Embarrassment of Riches

Well I did it again on a gunnie weekend. I had decided that my BAG Day (April 15) gun would be a shotgun, specifically a coach gun and discussed it on Ten Ring. Last weekend (April 1) I found one I really liked for a price I liked well enough that I bought it. I was waiting until closer to BAG Day to unveil my newest arrival. Best laid plans….

Bill and I found out there was a gun show in Concord, New Hampshire. We like this show better than certain others. It’s relatively small which allows one to see everything without feeling like you’ve crossed the artic. It attracts a good selection of vendors, so that one can see new guns, old guns, junk, and militaria.

Of course, we had to attend the show on a fairly gloomy Saturday. We walked around and noticed there was no beef jerky vendor. What’s a gun show without a beef jerky vendor? It broke our hearts. I poked at a gun-book table for awhile and we bought a little bit of ammo and a cleaning rod.

It looked like we were going to get out of the show without making a major purchase. Wouldn’t you know it; I saw a gun that I’ve long wanted to add to the collection. To make matters worse, the gun “spoke” to me in that witching voice they seem to have, “Take me home” it said. I resisted. You’d all be proud of me. We left the show with only the ammo and cleaning rod.

I tossed and turned all night thinking about how lonely that gun must be. I imagined what it would feel like to shoot and to take apart for cleaning. While I was eating breakfast with Bill I told him I’d decided not to buy the gun. When I did, I became sad and that emotion led me to succumb to the siren call of adding a new gun to the collection.

Off we went to Concord and to the gun show on a beautiful Sunday with blue skies and singing birds. I strode to the booth and it was still there. Needless to say I bought it without another moment’s hesitation, that is after the dealer and I had exchanged copies of our licenses (my Curios and Relics and his FFL), agreed on a price, and then talked guns.

Now I have two BAG Day guns. What an embarrassment of riches.

I guess I better end the suspense and tell you what I got: a Type 14 Nambu Japanese pistol from World War II When I got it home, I took it apart and cleaned a bunch of dirty cosmoline-like grease from its nooks and crannies. I brushed off hardened grease from the outside and greatly improved its appearance (I’ll never understand why a dealer won’t clean the outside of an old military gun).

I’ll be doing a One From the Vault soon and discuss the Nambu and its very strange construction and I’ll post pictures. I’ll also mention certain things it has in common with other guns including Lugers and Ruger Mark Is and IIs.

Now, I gotta learn to stop buying guns. Just because they’re for sale and just because they’re interesting, fun to shoot, and good investments doesn’t mean I have to buy them all. Sigh.