Old guns, revolvers, and walnut wooden stocks.

AL45 · April 23, 2018, 08:17 PM

Tom T. Hall had a hit song called, "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine." I changed the words up for the title of this post. I was thinking about these things after visiting 5 local gunshops. Mostly because these things were very lacking in our gunshops and I'm wondering if the trend will continue. One gunshop had no revolvers, two had two revolvers and the other two shops had only a handful. There wasn't enough walnut to build a cigar box and there were very very few used guns. I guess today's song is "Black guns and plastic and semi-autos with long mags."

3Crows · April 23, 2018, 08:39 PM

I like plastic guns and laminate and stainless. I do enjoy blue and walnut as well. Each has a purpose and different appreciation. I am a gun user, not a collector, so guns that have purpose and usefulness and can stand up to the occasional abuse or soaking and even life in the salt marsh or boat have an appeal to me. Function before beauty but if they can function and be beautiful that is even better.

AL45 · April 23, 2018, 08:51 PM

I'm like you 3crows. I shoot the hound out of my guns. I guess I am just old fashioned. I like wood and never saw the use in a semi-auto unless I'm in a shoot out which will probably never happen. Ironically, I carry a Sig P238 simply because it is easier to carry than my former Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum. I'm certainly all for everyone being allowed to own the gun of their choice and respect their choice. I just feel like the gunshops around here are a little narrow-minded. I can't possibly be the only metal, wood and revolver guy in these parts.

**4V50 Gary** · April 23, 2018, 09:06 PM

I still enjoy revolvers. I cut my teeth on them and mastered the DA trigger before I attended the academy. Didn't want to wash out because I couldn't shoot.

5whiskey · April 23, 2018, 09:29 PM

AL45, I too notice that most gun shops around here cater much more to the polymer, striker-fired, AR, etc. crowd. I have several shops I drop in from time to time, along with Cabelas. To be fair, Cabelas does have everything so I can't bash them (other than their prices)... but one shop that is fairly new (3-4 years) has been doing great business locally. There is a reason for it... the owner hired two great guys to manage it and he doesn't care about producing a profit right away, he just wants to grow the business. The managers take care of anything anyone needs, have gotten blue label/LEO pricing from almost all major manufacturers, and to boot their price is on par with the cheapest gunbroker price when you figure shipping and transfer fees on all firearms I've checked. At any rate, they are a tactical wonder store. They occasionally obtain a nice pistol to display and sell (at a price that is less than competitive, I guess they're counting on impulse purchases) but mostly they carry a lot of ARs, Mossberg shockwaves, Glocks, Sig P320s, and CZ P10s. A smattering of 1911s, usually the likes of the Sig Scorpion with synthetic grips and duracoat finishes. No revolvers. No milsurp. Actually no rifles other than ARs or the latest wonder tactical precision sniper bolt gun.

The other shop is much older, and does still have a passable selection of revolvers. Almost all of those but a smattering are S&W though, and virtually none of those blued, with only a few Rugers on hand. They used to have a whole display rack dedicated to lever action rifles of all flavors, from the cheaper Marlin 336 to some of the nicer Henry, Marlin 1895s, and on occasion a Winchester '94 used. Their prices were really high, but they were usually quite negotiable and you could get down to almost reasonable range. These days? I walked in a few weeks ago and found 2 centerfire lever action rifles, and one was that ungodly "tactical" thing. Their revolver selection had shrank even more. The only thing they had going for them is they had a healthy selection of 1911s from Springfield, Ruger, RIA, and a couple others. Oh, and they had zero milsurp that I could find (they used to have a good selection, but as little as a year ago they still had a couple of the main rifles like the enfield, mauser, Springfield, et al laying around).

I'm afraid these guys have to cater to what makes them money. It is business, and I understand it. I make custom holsters on the side, and I wonder at some of the things people want me to make. But alas, most people wonder at me preferring a thumb break pancake holster everywhere, even when I CCW. I will happily make an open top avenger, or an IWB appendix cross-draw for the right price... even though I would never carry that way.

**Aguila Blanca** · April 24, 2018, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5whiskey

AL45, I too notice that most gun shops around here cater much more to the polymer, striker-fired, AR, etc. crowd.

They do that because that's what a majority of customers are interested in. I shoot at an indoor range that has a small gun shop. He doesn't stock many new guns, but he'll order anything that's available and generally his prices are better than any other shop in the region. I've known the owner for nearly twenty years and I often hang around the shop before and/or after shooting. That allows me to eavesdrop on what customers ask for when they come in.

I'd estimate 75% ask first about Glocks. Next most frequent first request is the M&P. Very rarely does someone ask about a 1911. There are several nice, used S&W revolvers in the case (the owner is a S&W guy), and they rarely get taken out except to move to the safe for the night.

AL45 · April 24, 2018, 01:48 PM

Aguila Blanca, I can certainly seee that and it is a shame because people are losing out on enjoying the full spectrum of guns. I took my Daughter's boyfriend out shooting a while back and we shot a variety of guns. The one he enjoyed the most was a Rossi model 92 lever action chambered in .357 magnum. We own semi-auto pistols and an AR 15, but what I enjoy is our Ruger single 10 .22 revolver, Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt, Ruger bolt action .308 and an old Italian military rifle chambered in 7.35mm. The Ruger Redhawk is stainless with a 7.5" barrel and it's always garners a lot of attention when I pull it out. You would have thought they never saw a revolver before.LOL

jmr40 · April 24, 2018, 03:53 PM

Car wheels and boats used to be made of wood too. Wood, even walnut, was never chosen because of it's looks. Walnut was the preferred stock material because it was the cheapest material that was acceptable with the manufacturing techniques of the 19th century. Today it is synthetics.

The trappers, mountain men, and explorers of the 1700 and 1800's would swap their wood/blue guns for modern SS/Synthetic guns without a 2nd thought if given the chance.

Nathan · April 24, 2018, 04:47 PM

I strongly agree. I own a few fantastic guns, but all have some real or imagined purpose.

I just declared to myself that I am now a collector of middle aged smith and Wesson revolvers....I prefer blue K frames with good finish and original or similar to original wooden grips. I only have a couple, but I see that growing as soon as I can make room in the safe!

I too am a bit offended that we need all these CCW guns, fighting guns, SS guns, combat guns...etc. Don't get me wrong, I love my AR builds and all other fine guns including plastic ones.....I just prefer to hold, shoot and look at blued revolvers that were fit together by craftsmen instead of CNC code.

AL45 · April 24, 2018, 08:01 PM

JMR40, I'm sure your right. When I become a Mountain Man and trap Beaver for a living, I'll make sure I'm armed with plastic and stainless. Your logic is why I drive a Toyota pickup instead of a '57 Chevy. I like getting from point A to Point B. But as far as guns go, other than a little bird and varmint hunting, my guns are used to punch holes in paper and ring a few steel targets and wood just looks and feels better to me. It's all good.

April 23, 2018, 08:17 PM	#1
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 754	Old guns, revolvers, and walnut wooden stocks. Tom T. Hall had a hit song called, "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine." I changed the words up for the title of this post. I was thinking about these things after visiting 5 local gunshops. Mostly because these things were very lacking in our gunshops and I'm wondering if the trend will continue. One gunshop had no revolvers, two had two revolvers and the other two shops had only a handful. There wasn't enough walnut to build a cigar box and there were very very few used guns. I guess today's song is "Black guns and plastic and semi-autos with long mags."

April 23, 2018, 09:06 PM	#4
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,832	I still enjoy revolvers. I cut my teeth on them and mastered the DA trigger before I attended the academy. Didn't want to wash out because I couldn't shoot. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 23, 2018, 09:29 PM	#5
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,652	AL45, I too notice that most gun shops around here cater much more to the polymer, striker-fired, AR, etc. crowd. I have several shops I drop in from time to time, along with Cabelas. To be fair, Cabelas does have everything so I can't bash them (other than their prices)... but one shop that is fairly new (3-4 years) has been doing great business locally. There is a reason for it... the owner hired two great guys to manage it and he doesn't care about producing a profit right away, he just wants to grow the business. The managers take care of anything anyone needs, have gotten blue label/LEO pricing from almost all major manufacturers, and to boot their price is on par with the cheapest gunbroker price when you figure shipping and transfer fees on all firearms I've checked. At any rate, they are a tactical wonder store. They occasionally obtain a nice pistol to display and sell (at a price that is less than competitive, I guess they're counting on impulse purchases) but mostly they carry a lot of ARs, Mossberg shockwaves, Glocks, Sig P320s, and CZ P10s. A smattering of 1911s, usually the likes of the Sig Scorpion with synthetic grips and duracoat finishes. No revolvers. No milsurp. Actually no rifles other than ARs or the latest wonder tactical precision sniper bolt gun. The other shop is much older, and does still have a passable selection of revolvers. Almost all of those but a smattering are S&W though, and virtually none of those blued, with only a few Rugers on hand. They used to have a whole display rack dedicated to lever action rifles of all flavors, from the cheaper Marlin 336 to some of the nicer Henry, Marlin 1895s, and on occasion a Winchester '94 used. Their prices were really high, but they were usually quite negotiable and you could get down to almost reasonable range. These days? I walked in a few weeks ago and found 2 centerfire lever action rifles, and one was that ungodly "tactical" thing. Their revolver selection had shrank even more. The only thing they had going for them is they had a healthy selection of 1911s from Springfield, Ruger, RIA, and a couple others. Oh, and they had zero milsurp that I could find (they used to have a good selection, but as little as a year ago they still had a couple of the main rifles like the enfield, mauser, Springfield, et al laying around). I'm afraid these guys have to cater to what makes them money. It is business, and I understand it. I make custom holsters on the side, and I wonder at some of the things people want me to make. But alas, most people wonder at me preferring a thumb break pancake holster everywhere, even when I CCW. I will happily make an open top avenger, or an IWB appendix cross-draw for the right price... even though I would never carry that way. __________________ Support the NRA-ILA Auction, ends 03/09/2018 https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=593946

April 24, 2018, 03:53 PM	#8
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	Car wheels and boats used to be made of wood too. Wood, even walnut, was never chosen because of it's looks. Walnut was the preferred stock material because it was the cheapest material that was acceptable with the manufacturing techniques of the 19th century. Today it is synthetics. The trappers, mountain men, and explorers of the 1700 and 1800's would swap their wood/blue guns for modern SS/Synthetic guns without a 2nd thought if given the chance. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

April 23, 2018, 08:39 PM	#2
3Crows Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2017 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 220	I like plastic guns and laminate and stainless. I do enjoy blue and walnut as well. Each has a purpose and different appreciation. I am a gun user, not a collector, so guns that have purpose and usefulness and can stand up to the occasional abuse or soaking and even life in the salt marsh or boat have an appeal to me. Function before beauty but if they can function and be beautiful that is even better.

April 23, 2018, 08:51 PM	#3
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 754	I'm like you 3crows. I shoot the hound out of my guns. I guess I am just old fashioned. I like wood and never saw the use in a semi-auto unless I'm in a shoot out which will probably never happen. Ironically, I carry a Sig P238 simply because it is easier to carry than my former Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum. I'm certainly all for everyone being allowed to own the gun of their choice and respect their choice. I just feel like the gunshops around here are a little narrow-minded. I can't possibly be the only metal, wood and revolver guy in these parts.

April 24, 2018, 01:48 PM	#7
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 754	Aguila Blanca, I can certainly seee that and it is a shame because people are losing out on enjoying the full spectrum of guns. I took my Daughter's boyfriend out shooting a while back and we shot a variety of guns. The one he enjoyed the most was a Rossi model 92 lever action chambered in .357 magnum. We own semi-auto pistols and an AR 15, but what I enjoy is our Ruger single 10 .22 revolver, Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt, Ruger bolt action .308 and an old Italian military rifle chambered in 7.35mm. The Ruger Redhawk is stainless with a 7.5" barrel and it's always garners a lot of attention when I pull it out. You would have thought they never saw a revolver before.LOL

April 24, 2018, 04:47 PM	#9
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,326	I strongly agree. I own a few fantastic guns, but all have some real or imagined purpose. I just declared to myself that I am now a collector of middle aged smith and Wesson revolvers....I prefer blue K frames with good finish and original or similar to original wooden grips. I only have a couple, but I see that growing as soon as I can make room in the safe! I too am a bit offended that we need all these CCW guns, fighting guns, SS guns, combat guns...etc. Don't get me wrong, I love my AR builds and all other fine guns including plastic ones.....I just prefer to hold, shoot and look at blued revolvers that were fit together by craftsmen instead of CNC code.

April 24, 2018, 08:01 PM	#10
AL45 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2012 Posts: 754	JMR40, I'm sure your right. When I become a Mountain Man and trap Beaver for a living, I'll make sure I'm armed with plastic and stainless. Your logic is why I drive a Toyota pickup instead of a '57 Chevy. I like getting from point A to Point B. But as far as guns go, other than a little bird and varmint hunting, my guns are used to punch holes in paper and ring a few steel targets and wood just looks and feels better to me. It's all good.