A while back I read a piece about a company producing new handguns with that well-used appearance. The writer said, and I agreed, he preferred to have his handguns get that well-used patina the old-fashioned way by actually using them.
With that in mind, I recently acquired this old Smith & Wesson Model 28 Highway Patrolman. It’s a .357 on a .44 Mag frame and rode in the holster of a now-retired sheriff’s deputy for years until the department switched to 9mms. It’s got a lot of shiny spots but the action is still smooth and it hits what it’s aimed at.
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Legal restrictions make owning and using an old rifle harder than ever, but Diggory Hadoke explains how vintage can still be viable
The .577 Nitro Express inspires confidence when big beasts are the target Credit: Paul Quagliana
There are historical and legal reasons for the decline in interest in vintage rifles in this country. When I was a child, to have a modest collection of sporting and military rifles was not an uncommon thing for a country gentleman. My father had only a passing interest, but owned more than a dozen. My primary school headmaster had more than 100. I know this, because he used to bring them to school to show us.