Smith & Wesson Model 10 38 Special

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that besides being avid hunters, we also collect firearms. Or wish we could collect firearms. Or wish we had the extra money to collect guns. But you get the point.

I’ve always been a revolver guy and I’ve been looking to pick up an S&W Model 60 in .357. In the course of that search, I managed to aquire an S&W Military and Police Model 10 in .38 Special. It happened to be my late father in law’s and we believe in may have been his first service gun or at least one of his first. My mother in law still had it with the original box, papers and the receipt when he bought it. He paid $125 for it in 1982.

It’s a pretty sweet pistol. There’s just a bit of holster wear, but the trigger still has a nice feel to it. It’s a bit big for conceal carry, which is why I’m looking at a model 60. But it should handle the 38 +P rounds (from what I’ve read) since it’s the k frame. I’m just wondering about its age. It’s just a bit heavy to stick in the small of my back, it’d probably drag my pants down. I’m looking into a holster for that though. He had a number engraved in the side of it, no one is sure what it means.

I’ve been itching to get it out to the range and put a few rounds through it, but haven’t had the opportunity to get out yet. Hopefully that will change in the next couple of weeks as I’m planning on joining the Chisholm Trail Gun Club here. I’ll post back here how it performs just as soon as I fling some lead through it.

Anyway, happy shooting and keep your powder dry.

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Of Guns and Knives

Wow, I can’t believe that summer is half over already. All it seems I’ve done is work. I still have yet to take a vacation. I haven’t even had time to post to the blog. It’s kind of hard to post about hunting when there isn’t any hunting to be done. But that will be remedied in about 2 months when dove season starts and of course, muzzleloading deer season. So here’s what I’ve been up to this summer so far, besides working like a dog at my day job.

I went through conceal carry class and turned in my application. Forty five days and I’ll join the ranks of the CCW crowd. Don’t ask me why I wanted to take it. I don’t necessarily feel scared and need to carry a gun. I did it more for the fact that I could, since Kansas is a CCW state. And to poke my finger at the anti-gun crowd. It will keep the stats way on the positive side and make their lies all the more noticeable. I’m still trying to ultimately decide what I’m going to carry, when I do. I have a Glock model 27, or rather, the good wife does. It was her father’s duty gun, he was in law enforcement for various departments. But I’m not a huge fan of Glocks. I’m more of a revolver guy and have been drawn towards a S&W model 60 in .357. We’ll see, I have time.

Phase 1 of the Bolte Skinner
Phase 1 of the Bolte Skinner

I’ve also done a bit of shooting here and there. The last time out, I went with Keith’s dad out to his gun club and watched a black powder match. I’m really considering joining the club. It’s reasonably priced, but a bit of a drive considering I live roughly 15 minutes from  another range. I’d save money in the long run and could go whenever I wanted if I joined, as opposed to 2 weekends a month at the close range. Plus they have a 200 yard range and lots of different types of shooting out there including cowboy action. OK, I’ve talked myself into it.

The other project I started is making my own skinning knife. I did some reading and saw what some were doing with old hand saw blades. So I got an old saw from my dad, and here is the knife I cut out. I’ve done a little work on the edge, but still have a lot to do. I have some cabinet maple scraps that I’m going to use for a handle. I’m a little skeptical that this blade will hold any kind of edge, it seemed a little soft when I was grinding on it. But we’ll see, it might be more a proof of concept than anything. It’s been fun so far though.

So that’s what I’ve been up to this summer. I’m really looking forward to deer season this year. I have so much to make up for from last season. I also really want to get those Marlins out as well. So what have the rest of you been up to this summer? Anyone ready for hunting season to kick off?

At the Range

I spent Saturday shooting with my hunting buddy. Both Marlins are shooting great at 50 yards. Took some shots with the 50 cal plains rifle (there is only 3 1/2 months until muzzleloading deer season by the way!). And we did a bunch of pistol shooting.

I’m planning on taking my conceal carry exam this summer, but I need more practice before taking the class. I don’t get around to shooting my handguns as much as I should. Keith gave me some good tips and I did pretty well. Another couple of times at the range and I think I’ll be ready. I do need to find a class and get signed up for it. I need to do some looking around and find out who teaches it around here.

The Marlins are doing great so far. Each time I get them out, I’m more and more impressed. No wonder this rifle has been so popular for so many decades. We got the iron sights adjusted for 50 yards. I managed a bullseye at 50 yards with the scoped Marlin. A few more sessions at the range at 100 yards should do the trick for those two rifles.

Keith brought out his 30-40 Krag and put a few rounds down range. What a sweet shooting gun that is. First time out with it and it hardly needed adjusting. Smoothest bolt action I’ve ever felt.

I also managed to get some shooting done with the Plains Rifle. I was pleased with the results, especially after the disappointing year I had last deer hunting season. I seemed to get a better understanding of the site picture. Now I just need more range time to make sure I’m repeating the results.

So, all in all, it was a great day. There’s just nothing better than spending a day shooting with a buddy. I wished I would have remembered a camera. We shot up an old computer of his (sorry Dell!). The Dell logo made a great target circle. And for me, destroying a computer like that just puts my soul at peace. A 50 cal round ball sure puts a nice big hole in the thing!

Keep your powder dry.

Signting In The Marlins, Round 1

Finally had a chance to get the Marlins to the range last weekend. It was my first attempt at sighting in a scoped rifle. We didn’t do to bad. The Good Wife’s shoulder started bothering her after a while so we stopped after we finished up at 50 yards. I guess I need to watch how she’s holding it in her shoulder.

We still have some work to do yet, we were pretty close at 50 yards. Still needed to get the windage in before moving out to 100 with the scoped rifle. I have some adjusting to do with the rear site on the other one, didn’t have the time out there.

The open sight rifle is shooting to the right. So I need to adjust the rear sight some to compensate. I was shooting Federal and Remington rounds through it. The scoped rifle started out to the right and low also. I don’t have much experience shooting a scoped rifle, so it was all new. Can’t say I disliked it. We only shot the Federal ammo in it this time.

Below are the results:

Target from 50 yards from the scoped Marlin
Target from scoped Marlin at 50 yards
Target from 25 and 50 yards from the open sight Marlin
Target from 25 and 50 yards from the open sight Marlin

The Marlins Are Set Up!

I finally have the Marlin 336 rifles set up and I’m ready to get to the range – as soon as I get some time. Seems I’m either busy or their closed. But anyway, we both found straps we like and I finished mounting the scope on the good wife’s rifle yesterday. I decided to leave mine with open sites for the time being. I think they both look pretty nice.

2 Marlin 336's

I really like the straps we found for them. Glynne’ picked hers up at the last gun show we went to. I found mine on eBay.

Marlin Close UpBill's Marlin

I really like the single bullet holder on my strap, although it kinda swallows a 30-30 round. So there they are, ready to get sighted in.

And speaking of 30-30 rounds, has anyone out there used the Hornady LEVERevolution round? It seems to be reasonably priced (I’ve seen it for a lot cheaper than what’s on that page) and the specs look interesting. Just wondered what kind of experience anyone else has had with it out in the field compared to the other rounds from Winchester, Remington and Federal. I use the Winchester Super X in my Enfield and love it. If you haven’t used the Hornady, what’s your favorite 30-30 hunting round?

Charlton Heston’s “A Torch With No Flame”

No one could say it like Chuck could. Let’s never forget or get lazy. And actually, this is pretty sad, when you think about it…

NRANews — November 15, 2009 — Charlton Heston discusses passing on the legacy of the Second Amendment. In this spellbinding performance, the NRA past president challenges Americans to keep freedom’s flame alight from generation to generation. Delivered with unedited authenticity reflecting a deep love for his nation, Mr. Heston’s eloquent message radiates truth as it lights the American way.

Chisholm Trail Gun Show Rifles

Okay so I went little nuts at the Chisholm Trail Antique Gun Show in Wichita Kansas last weekend. I bought five (count em) five guns! I sold two. An Enfield Jungle carbine .303 and a La Corunna Spanish carbine.

I’m left with a Yugoslavian SKS and a pristine Universal M1 carbine. I’ll probably sell or trade the SKS. The M1 I plan to hang onto.

The rifle that has really captured my heart however is the one rifle I almost passed on. I bought a US Springfield Model 1898, 30-40 Krag-Jorgenson. After the US government replaced the Krag with the Springfield model of 1903 (30-06) literally thousands of these fine old Krags were dumped on the market. The NRA obtained a large number of these rifles to sell through the NRA Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The NRA had a number of these CMP Krags “sporterized” by bobbing the barrel to 25 inches and cutting the stock accordingly. AN NRA modified Krag could be purchased through the CMP in the 1930’s for between seven and twenty dollars. For many Americans this was the first opportunity to buy an affordable, bolt action, smokeless powder hunting rifle.

The Krag was prized by hunters for its reliability as well as low cost. To this day the Krag has the smoothest bolt action of any rifle ever produced. The 30-40 round was designed around a 220 grain bottle nosed bullet. At 2200 to 2400 feet per second this round could reliably crack the chest cavity of any North American Game animal.

I bought this rifle the Sunday morning of the gun show. In short order two men told me nostalgic tales of the first deer they ever killed. With a Krag rifle.

The Stauth Musem in Montezuma Kansas houses the mount of the largest elk ever killed until 1957. This elk was harvested with a 30-40 Krag (Man that’s a big elk!).

Ultimately the Krag is cherished to this day for the rifles legendary accuracy. The Krag was banned from military shooting competition soon after it was phased out. The other military weapons of the day simply could not compete (This might only be legend. But when legend meets fact, print the legend!).

This is not to say the Krag did not have its drawbacks as a military firearm. The bolt of the Krag contains only a single locking lug instead of two. Hence the unbeatable smooth action of the Krag is inherently weaker than the Mauser and Enfield. The Krag magazine protrudes from the right side of the weapon. Consequently stripper clips can not be utilized for rapid reloading (Loading single rounds into a magazine in the heat of battle is a serious disadvantage!) Also the Krag magazine can only accommodate five rounds, a disadvantage in a military weapon competing with the Mauser (eight rounds) and the Enfield (ten rounds). The 1903 Springfield that replaced the Krag was closely copied from the Mauser design.

The Krag enjoyed a brief but colorful career in the US history of armed conflict. Krag carbines made the charge up Kettle (often wrongly identified as San Juan) hill in Cuba with Teddy Roosevelt. The Krag also fought the Spanish and the Morro in the Philippine conflict of the same time period.

The US Army Department of Ordinance, impressed by the performance of the Mauser held trials that led to the adoption of the 1903 Springfield.

Recent historians, relying on letters and journals written by soldiers and officers during the conflict find few complaints regarding the Krag and no ill comparison with the Mauser. US Soldiers often described favorably the powerful 30-40 cartridge to the opposition they encountered.

From my own perspective the CMP did a wonderful job in sporterizing the Krag. It feels handy. The twenty-five inch barrel is still rifle length, but definitely preferable to the original thirty inches. Other than being cut to half-stock the rifle maintains its original military dimensions. One can easily discern the original military design of the rifle but unlike most military weapons the Krag is quite slender. Due to the magazine protruding from the side of the rifle the weapon has an almost “needle gun” quality.

Perhaps I have seen too many Mauser’s and Enfield’s in movies depicting WWII and later. The Krag, elegant looking with its old world machinery exposed on one side looks like it belongs in the 19th instead of the twentieth century. In a line of weapons that includes the trapdoor, the Martini-Henry and the rolling block, the Krag looks more like what it is, a bridge to the Mauser’s, Enfield’s and Springfield’s that dominated martial conflict in the twentieth century.

My sporterized Krag seems more at home on safari in Victorian Africa or in an early twentieth century deer or elk camp than on a battle field in the time of mechanized warfare.

In closing I will say that a 30-40 Krag Jorgenson still in original military configuration will cost dearly beginning at around $1,000. A carbine will run over $2,000. An NRA CMP Krag might set you back between $500 and $700. I might mention the workmanship on these conversions is superb.

Ultimately if you enjoy vintage shooting with a rifle in a proven hunting cartridge, a sporterized Krag might just be the ticket!

The Lum