heavyshooter
Member
So I'm in Little Rock, AR on business and I just happen to drive by a store called "Don's Weaponry and the Shooters Gallery Gun Store". I had an hour to kill so I whipped into the parking lot to check it out. It's a pretty good store. It was not a sportsman's mega-mall (e.g. Cabellas or Bass Pro Shop), but it was a step above your everyday mom and pop store. Good inventory and diverse supplies are complimented by a knowledgeable and cordial staff. And of course they had the obligatory shooting range. I was impressed, and then I learned something.
I came upon a gun case in the back of the store that had about 25 blued revolvers in it. They were primarily older S&W's (e.g. model 10's and 15's) and some Ruger GP100’s (3 and 4 inches). Most, but not all, of the Smiths looked like they had been ridden hard and put away wet. Many of them had lost half of their bluing. But the Rugers were about 85% and the shop staffer said that the Rugers had hardly been used. Apparently some local security company has switched over to semi-autos and put all of their revolvers on consignment. Normally, the condition of the Smiths would have made me ignore the case, but the Rugers made me give it a second look. I discovered that some of the Smiths were actually redeemable and worth consideration. (I’m a Ruger guy, but I do like older S&W’s.)
They ranged from $199.99 - $229.99!!! Because of this I picked out a Smith (Model 10) that appeared to be about 70% (a Flitz treatment would resurrect the gun) and a Ruger GP100 that was 85%. My 2 gun total, before tax, would have been $400.00!!! The Ruger alone was probably worth close to $300.00 so I was content with this deal. I have been looking for a Model 10 and a 3” GP100 for a while; SCORE! I asked for the background check and handed my driver’s license to the gentleman behind the counter and that’s when I learned lesson #1,147: I can’t buy a handgun in Arkansas because I am a resident of Colorado. This would not annoy me so much if he had not proceeded to teach me lesson #1,148: I CAN buy a rifle, but not a revolver! I am sure that someone has logically justified this decision, but their brilliance is beyond mine.
Oh well, lessons learned. Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Heavy
I came upon a gun case in the back of the store that had about 25 blued revolvers in it. They were primarily older S&W's (e.g. model 10's and 15's) and some Ruger GP100’s (3 and 4 inches). Most, but not all, of the Smiths looked like they had been ridden hard and put away wet. Many of them had lost half of their bluing. But the Rugers were about 85% and the shop staffer said that the Rugers had hardly been used. Apparently some local security company has switched over to semi-autos and put all of their revolvers on consignment. Normally, the condition of the Smiths would have made me ignore the case, but the Rugers made me give it a second look. I discovered that some of the Smiths were actually redeemable and worth consideration. (I’m a Ruger guy, but I do like older S&W’s.)
They ranged from $199.99 - $229.99!!! Because of this I picked out a Smith (Model 10) that appeared to be about 70% (a Flitz treatment would resurrect the gun) and a Ruger GP100 that was 85%. My 2 gun total, before tax, would have been $400.00!!! The Ruger alone was probably worth close to $300.00 so I was content with this deal. I have been looking for a Model 10 and a 3” GP100 for a while; SCORE! I asked for the background check and handed my driver’s license to the gentleman behind the counter and that’s when I learned lesson #1,147: I can’t buy a handgun in Arkansas because I am a resident of Colorado. This would not annoy me so much if he had not proceeded to teach me lesson #1,148: I CAN buy a rifle, but not a revolver! I am sure that someone has logically justified this decision, but their brilliance is beyond mine.
Oh well, lessons learned. Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Heavy
