calmex
Member
In the thread:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...-produced-small-numbers.html?highlight=calmex
I talked about the fact that I actually have a S&W 3904 down here -- how I wish it was a 3906 -- and I've had several little adventures with it. It's a rockin' gun to own as a Canadian civilian living in Mexico.
Recently, my best friend and fellow gun-club member Michael bought himself a sailboat in the harbor of Mazatlan. The boat was going for a very low price as it was wooden hulled and not "de moda" but had an excellent history and was in excellent shape with no rot or detioration. He bought it from the former owners who had owned it for a quarter-century and had kept up the maintenance. Michael himself has sailed across the Atlantic several times, once all alone which I guess is a bit of a trick, so he knows sailboats. This is the boat, although it's name has changed (to protect the innocent):
As we are entering December, Ice Cream sales are at rock-bottom until the kids get out of school for Christmas. I hate this time of year. We don't sell enough to cover the bills and it's kind of cold up here in the Central Highlands at night and day-time tempuratures hover in the low 70's. Brutal. Even reading books about Stalingrad can barely shake off the shivers. So when Michael asked me if I'd like to go down to Mazatlan with him to "prepare the boat" for the winter boating season, I couldn't refuse. Mazatlan is on the coast, and it's WARM right now. Mid-80's. None of this low 70's rubbish.
A quick check of my handgun transportation permit (yes, here they even list the amount of ammo you can transport and in which calibers) confirmed that Sinaloa is a State I can transport in.
So, it was off to the boat for us. A 10 hour drive from San Miguel (through two different Police/Military check-points) put us in Mazatlan around 9:00 PM and it was warmish. The next morning I tood a quick photo of myself with the 3904 below-decks. Yes, I'm dressed like a tourist. Did I mention it was warmish?
Most of the time, the gun sat quietly in the top drawer of the little storage area to the left side of the photo here of where I slept during the trip. Forward cabin and all that.
Why get the SUV out of the parking lot and maybe lose the spot in the shade when you can take Mazatlan Taxi's to provision? 35 years ago when I first visited Mazatlan, the Taxis were golf carts outfitted with VW Bug engines. Now, they are a mass-produced fiberglass body on a VW chassis. But they are a riot all the same.
There's a great Walmart (and a Diary Queen!!) close to the marina and when you get back, there's a "community wheelbarrow" to get provisions out to the slip.
And then we were off! We stayed out for a couple of days on the "shake-down" cruise. We caught some fish and we BBQ'd steaks from the fridge and ate Idaho mashed potatoes and drank a reasonable amount of Pacifico Beer. I kept playing with the steering wheel. I rather enjoyed it. Here's a just after sunset shot of us coming into the Lee of Venado (deer) Island off the coast of Mazatlan to anchor down for the evening.
While anchored off-shore, I hung the 3904 just above my berth in the Galco holster. The white lettering on the slide is part of an engraved "Marine Custom Shop" logo, the shop in Queretaro where I had the frame baked back when I got the gun.
I load the gun with a 140 grain Saeco lead-cast SWC loaded to 1,020 fps from the 4 inch barrel. I originally had the .204 sight on the gun and it shot high so I installed a .228 sight and then it shot low. Right now, I have cut down the .228 sight to impact where I want it to and lightly serrated it and painted it orange. Purists might agonize but it works well for me this way.
All in all, a great trip! My friend's "boat gun" is a 2.5 inch Model 19/15 nickled version loaded with the Elmer Keith Heavy Duty load in .38 cases. I simply was too stupid to photograph it, but have requested he send me a photo of it today (he's still on the boat, although now with his family for the Christmas Holidays). I should get that later today or tomorrow and I'll add it to the thread.
Another adventure for my Model 3904 here in Mexico! I'm back in San Miguel now, and it's definitely long-sleeve-shirt and long pants weather here. Which is a total turn-off, but what can one do? In another month it will be warming up again.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...-produced-small-numbers.html?highlight=calmex
I talked about the fact that I actually have a S&W 3904 down here -- how I wish it was a 3906 -- and I've had several little adventures with it. It's a rockin' gun to own as a Canadian civilian living in Mexico.
Recently, my best friend and fellow gun-club member Michael bought himself a sailboat in the harbor of Mazatlan. The boat was going for a very low price as it was wooden hulled and not "de moda" but had an excellent history and was in excellent shape with no rot or detioration. He bought it from the former owners who had owned it for a quarter-century and had kept up the maintenance. Michael himself has sailed across the Atlantic several times, once all alone which I guess is a bit of a trick, so he knows sailboats. This is the boat, although it's name has changed (to protect the innocent):
As we are entering December, Ice Cream sales are at rock-bottom until the kids get out of school for Christmas. I hate this time of year. We don't sell enough to cover the bills and it's kind of cold up here in the Central Highlands at night and day-time tempuratures hover in the low 70's. Brutal. Even reading books about Stalingrad can barely shake off the shivers. So when Michael asked me if I'd like to go down to Mazatlan with him to "prepare the boat" for the winter boating season, I couldn't refuse. Mazatlan is on the coast, and it's WARM right now. Mid-80's. None of this low 70's rubbish.
A quick check of my handgun transportation permit (yes, here they even list the amount of ammo you can transport and in which calibers) confirmed that Sinaloa is a State I can transport in.
So, it was off to the boat for us. A 10 hour drive from San Miguel (through two different Police/Military check-points) put us in Mazatlan around 9:00 PM and it was warmish. The next morning I tood a quick photo of myself with the 3904 below-decks. Yes, I'm dressed like a tourist. Did I mention it was warmish?
Most of the time, the gun sat quietly in the top drawer of the little storage area to the left side of the photo here of where I slept during the trip. Forward cabin and all that.
Why get the SUV out of the parking lot and maybe lose the spot in the shade when you can take Mazatlan Taxi's to provision? 35 years ago when I first visited Mazatlan, the Taxis were golf carts outfitted with VW Bug engines. Now, they are a mass-produced fiberglass body on a VW chassis. But they are a riot all the same.
There's a great Walmart (and a Diary Queen!!) close to the marina and when you get back, there's a "community wheelbarrow" to get provisions out to the slip.
And then we were off! We stayed out for a couple of days on the "shake-down" cruise. We caught some fish and we BBQ'd steaks from the fridge and ate Idaho mashed potatoes and drank a reasonable amount of Pacifico Beer. I kept playing with the steering wheel. I rather enjoyed it. Here's a just after sunset shot of us coming into the Lee of Venado (deer) Island off the coast of Mazatlan to anchor down for the evening.
While anchored off-shore, I hung the 3904 just above my berth in the Galco holster. The white lettering on the slide is part of an engraved "Marine Custom Shop" logo, the shop in Queretaro where I had the frame baked back when I got the gun.
I load the gun with a 140 grain Saeco lead-cast SWC loaded to 1,020 fps from the 4 inch barrel. I originally had the .204 sight on the gun and it shot high so I installed a .228 sight and then it shot low. Right now, I have cut down the .228 sight to impact where I want it to and lightly serrated it and painted it orange. Purists might agonize but it works well for me this way.
All in all, a great trip! My friend's "boat gun" is a 2.5 inch Model 19/15 nickled version loaded with the Elmer Keith Heavy Duty load in .38 cases. I simply was too stupid to photograph it, but have requested he send me a photo of it today (he's still on the boat, although now with his family for the Christmas Holidays). I should get that later today or tomorrow and I'll add it to the thread.
Another adventure for my Model 3904 here in Mexico! I'm back in San Miguel now, and it's definitely long-sleeve-shirt and long pants weather here. Which is a total turn-off, but what can one do? In another month it will be warming up again.
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(everybody knew he was there anyways). Must've been good sailing weather because Baja had strong north westerlies the whole ten days I was there.Wore a sweater and long pants the whole time.
