vanfunk
Member
Hello all:
Hope you’re all good out there. Haven’t posted in a loooong time. I’ve just been busy with work, family and, well, I just haven’t been shooting. Anyway, I’ve decided to step off the treadmill for a while and catch up on life as my father recently passed away and his death has reminded me of my own mortality. He had given me most of his guns already but as I was going through his things I found a few I didn’t even know about. In the back of his closet, wrapped in a silicon rag and then stuffed in a wool sock, was a gorgeous S&W pre-18 .22 combat masterpiece. It took me a minute to remember that this gun was actually my grandfather’s and that it had passed to my father upon his death in 1987. I hadn’t seen it since the early 80’s, and although I did a lot of shooting with my grandfather when I was a teenager, I had never shot this particular piece.
I believe it dates to the early 50’s and exhibits the duller, more matte blue of that era (as an aside, I actually kind of prefer this style of bluing over the higher polish). It was clearly shot but was taken care of. A little holster wear is evident at the end of the muzzle and there’s a small speck of rust on the trigger guard (which I’m sure I can improve with a little oil and brass wool). I’d say it’s a 95% gun.
I finally carved out an opportunity to shoot it today, and to say the least, it blew my little mind. Mind you, I have not been shooting in YEARS and I was way out of practice, so I wasn’t expecting much of myself. I put up a target at an optimistic 50 feet and loaded the cylinder with older Winchester Super-X high velocity fodder, the only .22LR I had on hand. The gun felt great in my hand and was so easy to put on target. I fired 6 rounds, single action, and took my time. Oh. My. Lord. The result was one ragged hole with one shot dropping just a half-inch low and to the left of the others. I was astonished and it was at that moment I realized why my Dad hadn’t given it to me before he died - he wanted it for himself! Good on you, old man! What a phenomenal firearm - everything about it - the “old world” craftsmanship, the style and form factor, the natural feel in the hand, the astonishing practical accuracy… it is a true masterpiece! Thanks for listening, dear reader!
Hope you’re all good out there. Haven’t posted in a loooong time. I’ve just been busy with work, family and, well, I just haven’t been shooting. Anyway, I’ve decided to step off the treadmill for a while and catch up on life as my father recently passed away and his death has reminded me of my own mortality. He had given me most of his guns already but as I was going through his things I found a few I didn’t even know about. In the back of his closet, wrapped in a silicon rag and then stuffed in a wool sock, was a gorgeous S&W pre-18 .22 combat masterpiece. It took me a minute to remember that this gun was actually my grandfather’s and that it had passed to my father upon his death in 1987. I hadn’t seen it since the early 80’s, and although I did a lot of shooting with my grandfather when I was a teenager, I had never shot this particular piece.
I believe it dates to the early 50’s and exhibits the duller, more matte blue of that era (as an aside, I actually kind of prefer this style of bluing over the higher polish). It was clearly shot but was taken care of. A little holster wear is evident at the end of the muzzle and there’s a small speck of rust on the trigger guard (which I’m sure I can improve with a little oil and brass wool). I’d say it’s a 95% gun.
I finally carved out an opportunity to shoot it today, and to say the least, it blew my little mind. Mind you, I have not been shooting in YEARS and I was way out of practice, so I wasn’t expecting much of myself. I put up a target at an optimistic 50 feet and loaded the cylinder with older Winchester Super-X high velocity fodder, the only .22LR I had on hand. The gun felt great in my hand and was so easy to put on target. I fired 6 rounds, single action, and took my time. Oh. My. Lord. The result was one ragged hole with one shot dropping just a half-inch low and to the left of the others. I was astonished and it was at that moment I realized why my Dad hadn’t given it to me before he died - he wanted it for himself! Good on you, old man! What a phenomenal firearm - everything about it - the “old world” craftsmanship, the style and form factor, the natural feel in the hand, the astonishing practical accuracy… it is a true masterpiece! Thanks for listening, dear reader!
