So, my firearms licence was due for renewal at the start of April. As some of you might know already, here in the UK every gun has to be listed separately on our certificate and any changes need prior approval from the police. There's a processing fee for each change we make.
But when the certificate goes in for renewal, we get to add / change our inventory at the same time with no extra fees. It would be shame to miss an opportunity like that...
As luck would have it (or maybe it was fate), I just happened to walk into my local gunship for a look around on the same day that local police brought in a collection of guns which had been impounded. The previous owner had taken his Glock out when he went out to "speak" to a group of teens who were loitering outside his house. He was reported for threatening them and that was the end of his licence. It was never going to end well for him...
Anyway, his loss was my gain - I got his S&W 686 Target.
It's a 686-6 and the dealer - who I have dealt with for 25 years and trust completely - says that he sold the gun new with 100 rounds in 2007 and that the guy had never bought any more ammunition for it since. It's my first revolver and is genuinely "as new".
I gather the Nils wood grips were added to the new gun by the German distributor before it was shipped to the UK.
I'm very pleased with it! I got down to the range on Wednesday afternoon. I had ordered a set of 38/357 dies from my local gunstore but they hadn't arrived in time, so I had to "bodge" it using my 9mm die set. I loaded 50 rounds as a trial using some once-fired brass I had lying around my reloading bench. I managed a 50mm (2") group at 15m - not exactly Olympic class shooting but good enough to put a smile on my face and tell me that the gun is a lot more accurate than I will ever be.
But when the certificate goes in for renewal, we get to add / change our inventory at the same time with no extra fees. It would be shame to miss an opportunity like that...
As luck would have it (or maybe it was fate), I just happened to walk into my local gunship for a look around on the same day that local police brought in a collection of guns which had been impounded. The previous owner had taken his Glock out when he went out to "speak" to a group of teens who were loitering outside his house. He was reported for threatening them and that was the end of his licence. It was never going to end well for him...
Anyway, his loss was my gain - I got his S&W 686 Target.
It's a 686-6 and the dealer - who I have dealt with for 25 years and trust completely - says that he sold the gun new with 100 rounds in 2007 and that the guy had never bought any more ammunition for it since. It's my first revolver and is genuinely "as new".
I gather the Nils wood grips were added to the new gun by the German distributor before it was shipped to the UK.
I'm very pleased with it! I got down to the range on Wednesday afternoon. I had ordered a set of 38/357 dies from my local gunstore but they hadn't arrived in time, so I had to "bodge" it using my 9mm die set. I loaded 50 rounds as a trial using some once-fired brass I had lying around my reloading bench. I managed a 50mm (2") group at 15m - not exactly Olympic class shooting but good enough to put a smile on my face and tell me that the gun is a lot more accurate than I will ever be.
