OK!...This is self-serving, but I'm proud of these...
It was May when I ordered them from Craig Spegel, and the finished product has arrived. I couldn't be more pleased with his artistry.
The wood to metal fit is flawless, and the slender shape has a great feel in the hand. The satin finish really lends a subtlety to the beautiful grain. This is Black Walnut at it's finest.
The gun is a target grade Smith & Wesson Model 19 ".357 Combat Magnum".

I gotta admit, it does have some beautiful curves and lines...

Them thar grips been regis-trared wif Marshall Dillion, Frenchy?

FestofUs

Nice.

Let me get y'alls input on something.

Every Spring, well I say Spring I actually do it in January, I do a rough plow on my fields. I always get one or two coyotes following the tractor catch rabbits I flush out. Well shooting the coyotes is of greater value to me than the coyotes catching a few rabbits.

Using a long arm is sort of out of the question while driving a tractor but I'm a dead shot with a pistol up to about 40 meters. The farm across the road is getting subdivided and they are building houses over their so my .38 might be a little too heavy handed for the new neighbors to tolerate.

What kind of .22 pistol would you guys recommend for shooting coyotes from a moving tractor? Before you answer I used to have a Ruger .22 automatic and I got rid of it because it was a piece of crap and kept jamming so don't come back and recommend a .22 Ruger automatic..

I'm more of a revolver fan Marine, so here are my suggestion.

Smith & Wesson K-22 Masterpiece (model 17)



IMO...The most accurate .22 revolver ever built, and was the mainstay of international smallbore competition for most of the last century. I’ve owned two of these and they are the best. If you prefer Stainless Steel…consider the S&W 617.

Well Stephen, since my favorite for years has been a Model 15 Smith I'd venture to say I have no aversion to revolvers either.

Well!...If you liked the Model 15 then you should also consider the Model 18. Exact same gun in.22LR. Some prefer the shorter 4" barrel over the Model 17's 6" & 8 3/8".
Now if you've got BIG BUCKS, you could try and find the Model 16 in .32...
Models 14 thru 18 were all part of the Masterpiece series. Much saddness is that they are not produced anymore.

This is what I carry around here in the country, Marine. I've dispatched one coyote with it. I use 158 gr. SWC-HP's in this old model 10.

I'd check out the 17 cal, they have pistol and carbine. If either of the new loads are like the old load it's quiet, the bullet self destructs if it hits anything and the bullet explodes inside the body, the old one was the best varmint gun I've ever seen. It's good for taking anything from a bird to a man.

Tom...
Are you talking about the centerfire .17 cal, or the .17 HMR rimfire?

Your new grips are cool...especially the wooden plug that keeps
the black walnut smooth on the palm side.

S&W revolvers...oh yeah...I'm an N frame guy.
I use my old Highway Patrolman Model 28 .357s (I've got a pair)
for the wild stuff, my model 27-2 for daily carry...but when it comes
to personal business...I rely on my 629 Classic:



I always loved the ability to squeeze into those
pachmayr grips when I set .44 mags off.

I've always felt like S&W revolvers were one thing that makes America great.

(Steve we must have the same size hands. Those grips are a handfull.)

I'm not sure, I've been intending to see which is closer to the old 17 cal (haven't even seen one since the 70s and I'm not sure they were still making ammo then), but its effectiveness and safety were due to a combination of very high velocity and very small (thin) projectile.

I would recommend an Ouzie (sp?). They spray out a lot of firepower and can be held in one hand. The caliber is small, and I believe the bullet is subsonic, which means you can put a silencer on it so your neighbors won't be bothered with the noise.

Too bad you can't carry a rifle. One of those .50 caliber sniper rifles would sure take care of a coyote.

You're a man after my own heart, Indianhead. The big bore N Frames are the class, and the 27 is the Cadillac. I had to sell my 28-2 some time ago and have regretted it ever since. I won two LE and Corrections shoots with it.

How do Herrett target's of French Walnut grab you? These grace a model 25-2 that belongs to a close friend.

From what I can gather here Tom, you're speaking of the .17 Center fire. The HMR is relatively new on the cartridge scene. And you’re right…it’s a devastating varmint cartridge. Very flat shooting, with a velocity around 3000 fps.

THANKS! I've been wanting to get one for a while and didn't because I wasn't sure which of the two was the right one! If my perceptions at the time were right it's also a lot quieter than a 22 and has virtually no kick. Great round, especially since I occasionally have varmint problems. I also like the fact that if it even touches anything 50 yards downrange the worst anyone can get is a small bruise and burn, great safety factor.

We're not talking about the same thing Tom. The .17 caliber center fire is lethal at any distance up to a half-mile. I believe you're thinking of the .17 cal. pellet fired from a Co2 or pneumatic gun. This would not be good for dog size critters.

No, the one I'm thinking of has reasonable distance unless something disrupts the bullet, much like a 22 stinger (another round that I like). A pellet is barely effective against dove at close range, not at all effective against varmints.

Well I guarantee that the .17 center fire will give you more than a "bruise" if struck by it. Here's a classic article on it from Guns and Ammo Magazine.

.17-Caliber Ultra Bomb!

Here's an article on the newer .17 HMR rimfire...

The .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire

Only problem is that a real Uzi sells for upwards of $10,000 and you have to undergo a six-to-eight month background check (similar to a Secret-level government security clearance) to get permission to own one, since they're NFA Title 2 weapons. You'd also have to to through the NFA process for the suppressor.

You can get a civilian Uzi lookalike (with no suppressor) for well under $1000, but it's just a conventional (but bulky) 9mm pistol or carbine, depending on which configuration you get, and fires no faster than an ordinary pistol. The short-barreled (pistol) versions will also be as loud as any other 9mm pistol, which is to say fairly loud.

Silencers are also highly restricted and fall under NFA rules. In Missouri, I can apply and acquire a fully automatic weapon but the silencer is verboten!...Go figure...

I'd love to GRAB THEM!
I love the contours for the thumb web and thumb.
It looks like they would give great control, which
you need on magnum rounds (when not qualifying with
those low impact, paper-punchin', wad-cutters).

(BTW - I'd hate to try to hit a moving coyote with an Uzi,
the neighbors might have more than noise to worry about)

I guess you can tell a guy's priorities.
My convictions are to never lend your
woman, your books (which you have a single copy of),
your motorcycle or your firearms. Not necessarily in that order.

I'm much more into fine swords than guns. Though I acknowledge the beauty of and appeal of a finely made and performing firearm. One of my clients has a patent on a ventilated barrel on the rifles he makes. He uses an EDM Machine (which I repair as my business) to cut slots in the barrels before he assembles the rifle. I forget why this is desireable.

It said the same thing as me at the end of the article, if it even hits a twig it vaporizes, ricochets pose no risk.

That part is certainly true, but I would not like to be between the bullet and the twig!

That is designed for compensation (porting). TRoU. It helps reduce felt recoil and muzzle jump depending on how the slots are cut.
This is one style done by Mag-na-port International, Inc
It can be done on shotguns, rifles and handguns. Both slots and holes are used depending on use.

If you were safe between the muzzle and the twig it wouldn't be a very effective varmint gun.

From the first time I saw it I never understood why it isn't the most popular caliber, it has everything going for it except intimidation. I also have to agree with the article on how it looks, someone held one on me once and I had to keep reminding myself it's a deadly weapon, not a squirt gun.

"Wildcat" calibers have always been a crapshoot. The public makes the decision as to whether ammo and gun manufacturing companies will produce it in quantity, and it has little to do with the quality of the round. If you're a hand loader this isn't a problem however.
The .223 is probably the current king of varmint rounds.

Thanks for the post Frenchy. I remember now that he slanted the slots to achieve the porting desired for each particular use.

Maybe I won't tell Marshal Dillion about them purty new guns you got.

FestofUs

Thatr would be appreciated, FToU...

Buy from owners and estate sales, I always say.

Or get yourself a class III FFL Curio & Relics license. Best $30 I've ever spent.

the license only costs $30, but the countless amount of Surplus rifles you buy with your credit card will probably be 10 times that price (ask me how I know LOL)

Any of you collect and shoot Mosin Nagant Rifles?? If so PM me, on one of the collectors forums I'm a member of, we are have a Winter "Stalingrad Challenge" postal match. Dont cost nothing to shoot, except bragging rights.