Feds shut down Backpage

[AzRednek]

Looks like my source for trading guns trying to improve my collection is gone. According to CNN, Backpage was shut down over sex trafficking but I bet ATF got a big thrill over it. Guess ATF will have to go back to harrasing gun show sellers again. I put out three trade offers yesterday on Backpage and didn't get a response. Don't know if my messages were blocked or ignored by sellers. 

[AzRednek]

Armslist seems to going strong since the demise of Backpage. It's a bit slower to scroll through and it breaks it down by state rather than city. Unfortunately they have inherited a bunch of the Backpage idiots asking 2-3 times what it's worth. I currently have two trade offers from Armslist pending. 

[Dr.Hess]

Backpage never was much around here, but Armslist is good.  I need to stay off of there.

[AzRednek]

Armslist alive and well. Just finished my second trade this week. Picked up a beautiful S&W Model 19-4. The photo doesn't do its appearance justice. Very nice shiny blue. The other is a Rossi 44 Special. The Rossi is a heavy frame capable of handling hot handloads or Buffalo Bore ammo my Charter Arms Bulldog can't handle. 

The S&W cost me dearly. A S&W Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman. The M-28 has holster wear and was equipped with cheezy after market grips. The M-19 I got bluing at 95+%, faint turn line and near cherry. A quick check of Gunbroker's closed auctions put us pretty much equal on cash value with me coming out ahead with original grips and near perfect bluing. The second photo is what I traded away. 

• The Rossi surprised me at what it's fetching on Gunbroker closed auctions. Trigger is not a S&W so a $45- 75.00 trigger job is in order. Shot it today. Meeting the S&W trade at the range. I was really impressed with its 15 yd accuracy fired single action. Double action well within minute of bad guy and one stray in 15 shots. The Rossi cost me an ATI-92 Turk clone of the Beretta 92.  

[Dr.Hess]

I used to be an auto-only guy.  I have recently developed an appreciation for wheel guns.

[rdm1962]

I've come back to revolvers also. There is currently 20 different ones in the safe. The calibers range from .22 to 44 mag. My S&W 28 is awesome. I picked up a Ruger SP101 with a  2 1/4"  barrel in 357 about 5 months ago. It's the Wiley Clapp addition. 3 dot night sights, bobbed hammer, supper slick action. Not bad on recoil with full power 357 loads. My last range trip was a all revolver outing. Out of the 20 guys shooting mine were the only wheel guns there. I still shot better than most. Ralph 

[FC]

S&W and Uberti are tops in my books.

[AzRednek]

18 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

I used to be an auto-only guy.  I have recently developed an appreciation for wheel guns.

I was the same back when I only considered handguns for self defense. Now that my interests have turned to collecting and recreational target shooting. A revolver is superior for target shooting unless one wants to sink big bucks accurizing an auto. There is just something about the single action trigger of a 25+ year old S&W revolver especially the heavier N-frame that's hard to beat.

 

18 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

I used to be an auto-only guy.  I have recently developed an appreciation for wheel guns.

 

14 hours ago, rdm1962 said:

I've come back to revolvers also. There is currently 20 different ones in the safe. The calibers range from .22 to 44 mag. My S&W 28 is awesome. I picked up a Ruger SP101 with a  2 1/4"  barrel in 357 about 5 months ago. It's the Wiley Clapp addition. 3 dot night sights, bobbed hammer, supper slick action. Not bad on recoil with full power 357 loads. My last range trip was a all revolver outing. Out of the 20 guys shooting mine were the only wheel guns there. I still shot better than most. Ralph 

I pretty well have most standard calibers covered, 22RF through 460. My favorite being 41 Mag and 38 Special. When I'm casting bullets my favorite becomes 45 Colt. 45 Colt can go from mild to wild nearly duplicating 44 Mag when launched from a Ruger Blackhawk. I tend to keep 45 mild as I also shoot it in a S&W. If it wasn't for the high price tag I'd like to try the Buffalo Bore low flash to see how bright it is in a snubby.

 I'd love to have a Ruger like your Wiley Clapp edition. Be a great carry gun for inside waist band especially with the short barrel. A few months back I was working on a trade for a S&W 357 snubby, can't recall the model number other than being a five shot J-frame. I backed out after discovering it had been Magna Ported. My guess the reason he was dumping it was it being a sure fire bet to cause night blindness.

As I age and my eyesight going the same downhill direction as my joints. I've become really conscious of sights. I've been dragging a bottle of White Out to the range to help seeing through the all black sights on older revolvers. Besides being a cheapskate most my S&W's I want to keep original but will likely give in and invest in high-viz sights for my S&W Model 15. It is the one I shoot most often and being Navajo police surplus with engraved numbers and being refinished. Not much in the way of a collector's piece. 

I like Ruger almost as much as S&W but pledged years ago to never buy a new Ruger after Ol'man Ruger sold us out on Capital Hill and put his support behind the 10 rd mag limit. Closest I got was getting a new Ruger 45 Convertidle as a gift. I've got a monster Super Blackhawk with 10 inch plus barrel that is incredibly accurate. Carried it twice hunting but not successfully. At the end of every hunt we always engage in what we call the mad hour, shooting each other's guns. The Super Blackhawk is the one everybody wants to shoot. Although my last large hunting party a bud with an eight inch Colt Python was the favorite.

Several years ago I lucked into a Security Six for dirt cheap. It had been dropped and the grips were both missing pieces. I've had it for about 7-8 years and have only put a cylinder on 357's through it once. The Security Six from what I've read will handle all the 357's you want to put through it without coming loose like the S&W K-frame. I've shied away from 357's after discovering Ruger will no longer service them. Break a part one could easily be SOL. 

Can't afford it without guilt but I'd really like to have Ruger's new D/A revolver that takes both 45 ACP on moon clips or 45 Colt without changing cylinders. Simply no way I'd shell out 800+ for a new one. 

5 hours ago, FC said:

S&W and Uberti are tops in my books.

Never had a Uberti but from what I've read. They come from the same manufacturers that back in the 70's built S/A revolvers sold under various brand names as Dakota, Hawes and others. They were excellent wheel guns but couldn't compete with Ruger back then when cowboy guns were the big sellers. What I liked best of their S/A revolvers they were built with a hand grip larger than Rugers allowing one to get their pinky finger on the grip. At my gun collectors club I've seen a couple of Uberti built replica rifles. I didn't get to handle them but up close they were beautiful. The high polish bluing, one had a polished brass receiver that looked gold plated. The high quality walnut with near perfect wood to metal fit literally reeks of a Europeon craftsman hand fitting all the parts. It is my understanding Uberti built the Beretta S/A revolvers during the height of Cowboy Action tournaments. I was told by a member of my club the only difference were Beretta's cow head grips and a hundred plus more price tag for the Beretta. 

As much as I hate to admit it Smith and Wessons quality has been declining. I've heard it blamed on CNC made parts and keeping manufacturing costs down to compete with Taurus. There is also a new kid on the block European manufacturer whose name escapes me at the moment and net chatter says Rock Island in the Philippines has a S&W clone on the drawing board. Now with Colt back into revolvers again. Smith and Wesson has to be feeling the squeeze from competitors to keep costs down. As long as Colt doesn't build junk like the Anaconda they can also put a dent in S&W. 

Whoa!! Can't believe I wrote all that. 

[AzRednek]

On 4/26/2018 at 3:32 PM, Dr.Hess said:

Backpage never was much around here, but Armslist is good.  I need to stay off of there.

It's not a bad place if you can keep your money in your wallet and look for trades. For a couple years I was picking up Smith and Wessons from young guys that inherited dad or grandpa's revolver and were willing to trade for a plastic fantastic 9MM. Guess they need the cool factor of double stack wonder nine to impress their buddies. Don't see them much anymore looking for nines, now they want AR's. 

Just like Backpage have to scroll through some beyond ridiculous asking prices. Saw a sported scoped Mauser today with plastic stock and original 8MM barrel. He was asking 800. There was another today with a Mitchell Mauser new in box for 1200. Several of the kitchen table FFL's have moved over from Backpage. What I have missed and hope they move are pawn shops posting their inventory. 

I just hope the Feds don't find a reason to shut Armslist down. Armslist does not have a lonely hearts ads and it is strictly guns. Do see some items like reloading tools, camping equipment or items that might interest gun guys. 

[FC]

I have a Dakota .45 Colt Model P. It's excellent. I didn't know Uberti made it.

[Dr.Hess]

Some pawn shops will post on Armslist here.  I've searched it a few times for things I'm interested in, like 7mm Mausers, Desert Eagle, etc.  I seem to recall replying to one local ad for 7x57 ammo, but he never bothered to reply. 

I read in SGN (now FN) once that the "Winchester" used in _The Rifleman_ wasn't a Winchester, but an Italian made clone.  I don't think it was Uberti, but I can't remember the exact brand. They said it was very high quality.

[AzRednek]

10 hours ago, FC said:

I have a Dakota .45 Colt Model P. It's excellent. I didn't know Uberti made it.

I can't say with certainty it was actually manufactured by Ulberti. From my understanding Ulberti consolidated the Italian manufacturing and tooling of replicas and parts coming out of an Italian village or area into one corporate conglomerate. Except for a few and highly collectable Dakotas made by Hammerelli in Switzerland the Dakota and Hawes all came from the same factory. In the 70's I had a Dakota 41 mag, loved it but money being tight I swapped it for a brand new Stevens 311, 12ga side-by. My buddy had a Hawes. All parts were interchangeable and the only noticeable difference was the fancy brass hand grip frame and beautiful rosewood grips wood on the Dakota. I'm told the only major difference between the older Italian S/A revolvers and modern Uberti is the addition of a hammer transfer bar. Same as older Rugers, not a good idea to carry your Dakota with a loaded round under a lowered hammer. If I remember right my Dakota had a half cock safety notch. 

Today I'd gladly trade two Stevens side-bys for that Dakota. At the time I was the sole support for a family of six and desperately wanted a good shotgun for Dove hunting but didn't have any spare bucks. I had a Mossberg pump at the time but after the plastic trigger assembly cracked I just had to have a double barrel. My Mossberg had what I believe was named Celect-A-Choke, an adjustable choke. On Dove hunts I was constantly tinkering with it. The Stevens gave me instant choke selection, front trigger modified, rear trigger full. 

[AzRednek]

8 hours ago, Dr.Hess said:

Some pawn shops will post on Armslist here.  I've searched it a few times for things I'm interested in, like 7mm Mausers, Desert Eagle, etc.  I seem to recall replying to one local ad for 7x57 ammo, but he never bothered to reply. 

I read in SGN (now FN) once that the "Winchester" used in _The Rifleman_ wasn't a Winchester, but an Italian made clone.  I don't think it was Uberti, but I can't remember the exact brand. They said it was very high quality.

Like Steve McQeen's short barreled rifle from Wanted Dead Or Alive. From what I read in a gun rag years ago. Thanks to the internet there are numerous examples of both all claiming to be the one used in the Tv series. There is/was a gun shop in Tombstone Az that got caught with their pants down claiming to have both used in the Tv shows. A few months after reading the article I went into the Tombstone gun shop and they no longer had either one. The Italian rifle may have been one of the many all claiming to be the real one. If I have the facts right. The studio gunsmith of the Rifleman's rifle had died and there were no paper records for the pre-68 rifle. McQueen's gun ran into trouble with ATF and the serial number was ID'd from the tax stamp. Shotgun Slade's shotgun and Tv Wyatt Earp's long barreled revolver also have numerous examples around the country claiming to be the Tv gun. 

[FC]

I read there were two Rifleman 94s, and they were Spanish.

[AzRednek]

6 hours ago, FC said:

I read there were two Rifleman 94s, and they were Spanish.

Really no telling for sure. Not like they needed an operating gun but simply something to shoot Hollywood blanks. Next time you watch The Rifleman , in the opening barrage of rapid fire. You will hear one more shot than he actually see him firing. 

My best recollection of the the Rifleman's rifle was my toy cap gun. It needed the high priced perforated caps. I couldn't rapid fire anywhere near as fast as Chuck Conners. I got it at Christmas about 60 or 61 I think. 

[FC]

I love that show because it feels old West. Unfortunately, Lucas is wearing Wranglers, and no she’ll casings get spit out!