New Life

This post was originally a paean to the unsung hardware in the back of the gunsafe. This was before I made a discovery in my collection of gun gear. I found two 30-round AR mags that I'd failed to download after being stuffed full for a few months. Ugh. The springs were fatigued and the bullet noses appeared reluctant to peek above the front of the magazine. I off-loaded the ammo and stuck them in my closet, hoping their springs might recoup over time. Then I got to thinking...how long has my nightstand gun, a Glock 23, been sitting there with a loaded magazine? Since I didn't avail myself of its +1 capability, the mag spring wasn't totally compressed all this time, but I'm still concerned. That's when I turned my attention to the pretty little block of stainless steel here that I photographed a few days ago. Revolvers can sit loaded for long periods with no ill effects. The .357 Magnum is a great one-shot stopper...so why not use the Ruger GP-100 as the nightstand gun and upload a Glock mag for those rare times when I venture out packing heat?

That would certainly breathe new life into a gun I rarely bring out. I've got lots of JSP and JHP .357 Mag. ammo that I rarely ever shoot. The GP-100 can handle the heavier bullets that I used to cringe at (with good reason) while shooting through my little Ruger SP-101. I don't even need a holster for it; I had a revo scabbard when I took the Gp-100 javalina hunting...but it won't ever be a concealed carry piece. Plus, it's nice and shiny, so its mere visibility might stop an intruder from resisting. The ammo shown is the lightweight-JHP Corbon stuff I reserve for my SP-101; time to change that out.

Update: Just to keep with the original intent of this post, here's a piece from the back of the safe that may never see any range time. It's a .38 S&W 5-shot break-top revolver made by "Iver & Johnson's Arms and Cycle Works" of Fitchburg, Mass. I got it for next to nothing from a co-worker with an FFL who was liquidating his inventory (divorce will do that), although I suspect that its value comes close to next-to-nothing. Still, it's a piece of history, though I have no clue as to its age. There's something similar on auction at GunsAmerica, asking a whopping $275. Good luck, pal. I'll just hang onto mine and let the people in my will worry about what it's worth.

Posted to the Carnival of Cordite.