Yesterday I went and picked up my recent gun show purchase from Bullseye over in Palmetto.
First, hats off to the guys at Bullseye. Friendly, courteous and helpful, even though I didn't buy the gun from them, they just made $15 to handle the delivery. The guy I bought from is down in Cape Coral, and it would have cost me more than $15 in gas to go get it. They have a nice indoor range at Bullseye, and for $15 I signed up as a Gold member, which gives me 6 free targets each time I go, and every 5th visit is free (it's $12 per session to use the range). They also sell some nice-looking reloads at good prices. You can get 100 .40S&W (180gr) for $30, and I think .45 was $35. Their usual charge for FFL transfers is $30, but I have a feeling once you become a regular there, they'd discount that for you. Enough of the Bullseye commercial, on to my toys!
I bought the Smith & Wesson Sigma .40S&W as I mentioned in another forum, and since I don't have my CWP yet, had to do the waiting period. I didn't have time to shoot it yesterday, but I'm gonna try to get back over there soon to start breaking it in. I have 100 rounds of factory ammo to break it in - think that will be sufficient?
While I was there, I noticed some shotguns and rifles on the wall for sale. One immediately caught my eye, a Browning A5 Lite 12. Made in Belgium, had some signs of being a gun someone used regularly, but still in good condition. That think rose to my shoulder like it was made for me! I could just see the deer and hogs falling in front of it! It only takes 2 3/4 shells, but that's all I've ever used, and they've gotten the job done for many years for others, so no big problem.
I had no idea what the gun was worth, but I had a feeling for what it was worth to me (and what I could afford) if I was going to buy it right then. It didn't have a price on it, so I asked what he'd take for it. His price was right at what I was thinking, so I made a lower offer, he countered, and we came to a price! So I walked out with my new Sigma, and my first semi-auto shotgun, a Belgian-made Browning! Can't wait to put some round through them both!
I'll put some pics up soon, just have to let my camera charge up so I can take some decent ones.
hard to beat a belgian made browning. I've picked up 2 in the last 2 yrs 1-a 1946- 16 ga auto 5 the first year back in belgium after ww2 and the year before officialy called the "sweet 16", the other is a 1955 double auto 12ga. ( I know, what the hell is a double auto) it's a single barrel auto with no mag, but holds a 2nd round in the receiver. both are sweet shooters and both are 2 3/4" also, haven't tried any heavy/hot loads of buckshot or slugs thru them, don't think I'm gonna try. the hand fitted precision of the parts are unreal, each one back then was fitted by one person, and they say to only clean the bbl, don't even attempt to strip it any further, unless you absolutely have to and then only by a smith. my 1946 probly hadn't been shot since the 50's and there was some laquer in it that came out with some gun scrubber spray and a few boxes of shells, kinda coughed up a lung with all kinds of gunk turning my hands yellow/brown, but throws a beutiful pattern of 7 1/2's with no ftf or eject probs
I've been looking into my Browning's age and value. It was made in 1969, and judging from prices on other guns of similar age, condition it could be worth $500 or more. Since I gave just over $300 after tax, I may have gotten a pretty good deal. I took the foreend off and set the friction rings for heavy loads. Gonna get some buckshot and slugs and take it to the range soon.
check the wood carefully for any cracks esp in the forend, there was one in mine and the wood was so soft you could press a fingernail into it, had a smith dry it out and reinforce the inside, and fill the crack with carbon fiber and marine epoxy. a few very hairline cracks in the grip area, just left alone for now. but don't plan on shooting anything larger than # 6's. thats the 16ga 1946 one. let me know how it handles the heavy loads.
Wood's in good shape, no cracks, nice and dry, no evidence of damage besides some light scratches. When I took the forend off, it still had the paper instructions inside telling how to set the friction rings for heavy or light loads. The gun shop took it in on trade, and the guy who traded said it had been his "buck gun" up in New York, and he had taken 2 with it last year. It has the rifle sights and short barrel , and the manual for that year says it's suitable for lead or steel shot. I'm looking forward to shooting it and seeing how it performs.
