FUN GUNS ON THE SHORT LIST

The SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 325 AIRWEIGHT PD snubbie in .45 ACP caliber remains an elusive pistol for me to find a good deal on. When I have had the cash money for one, they're priced too high or they are beat up. When I've just bought or just about to buy some other kind of firearm, I see them in like new condition for $525 on auction sites.

COLT 1911 IN 38. SUPER I've owned numerous Model 1911's, mostly by Colt, and for some reason I've always wanted a full size Government Model in .38 Super. It's a great caliber for shooting and for law enforcement, particularly if you have to shoot some attackers behind heavy metal car doors or other thick barricades capable of being penetrated by such a size of bullet. Frank Hamer, the legendary hunter of Bonnie and Clyde, traded in his .45 when he got into a shoot out with the outlaws and found his .45 ACP solid bullets had not penetrated the thick metal car doors of the day. His 1911 in .38 Super solved that problem.

A more reasonable selection would be one in the Commander length but I've always been fond of the full size 1911, just like John Browning designed them, save for the safety features of the later models starting with the Series 70, I think. My friend El Bar has a dandy one in Chrome plated nickle finish with Pachmayrs on it. It's a dandy.

I keep waiting for a good deal to come along on a SIG SAUER MODEL 220 CARRY in DA/SA. I came across a fantastic deal some months ago at an indoor shooting range, only to discover on close inspection that it was the SAO model (Single Action Only). In retrospect, I should have bought that gun then and there, but was pining at the time for an DA/SA model. Since that time I've had a chance to shoot a magful through a Model 220 Carry SAO, and it might be the nicest single action autoloader trigger I've ever felt that didn't cost hundreds of dollars. Like glass. Like glass.

I'd like a very gently used 20 or 30 year old REMINGTON 870 POLICE SHOTGUN with the wood stock and parkerized finish, 18" barrel and extended magazine. Simple and reliable. I've owned two of these, one with a wood stock and one with the ultra heavy metal stock sporting a 20" barrel that held lots of buckshot. I had a deal on a metal stocked folding model, but remembered how much I hated carrying that heavy thing around. It was great for shooting, but it was a bruiser for shooting in the field.

I'd want to put some sort of rubber pump grip on it as well as a Streamlight attached to it for night shooting.

Finally, both El Fisho Jr. and I usually don't go in for flashy finishes on pistols, but I do have to admit the new winter digital camo finish on the SIG SAUER MOSQUITO .22 LR CALIBER is a mighty attractive gun. And it might take place at the front of the line if a good sale pops up on one sometime. We need another .22 pistol, and I like how the Mosquito shoots. It's a bit larger than most .22 pistols, and it's supposed to be 90% of the size of the Sig P226. That's just right. The only shame is that it only holds ten rounds and that there are no extended mags available for this family fun gun. You can take a good .22 LR to the range and shoot for several hours for less than $10 in high quality ammo, and these days that's something we like to do whenever we can. Shoot alot for cheap, I mean.