Random 3rd Gen Thoughts...

[BAM-BAM]

However, I am negotiating with Arik to rent a room in his house so I can gain dual MA-PA residency. I should be able to double the size of my collection within 6 months!

Careful large parts of that end of the State are a lot like Mass. or NJ or NY as we failed to blow the bridges soon enough and we ended up with Liberal creep.

There's an old expression in politics; Pa is Philadelphia, Pittsburgh with (a T shaped) Alabama in the middle. The "Burbs of the Burgh" are a lot like North Carolina an easygoing blend......... plus we spend our summers on the OBX!!!!


OBX the Western Pa and Eastern Ohio Riviera!

 

[petepeterson]

Careful large parts of that end of the State are a lot like Mass. or NJ or NY as we failed to blow the bridges soon enough and we ended up with Liberal creep.

There's an old expression in politics; Pa is Philadelphia, Pittsburgh with (a T shaped) Alabama in the middle. The "Burbs of the Burgh" are a lot like North Carolina an easygoing blend......... plus we spend our summers on the OBX!!!!


OBX the Western Pa and Eastern Ohio Riviera!

Everyone thinks PA is pine trees, potholes, and whitetails. I'm guessing Arik neglected to mention he lives in a suburb of Beirut.

 

[TTSH]

Careful large parts of that end of the State are a lot like Mass. or NJ or NY as we failed to blow the bridges soon enough and we ended up with Liberal creep.

There's an old expression in politics; Pa is Philadelphia, Pittsburgh with (a T shaped) Alabama in the middle. The "Burbs of the Burgh" are a lot like North Carolina an easygoing blend......... plus we spend our summers on the OBX!!!!

OBX the Western Pa and Eastern Ohio Riviera!

Everyone thinks PA is pine trees, potholes, and whitetails. I'm guessing Arik neglected to mention he lives in a suburb of Beirut.

You two characters are missing the point! Arik appears to live in a virtual dreamland for gun collectors. I don't care about the politics, the pine trees or the deer! I just want to score a bunch of collectible guns down there that I can't find or can't legally buy up here behind enemy lines!

 

[BAM-BAM]

You two characters are missing the point! Arik appears to live in a virtual dreamland for gun collectors. I don't care about the politics, the pine trees or the deer! I just want to score a bunch of collectible guns down there that I can't find or can't legally buy up here behind enemy lines!

Pete..... maybe it is a good thing to keep him out of this end of the State......what he doesn't know won't hurt us!!!!!!!!! He'd want us to show him our best "fishing" holes!!!!


Remember the days when Phila. wouldn't recognize Pa concealed carry permits........ took an constitutional amendment to fix that! Ah life on the "Main Line"!

 

[Arik]

Ha! You guys are a riot!!!!

I may be close(er) to NJ but the laws are still PA laws!

Philadelphia is a weird city in how it's good and bad sections are layed out. Center city is not in the center, it's to the south. Center city and old city is nice and expensive. A lot of history as well. This is the green zone. Step out of that and you better have a squad with you. Then it start to get better. I live in the NE suburbs next to a a part of the city called NE Philadelphia. This part of the city was last to be incorporated into the city ....about 100 years ago so its the last of the city farm land. It's all mainly single houses middle class. ....good area. I'm about 15 miles north of that.

To be fair the city is experiencing a large gentrification movement. What were ghettos 15 - 20 years ago are now rehabed, rebuilt and not cheap. Typical residents are young people and young families who are making good money and want to live within walking or taxi distance of everything. That and yuppies and hipsters. Say whatever you want about that last group but they won't rob you or shoot you for making eye contact. That being said we (Philadelphia) still have the largest open air drug market in the US!!! Yeay us!!! I don't know if it still stand true but back 10 years ago if you were a male between 18 and 28 and lived around Broad and Allegheny you had a better chance of being shot then if you were an infantry soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan



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[CoronaDan]

It's been said that a criminal's favorite gun is the one you leave unattended in your car. I've come out of a restaurant from lunch to see the window of the truck next to mine broken and the center console open. Assume that's what happened. I wouldn't have a truck gun.

Just to be clear, for me "truck gun" is a generic term that means any gun of a cosmetic state that with the addition of one more or one hundred more scratches and dings does not cause its owner angst.

I do not and will not leave a gun in the center console or glove compartment even for a short time. When I have traveled and had to leave the gun in the vehicle for even a short period of time - and never overnight - it's in a locked case secured with a steel cable around the seat base.

Oh. And I don't even have a truck. But I do have a big ol SUV.

 

[TTSH]

Just to be clear, for me "truck gun" is a generic term that means any gun of a cosmetic state that with the addition of one more or one hundred more scratches and dings does not cause its owner angst.

I do not and will not leave a gun in the center console or glove compartment even for a short time. When I have traveled and had to leave the gun in the vehicle for even a short period of time - and never overnight - it's in a locked case secured with a steel cable around the seat base.

Oh. And I don't even have a truck. But I do have a big ol SUV. ��

I guess the closest thing I have to a "truck gun" (by your definition) might be my Model 4046 (one of the very first 3rd Gens I ever bought). No, it's not really super-ratty but it seems to fit the bill otherwise. It's big, it's heavy, it's a little worn in spots and it was dirt cheap. It wears old Hogues just because I was too lazy to ever change them. It has no box and no collector value whatsoever... although I own a ton of pre-ban mags for it and for my much cleaner/nicer 4006. And as one S&W factory rep put it: If it doesn't shoot, you can always hit the perp over the head with it. It could also function as a boat anchor or wheel chock in a pinch.

My "used & abused" CS40 is much rattier, but I think it's too small to be a good "truck gun." My "used & abused" SD40VE is rattier too but wouldn't have the same effect if I tried to use it as a bludgeon or a boat anchor.

Nope... it would have to be my 4046. That's the ticket!

 

[GaryS]

It took me about a year to find a nice Model 18 at a shop. I haven't seen one for sale since and that was about five years ago.

I think part of whatever is going on is that more and more people have discovered the value and performance of the 3rd Gen guns and aren't as eager to trade them in for a polymer framed gun as they were early on.

I've looked in a couple of other states (just looking of course) and don't see a lot of 3rd Gen guns in shops. Private sales and gun shows might be different.

OTOH, in many states you can find guns at yard sales and estate sales. The closest I ever came to that in MA was a Model 60... box.

It is certainly a brisk business up here in discontinued "all-metal" S&W handguns, both semi-autos and pre-IL revolvers. There are never enough nice used ones to go around. Every dealer I visit is begging for them. They say they can never get enough. My endless hunt for a nice condition pre-IL Model 17 or 18 at a decent price will likely always be that... i.e., "endless"!

While there is no question about the cyclic nature of 3rd Gen availability up here in MA, I really do think it is getting worse overall. I am looking farther and more often... but finding less. As I look back on 2014 and 2015 and compare it to 2016 to date (with particular emphasis on certain top volume sources), the numbers and quality just aren't there anymore.

Yes, the occasional "big score" is still possible. You've proven that! And think about the "Ultimate 1006" that I found (and stupidly walked away from)... so it is still possible. On the other hand, I can name a dozen formerly top sources off the top of my head that have produced nothing lately but disappointment.

The good news is that I'm happy with where I am today and have no specific plans to expand the 3rd Gen collection any further for the rest of this year. If something super-nice comes along... great! But there are no "must have" 3rd Gens left on my list or in my budget for 2016.

 

[GaryS]

Even if the law here didn't require a locked case, I'd keep my gun in a locked case. I've done that when I've had to go into a place where I couldn't carry. I'd never just toss it under a seat, into a glove box, or even the center console of my pick up truck.

Just to be clear, for me "truck gun" is a generic term that means any gun of a cosmetic state that with the addition of one more or one hundred more scratches and dings does not cause its owner angst.

I do not and will not leave a gun in the center console or glove compartment even for a short time. When I have traveled and had to leave the gun in the vehicle for even a short period of time - and never overnight - it's in a locked case secured with a steel cable around the seat base.

Oh. And I don't even have a truck. But I do have a big ol SUV.

 

[GaryS]

A number of years ago, I was participating in a charity bicycle ride from Boston, MA to Roanoke, VA. Our route brought us through Philadelphia. One of my responsibilities was to arrange for police escorts. I called the PPD and got a Sergeant in the Traffic Division. He was able to arrange an escort for us and designated a meeting spot in a parking lot just inside the city limits in north Philadelphia.

He gave explicit directions NOT to move from the parking lot until the Traffic "jeeps" showed up. When they did and escorted us through that part of the city, I fully understood why.

Ha! You guys are a riot!!!!

I may be close(er) to NJ but the laws are still PA laws!

Philadelphia is a weird city in how it's good and bad sections are layed out. Center city is not in the center, it's to the south. Center city and old city is nice and expensive. A lot of history as well. This is the green zone. Step out of that and you better have a squad with you. Then it start to get better. I live in the NE suburbs next to a a part of the city called NE Philadelphia. This part of the city was last to be incorporated into the city ....about 100 years ago so its the last of the city farm land. It's all mainly single houses middle class. ....good area. I'm about 15 miles north of that.

To be fair the city is experiencing a large gentrification movement. What were ghettos 15 - 20 years ago are now rehabed, rebuilt and not cheap. Typical residents are young people and young families who are making good money and want to live within walking or taxi distance of everything. That and yuppies and hipsters. Say whatever you want about that last group but they won't rob you or shoot you for making eye contact. That being said we (Philadelphia) still have the largest open air drug market in the US!!! Yeay us!!! I don't know if it still stand true but back 10 years ago if you were a male between 18 and 28 and lived around Broad and Allegheny you had a better chance of being shot then if you were an infantry soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan



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[GaryS]

I drove from MA to Louisville, KY for the NRA show. PA is all pine trees, potholes, and (dead) whitetails.

My route took me through Scranton, State College, south of Pittsburgh, into WV. There is a lot of nothing but farms and trees in that part of the state.

OTOH, I'd love to go deer hunting out there. Even I would be able to get one.

Everyone thinks PA is pine trees, potholes, and whitetails. I'm guessing Arik neglected to mention he lives in a suburb of Beirut.

 

[Arik]

A number of years ago, I was participating in a charity bicycle ride from Boston, MA to Roanoke, VA. Our route brought us through Philadelphia. One of my responsibilities was to arrange for police escorts. I called the PPD and got a Sergeant in the Traffic Division. He was able to arrange an escort for us and designated a meeting spot in a parking lot just inside the city limits in north Philadelphia.

He gave explicit directions NOT to move from the parking lot until the Traffic "jeeps" showed up. When they did and escorted us through that part of the city, I fully understood why.

Lol.

N. Philly is a large section. It encompasses a bunch of neighborhoods. Parts of those are now completely gentrified.

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[kaveman]

..... although I own a ton of pre-ban mags for it......

How many 11rd mags in a pre-ban ton?

Couldn't help myself,.......

 

[TTSH]

How many 11rd mags in a pre-ban ton?

Couldn't help myself,.......

It's okay Kave! Answer: I stopped counting them at a dozen. Real answer? 15 or 16 maybe?

 

[kaveman]

Nah,...my point was that the only pistols I'll save 'ban period' magazines for are the 4046 and the Beretta .40 Cougar. 10rder 'ban' magazines compared to 11rder 'pre-ban' magazines,........I can't get too worked up about one round. In fact, if counting was one of my strengths I would be inclined to load them all to ten rounds for consistency but I can't do higher math while shooting so I just keep squeezing off until slide lock.

 

[TTSH]

Nah,...my point was that the only pistols I'll save 'ban period' magazines for are the 4046 and the Beretta .40 Cougar. 10rder 'ban' magazines compared to 11rder 'pre-ban' magazines,........I can't get too worked up about one round. In fact, if counting was one of my strengths I would be inclined to load them all to ten rounds for consistency but I can't do higher math while shooting so I just keep squeezing off until slide lock.

Yeah, not a whole lot of difference. But the good news (for me anyway) is that pre-ban 4006/4046 magazines have been extremely plentiful and relatively cheap up here. However, they aren't plentiful or cheap any longer because poor old TTSH has bought them all up!

 

[TTSH]

It took me about a year to find a nice Model 18 at a shop. I haven't seen one for sale since and that was about five years ago.

A nice, pristine... and reasonably affordable... Model 18 (or 4" Model 17-6) has been my grail gun from long before I ever discovered 3rd Gens. But I couldn't afford one then and I still can't afford one now.

And I'll buy a new Model 617 4" with the butt-ugly (you-know-what) in place of my Model 18 (or 17) right after Hell freezes over solid.

In fact, I bought a Ruger SP-101 .22LR in place of the above just because I couldn't stand the (you-know-what) and now guess what? It looks like I may soon be doing it again in another caliber. Ruger thanks S&W every day for the business they've gained all over the ugly (you-know-what).

 

[oldman10mm]

well the 'King'(per TTSH) scored well at the Medina Ohio gun show. Two OWB holsters for 4" revolver and Beretta Cougar,brass-35Rem & 357Sig(for the future as I'm looking for a Beretta 8357 Cougar) and mags.
Mags are 3913 8rd 2@$20 each,an older 39 7rd for $25,a 40 10rd double stacker for $15 and a 59 20rd for $30.
Show attendance was very low,probably had high attendance yesterday Saturday,and talk of the show was the Orlando situation.
3rd gens I saw were:4046 for 375,a 5906 at 335,a 5946 at 335 and a 6906 for 335. Wasn't there for firearms so they'll still probably be there the next Medina show,if not OK.

 

[GaryS]

I went to a large, non local gun shop today. They take a lot of trade ins, but don't seem interested in keeping the accessories with the guns. As a result, they have a large bin with magazines as well as a box (this time) with a load of holsters. They also seem to take in a lot of police trade ins as this time there was a box with duty belts, holsters, belts, magazine and handcuff case holders.

None of that interested me, but I never go here without digging through the magazine bin.

Today's finds were two x59 magazines with metal base plates. They fit and function in my 5906, but are either very early 3rd Gen or 2nd Gen. Definitely pre ban for the guy here who obsesses about that.

Also to 39xx compact magazines with the preferred (by me) flat base plates.

Finally, one CS9 7 round magazine with the finger hook base plate.

The 2nd Gen mags will be sold on as soon as I get them cleaned up. Not sure about the others yet.

Oh, left behind were two either CS45 or pre rail 4513TSW six round magazines. I seem to remember that they are NOT the same and I didn't know how to tell which was which. They were also more than I wanted to spend on speculation. Probably someone here is grimacing about that.

 

[oldman10mm]

do the metal floorplates indicate a pre-ban vintage ?