John Frederick Bell
Member
A little over a month ago I got hired on a gun store as their new gun plumber. Which is nice, because for the year prior I was out of work, and it was lousy.
So the good news is that I got work. The better news is that it's even in the field of my degree (always a decided plus) and because the store prices are fairly high and the inventory geared more towards high-end and black rifle products, I have much less temptation to spend stray money. If true, this may account for the one time that working at firearms retail joint prompted the saving of money, but no matter.
Then it happened. Right there on the consignment rack. One Smith & Wesson Victory model...or what remained. So-so nickel job, shortened barrel with what looked like the hacked-up remnants of the original front sight soldered back on (crooked), plugged lanyard ring...weirdest homemade grips you ever saw. Looked like tree bark. And me being the kind of benighted soul who looks at a trainwreck and sees potential, I got to thinking.
Between the fact it'd been there going on two years and chambered in 38 S&W management was willing to deal some. It went back to the shop with me. Figured if I couldn't make it run at least it'd be a cool paperweight.
See also, trainwreck with potential.
Funny thing is, once you got past the uglies this one isn't too bad. Got the lanyard ring plug drilled out. Took the barrel off. Set it in a bowl of room temperature nickel stripper and found out it was refinished back when plating called for an initial copper plating first, so for a couple of days we had a weirdly steampunk-looking wheelgun loafing around the corner of my bench.
...I told you that story to tell you this story.
When hunting parts and information I was aware (albeit dimly) that there was another S&W Victory out there, this one being a .22 pistol. Being as I don't trifle much with smallbore stuff this didn't bother me especially.
And then I started having to filter searches. Okay, no problem. Let's see what we can find under M&P parts...
Well, I stepped in that one. The non-M&P M&P has been a thing for a while now.
But what I'd like to know...which idiot came up with this brilliance of re-hashing old names? And why? I can see a certain logic in tying new products back to the halcyon days when every cop in America carried or a S&W K-frame .38 (or a heathen Colt) but why bring back an entirely different animal under the same name? Call it an M&PII (guess now they've got those, too) or a V2000 or...something.
Now...this isn't to say anything against the new M&P line. I've shot one and had friends and relations who love theirs. By all accounts it's a pretty solid pistol. I haven't played with the .22 Victory any and won't speak ill of it until that changes, but....
How long before we see an .357 auto come out as the Registered Magnum? Or another New American? Or worse...start classifying automatics by revolver frame sizes? If they build an auto that doesn't cycle reliably, will it become the next-generation Hand Ejector?
Will this madness never end?
So the good news is that I got work. The better news is that it's even in the field of my degree (always a decided plus) and because the store prices are fairly high and the inventory geared more towards high-end and black rifle products, I have much less temptation to spend stray money. If true, this may account for the one time that working at firearms retail joint prompted the saving of money, but no matter.
Then it happened. Right there on the consignment rack. One Smith & Wesson Victory model...or what remained. So-so nickel job, shortened barrel with what looked like the hacked-up remnants of the original front sight soldered back on (crooked), plugged lanyard ring...weirdest homemade grips you ever saw. Looked like tree bark. And me being the kind of benighted soul who looks at a trainwreck and sees potential, I got to thinking.
Between the fact it'd been there going on two years and chambered in 38 S&W management was willing to deal some. It went back to the shop with me. Figured if I couldn't make it run at least it'd be a cool paperweight.
See also, trainwreck with potential.
Funny thing is, once you got past the uglies this one isn't too bad. Got the lanyard ring plug drilled out. Took the barrel off. Set it in a bowl of room temperature nickel stripper and found out it was refinished back when plating called for an initial copper plating first, so for a couple of days we had a weirdly steampunk-looking wheelgun loafing around the corner of my bench.
...I told you that story to tell you this story.
When hunting parts and information I was aware (albeit dimly) that there was another S&W Victory out there, this one being a .22 pistol. Being as I don't trifle much with smallbore stuff this didn't bother me especially.
And then I started having to filter searches. Okay, no problem. Let's see what we can find under M&P parts...
Well, I stepped in that one. The non-M&P M&P has been a thing for a while now.
But what I'd like to know...which idiot came up with this brilliance of re-hashing old names? And why? I can see a certain logic in tying new products back to the halcyon days when every cop in America carried or a S&W K-frame .38 (or a heathen Colt) but why bring back an entirely different animal under the same name? Call it an M&PII (guess now they've got those, too) or a V2000 or...something.
Now...this isn't to say anything against the new M&P line. I've shot one and had friends and relations who love theirs. By all accounts it's a pretty solid pistol. I haven't played with the .22 Victory any and won't speak ill of it until that changes, but....
How long before we see an .357 auto come out as the Registered Magnum? Or another New American? Or worse...start classifying automatics by revolver frame sizes? If they build an auto that doesn't cycle reliably, will it become the next-generation Hand Ejector?
Will this madness never end?
