terrible choice. Ah, those were the days, when malefactors might allow enough time for a quick chat and find themselves clever enough to work out that a .25 slug at 6" was going to hurt! Sic transit gloria mundi, I spose.
Sounds like it was a good one. I caught some version of the plague and have been confined to the house since Thursday.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new purchase!
No gun shows for me this weekend. Just punched holes in paper of a proper and noticeable bore diameter.
ReplyDeletePS How is MomX doing?
ReplyDeleteMweh. I've caught 38 rounds. Don't ask. A 25 to a vest would probably feel like a hard whipcrack with a wet towel. Painful as hell, but not lethal.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I no longer engage in the kind of activity that puts me in front of a shooter with a bulletproof vest on.
I don't even want to catch a BB without a vest, if i can avoid it. And the small caliber gun that you HAVE is FAR better than the large caliber gun at HOME. I just like the 25 caliber wisecrack, and wish I could remember it's source.
Roberta, you might be interested to know that Freehold is available in an electronic format at the Baen Free library.
ReplyDeleteIf I saw you and Tam together in public I'd probably be too star struck to approach you to say high.
ReplyDeleteor Hi.
ReplyDeleteWas that a 5'-10" to 5'-12" joke?
ReplyDeleteMy household gods are well pleased by the punnery.
ReplyDeleteBettie Page... sigh
ReplyDeleteThunderbolt, I was teasin' you back!
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure it was Col. Cooper who praised the .25 with the faint damn of "...it might annoy him...." And not without reason.
Mom X is well; an update follows.
Oh Man!
ReplyDeleteWe could have gone to that show!!
Well, maybe next time.........
Next time I'm out that way, I'll holler first to see what's going on.
Didn't occur to me this trip....
See that you do -- we'd've enjoyed the company!
ReplyDeleteColonel Cooper said the principle use of such was to allow you to say (from behind a closed door, fr'instance) "I have a GUN".
ReplyDeleteIf at grappling range, stick it in the barstards ear and have at it - that oughta do the trick. And come on, you can conceal the thing in a bikini, almost.
That said, I have to tell you I was amazed at how accurate my vest pocket pistol was (at 20 paces, mind you) the first time I fired it.