...Woke up with a world-class migraine today, which seems hardly fair. (Perhaps I should write the DNC and/or Congress?) 'Tis the weather, I believe -- for instance, the wobbling 30mph-average breeze that greeted sunrise, fraying flags at the minor-league ballpark downtown. (I saw it on TellyVision, so it must be for true).
The Data Viking visited yesterday and we joined Tam and Shootin' Buddy at the gun show. He was in search of mags for an obscure rifle -- and found them, too, at a price that made me feel faint.
Not only is the ammo drought over, a number of the smaller firms are becoming more of a presence; Indiana's own Precision Cartridge and Acme Ammunition were both well-represented with bounteous tables of shooty goodness (both had ample supplies of .380 at good prices, a huge relief to those of us who carry the small stuff and are light on range time with it).
I-shoulda-but-I-dinna': found a nice Colt Police Positive at $349 asked and foolishly passed it up. Given the prices normally wanted for wheelguns with ponies on them, that wasn't wise. --Why a revolver? Why a Colt? 'Tis simple: if you can master the long DA pull of a quality revolver, holdin' a semi-auto steady becomes all the easier; and a Colt 'cos if I have a Smith & Wesson, it'll get all mixed up with Tam's. Plus it creeps her out that the cylinder turns the opposite direction. --Mind you, if I could afford to feed a Webley (not, thank you, a .455 with a haircut for .45 ACP, as the latter runs higher chamber pressures than MoD spec'ed for), I would be seriously tempted.
Did buy: some ammo, T-shirts ("Got Bullets?" and "WARNING: contents may cause lead poisoning," the latter with appropriate graphics, six chances in the Friends of USMC raffle and a .22 magazine for my AR-15 conversion ('cos a scary black rifle that shoots a squirrel-and-gallery cartridge is kewl -- also affordable and darned practical, with the closest three ranges all lacking full-power-rifle facilities).
Afterwards, we all went out for Ethiopian food. If ever you get the chance, check it out. Distinctive, tasty -- and bring your best pair of hands. As the kindly folks at Abyssinia Restaurant explain,"'Injera' is placed on the plate with variety of dishes decoratively arranged around it. A small portion of 'Injera' is torn off and wrapped around a mouthful of the selected dish." So, you might ask, what's Injera? The link'll take you to Wikipedia, a good article with photos and even news of a locally-developed, highly efficient cooker for it; my personal description is that it's a delicious, soft, mild-sourdough bread of precisely the right strength for the job and a wonderful texture. It is like unto no other flatbread, anywhere. And the delights you're picking up with it--! Oh, my. Some things may remind you of Indian or even Tex-Mex but it's distinctive; generally familiar ingredients put together in tasty ways. (And the tea! Slightly smoky, with cardamom; not as overpowering as chai, very fine).
So, a very good day. And if I can just get this headache to subside, today'll be pretty good, too.
Glad you had a good day and glad you enjoyed the Ethopian food, Bobbi.
ReplyDeleteShootin' Buddy
I s'pose I should post my own Fun Show report, but... Concur that Ammo Is Coming Back--although little, if any, cheaper than it was during the drought. Did see many oddball calibers.
ReplyDeleteAlso saw one FN, one Colt, and (I think) one Savage Pocket Pistol...
Out of curiosity, are cameras banned at Fun Shows out your way? It'd be nice to be able to take a photo of something to show Mrs. Drang (or post to the blog) but after several journalists snuck cameras in to augment their sensationalist hit pieces, they are generally verboten here on the Left Coast.
SB: it was grand fun!
ReplyDeleteAs for cameras, 'tis likewise here, D. W. -- we can blame Hemenway, I think. I usually carry a camera and could probably snap a shot if I really wanted to. Never have.
I had Ethiopian the one time, although I have no good reason for not having gone more often.
ReplyDeleteJim
There's an Ethiopian restaurant in Cleveland called Empress Taytu that reviews well. Been meaning to get over there; need to try harder.
ReplyDeleteTam's correct, horsey guns DO rotate the wrong direction. And, they do go out of time alot. But, they are very cool, regardless. Funny how revolvers have gone out of favor for many, but the price keeps increasing...You seriously shoulda pickup up that one, ya know.
ReplyDeleteRoberta,
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the shaved Webleys (yet I own one). I will not fire full power factory or reloaded .45 ACP in my Webley MK.III. I have some Webley safe loads done up in .45 Auto Rim cases which helps me to keep them segregated.
I love to shoot it in conjunction with my Martini-Henry MK.II when I'm in a "Great Britain when they were great" mood.
My Webley dates from 1894 and my M-H from 1878 so I try to avoid overstressing either one.
Regarding the Webley portion of the topic...
ReplyDeleteI simply have to weigh in with some practical experience. I bought my mid-'20s specimen in th e mid-'70s for $75. It is the common shaved .45ACP version.
I did clean up the action slightly and adjusted the mainspring the same as is done with Colts. The trigger is decent and it never stopped me from making it my main centerfire revolver for many, many years. I dug it out four years ago for fun and began shooting it in USPSA, where, much to my surprise, I was reasonably competitive with it.
In late '08, I even made "B" class-revo with it. In ICORE, when the recent classifiers get in, I hope to make "B" or even "A" this year.
I've never particularly downloaded ammunition for it and it's fired many rounds of 230gr. service-level ammunition, included lots of Winchester White Box from back when it was affordable.
It seems to prefer jacketed bullets and my normal USPSA load is a Zero 230 with 4.5gr WST or more. While I suppose it's not as accurate as a Smith, for the purposes it's put to, it is more than sufficient. More trouble for these older eyes are the sights, a bit thin for longer work.
I'd estimate I've put at least 30-40K rounds through it during my ownership. Its only problem is all those screws working loose with regularity.
I'll insist this- If you're in a fight with a revolver, the Webley's the best there is, fast, tough, and reliable. Much more mud-proof than Smiths, too.
The grip shape is superior and a long session with service ammunition won't leave you sore like a 625 will, too.
Meanwhile, I'll have to go on about Colts a bit, too, as a Colt person apparently since birth.
The Police Positive Special is the best small carry revolver ever, unless you absolutely have to fit it in a smallish pocket (when it's offspring, the Detective Special, pulls ahead).
It has all the power and pointing ability of a big gun but is a pleasure to carry, especially in an IWB holster. The weight is an excellent balance of heft during firing and lightness for long days of riding the belt.
The late ones with the heavier barrels might be slightly superior for fast work. I used mine, aided by Safariland Comp III- K speedloaders, to finish fourth overall in an IDPA carry gun match behind three G19s in the hands of superior shooters.
The size if perfect and if your hands are at all on the small size, it's just right.
I reject the notion that the rotation is wrong for a right-hander, as the next-up chamber is right in your line of sight, and the rotational direction is correct for closing the cylinder and indexing nearly automatically as a natural part of the closing motion.
Colts go out of time? Mine don't, and they get shot plenty. There's a limit to everything, but unless the gun is beaten like an alley cur, it won't go out of whack inordinately soon. And, the hand restoration is a routine maintenance item anyway, and isn't difficult.
I also believe that a properly adjusted Colt double-action trigger is favorable for fast work, as the stacking serves to slow the trigger slightly (at full cycling speed) to avoid the crash into the frame. It works.
Come to NPCCC in Chesterton some Sunday to see these excellent old revolvers working.
My apologies for burning bandwidth, but these are two nerves right close to the surface with me.
An excellent use of bandwidth! It's always useful to hear from someone who has actually been there and done that. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteRe Migraines: I had previously mentioned that at least one of the Triptans, a class of drugs that can abort a migraine (or at least get you past the "oh my God just kill me" stage and direct to the "I feel like I'm hung over" stage) would soon be available in generic, the patent having expired. I found out recently that it is indeed true (it may even have been already true when I told you before). I haven't tried any generic pill yet to see if it works the same as the $20-each name brand pill, but I'll be asking my phrenologist about it. Triptans can be a good tool to have around.
ReplyDelete