Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
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- AJMD429
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Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Despite it being called my 'day off', like most Wednesdays, I was home doing the drive-you-nuts kinds of paperwork and other stuff most self-employed people do on their 'time off', and needed a break. Nothing like making a loud noise or two to reset the old 'attitude'...
So, I just went out with an 'old reliable' to thwack the 100-yard gong, and it occurred to me that some of my most-reliable shooters are also my 'ugliest'. Partly because they get used the most, and therfore scratched, dinged, and rusted the most. They also may sport more 'customizing' that is not done for beauty but more for function, and more for my particular quirks than anyone else's.
My most reliable grab-and-go rifles if there's a predator in the goat-pen:
Mauser 98 rebarreled in .308, cheapo Ramline fiberglass stock, spray-paint-over-Parkerizing, and Williams FP sight.
Marlin 1894css, with poorer-than-average wood-to-metal fit, worse-than-average rearward bolt-protrusion, and poor-man's 'beadblasting' done with fine-grit emory paper. Converted into 'Night Scout' by adding strange-looking light-mount, and non-traditional 'gizmo' sights.
Ruger 10/22, with tons of dings and scratches, a goofy-looking "flash-suppressor" (the crown is the one part of this gun NOT dinged up), an even goofier-looking Tapco stock, and a 'really stupid looking' (I've been told so, at least) 300-lumen flashlight under the forend that's even bigger and more awkward-looking than the one shown in this picture, PLUS a 'pistol laser' and Bushnell Holosight that together cost almost three times what the gun itself cost. Looks funny, but always hits what needs hit, day or night, time after time after time.
Just musing, but it's interesting how if I were going to 'show off my best guns' to someone, I could be showing them some real 'beaters'.
So, I just went out with an 'old reliable' to thwack the 100-yard gong, and it occurred to me that some of my most-reliable shooters are also my 'ugliest'. Partly because they get used the most, and therfore scratched, dinged, and rusted the most. They also may sport more 'customizing' that is not done for beauty but more for function, and more for my particular quirks than anyone else's.
My most reliable grab-and-go rifles if there's a predator in the goat-pen:
Mauser 98 rebarreled in .308, cheapo Ramline fiberglass stock, spray-paint-over-Parkerizing, and Williams FP sight.
Marlin 1894css, with poorer-than-average wood-to-metal fit, worse-than-average rearward bolt-protrusion, and poor-man's 'beadblasting' done with fine-grit emory paper. Converted into 'Night Scout' by adding strange-looking light-mount, and non-traditional 'gizmo' sights.
Ruger 10/22, with tons of dings and scratches, a goofy-looking "flash-suppressor" (the crown is the one part of this gun NOT dinged up), an even goofier-looking Tapco stock, and a 'really stupid looking' (I've been told so, at least) 300-lumen flashlight under the forend that's even bigger and more awkward-looking than the one shown in this picture, PLUS a 'pistol laser' and Bushnell Holosight that together cost almost three times what the gun itself cost. Looks funny, but always hits what needs hit, day or night, time after time after time.
Just musing, but it's interesting how if I were going to 'show off my best guns' to someone, I could be showing them some real 'beaters'.
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
- 2ndovc
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
I've said this before Doc,
life is too short for an ugly gun!
Closest I have is an H&R 12 Gage with an 18 1/2" barrel.
I loaned it to my Dad while he sailed from Lake Erie to Trinidad and back.
figured the worst thing he could do was toss it overboard if it was going to cause some trouble.
A little pitted but still works like it should.
jb
life is too short for an ugly gun!
Closest I have is an H&R 12 Gage with an 18 1/2" barrel.
I loaned it to my Dad while he sailed from Lake Erie to Trinidad and back.
figured the worst thing he could do was toss it overboard if it was going to cause some trouble.
A little pitted but still works like it should.
jb
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
- Streetstar
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Ugliest ones i've got ---
They dont really fit the "ugly" definition that well, --- but they are homely to me
Why anyone would willingly remove a wood stock in favor of a Ramline on a Model 94 trapper is beyond me, but thats what happened to this 45 carbine.
The Colt below it had some pitted spots in the bluing, so had it parkerized, the streaks on the stocks add character but are the result of close contact with some wet carpet
And......... the Glock, -- what more needs to be said about the ugliest gun out there?
(all 3 are dead - nuts reliable though
They dont really fit the "ugly" definition that well, --- but they are homely to me
Why anyone would willingly remove a wood stock in favor of a Ramline on a Model 94 trapper is beyond me, but thats what happened to this 45 carbine.
The Colt below it had some pitted spots in the bluing, so had it parkerized, the streaks on the stocks add character but are the result of close contact with some wet carpet
And......... the Glock, -- what more needs to be said about the ugliest gun out there?
(all 3 are dead - nuts reliable though
----- Doug
- Sixgun
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Doc,
I don't think your guns are homely. In fact, the Marlin looks cool A better word would be "functional".
If you want to see "ugly", just look at any British military guns.
Like me, all of my guns are good looking and functional. --------Sixgun
I don't think your guns are homely. In fact, the Marlin looks cool A better word would be "functional".
If you want to see "ugly", just look at any British military guns.
Like me, all of my guns are good looking and functional. --------Sixgun
- 2ndovc
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
What , What ,What,?Sixgun wrote:Doc,
I don't think your guns are homely. In fact, the Marlin looks cool A better word would be "functional".
If you want to see "ugly", just look at any British military guns.
Like me, all of my guns are good looking and functional. --------Sixgun
English guns are Ugly? How dare you insult my British ancestry?
To me the Enfield No.1 MKIII is one of the classiest rifles ever made! Right up there with a Brittish Double!
jb
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
I don't see anything wrong with a well used gun with lots of character.
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
Proud Life Member Of:
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Second Amendment Foundation
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DAV
Proud Life Member Of:
NRA
Second Amendment Foundation
Citizens Committee For The Right To Keep And Bear Arms
DAV
- Sixgun
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Me neither. All have nice clean AMERICAN lines---unlike those fugly british gunsBlaineG wrote:I don't see anything wrong with a well used gun with lots of character.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Sixgun wrote: All have nice clean AMERICAN lines---unlike those fugly british guns
I likes my Parker's Fox's and L.C.Smith's just fine . But there is no way in H....E....L...L a nice british double is ugly .
I'll agree 10,000% that I'd be embarrassed to use a SMLE even for a boat anchor .
But a Greener , Scott , Westley Richards , etc etc etc are VERY FAR from ugly !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
I have a few of those, too...a Spanish 98 Mauser, sporterized back in the 1960's, and rebarelled to .308...an old mixmaster Chinese SKS that has seen better days, but has a great bore and smooth trigger, and outshoots every autoloading rifle I have ever had other than my army issue M-16 from the '60's...
My small game shotgun is a 12 gauge single barrel Iver Johnson Champion from 1924. Still tight as new and a great little gun for the PA woods.
The shine wore off, but they still work just fine.
mark
My small game shotgun is a 12 gauge single barrel Iver Johnson Champion from 1924. Still tight as new and a great little gun for the PA woods.
The shine wore off, but they still work just fine.
mark
The GOP/teabag party - Anti American AND stupid.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
As Forrest Gump would say, ugly is as ugly does. I am more of a utilitarian type person.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
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- Levergunner 3.0
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Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Yep, got one of those...my very first firearm. I purchased it from a classmate in the 8th grade, for 11 or 12 dollars I think. With Dads approval of course. Though I did not hear of it then...years later Dad mentioned that he caught some flack from Mom over that.
Got my first Pheasant with it. First of many critters actually. It was years later that I learned a 410 was a poor choice for a beginner.
When headed to the farm...this one is always in the truck.
J Stevens Arms 410 Bore Model 59A
Chicopee Falls, Mass.
Got my first Pheasant with it. First of many critters actually. It was years later that I learned a 410 was a poor choice for a beginner.
When headed to the farm...this one is always in the truck.
J Stevens Arms 410 Bore Model 59A
Chicopee Falls, Mass.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
My two old Colt revolvers fit this category; kind of rough in appearance but pretty good shooters, the top one was my Grandfather's and the bottom one I actually bought from Cabela's near Kansas City for $125 OTD, if I remember right (because of rust removal by dremel).
Colt Police Positive 38 Special
Colt Officer's Model Target 22 Long Rifle
The side showing is the side that was worked over with the dremel tool. It took ALOT of filing, sanding and polishing to make it look like this. Other side is about 85-90%. Shoots as well as my K22.
Colt Police Positive 38 Special
Colt Officer's Model Target 22 Long Rifle
The side showing is the side that was worked over with the dremel tool. It took ALOT of filing, sanding and polishing to make it look like this. Other side is about 85-90%. Shoots as well as my K22.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
My Colt 1991A1 (made in 1991) and a 1977 Ruger Blackhawk 357mag.
Those two look pretty rough after many years of riding around in the tackle box or Jeep, but have always been 100%.
For the last few years I've been thinking of having the Colt re-parked for nothing more than rust protection.
But I keep thinking it'll make it look like new and I won't want to carry it out as often.
Those two look pretty rough after many years of riding around in the tackle box or Jeep, but have always been 100%.
For the last few years I've been thinking of having the Colt re-parked for nothing more than rust protection.
But I keep thinking it'll make it look like new and I won't want to carry it out as often.
...and I don't think he even knows it...Walks around with a half-assed grin...If he feels fear, he don't show it. Just rides into hell and back again.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Mine are all reliable AND pretty.
Sorry. No complaints here.
Sorry. No complaints here.
Some people just need a sympathetic pat on the head.....with a hammer. Repeatedly.
Re: Reliable but not Pretty (just like me) got any like that...?
Malmute, I have always loved that smith and leather. Looks beautiful to me as is
Mike Johnson,
"Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot
"Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot