It’s the dang near last day of the year. I thought I was done buying guns for 2023. Done, I tell you!
And then I get the text message from a gunstore buddy: “You might wanna come by”
Well, poop….this is not gonna be cheap. Let’s open the chute and ride this thing:
Beretta Cougar in .40. Nothing special there. And a Colt Series 80 Combat Commander that someone put some work into. Check out that squared triggerguard. Red Ramp front and an ancient MMC rear sight. Extendo beavertail and aftermarket trigger. Other internals seemed factory. Needs a cleaning badly, has some minor freckling.
“But..but…Zero, you said three guns. Where’s the third?”
Ah, the third one. The third one, me boyo, is the whole reason I bought this package. The third one scratches a 30-year-old itch. Notice that the two guns above are sitting on a wooden presentation box. Whats in the box? Why…the stuff that dreams are made of:
That, mi amigos y amigas, is a Smith and Wesson Model 27 with a factory five-inch barrel.
:::mic drop:::
Back in the mid-90’s I had a lovely 5″ Model 27 and in a college kid cash crunch I pawned it for $150 and never got it back. There are two guns I have bitterly regretted selling in my life…My HK93A3 (bought for $600 in 1986!) and that Model 27. And now, I have another.
But, my tastes have changed a bit since then. While I love S&W revolvers, I keep a practical eye on things like durability and reliability…which means a 5″ GP-100 would be a better choice than this 5″ M27. But nostalgia. And it does no harm to have a few safe queens.
That M27 was the reason I bought the other two guns. The Cougar is nigh-impossible to sell. Since Stoeger made their version no one wants the oddball Beretta. The Colt will probably go out the door too….I’m not a 1911 guy. But that Smith….hmmmmm.
The Smith is a work of art! Well done. In the movie Road Warrior Lord Humungus pulls his S&W out of a wooden box to make a statement, and it worked.
I am also a Ruger GP 100 fan but the pre-lock S&W’s with the high-quality bluing and outstanding fit and finish are a step above, especially the pinned barrel with recessed cylinder, so I prescribed to the principle of ‘why not have both?’.
Yeah, as a S&W revolver fanboy myself you get a pass for this aquisition, no negative demerits to your prepper credit scoring. Some transactions may include runts, or dog guns as part of a package deal. Rehome them out very charitably elsewhere very quickly, so as to not get attached and end up spending upgrade funds on them, then just storing them the rest of your life with everything else in those clutter boxes. Perhaps this “gun nut” relapse incident can inspire you to get therapy or have a trusted local chum act as a ‘sponsor’ to talk you down from the ledge before buying moar guns. Year 2024 may be a strictly location location location spiciness event timeline, so getting to there or being in an unspicy better place may be the only real primacy objective going forward. Stay focused and frosty folks.
I have a 29 3-7/8 Barrel in the same box and condition. BECAUSE
A buddy had one of those Berettas back in the day. Wasn’t a bad gun for a DA/ SA .40. I have to admit I’m going down a DA/SA rabbit hole myself.
The square trigger guard n the 1911 is interesting. Rest of the mods are pretty standard.
That Smith is pure class! Pre lock/ MIM blued smiths are a thing of beauty.
nice, but that cash would have gone a long way on buying some land. jus sayin.
This is true. But if I sell the Cougar and the 1911, as I plan to do, that will either put me at zero-sum or slightly ahead.
roger that, you lucky dog.
Unrelated but figured you might be interested
https://www.apexgunparts.com/g3-hk91-rifle-parts-kit-7-62-nato-308-good.html
Saw those. I’ve got six PTR91’s and a genuine HHK91. I’m G3’d out.
I was thinking spare parts.
When you have spare rifles, you don’t need spare parts. Other than the occassional extractor and spring breakage, these things rarely fail.
Very nice model 27, especially with the five inch barrel and presentation box. My main bear gun is a four inch model 29 with pinned barrel and recessed cylinder. I know they aren’t as strong as the Rugers, but I’ve had no issues as of yet running full power bear loads through it. Time will tell I guess.
Had a pair of 6 1/2” p and r model 29’s and sold one off a few years ago when they started getting nuts .
Kept the one I’ve carried and shot . Have run some very heavy loads through it and it’s not rattled apart yet .
Always wanted a 5” model 29 and those are tough to find .
forget the Ruger. It is like having an ugly sister; she is ugly but she is still your sister. The Smith is a thing of beauty. And an excellent firearm.
It takes some work to make the Ruger smooth. Nothing will make it beautiful.
Unfortunately, being a survivalist, I need to focus on things other than aesthetics. I love Smiths and have a bunch but for end-of-the-world ruggedness (which is kind of a big deal to me) the Rugers top the charts.
I also once owned a model 27 6 1/2 barrel in the late 70’s but also unfortunately sold it to buy other guns. Back then I had to buy then sell if I liked something cooler. But it was a very nice revolver I’ll say that. Don’t blame you for latching on to it. Nice pick up.
In the early 90s I sold a Mini-14 and a SW 629 at a pawn shop. Essentially traded them for tuition.
It was the right call, the master’s has paid off. But it still bothers me.
Wife’s beside-her-in-her-car-pistol was always her 2″ M-27. . .
I’d love to see a pic of that 2″ N Frame.