Oops, I Did It Again...

Is There Such A Thing As Shooters Anonymous?

I said in this post that I'd tell you later in the week about a purchase made over the weekend.

Yeah, it was yet another gun...

Look, I swear on a stack of stroke mags that when I left the house last Saturday, I had ZERO intention of going gun shopping. All I needed to do was wash the Caddy, maybe get some lunch, and run out to Gander Mountain on Hwy 290 to check ammo prices and maybe start stocking up on ammo for the next BlogShoot. I'd never been to a Gander Mountain store before, though I have received their catalogs a time or two. I'd always considered them a low-rent Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops, but I was pleasantly surprised at the layout and merchandise they had.

They didn't have any Winchester White Box .357 Magnum in stock, so I grabbed a box of .38 Specials and two boxes of .45 Long Colt. I didn't see any White Box .45 ACP with the FMJ bullet, until they pointed out that Winchester has switched to a smaller box size, doing away with the styrofoam insert in favor of the plastic holders. So, two boxes of that, and add 100 rounds of 7.62x39 for the SKS, and I've got enough for this paycheck. I'll buy a few hundred more rounds off the next two checks.

I'm lumbering to the checkout counter under this heavy load of lead, powder and brass, and I happened to pass by the used pistol cabinet. Nothing much grabbed my attention, but I did spot a little .22 autoloader that looked to be in pristine condition. Hmmm... tag says it comes with a case and 2 mags. Better have a look at that!

*RESIST THE URGE!* said the voice in my head. However, the voice in my lower back said *Put That Heavy-Ass Ammo Down And Go Get A Shopping Cart, You Big Dummy!* (Lower back voices aren't quite as nice as head voices...)

So, I drop anchor and take a look at the little popper. It's a Smith & Wesson 2214, the chopped-down version of their model 422 "Sport" model. My buddy Zibig has the 422, and I had it along at the last blogshoot. Handy & accurate little gun, assuming you keep it sparkling clean.

Here's what the Model 2214 looks like:



This 2214 was indeed in pristine condition. Nary a scratch on the thing, except for one tiny ding by the exposed sideplate screw. Once again, if you're gonna monkey with your firearms, drop $30 for a set of gunsmithing screwdrivers! You'll recoup your cost the first time you sell a gun graded "NRA Excellent" instead of "NRA 95%"!

Now, I'm sure you're wondering what possessed me to actually buy this little pistol. With the 3" barrel, it's not gonna be accurate past the other side of the poker table. It only holds 8 rounds, and .22 magazines are always a PITA to load.

Well, what sealed the deal was the $109.95 price tag, ladies and jellyspoons. I just couldn't pass that one up. For whatever reason, Gander Mountain was selling it for about 2/3 of the market value. Even if I end up hating the thing, it'll make good trading material (along with a wad of cash) at the next gun show for a Browning Buckmark or Walther P22, which is what I really want.

Sigh, that's 3 great gun deals inside of a year. I fear I'm cursing myself to pay retail for the next decade!