What did you see at the gun shop today?

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Today being whatever day it happens to be or even within the last several days you happened to stop in to a gun shop. So today, I visited my local gun shop and they had one of these puppies with the 8.38-inch barrel. It's a 460 S&W Magnum. They list for $1429. This used one they were asking $995. Nice deal. I should have bought it but I don't know if my wrists are strong enough. They had a box of hollow point ammo 20 rounds for $30. I held one round and wondered if it was for a Howitzer! This is one big monster of a revolver. I will probably kick myself for not buying it but it was not on my shopping list and with that caliber I don't think I want the lock. Really, I am looking for something a tad smaller, maybe a 44 or a 41, possibly another 357 but with a long barrel since I already have two snubs.
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I saw a post-WWII Mauser HSc 380 ACP pistol. The tag said something about "American Eagle Edition"; I want to find out what that means. They also had a Mauser 9-shot 25 ACP automatic; I can't remember if it's called a Model 1910 or 1912 or what.

The HSc was minty and $595 + taxes, etc; the 25 was pretty tired and had genuine Franzite grips and was $350. And I only looked at the "up" side, so the down side could have been a real horror show.
 
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I saw a post-WWII Mauser HSc 380 ACP pistol. The tag said something about "American Eagle Edition"; I want to find out what that means. They also had a Mauser 9-shot 25 ACP automatic; I can't remember if it's called a Model 1910 or 1912 or what.

The HSc was minty and $595 + taxes, etc; the 25 was pretty tired and had genuine Franzite grips and was $350. And I only looked up the up side, so the down side could have been a real horror show.
Run away! The .380 HSc are notorious jam-o-matics......mine sure was. :(

All I see at my local shops these days is Turkish shotguns and Heritage Rough Riders.....:(:(:(
 
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Monac

Interarms in Alexandria, Virginia were the importer for the post-war Mauser HSc, sometime in the mid to late '70s. I believe it was available with a blued or nickel plated finish. My brother had one and while it was nicely made and finished he never had much success keeping it from having numerous failures to feed. Different ammo, new magazines, and a polished feed ramp did nothing to alleviate the problem.
 
Run away! The .380 HSc are notorious jam-o-matics......mine sure was. :(

All I see at my local shops these days is Turkish shotguns and Heritage Rough Riders.....:(:(:(

Monac

Interarms in Alexandria, Virginia were the importer for the post-war Mauser HSc, sometime in the mid to late '70s. I believe it was available with a blued or nickel plated finish. My brother had one and while it was nicely made and finished he never had much success keeping it from having numerous failures to feed. Different ammo, new magazines, and a polished feed ramp did nothing to alleviate the problem.

At first I was surprised to see these messages, because I once had a postwar HSc that was a pretty good gun. Then I remembered it was a 32, put together at Oberndorf for the French after the shooting stopped, and not a 380 made on what I suspect was new machinery. Yep, I can readily believe what you're telling me. Thanks for the warnings! It sure was pretty, though.

I have not been in this gun store for six months or more until today. I doubt they get in oddball stuff like this very often.
 
my LGS has one of these, a S&W M41. I'm looking really hard at this, would be nice to have a great target pistol. This picture is off the 'net

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These are very highly regarded guns. I have never fired one, and so cannot speak from my own knowledge, but I don't question that they are fine guns. Too many people I respect and trust speak highly of them. I don't think they are going to get any cheaper any time soon.

Incidentally, over in the Autoloader forum there was just a thread about the very first Smith & Wesson automatic pistol, the 35 caliber, aka Model 1913. Its basic mechanical design shares several features with the Model 41.
 
Saw a youth model straight stock New England .410. Never had a .410. Since I put a 20” AR-15A4 spare parts assembly up for sale, I figured I would reinvest in this .410.

I want to see what all this fuss about 410 turkey hunting is about.

159 OTD seemed fair for an out of production, beloved, and increasingly popular caliber shotgun.

May shoot TSS well as is but the barrel may need a trip to a shotgun barrel specialist for some modifications including threading for tubes.
 
my LGS has one of these, a S&W M41. I'm looking really hard at this, would be nice to have a great target pistol. This picture is off the 'net

View attachment 1072705

These are very highly regarded guns. I have never fired one, and so cannot speak from my own knowledge, but I don't question that they are fine guns. Too many people I respect and trust speak highly of them. I don't think they are going to get any cheaper any time soon.

Incidentally, over in the Autoloader forum there was just a thread about the very first Smith & Wesson automatic pistol, the 35 caliber, aka Model 1913. Its basic mechanical design shares several features with the Model 41.
Man, I hate to be Debbie Downer tonight, but.....
I know many folks love the M41 and never seem to have issues with them, but mine was a huge let down as it was a beautiful gun and very accurate- when it would actually feed anyway.
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This was a nice 6-shot group at 25yds, but it jammed up solid on #7, ugh.
In addition to being incredibley unreliable and ammo-sensitive, it always pinched my knuckles when my fingers slid off the inadequate slide serrations- painfully so.

Do yourself a favor, dry fire it to lower the hammer, then try to pull the slide back before buying......
 
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Monac

Glad to be of assistance with that bit of information, especially if you were considering getting it. That Mauser HSc my brother had was a really big disappointment to him. Such a solid, stylish, well built, and finished pistol turning out to be such a problematic pistol.
 
Hate to be Debbie Downer tonight, but.....
I know many folks love the M41 and never seem to have issues with them, but mine was a huge let down as it was a beautiful gun and very accurate- when it would actually feed anyway.
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This was a nice 6-shot group at 25yds, but it jammed up solid on #7, ugh.
In addition to being incredibley unreliable and ammo-sensitive, it always pinched my knuckles when my fingers slid off the inadequate slide serrations- painfully so.

Do yourself a favor, dry fire it to lower the hammer, then try to pull the slide back before buying......

Glad to know about your experience, NIGHTLORD40K. That's why I was careful to specify I had no first hand experience. That's the best.
 
Glad to know about your experience, NIGHTLORD40K. That's why I was careful to specify I had no first hand experience. That's the best.
Just a sample size of one, maybe I had a lemon. It certainly didnt seem excessively worn for its age. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I was SO pumped when I bought that gun..... definitely one of my greatest firearms disappointments. :(
 
my LGS has one of these, a S&W M41. I'm looking really hard at this, would be nice to have a great target pistol. This picture is off the 'net

View attachment 1072705

Get it! LOL

Brings back memories when I was choosing a .22LR pistol. The GS had the S&W's lined up, the 422, 622, 2206 and the 41. It had an ascending price structure and as a college kiddie I wasn't able to spend for the 41. Cannot recall the exact price, it was like 2.5X of the 2206, I wont buy one even now though my alter gun buying ego says to. That alter gun buyer ego also has a much deeper wallet, hahaha.
 
Get it! LOL

Brings back memories when I was choosing a .22LR pistol. The GS had the S&W's lined up, the 422, 622, 2206 and the 41. It had an ascending price structure and as a college kiddie I wasn't able to spend for the 41. Cannot recall the exact price, it was like 2.5X of the 2206, I wont buy one even now though my alter gun buying ego says to. That alter gun buyer ego also has a much deeper wallet, hahaha.
I have a 422 that has run like a Swiss watch for years now, the complete opposite of my M41 experience- and they use the same magazines, go figure.

Actively looking for a 2206 now.:)
 
Monac

Glad to be of assistance with that bit of information, especially if you were considering getting it. That Mauser HSc my brother had was a really big disappointment to him. Such a solid, stylish, well built, and finished pistol turning out to be such a problematic pistol.

Recently, I almost bid on a postwar French 7.65mm HSc like the one I used to have, and I've looking at a later postwar commercial 7.65mm HSc somewhere else. That's why I noticed this 380 so much. But somehow it was the least appealing of the three to me. Partly it was that the wooden grips on the Interarms HSc's seem ugly to me, and partly I am just not a big 380 fan. I've never had a gun I really enjoyed shooting in 380, whereas quite a few 32 automatics have been a real pleasure - some quite surprisingly, like an H&R Self Loader 32.

But your and NIGHLORD40K's advice really put the icing on the cake. This 380 is local, which saves so much trouble in shipping and transfers and suchlike. That was appealing to me. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever read a good word about the postwar Mauser 380's.

Now I need to resist the siren call of the Mauser 25 they had. That gun just did not look healthy, so I did not have them get it ouf of the case. But as 25's go, they are said to be very nice....
 
Monac
I've never had a gun I really enjoyed shooting in 380,

You owe it to yourself then to try a locked breech .380, like the Colt Government .380, the Colt Mustang (my favorite), and the SIG P238 (there are others too). The locked breech makes for a world of difference when shooting them as it's lightyears ahead of what a straight blowback design (like a Walther PPK or Mauser HSc) .380 feels like in comparison.
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Monac


You owe it to yourself then to try a locked breech .380, like the Colt Government .380, the Colt Mustang (my favorite), and the SIG P238 (there are others too). The locked breech makes for a world of difference when shooting them as it's lightyears ahead of what a straight blowback design (like a Walther PPK or Mauser HSc) .380 feels like in comparison.
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Agreed, those are much more pleasant and reliable. Even the diminutive Beretta Pico is softer shooting than the blowback .380s.
 
Monac


You owe it to yourself then to try a locked breech .380, like the Colt Government .380, the Colt Mustang (my favorite), and the SIG P238 (there are others too). The locked breech makes for a world of difference when shooting them as it's lightyears ahead of what a straight blowback design (like a Walther PPK or Mauser HSc) .380 feels like in comparison.
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Thanks, bannockburn. I think if I go down that road, I will try for one of those 1911-style Star Super S's in 380. They just appeal to me.
 
The original Remington 51 is quite tame in .380 if you can find a nice one.
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Oh, I've had one for a long time. And I think you are right, the recoil is milder than other 380's I can recall. But the Model 51 has tiny sights and a poor trigger (or at least mine does).

And while it is not relevant to how pleasant it is to shoot, it is way too much trouble to take apart for cleaning and put back together afterward. I had to write a step-by-step guide for my own use for doing that, along with a list of needed implements (leather or rubber gloves for holding the slide in the right position, a plastic knife for getting the takedown pin out, a thick punch for lifting the barrel out of the slide, etc.) It is about the only gun I have ever had to do that for. And I've owned a Frommer Stop and a Roth-Steyr 1907! But for those, the instructions in books were adequate.

It was amazing to me that Remington did nothing to improve that process when they designed the 9mm R-51. Compare it to taking a Glock apart. It's ridiculous, to me anyway.

Sorry to go off on a tangent like that when you are basically right. That's a good example of the type in your picture. They are beautiful to look at, and handle so well.
 
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