After a difficult internal conversation, I decided to part ways with a few guns that I just didn't find myself using.
Some were guns I obtained on impulse...others curiosity or maybe even desire.
Whatever the case, I decided they no longer fit my needs and I traveled to my favorite gun store.
I had brought my Mauser P38, S&W Model 19, S&W Model 686, Sig 229, and Beretta 96G.
2 of those guns I had bought and literally never shot.
Anyway, the Mauser was in nice shape with no import marks as many P38's have. It also had a bunch of Nazi markings on it. I don't recall the year but I only ever shot it once with a friend. It was fun to shoot in single action but the double action trigger was absolutely awful. It might have been the worst double action trigger I have ever used. I am not sure if this is indicative of ALL P38's or just the one I had owned. I liked that it was 9mm and the magazine release at the butt of the gun was neat. Spare parts are readily available which was also nice. Anyway, it will reside better in a collector's hands or maybe even just a shooter.
The S&W 19 had a 4" barrel that unfortunately somebody added a red ramp to. I am a big fan of the red ramp but they did a sloppy job. It could have been touched up upon and made to look nice but I wasn't really looking to invest any money into it. The blueing was in okay shape and it was a pinned and recessed model. But the K frame .357 magnums are known for falling apart under repeated magnum loads. I literally had never shot the gun and only bought it on an impulse because the price was so stupid cheap. I hope it ends up in a shooters hands. It was a truly nice revolver.
The S&W 686 that I parted with had the 8 3/8" barrel and was a 686-1 without the M stamped into the frame. This means that it was never sent back to Smith and Wesson for the firing pin bushing modification. However, the gun was in absolutely perfect condition. The barrel looks like the previous owner never shot it and neither did I. It came with a shoulder holster too which felt odd to wear since the gun was touching your hip (because the barrel is so long) when you wore it. I imagine a hunter or a collector will find this gun and take good care of it.
My Sig 229 was in .40 S&W. I originally got it so that I could convert it to .357 Sig. I never got around to it. After shooting it a couple of times I figured it didn't need it as it already kicked like a mule. Strangely, the Sig 229 kicked more than the Sig 239; both in .40 S&W. I would have expected it to kick a bit less. The double action and single action trigger pulls were nice enough and the gun never gave me any trouble. But I hated the decocking lever being where it was. Half of the time I wasn't sure if I was going to decock the gun or hit the slide release.
The original plan was to get the sub compact for carry but I never got comfortable with the gun and ultimately just started carrying my Beretta 92FS. I really wanted to like the .40 S&W. I still do want to like it. I just haven't found the right platform for it and me yet.
I decided to try the Beretta 96G since I loved my 92FS so much. I couldn't have been more off in my judgement. The ergonomics were familiar but the gun was absolutely horrible to shoot. The Beretta 96 series goes down as one of the guns I've liked the least ever. I don't want to say that it was the worst ever, but my mind is drawing a blank as to what I liked less.
All of these guns left the comfort of retirement that my safe had to offer.
And I decided to use some of my newly found funds to bring home a S&W 1911 Pro in 9mm! Talk about a beautiful gun! It is everything I could want in a 1911. I'd never spend that kind of money on a gun normally, but I figured trading off other guns to get it made it okay.
I like what the 1911 platform has to offer but I find my Colt 1991A1 a bit expensive to practice with and a bit rough on the hands. Maybe I'm a baby about recoil but pistol recoil bothers me much more than revolvers. I can take a .44 magnum with no issue but a .45 ACP is just plain nasty.
I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but I just tacked on 3 extra magazines to a MidwayUSA order. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about it after I shoot it.
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