Ok, ok, it's been a spell since my last entry. But holy hernia, I've been moving! In fact, I'm still moving after 90 plus days. I needed to write for the simple reason that I acquired one of my dream firearms a week ago.
I took the morning off on the first of September to ride my Harley. I had been previously knee deep in boxes and shelving, and needed a break. I decided to go south. South takes me by one of my favorite gun shops, and I had asked them months ago, via e-mail, to let me know if a Colt Single Action Army came into their establishment. I had received no such notice, but decided to drop in to see what was "new".
Colt Firearms in West Hartford, Connecticut filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago. Mind you, this is a company that has built handguns since the mid 1800's. Samuel Colt's original revolver was based on inspiration from a ship's wheel. That vision came when he was "stationed" at an early age on board a vessel of the seas. He remembered that concept of the rotating wheel and dog latch that kept the wheel/ship "on course". Returning to dry land, he set about drumming up financing to start building a "rapid fire repeating handgun."
The early iterations were all black powder percussion cap models. Later on, in the early 1860's, the three piece cartridge was introduced, and the U.S. Army was looking for a reliable, multi shot handgun to provide to its troops. Samuel Colt was developing just the ticket in his Hartford, Connecticut factory. Unfortunately, his heart gave out before he was able to present it to the Government (he was selling to the South, which at the time, was a problem). Mrs. Colt however, had a very strong heart, and mind. She continued the business, and built it into an American legend. If you are at all intrigued about how a woman could build and rebuild a munitions plant, please look to your favorite library for a fascinating historical tale.
As you have painfully felt, I digressed. When I walked in the gun shop, the first item I spied was a
White, Colt Custom Shop box, with a 4 3/4 inch, .375 magnum, Single Action Army siting on top of it. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! I asked to fondle it, and within two minutes the credit card came out.
You have no idea how difficult this firearm is to find. Colt makes handguns, and every one of them sell quite quickly. Most of those handguns are automatics. You know, Browning's design. The custom shop makes special ones of those too, but it also makes a few "reproductions" of Sam Colt's "Peacemaker". I now own one of those. The "gun that won the west", the "equalizer"' the Colt .45, (in my case, .357 magnum, or 38 Special, or 38 special +P.)
This is another of my collectable pieces. It will not be fired by me. In fact, the instruction manual states that by handling the gun, its value is diminished. By actually firing the revolver, the value is severely diminished. It is a true reproduction of Samuel Colt's "wheel gun". There are fewer and fewer craftsman left to actually bring one to life. That is why I placed the credit card down so quickly. I now own another piece of Connecticut firearm history. No, it is not one of John Moses Browning's designs. But I posit that it is as important a design to history than ANY other firearm you might think of.
I took it out of its carton this evening, and carefully wiped off any fingerprints that I might have inadvertently missed after the last fondling session. It is not engraved, it is not nickel plated, it is true blued, and case hardened. It is a thing of beauty. Lethal, yes. But only in the control of one who desires infliction of pain and suffering on his or her fellow man. The "Peacemaker" is an inanimate, lifeless object. It is a true work of art. But only if you will let yourself see its beauty through the fog of prejudice. Thanks Sam!
Enough pontificating, back to moving...
Be well, and do the right thing
Gaff
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