My original orphan child rescued from the back corner of a dusty pawn shop shelf, and now all cleaned up and posture corrected has been pestering me for a nicer set of clothes to wear, so today at the gun show I located a nice pair of stag grips for it and bought them...But my orphan has been lonely in the safe with all the other newer guns, and yearned for a little brother who might be of similar age and shape that it might have more in common with...
So while buying the new/old grips, something shiny caught my eye on another table across the eye...This old timer was also orphaned and really needed a new home...It is the spittin' image of my first orphan only smaller, and I believe even older, same caliber though...So since it did not have a birth certificate, I beg the indulgence of my friends here in exactly identifying the newcomer...
S/N 8599XX on the butt, which if this is the M&P I think it is, dates it as a war gun 1940-45...Being unfamiliar with older warhorses, I'm puzzled by the 2.25" barrel which has no markings, not even caliber, but has the identical shape and profile of its bigger brother except for the lack of an ejector rod housing, as well as the same half-moon front sight...I already know the nickel finish is not original, but the sideplate fits flush in the 5-screw frame so it appears to be a good job...
Even though the caliber is unmarked, the seller said he had shot it himself, and ID'ed it as .38 Spl...I loaded it at home and .38 Spl. cartridges fit the cylinder...Now my challenge is to find matching stag grips for this one, and since I promised the first orphan a nice crossdraw holster, its new bratty sibling is whining for a shoulder holster in matching leather...Exactly when did I lose control of this orphanage house?...
...Ben
So while buying the new/old grips, something shiny caught my eye on another table across the eye...This old timer was also orphaned and really needed a new home...It is the spittin' image of my first orphan only smaller, and I believe even older, same caliber though...So since it did not have a birth certificate, I beg the indulgence of my friends here in exactly identifying the newcomer...
S/N 8599XX on the butt, which if this is the M&P I think it is, dates it as a war gun 1940-45...Being unfamiliar with older warhorses, I'm puzzled by the 2.25" barrel which has no markings, not even caliber, but has the identical shape and profile of its bigger brother except for the lack of an ejector rod housing, as well as the same half-moon front sight...I already know the nickel finish is not original, but the sideplate fits flush in the 5-screw frame so it appears to be a good job...
Even though the caliber is unmarked, the seller said he had shot it himself, and ID'ed it as .38 Spl...I loaded it at home and .38 Spl. cartridges fit the cylinder...Now my challenge is to find matching stag grips for this one, and since I promised the first orphan a nice crossdraw holster, its new bratty sibling is whining for a shoulder holster in matching leather...Exactly when did I lose control of this orphanage house?...
...Ben
...Ben
...Ben
...Ben
