Forget Payless, it was BOGO at the LGS today.....

So, my good buddy, Roger, is getting ready to retire and sell his gun shop after 45 (!) years in the gun biz. It will be the end of an era and a sad, sad day for his many regulars who love to stop by his shop/museum, festooned as it is with deactivated machine guns, WW2 battle flags, bayonets, artillery shells, and model airplanes, just to shoot the breeze and maybe buy an old Mauser or whatnot.

It is my happy place.

He is in negotiations with a couple folks who may keep the property as a gunshop, or they might just tear it down and open a Starbucks......

In any event, I stopped by today after picking up chili and burgers for Roger and his helper as I do a couple times a week. After lunch, he pointed out a nice 6" M10 he had just put out for a very reasonable price.

Well that was a no-brainer, so I started counting out bills- but Roger set TWO revolvers on the counter, the Smith and a Colt Army Spl. that had been sitting in the case for a few weeks. Bubba had gotten ahold of it at some point and crudely hacked an inch off the barrel, but the gun was mechanically sound, and I had looked at it a few times but it wasn't something I HAD to have, so I passed.

"Here," he said, "That Smith is a package deal. Take this one too, I know you will give it a good home."

I tried to protest, but to no avail. I picked up a vintage Leupold VariX and some extra AR mags as well, to compensate him a little for his very generous offer.

Well, enough chatter, heres the gun porn-







Too soon, Im afraid, my happy place will be gone, but today was good times with good buds.

Ratshooter said:

Nice find on the 6" model 10. I have one and love shooting it. We call it "Granpa" because it has such a classic old timey look to it. I would shoot that Colt a bit before deciding to swap out the barrel. You might really like it just the way it is.

I had an old shop close to me that I bought many guns from. It was ran by an older guy and he had 2-4 older guys that hung around in there all day long because that was all they had to do. They had a big coffee pot and a wood burning free standing stove and sat around and told lies to each other all day. I hated it when that place closed. It was the end of an era I won't see again. I almost cried. But old James the owner was getting where he was falling and unsteady on his feet. He went to live with his son in Wichita Falls Tx. I hope he is still alive but I bet he's not. Thanks James where ever you are.

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Ya, Ive had 4" M10s come and go over the years, they were always kinda "meh"- I like the M15 much better. But the extra 2" on this one really changes the dynamics of the gun and makes it special.

Ive been looking at youtube videos of Colt Barrel swaps and it looks like a bit of a pain. Plus you need to buy and/or fabricate some tools such as holding fixtures and setback cutters. All in all, too much effort to rebarrel this gun. Im going to keep it as is.

Although.....I might try to do something about that horrific sight blade. Im thinking an old penny cut in half would give it some character.......

Ratshooter said:

I think a silver dime is the traditional after market home made front sight. I can't tell too much from your pictures but it looks like the front blade is soldered on. The first thing I would try is reshaping it. Thats is if it is the proper height and sighted in now. If not I would heat it and remove it and cut a dovetail and add a front sight that could be drifted for windage.

The sight isn't too bad like it is. It just needs more rounding on the corners to look like an old time sight. More of the half moon look.

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Bubba should have removed material from the bottom, rather that the top to keep the original profile.

Jesse Heywood said:

Colts are complex and difficult guns to work on. Change one part and it affects everything. I recommend looking at www.coltforum.com. I will give a recommendation of www.facebook.com/spartanfirearmcompany, which I found through the forum. They went through my 41 DA that needed headspace corrected for $100. Not a bad price considering the lack of Colt smiths since Colt quit working on older guns. The only problem is turn-around, but they are up-front about the wait.

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Thanks for the 'smith recomendation, but I cant imagine paying anyone to work on my cars or guns, lol.

The barrel swap is pretty straight forward- if you have the right tools. By the time I buy a decent barrel and setback cutter Im into it for another $150, and thats assuming I fabricate a holding fixture and frame wrench. Ive just got too many other projects on my plate to mess with this gun much, especially as the crown is decent and it should shoot fine as is.

I think a few minutes with the dremel to recontour the front sight and a touch of cold blue will do it for the time being.

Jesse Heywood said:

Make your fixture solid, The frame is easy to crack. I will also recommend soaking the joint in Kroil or an acetone ATF mix for a week. Hopefully you can set the gap without having to shim the cylinder. That's where the trouble begins. A copy of Kuhnhausen's book on Colt DA revolvers can be a big help. He put together the material Colt used to train their smiths. Good luck.
And if you can afford it, buy both guns.

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I did actually get both, though I only paid for the Smith. It was a Buy One Get One (free) deal.