National Ammo Week Bonus Buy!

National Ammo Week is here! I'm going to wait until I get this coming Friday's paycheck to buy the ammo, (buying it on the 19th, as should we all!) but I couldn't resist making an early purchase.

I've been posting tease pix for a week, and now you get to see why my ammo purchase this year will be in boxes of .45 ACP instead of the usual .357 Magnum.

Here it is... (Serial # obscured for security reasons...)




It's a Springfield Armory clone of John Browning's timeless 1911 design. This pistol's one of their "Loaded" models, with a frame date of 2002. It came with an adjustable trigger, Novak Lo-Mount sights, skeleton hammer, a Wilson Combat magazine, beavertail safety and all the edges are beveled for easier carry.

Mind you, it's not perfect. There's a bit of holster wear, falling in the 92%-95% original finish range depending on if you're buying or selling. It came 'as is', meaning it has only the one magazine, no carry case, no key for the integral locking system, which is not so bad, since it's unlocked. There's a buggered up screw on the rear sight (why don't people buy a proper gunsmithing screwdriver set???) and it was filthy as hell when I bought it.

Oh, and it's got a Colt barrel. Can't say why, but the barrel markings indicate it's out of a Mk IV/Series 70 Colt .45 pistol. Go figure. Maybe the guy owned two and got careless reassembling them. The rifling is clean and crisp, with no pits, and it functions OK, so I'm in no real rush to get a factory replacement. I'd probably be better off getting a Bar-Sto or Jarvis custom barrel anyway.

What'd I pay? Oh, baby! That's the best part. I found this pistol purely by accident. I was driving my mother on an errand after dark (when she doesn't need to be behind the wheel) and we passed by a pawn shop with a rotating spotlight out front. 3/4 mile down the road, we pass another pawn shop, with the same spotlight and name on the marquee. Mom remarks that she's never been in a pawnshop before. Well, now! Let's educate the woman!

We pulled into the second pawn shop, which, like Frost's 'Road Not Taken', made all the difference. While Mom browsed the jewelry, I went to see what goodies they had on the gun rack. I was intrigued by a $80 sporterized Enfield #4, but a missing magazine and a silver-soldered front sight from an old Marlin .22 were just too big of an obstacle to overcome.

I see the 1911 in the case, but there's a $500 price tag on it. Just more money than I've got to spend. I've been in the mood for a 1911 or a .44 Mag snubbie for a while, but I had not planned on making the purchase until after Xmas. Knowing full well it won't be in the pawnshop that long, I ask to take a look at it anyway. The guy hands me the pistol, and that paper tag tied to the trigger guard by a string slowly rotates around so I can see the other side...

"Spotlight Sale! $349.99! This weekend only! We do Layaway!"

Holy Frijoles.... I whipped out that credit card so fast my wallet got a plastic cut. Split over two paychecks, it was a painless way to acquire a new firearm. I gotta do layaway more often!

So, there's the tale. I'm off to the Houston Gun Collector's Association gun show at Reliant Arena tomorrow with Little Bee-Boy and Jeenyus along for company. I've got magazines, bushing wrench, holster, and a few other odds & ends on the shopping list, so I oughta have a good day.

Go buy some ammo!