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I believe guns are purchased for two reasons, those selected out of necessity and with purpose, and those that are selected strictly for enjoyment and are not required to meet a practical test of usefulness. Buying a gun that meets the first objective is easy, the second is tough, and sometimes it seems only hair splitting separates the two categories. So how do we select guns ? Category 1 – Firearms used for hunting take into consideration the size of the game, typical shooting distances, applicable laws, and the skill level of the hunter. That means a .30/06, unless you live in a shotgun – for – deer – only state, which means you probably need to move before you can get a decent gun. After consideration, you quickly realize the .30/06 is too obvious and too boring, and begin finessing the selection criteria until you cross the line and end up in Category II – discretionary selection. Soon it’s midnight, gun catalogs sprawled out all over the kitchen table, or 10 browser windows open to manufacturer’s sites, and the defining specs are growing more bizarre with each passing moment: Must not drop more than .5″ at 500 yards with a 200 yard zero Eventually you come to the conclusion you can’t merge a .223 and a .600 NE to come up with the perfect solution. What happens when you come to this crossroads of conflict ? That depends mostly upon your personal level of patience, how committed you are to specific objectives, how much you really want a particular gun, and how many fabricated reasons you can find to support a buy decision. This past week I went to several gun stores in search of a firearm with personality, something that would be fun to work with and interesting to write about. After picking up countless synthetic and wood stocked wonders from just about every manufacturer, keeping in mind what I already owned to avoid redundancy, I decided on an Ultra Lightweight Weatherby in .240 WM. I liked the idea of a hyper .243, a deer-boar-black bear rifle, right below my 7mm Mag. Unlike the next rung up on the Weatherby ladder of magnumosity – the .257 WM, the .240 is fitted with the downsized Mark V action, weighs only 5 3/4 lbs, has a 24″ fluted stainless barrel, and looks and feels really good. The picture is what it would look like, prior to adding an appropriate scope that would cost half again as much as the rifle –
The Ultra Lightweight is not to be confused with the .240 Weatherby Synthetic, which does not have a fiberglass stock, but rather an injected molded plastic toy stock, and metal work fit and finish consistent with worn out industrial plumbing. So I bought a gun. Unfortunately, when I got home and looked at my receipt, it indicated I had purchased a .45 Long Colt Ruger Bisley, with a 7.5″ barrel. While the differences between the Weatherby and the Ruger are admittedly miniscule, still, there should have been enough clues to prevent me from making this error. What did happen ? You can anything you want, as long as it’s what I’ve got The first gun store had a .308 Ultra Lightweight. The only reason the .308 was ever produced, was to create the opportunity for someone to come along and neck it down to .243. So I asked for the same gun, only in .240 WM. “How about the same thing in .257 WM ? I have one in stock”, was the response. So I thought about it; different cartridge, different action and barrel, one pound heavier, different ballistics bracket, and a special bonus of a $200 higher price tag. “Nope. Can you get a .240 ?”, figured I’d try. Followed by the dreaded, “My distributor doesn’t have one so I’ll have to go direct to Weatherby. You know how they are. No telling how……” The voice trailed off as the door closed behind me. Second attempt, gun store 2. Right up on the rack, a .240 Ultra Lightweight, so I took a look – me and apparently 100 or so other people. This gun had more wear and tear than my 40 year old Marlin. Scratched receiver, dent at the muzzle, large scratch on the forearm and a price tag $200 above retail. So I lead with, “This thing is pretty beat up. Do you have one in the box ?”. Followed by a response without actually checking, “That’s the only one”. I stood there in this very large, and very empty gun store, thinking through a decision. Let me see, $1,200 for a rifle that has a retail price of $1,000, badly shop worn… I must of missed the sign, the one that reads “This is the only gun store in the Western United States and this is the only rifle.” More so, I was getting ticked at Weatherby, both stores were authorized factory dealers. I gave up on the Weatherby, or at least lost any positive interest, and decided I’d go to the local range and punch some holes in paper. Very nice people, and they seem to actually like guns. We were talking about single action Rugers, when the guy behind the counter told me he had just sold a .45 Bisley he had been stuck with for 7 months, the result of a customer backing out of a purchase. But the closing comment was, “Hey, you want one ? I can have another one in for you tomorrow.” Sold. I’m really looking forward to this. Maybe I’ve overdosed on slick paramilitary auto’s and fiberglass stocked magnums. I can load the .45 Long Colt almost up to my .44 Mag loads, and down for cowboy action loads – and I don’t even know what cowboy action loads are, but I’m looking forward to finding out. I picked up a set of dies, shell plates and holders, and some 260 and 300 grain JHP’s. I’ve got my combination deer-boar-black bear gun, about half the weight of the Weatherby, no immediate need for a scope and the basis for the next few articles. Thanks, |
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