Handgun People! Info Needed

[dr_mabeuse]

I'm writing a story in which an upper-middle class gated-community-type (think retired CPA) has a middling gun collection, maybe 12-15 pieces. He just gets a new one, takes it to show some friends at a poker party, and later uses it to shoot someone's finger off with.

What would be a good gun for that? It should be not to exotic but exotic enough that a collector might buy one, and firable withouthaving to be taken to a gunsmith first...

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm writing a story in which an upper-middle class gated-community-type (think retired CPA) has a middling gun collection, maybe 12-15 pieces. He just gets a new one, takes it to show some friends at a poker party, and later uses it to shoot someone's finger off with.

What would be a good gun for that? It should be not to exotic but exotic enough that a collector might buy one, and firable withouthaving to be taken to a gunsmith first...

Revolvers don't have safeties and a low-level collector would have choice of several collectable antique revolvers that are still fairly common.

One revolver that has a history of accidental disharge is an "Old Model" Ruger Blackhawk -- it's a single action .357 calber revolver and known as an "Old Model" because the design was modified to incorporate a "gate" over the firing pin to solve the accidentl discharge problem.

A plausible scenario is your collector cocking the revolver to show someone that it doesn't have the safety gate over the firing pin and then slipping off the hammer as he uncocks it -- which is the situation that prompted the firing gate modification in the first place.

 

[bronzeage]

Any revolver will do.

I had a neighbor who worked on offshore oil rigs. He wanted to get a gun for his wife to keep while he was gone, so he bought a snub nosed 38 caliber pistol. He was showing it to friend one night and demostrated how to load it. He dumped the bullets back out on the table, pointed at the floor and said, "It has a real easy trigger." With that, he pulled the trigger and blasted a chunk of carpet and concrete out of the floor. There were still six bullets on the counter. He had managed to take 7 out of the box when he loaded it.

 

[R. Richard]

You might consider the S&W 340PD. It is a small, featherweight revolver that a collector could easily slip into a pocket and take somewhere to show people.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Thankyou, Gentlemen!

And Harold, my guy's shooting is no accident. It's deliberate.

I think I want something that would be large enough and special enough for him to be admiring at the start of the story as he puts it in his case. He then throws it in the trunk of his car wrapped in some rags (or its shipping container, maybe) to take to a supposed poker party. He doesn't go to a poker party though, but to some establishment where unsavory things are perpetrated upon his wife.

He goes to the car, gets the weapon, comes in, and either shoots or threatens to shoot someone, depending on how things feel when I get to that part...

 

[Lisa Denton]

And Harold, my guy's shooting is no accident. It's deliberate.

I think I want something that would be large enough and special enough for him to be admiring at the start of the story as he puts it in his case. He then throws it in the trunk of his car wrapped in some rags (or its shipping container, maybe) to take to a supposed poker party. He doesn't go to a poker party though, but to some establishment where unsavory things are perpetrated upon his wife.

He goes to the car, gets the weapon, comes in, and either shoots or threatens to shoot someone, depending on how things feel when I get to that part...

Hi doc, ok, deliberate shooting and throws it in the trunk and collector?

No, or not quite what you are thinking.

Lemme splain.

Collector knows guns, and doesn't throw one in the trunk of his car wrapped in rags, but lets get to that later.

Poker party is a bunch of guys get together to get drunk, belch, and fart. So the gun collector doesn't take a really nice expensive gun, he takes a BIG gun. Lets say a custom made 45 revolver on the big K frame, that fires 45 rifle rounds, yes, I have seen and fired one, damn near broke both my arms, but a big guy could fire it with one arm, and its definately a poker party show-off gun.

Now, he has a case for the gun which he puts in his trunk, shows to his friends at the party, unloaded. Any gun collector knows alcohol and loaded guns don't mix, and poker parties have lots of alcohol. He had been at the firing range before the poker party and had the ammo he hadn't used locked in his glove box.

Thats the law, in my state. Ammo locked away from weapon during transport, he would know. Or he has a concealed carry permit in which case he can have the gun loaded and in his trunk, or anywhere in the car, or on his person, in his car.

Now, a small gun might not blow a guys finger off, but the one I described would blow his finger off from across the room.

Have fun with the story.

See ya, Lisa.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

H&K P-7. It has a unique squeeze-cock mechanism that would interest collectors, but is not extremely rare or exotic. It's a 9mm, and with a hollowpoint bullet would easily blow off a finger. It's neither big nor especially small. It's interesting.

 

[xssve]

A collectable weapon that's not too exotic might be the S&W .44 mag with an 8 3/8 barrel - the gun Dirty Harry used in the first couple of movies.

In one of the last ones he uses a Teledyne Auto Mag, interchangable barrels, came in .44, .357 and .45 - this thing is huge, uses cut down rifle cartridges, a good Three foot muzzle flash - but somewhat prone to jamming with a full mag, definitley collectable though.

Stepdad as a big Dirty Harry fan - I still have the Smith.

 

[tickledkitty]

Hey, I was just thinking it might be interesting enough to show off if it was some kind of Nazi WWII relic. People would be impressed, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be big.

 

[xssve]

Always wanted a vintage Walther PPK - it's a sweet little gun, very relaible and can be fitted with a silencer - some danger of slide bite if you have big hands.

Sean Connery always used them ithe James Bond movies.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Hey, I was just thinking it might be interesting enough to show off if it was some kind of Nazi WWII relic. People would be impressed, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be big.

What she said...a Luger Parrabellum from WWII, with maybe a history attached to it that is was General Romals personal sidearm. A 9mm would take a finger off for sure. The Lugers were made in two sizes...the 9mm and the 7.65mm. Pick your chose either would foot the bill.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Always wanted a vintage Walther PPK - it's a sweet little gun, very relaible and can be fitted with a silencer - some danger of slide bite if you have big hands.

Sean Connery always used them ithe James Bond movies.

Reluctantly - M took away the little Beretta .25 caliber Bond carried during the war, correctly noting its lack of power.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Always wanted a vintage Walther PPK - it's a sweet little gun, very relaible and can be fitted with a silencer - some danger of slide bite if you have big hands.

Sean Connery always used them ithe James Bond movies.

Yes, but you are talking about james bond secret agent spies, I think a guy who collects guns fitted with silencers is not a gun collector, but a terrorist.

hahahhahahahhahahhahahahahahhaha

See ya, Lisa.

 

[sutherngent985]

Hey, I was just thinking it might be interesting enough to show off if it was some kind of Nazi WWII relic. People would be impressed, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be big.

Yea either the Luger or the Walther P38 9mm...both were used by German forces during WWII I believe. The Ruger Blackhawk also came in .44 Mag I think (Super Balckhawk?)...that would be good with a 6 in barrel in an antique western holster. An officers model M1911A Colt .45 auto...its a cut down version of the one the armed forces used to carry and might work too.

 

[Lisa Denton]

Yes, but with a WW2 relic, you can't be sure whether it would shoot someones finger off ..... or blow someones hand off when it explodes.

Gun collectors don't just collect older history filled weapons. But anything odd, exotic or strange. For instance a collector might have a brand new Desert Eagle 50 caliber, I think its Israeli made.

Just saying Doc wants it collectable, and firable. Most collectors would of course have an old, perhaps even with a history, handgun which would be clean, but especially if valuable, would never think of carrying it around, with ammo, and fire it.

 

[Jubal_Harshaw]

A middlin collector would be awful proud of a good deal on a Broomhandle Mauser. Not rare but certainly uncommon in this country.

C96 "Broomhandle" Mauser

A 9mm version would certainly be a hard find and would be powerful enough to remove a finger without being so powerful as to remove the hand. They also had the interesting option of a wooden holster that doubled as a rifle type shoulder stock.

 

[Edward Teach]

I'm writing a story in which an upper-middle class gated-community-type (think retired CPA) has a middling gun collection, maybe 12-15 pieces. He just gets a new one, takes it to show some friends at a poker party, and later uses it to shoot someone's finger off with.

What would be a good gun for that? It should be not to exotic but exotic enough that a collector might buy one, and firable withouthaving to be taken to a gunsmith first...

Just an idea, Zoot. The gun could get its collectibility from its prior owner. Maybe it belonged to a celebrity or was used in a movie. That way it could be most any weapon and still be "collectible" and something the owner would like to show his friends.

 

[The_Fool]

I have seen an interesting revolver, Double Action, that is intriguing as a gun but one that I wouldn't want to shoot very often. Chambered for 45-70 rifle rounds. I have a .454 Casall that is quite a handful, would really have to ponder shooting one chambered for 45-70. Would probably take the hand if you hit a finger. I used to have a 45-70 rifle, that could be painful to shoot if you weren't ready.

The other thing to consider as far as accidental shooting is the latest Semi-Autos that have come out from Glock, Smith and Springfield. The thing is, there is no active safety. Once a round is chambered, the gun is ready to fire. What these guns have is a safety that is integral to the trigger. So the gun won't go off unless the trigger is pulled. The Springfield XD also has a grip safety, but the Glock and I don't think the Smith have any additional safety factors. I have two of the XDs and always give a thorough briefing before someone new shoots one since the gun is ready to shoot once loaded.

 

[The_Darkness]

Of course, then there's the man-hammer approach. Taurus as well as a few other gun makers are taking the "bigger is better" approach and making handguns large enough that they are impractical to do anything but collect. The .500 Mag comes to mind. 5-shot revolver is the only one I've ever seen in person. It's big, it's heavy, it's unlikely to see use beyond movies, home defense, and hunting bears.

The Thompson Contender is also a nice little gun. Single-shot, lots of configurations, looks odd as hell. Usually they're chambered for rifle ammunition but they have a short barrel and pistol grip. the .44 AutoMag is also a nice touch, but it's another huge gun. They went out of production in the 80's and I don't know that they've been brought back. Lots of power, big freakin' gun.

 

[only_more_so]

And Harold, my guy's shooting is no accident. It's deliberate.

I think I want something that would be large enough and special enough for him to be admiring at the start of the story as he puts it in his case. He then throws it in the trunk of his car wrapped in some rags (or its shipping container, maybe) to take to a supposed poker party. He doesn't go to a poker party though, but to some establishment where unsavory things are perpetrated upon his wife.

He goes to the car, gets the weapon, comes in, and either shoots or threatens to shoot someone, depending on how things feel when I get to that part...

You might want to think about where the story is set. In many US states it is legal to conceal a handgun if you have a permit. In some states you have to have a demonstrated need, such as a merchant who regularly carries large amounts of money. In Texas, you have to have a clean record and pass a written test and a shooting test. In other words, he might not have to relegate it to the trunk.

Also, just about any handgun, even of small caliber, will amputate a finger if you hit it cleanly. The bigger guns can remove a finger with a more glancing blow.

 

[Seattle Zack]

I'd say go with a WWII / gunfighter selection, and feature the .357 Magnum, the Dirty Harry gun. Fill it with .38s, or maybe the Magnum load to really make some noise. Throw in some Colt Peacemakers, a Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle, and you've got a great collection.

 

[Lisa Denton]

I'd say go with a WWII / gunfighter selection, and feature the .357 Magnum, the Dirty Harry gun. Fill it with .38s, or maybe the Magnum load to really make some noise. Throw in some Colt Peacemakers, a Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle, and you've got a great collection.

And a hell of a story.

 

[Weird Harold]

He goes to the car, gets the weapon, comes in, and either shoots or threatens to shoot someone, depending on how things feel when I get to that part...

Sounds like you're looking for a gun that is both interesting and intimidating -- that pretty much describes the "Dirty Harry" .44 Magnum.

I suggested the Old Model Blackhawk, because your initial description made it sound like he wanted to pass the shooting off as an accident, not necessarily that it would be accidental.

 

[xssve]

Yes, but you are talking about james bond secret agent spies, I think a guy who collects guns fitted with silencers is not a gun collector, but a terrorist.

hahahhahahahhahahhahahahahahhaha

See ya, Lisa.

Their use in the Bond movies is what makes them collectable, and as such, might well be fitted with a silencer, particularly as a collectors may be tempted to break the law for purposes of completing a collection.

It's only really important in terms of the needs of the story, if dr_mabeuse needs a silencer, the PPK fires from a closed bolt. It's also easily concealable, unlike a Luger or a P38, or even a 1911. It was designed mainly as a police back up firearm.

As for it's being in servicable condition, a good number of these weapons are till in use, and as for power, a .32 is more than adequate to remove a finger - a .22 will kill you just as dead as a .454 - with a .44 or a .45 one risks removing the entire hand.

 

[R. Richard]

As for it's being in servicable condition, a good number of these weapons are till in use, and as for power, a .32 is more than adequate to remove a finger - a .22 will kill you just as dead as a .454 - with a .44 or a .45 one risks removing the entire hand.

Actually, professionals prefer to use a .22. The .22 is much less noisy than a big caliber handgun and just as deadly, providing the guy who uses it is deadly.