A collectors dilemma

[aarondhgraham]

I have to tell you,,,
I am an avid Range Rat,,,
I go shooting as often as I can,,,
But I must admit I'm a collector as well.

Not so much just possessing a particular gun,,,
But matching it with something else,,,
And casing them together nicely.

I enjoy collecting pairs of handguns,,,
With one being chambered for .22 rimfire,,,
And the other chambered for a centerfire cartridge.

They don't always need to be exact duplicates,,,
But I do like them to be as close as possible.

One of my favorites is my S&W Model 15/Model 18 pair,,,
They are as exact twins as there will be.

I have a pair of S&W Snubbies,,,
The Model 36 in .38 has frame sights,,,
The Model 34 in .22 has adjustable rear sights,,,
They are close enough to be twins as far as I am concerned.

I created a set I call The Harem,,,
Four S&W revolvers in J, K, L, and N frames,,,
Chambered in .22 LR, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum.

I have what I call my modern dueling pistols,,,
A pair of stainless 5.5" slab-side barrel Ruger 22/45's,,,
They reside in a nice walnut box with all of their accessories.

Lately I've been on a kick matching a .22 rifle with an appropriate handgun.

For instance I have a Henry Acu Bolt single-shot rifle,,,
It's all stainless so I matched it with a stainless Charter Arms Target Pathfinder,,,
They are both new guns and their brushed stainless finishes and polymer stocks match up perfectly.

I have an early 50's Mossberg 340-KC bolt-action rifle,,,
It has a very long barrel and sports Mossberg precision peep sights,,,
I decided to match it with a very nice early 50's 6" barrel H&R 922 revolver,,,
Both of these guns are American made and have that post WW-II quality about them.

I have a Mossberg 702 Plinkster semi-auto rifle,,,
It goes very nicely with the 5.5" S&W 22A I purchased,,,
They are both semi-auto's with black polymer stocks and grips.

I attempt to match the guns for their aesthetics qualities,,,
But I won't sacrifice quality just for their looks,,,
They must be of comparable performance.

I've always matched semi with a semi,,,
And bolt-actions with revolvers.

If I had a lever-action rifle,,,
I would buy a single action revolver.

So this brings me to my current dilemma,,,
I have a CZ-452 Special Military Trainer in .22 LR,,,
This rifle is surgically accurate and absolutely beautiful to boot.

What handgun would be a good match for it?

To me the perfect revolver would be a S&W Model 17 Masterpiece,,,
But I haven't been able to find one in good enough condition,,,
At least not one with a price that I can afford to pay,,,
I would be looking at least a grand or more.

I have considered matching it up with my venerable S&W Model 18,,,
But the 24" barrel of the rifle and the 4" pistol barrel,,,
They just don't have the visual appeal I want.

I own a CZ-75B Kadet in .22 LR,,,
The quality is certainly there,,,
But aesthetically they clash.

I've been searching auction sites and on-line catalogues for weeks now,,,
I finally came up with what I think is a great match,,,
But I had to give up on bolts with revolvers.

On Monday I saw a picture of a new Buckmark Hunter,,,
It's a semi-auto but has a long 7.25" barrel,,,
And beautiful cocobolo wood grips.

I waited the requisite three days,,,
That's the arbitrary waiting period I impose on myself,,,
Today the idea still looks perfect to me so I pulled the trigger and ordered one.

Whattaya think?

Did I make a good match?

Or did I jump the shark?

Aarond

.

 

[bannockburn]

Well I guess it's a good match, aesthetically speaking but the CZ 452 is a military trainer so I probably would have tried to match it up with another .22 military training handgun. How about a Ruger Mk.II Government Model?

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Bannockburn,,,

I've often wondered about the name "Military Trainer",,,
The only thing "military" on that beautiful rifle is the rear sight.

I did consider a Ruger 22/45,,,
Their Target model with wood grips was tempting,,,
But I already own a pair of that style and didn't want duplicates.



I also considered one of the Mk-III models,,,
For pure aesthetics the Hunter model would match.

But to tell the truth I've never been enamored with them,,,
There's something about the grip angle that just doesn't fit my hand.

I do own an older Mk-II standard,,,
It shoots very well but mostly sits in my safe,,,
I drag it out when I take friends to my rifle/pistol club.

Last year was when I first got to fire a Buckmark pistol,,,
It was the one with "ambidextrous finger grooves",,,
I didn't like the pistol at all because of them.

Then later on I fired a model with smooth grips,,,
Now that pistol really tickled my fancy.

After that I decided to put a Buckmark on my "someday" list,,,
When I saw that long barreled Hunter at Buds website,,,
I decided this was as good a reason/time as any.

One friend of mine teases me a lot about my "sets" of guns,,,
He says I'm 80% a collector and 20% a shooter,,,
I can't really argue that except for the ratio,,,
I think it's 40% collector vs. 60% shooter.

Anyways, nothing earth-shaking going on in this thread,,,
I was just wondering what other like minded people are doing.

Anyone have pictures of their matching sets?

Here is one I have yet to get in a case,,,
SR-22, LCP, and an LC9.



Aarond

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[Sergei Mosin]

My CZ pair is a rimfire/centerfire - a CZ 452 FS and a CZ 75B in matte stainless. They're my pretty guns.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello Sergei,,,

They're my pretty guns.

I would love to see a picture of them together,,,
Those FS rifles are absolutely beautiful.

Second only to my Trainer of course.

Aarond

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[Sergei Mosin]

I've been meaning to take a photo of them together. Might wait for spring when the grass is green again for a good backdrop.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Now, myself, I'd probably have searched for a complementary Dan Wesson pistol to go with the CZ452 Trainer. Seeing as how CZ owns D.W. lock, stock, and barrel, to coin a phrase. In fact, that might be something I'll have to do, seeing as how the CZ's in the safe bred me a very nice Trainer t'other day.

900F

 

[aarondhgraham]

Yep, that would work,,,

Now, myself, I'd probably have searched for a complementary Dan Wesson pistol to go with the CZ452 Trainer.

That's a very appropriate choice,,,
The Dan Wesson revolvers made by CZ are fine guns.

But we do have different tastes in aesthetics,,,
That square full underlug of the Dan Wesson turns me away from them.

I want a breeding pair of CZ rifles,,,
Which ones are the boys?

Aarond

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[CB900F]

Aarond;

I think to get a definitive answer to your question of how to properly sex CZ rimfires, you'll have to go over to the CZ forum on Rimfire Central and pose it there. Somebody will know. Most of us though just put four, or more, of them in the safe and play the odds. The joyous event will happen.

900F

 

[aladdin]

A Ruger Single six with the 9 1/2" barrel.
Or if it has to be center fire go with a blackhawk in the cal. of your choice.

 

[rust collector]

My suggestion would have been the chipmunk bolt action pistol:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_590/products_id/69339/Crickett+41103+Chipmunk+Hunter+22+Mag+10.5%22+1rd+Black+Lam+Wo

I have one in walnut/stainless, 17hmr. Surprisingly fun for a sub $200 gun.

 

[cluttonfred]

A nice Walther PP in .22 LR, preferably with wood grips, would go well aesthetically with the CZ rifle and maintain the European flavor.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello cluttonfred,,,

A nice Walther PP in .22 LR, preferably with wood grips, would go well aesthetically with the CZ rifle and maintain the European flavor.

A little small compared to the long barrel CZ,,,
But you are correct in that the lines compliment each other.

PP styled pistols are way up on my like list,,,
I might have to get me one someday.

Pair it with a 452/455 CZ Scout.

Aarond

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[aarondhgraham]

Hello rust collector,,,

A Chipmunk pistol,,,
That never even crossed my mind.

That's actually not a bad suggestion,,,
My Trainer is almost always shot from a bench,,,
That little bench pistol would have been a nice companion.

I went to the website and they have a blue steel in walnut model,,,
You are correct in that they would look good together.

Curse you,,,
Now I might have to get one someday.

Aarond

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[rust collector]

the blue collar Anschutz exemplar

I never knew about them until I discovered mine in a local pawn shop.

A well kept secret, but a way to make that precious rimfire ammo last a long time.

I do love my CZ 452 and 550 (6.5x55) full stock rifles. They remind me of the way rifles were made in the US a long time ago.

 

[mnrivrat]

And when the time is right you could find a Mossberg .22 RF Trainer and match it up with a Hi-Standard HD pistol. If you got room in the case you can also add a Military riot shotgun like a Stevens 520 or 620 type. Doesn't have to be the trench gun model, they made a standard riot and a regular barrel military for training wing shooting lead for air plane personel.

Looks like your having fun and that's what realy counts.

As far as the CZ and the Buckmark - they look well together, your doing just fine.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello mnrivrat,,,

Looks like your having fun and that's what realy counts.

Yes, I am having fun with my modest collection,,,
Some people get it and others don't,,,
You are one of those who do.

It's funny that you mentioned Mossberg.

A very close friend of mine passed a few years back,,,
We were shooting buddies and went to the range quite often.

She was on the rifle team in her high school,,,
Her brother gave me the Mossberg 340-KC that she used.

It has those great rear peep sights and the hooded front sight,,,
I believe the gun was late 50's early 60's manufacture,,,
It has that old school post WW-II look about it.

I paired it up with a H&R 922 revolver of similar vintage,,,
Both have long barrels and look very well as a set.



I haven't put them in a case as yet,,,
The goal for this pair is to find a case that looks old school as well.

My brother is a musician,,,
He recommended an old tweed guitar case,,,
If I can find one long enough for a decent price I might try that.

I have an affinity for any of the older military trainers,,,
I hope I never find the one that resembles a K-98 Mauser,,,
Because if I did then I will also have to search out an Erma Luger copy in .22 LR.

It never ends.

Aarond

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[CB900F]

Aarond;

Here's a couple of suggestions of places you might find display cases: Museums - older ones here, schools - particularly small rural schools that may be closing, military town garage sales, and cabinet shops that have made a mistake.

900F

 

[WestKentucky]

I personally would have went 10" mk2, but your choice was my second thought. Now you need a browning 22 lever rifle and a ruger single six, them a 357 Blackhawk to pair up the single six with for handgun-handgun, then a ruger 77-357 to match your Blackhawk to a rifle in the same caliber, and a win 94 to pair up your lever gun in 22 and centerfire... Well...I just figured out a really good way for you to spend about 3 grand. Let me know when that's done and I will start making more suggestions.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello WestKentucky and CB900F,,,

Hello WestKentucky,,,

Well...I just figured out a really good way for you to spend about 3 grand. Let me know when that's done and I will start making more suggestions.

Like I ever need help coming up with an excuse to buy another gun.

Hello CB900F,,,

I wasn't very clear was I,,,
I meant carrying cases not display cases.

I was at the range one time and a man walked to the benches with a Fender Stratocaster guitar case.

Inside it were beautifully crafted compartments for at least nine S&W revolvers.

I am constantly on the lookout for things like that,,,
Two weeks ago I was eating a burger at H&H Guns in Oklahoma City.

There was a lady there who had a Ruger 22/45,,,
Her range bag was a hard-shell ukulele case,,,
Everything she needed was inside the case,,,
I thought it was clever as all heck.

She said the gangster movies with Thompsons in violin cases gave her the idea.

Things like this and what I do serve no hard practical purpose,,,
But I have a lot of fun trying to make my collection unique.

Aarond

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[CB900F]

Aarond;

Ah, I see! And, upon reflection, my reply was almost certainly influenced my my own situation.

Once upon a time, a long-long time ago, there were department stores throughout the country that had wonderful oak cabinets for their wares. Five-tier shirt cases that were fronted with full-length glass lift-up slide-in windows, that when lifted allowed the trays for individual shirt sizes to be pulled out. The woodwork has to be seen to be appreciated these days. Four tier display cases with horizontal sliding glass. Seven foot tall map cases with incredible roll-top desk type fronts, all in beautifully finished dark oak, that revealed fifty (one per state I presume) individual compartments for road maps, all in a two foot by two foot floorprint.

All of which I found in the basement of an old ranch house, and now possess. Which has brought me to a profound dilemma. Do I spend money for more guns, or restoring these artifacts?

900F

 

[aarondhgraham]

Restore the artifacts,,,

Restore the artifacts,,,
Keep the one(s) suitable for guns,,,
Sell the rest and buy more guns with the profits.

Problem solved.

I know what you are talking about,,,
Mom and Pop were antique furniture dealers in the 60's.

I grew up traveling all over Oklahoma on hunter/buyer trips,,,
Mom and Pop bought a huge amount of old display cases.

They once bought the entire contents of an old drug store,,,
It was in a small town in south-central Oklahoma,,,
It had been locked up since WW-II.

Man was that display cabinetry beautiful.

The contents of that store fed us and kept the lights on for a year.

Aarond

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