Baboon Pirates

Scribbles and Scrawls from an unrepentant swashbuckling primate.

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Location: Texas, United States

Monday, July 11, 2005

Gun Show Update

'Cause I Just Felt That You're Dying to Know

Had a good time on Sunday with Zibig & the Cisco Kid out in Pasadena. It's a part of Houston I never get to (nor do I really wish to...) unless there's something like a gun show to drag me over there.

We met at Casa del Capitan bright & early, then drove out to refinery-ville. You might have heard of the BP refinery explosion in that neck of the woods. There's so much oil & coal shipping and petrochemical activity over there that I get nervous everytime Zibig drops a cigarette butt for fear that the entire county will explode. I mentioned to the others that I didn't even want to contemplate the level of carcinogens in the area.

After getting bent over for parking and admittance at the other two gun show venues in town, the Pasadena Convention Center was a nice change. No charge for parking, and you even parked in the same zip code as the building.

The usual suspects were there, Doc's Guns, T's Ammo, the Left Handed Bolt Action Collecting Society. OK, I'm kidding about the last one.

Prices were good on old surplus rifles, and there were just piles of Yugo SKS's at dirt cheap rates. Lots of the Izmash Arsenal AK sporters for around 300 clams. I saw a really nice Swiss K31 that I just had to have, but this wasn't a gun-purchasing show for me.

One guy had a stack of Walther P-38s, but they were the aluminum-framed versions made in the 50's and called by another name. Only $275, as I recall.

I was SOL on finding the SKS gas tube scope mount and the factory 10-rd mag, but eBay took care of those that afternoon. I did find one guy selling Greek 8mm surplus ammo, but I have no idea how long he'd had it out of the crate. I'll end up mail ordering that from Ammoman or AIM surplus.

I did find the 8mm stripper clips. I can only use two of them, since I only have 10 shootable rounds on hand! I've got another 10 rounds, but they're WWII Kraut ammo with the Wehrmacht headstamps, and those are collectables, not shooters.

I did get lucky in my usual purchase of a sharp pointy thing. Instead of a pricy Cold Steel or CRKT folder, I lucked upon a bayonet and scabbard for the BRNO VZ-24. It was only $25! The bayonet handle is quite worn, and the scabbard hasn't seen a polish in 60 years, but the blade is in good shape. I didn't really need one, but that's what gun shows are all about, buying stuff you don't need, but can't pass up! I spent the evening occasionally poking the cat with the bayonet while screaming "Töten Sie die Katze!!", which amused me to no end, and kind of annoyed her. I did leave the scabbard on, so there's no cat blood all over the place, for you cat-o-philes that were about to pass out from shock. She got a double ration of kitty-treats and a bellyrub after her torture session, so she's forgiven me.

Next gun show is in August, I think. Zibig's got me thinking about an AK, but it might be time to start looking for an M1 carbine. They're just too handy to not own one!