Oooooo, that’s a mighty pretty piece of hardware you have!I consider it a "work in progress", and I think I've made a few improvements in the last few days.
With its accuracy established, it's back to the more appropriate Eotech, which can also co-witness with the backup sights. And a Yankee Hill folding vertical handgrip makes a decent horizontal forearm that gives me more range of motion for my left hand. My carpal tunnel gets a vote in this matter, and approves.
It's still a heavy piece of hardware, but if I still need to experiment with balance, I can fill the hollow pistol grip with lead shot, or cut away some of the plastic reinforcing ribs in the underside of the stock, and use JB Weld to glue in some tungsten rods.
But this right here has proven to be a big step forward as is.
Welcome to the early-bird edition of
Saturday Night Gun Pron. Quite a bit happening, so I thought I'd get an early start. It's been a busy week.
Quite a bit of "new" old Smith & Wessons have been coming in. They're all fairly common items, for their day. But after 25-95 years, their new or near-new condition makes them exceptional.
The S&W Target Masterpiece is still available in their limited-production "classic" series, along with their modern counterparts in stainless steel. Still, little corners are cut to keep the price down, as fine a target .22 as it is.
This Model 17 was made in 1977, not exactly the high point of Smith's corporate culture. Still, except for the most plain "fancy" grips I ever saw, this is the first weapon that flat out declared it was female. I remembered the old horseman's saying, "you command a gelding, ask a stallion, but must negotiate with a mare". Especially one of noble descent, as she most plainly indicated. For her debut on the range, I found some much fancier grips than the plain hunk of wood she was forced to wear from the factory.
After ordering her something more appropriate, and formal, she rewarded me with this first shot:
Of course, the other 49 rounds (I used match-grade ammo, no cheap McBullets for her) was her way of showing me that she's all ready for upper-level dressage, so it's up to me to bust my own butt to be worthy of her talents. At least she knows she'll be pampered outside the dressage area.
Now if I could just coax her to tell me her name, or a suitable nickname. :)