Pizza Bob

One of the easiest ways to enhance both the function and/or the aesthetics of your handgun is with custom grips. The beauty is that it is easily reversible or changeable if, down the road, your tastes change. I have been working through my S&W revolvers and either changing to the Smith smooth target offerings, or custom offerings. Smooth S&W grips are usually goncalo alves, but rosewood and even maple have also been used. Here's an example of smooth grips (these are presentation grips - meaning they are relieved on the R/S to show a custom roll mark on the side plate... They made them in configurations for the various frame sizes and grip frames. Here is a set of what are called "banana" grips (for obvious reasons). They are shown on a Model of 1953 22/32 Kit Gun... And then there are the all-out custom grips. I've installed elk stag grips on a number of my guns. Ken Driskill is the maker and he does terrific work at more than reasonable prices. However, you can't place an order with Ken. This is a hobby for him and he makes what he wants, when he wants, so it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time to get a set of his grips. He advertises them for sale on the S&W forum and also on Gun Broker (GB ID = bigmtnman). Here's a set of Ken's stag grips on my model 25-14... As far as custom grips in wood, there are three makers who are the pre-eminent craftsmen of S&W grips. They are Craig Spegel, John Culina and Keith Brown. Craig Spegel makes boot grips, however he also makes an extended version of his boot grip, which, in essence, are full size grips. Craig is 63 and currently has a two year waiting list for revolver grips. I was fortunate to purchase a gun that turned out to have Spegel grips on it - unbeknownst to the seller (a large gun store in the Pacific NW). These are ebony boot grips on a model 25-3. If they look familiar, Craig did the design of the Uncle Mike's rubber boot grips... The Culinas, John and Jennifer, make grips in the style of the stock S&W grips, but better shaped, better quality and some beautiful woods. Here are two examples of John's work. The first is a Target grip and the second is a Combat grip (both on models 24-3). Both are made with "bubble" maple - a variety of birdseye in which the "eyes" look three-dimensional (very hard to capture that effect in a picture)... And last, but certainly not least, is Keith Brown. Keith also has a two year backlog and is not accepting new orders at this time. He is a master at both the carving of the grips and the checkering. He may be best known for his Roper style grips with Roper's iconic ribbon checkering pattern. I just got these today (there are some available through brokers or private parties) - I will say that I have paid less for some Smiths in my collection than I paid for these grips, but I so love the Roper pattern that I just had to have the best. I passed bidding on a scarce Model 28 so that I could buy these grips... There are lots of commercial manufacturers also. Some of the best known are Hogue, Altamont, Eagle, Badger, Pachmayr, Nills, KSD and others. The truly custom makers are dwindling. Ahrends and Herretts are both out of business, hopefully others will pick-up the mantle. Adios, Pizza Bob

Higher power = shorter eye relief & smaller field of view

There is one more e-mail from the NJSP telling you the process is complete and to wait for your local PD to contact you to pick-up your permits. Good luck. Adios, Pizza Bob

What can I say - they just like me better.

The crown over X is a Spanish proof mark associated with the Eiber proof house up until 1931 when the king fled. The crown changed to a knight's helmet. The rampant lion is actually the final proof mark and was used from 1923 to 1928. Just a guess but the EN is probably the Eiber Nitro proof (smokeless powder). Eiber was a hotbed of S&W counterfeits. With the exception of the cylinder release, this gun is very much a copy of a S&W Military and Police. That's all I've got. Adios, Pizza Bob

I know that everybody thinks I only have S&W Revolvers, but I have a few bottom-feeders too...

Definitely call the ANJRPC and tell them . This is abuse of power plain & simple. My PD generally calls me before I even get the e-mail telling me the process is complete. Adios, Pizza Bob

This is the correct version of that meme...

I second this^^^^^^^^ Heritage Guild....Meh!

Not many departments or agencies use revolvers anymore, so getting harder to find trade-in. When you do they are usually Model 10's or Model 64's - fixed sight, 4" barreled K-frames in .38 Spl. A good basic gun. But even these are climbing in value. Spend a little more and get a nice Model 15 or Model 67 - the adjustable sighted versions of the 10/64. Gun Broker, Guns America or Guns International are all good sources. Adios, Pizza Bob

Gee, I don't know who that would be.

You need a S&W Revolver. Nuff said.

Ahhhh, if I were only 50 years younger

I have guns that I shoot - that are part of the collection, and guns that are safe queens. Most, these days, are safe queens because I am buying strictly for the collection. But I have made recent purchases of guns that I shoot for ICORE, IDPA and USPSA local club matches. These two were purchased within the last year... Ruger GP100 Match Champion in 10mm for IDPA (used only with .40 S&W) S&W 929 with a full competition treatment by Dave Olhasso for ICORE and USPSA. Adios, Pizza Bob

Not to be a naysayer, but what are they going to do? The process here in NJ is hardly transparent, so unless a PD or the NJSP put in writing that they aren't processing applications because of covid-19 (and that is what FPC is looking for), how are you going to prove it? You know that the case that said the 30 day clock doesn't start until the PD has all the information needed to make a yay or nay determination is in hand, was ajudicated when fingerprint searches by the FBI were done manually - pre-AFIS, and that was usually the factor that delayed processing. With AFIS a fingerprint search results can be had in seconds, not weeks. The next biggest bottleneck is the mental health check - which is why there is the question of where you have lived if not at your current address for at least 10 years. As I understood it, there was no centralized database of commitments for mental health reasons and thus a manual search had to be done in each county where the applicant resided (I have no idea what happened if the applicant resided out of state). Apparently the new FARS process has surmounted that problem (or has it?) as processing is pretty timely. While things have gotten better under the FARS application process, it is still far from transparent and we still have the local PD doling out the permits, which just gives them the opportunity to procrastinate further. I have heard a rumor that soon we will be going to electronic purchase permits. Once you have been notified that you are approved, your dealer can go into the system and "fill" your permit at the POP. Remains to be seen if this will help or hinder the process - should help if properly administered - and there's the rub. Adios, Pizza Bob

Innocent - picked up my last one on 4/16 and I'm not due for the next until 5/19. You're going to have to find another scapegoat....but I am flattered. Adios, Pizza Bob

They just like me better. LOL. I was in and out of the parking lot in about 4 minutes. Very well orchestrated and executed. A lot of PD's around this state could learn a thing or two about firearms permitting from the Hopewell Twp PD. Adios, Pizza Bob

I often spend my evenings in front of the TV while also perusing eBay for S&W ephemera on my iPad. I came across this Italian leather covered, S&W embossed presentation case one evening and bookmarked it to watch. Imagine my surprise when closing time came and I was the only bidder at a very low opening price... The case exceeded my expectations. Of course that begged the question, "What to put in it?" I not only scan eBay but also a number of firearm auction and for sale sites, and sometimes other forum's classifieds. I probably scan a thousand or more listings a week. I came across a model of S&W (what else?) that I already had, but this was in a different finish. They made this model in a blued finish as well as a nickel finish and a real color case-hardened finish, by the master: Doug Turnbull. I managed to secure it at a slightly better price than I paid for the nickel one. I figured these are the perfect duo to do this case justice... As the placard indicates, these are S&W Models 22 - 22-4 to be specific. These are part of S&W's Classic Series that reprise famous guns from their past. In this case, the .45 ACP Model of 1917. The CCH gun came from a large gunstore in the Pacific NW and it was not a great experience. I won the auction and had no communication from them whatsoever. Sent funds and the license and heard nothing. E-mailed them 3 times and used the message function on their website and heard nothing back from them. Tried calling several numbers listed for them and either got cut-off after the first ring or was told the voice mailbox was full. I actually joined a gun forum in that region and enlisted some help from them. The support and boots-on-the-ground help from that quarter was terrific. The gun community is truly something special. Finally, two and a half weeks after the close of the auction, the gun just shows up at my dealer. I would have been fine with the delay in shipping, I understand that these are extraordinary times - all they would have had to do was communicate that to me. A simple pre-formatted message would have taken minutes to send, but they couldn't even be bothered doing that. Water under the bridge. There was an upside. On the forum I joined out there I came across a .45 Target Model of 1950 (a pre-model 26) and managed to separate it from its owner. Fodder for a future thread. Stay healthy. Adios, Pizza Bob

Support your local police department!!!

@CMJeepster Our PD is doing curb service. Got this e-mail today. Applied for the permits on 3/30. Looks like 30 days on the nose. I have three guns waiting. First pick-up is a 6" nickel S&W Model 57 on 5/19. Adios, Pizza Bob

OMG ROTFLMAO

This kind of squares with what my FFL told me - the NJSP are processing new applications faster than those of us that already have a FPID and are applying for P2P's. This poster got everything done in 19 days. I applied for three P2P's on 3/30 and just got notice yesterday that the Criminal Background Check was completed System is still SNAFU'd. Adios, Pizza Bob

Not all PD's will require you to leave the permits for the extension. My PD would do it while you wait. Just a rubber stamp of the chief's signature and a date written in and you are GTG. Conversely, some departments will not extend the permits at all. Lately, some departments are issuing the permits already extended to 180 days. Adios, Pizza Bob

@Underdog- First, yes the 90 day extension is at the discretion of the CLEO of the issuing authority - not something the governor could change, it is statutory. Some departments are actually automatically issuing the permits for the full 180 days, from the git-go. The need for more permits than you could use in 90 days (or 180 days) stems from the Multiple Purchase Exemption (MPE). You can purchase an unlimited number of handguns using the MPE, but you still need to have an individual permit for each one. I have used MPE's several times - sometimes for two guns and the most was four guns. It takes some time for a MPE to be approved, and that was during normal times. I hate to think how long the process would be now, I currently have three guns at my FFL, but will probably get those one at a time. Thought I was going to add one to that, but the deal fell through this morning. EDITED TO ADD: An MPE can be used at anytime, regardless of when your last purchase under OGAM was made. However, once the MPE is used it starts the 30 day OGAM clock. Adios, Pizza Bob

Ahhh, grasshopper, you have much to learn.