To Double Trouble

Downsizing during last year or so:

NIB 1895 Win 405 blued - sold
NIB 1886 Win oct brl takedown 45-70 - traded
NIB 1886 Win EL 45-70 - sold - (tried 3 times, but just couldn't learn to love all those Win. lawyer driven safety features!)
nice 1886 Browning 45-70 SRC - sold
NIB 1895 Browning 30-40 -sold (had 2, other one should be back next week, rebored to 405, have Lyman 38 sight copy and other goodies for my TR rifle!)
ANIB 71 Browning 50 Express Turnbull Big Bore Classic - sold - another lifetime lust, but more than I needed here in Maine!
nice 336 Marlin 30-30, early unmolested wavy top engraved - sold
nice 71 Browning 348 carbine (poor wood tho') - traded
NIB Rossi 92 Win copy 480 Ruger stainless steel - sold
NIB 1886 Browning 45-70 oct brl rifle - sold, I think
used but nice Ruger 3-screw Blackhawk w/Super brass frame 45 Colt - sold
used but nice Ruger single-six 32 H&R - traded
used but nice Taurus 450SS 2C 45 Colt snubby - sold
(3 handguns were part of quest for CCWs - ended up w/a slicked up Ruger 357 SP101 for warm weather, special ordered Freedom Arms 97 3-1/2" brrld rd butt 45 Colt 5 shot for cold weather!)
nice Rossi 12ga 3" 20" brrld hammer double - traded
nice old Burnside Carbine (old family piece, but no sentimental) - sold
nice old #4 Rem rolling block 32 rimfire - sold

during last 25+ years:

Springfield 45-70 trapdoor w/new Armory brl, reblued, vernier tang site, custom stocked for long range prone shooting - sold for next
Sharps Borchardt Sporting 45x2.4" carbine, set back rechambered to 45-70, action had been extensively reworked for high pressure varmint cartridge, factory wood refinished, beat myself silly w/old Elmer Keith mx 45-70 loads in it - sold to build next
Win 1895 (Russian surplus 7.62x54 action w/junker brl), I rebarreled to 30-40 Krag, new Lyman rec. sight, restocked w/Fajen semi-fancy wood, had it reblued, wish I kept it - sold to pay bills
Marlin 444 , the old original high comb straight stock - traded in on new Marlin 1895 45-70 in '72
Marlin original square bolt 1895 33 WCF carbine w/NEW orig. 45-70 1/2 oct Special Smokeless Steel barrel - wish I'd kept it - sold to pay bills
Marlin original 1894 25-20 pistolgrip brld action reblued, w/new SSS oct 25-20 brl, another should've - sold to pay bills
Springfield 30-40s & 30-06s (1/2 dzn +), unmodified to restocked nicely sporterized, wish I'd at least kept the classic restocked 98 Krag - sold to pay bills

Yes, there were more rifles and handguns too, the Walther P-38 9mm I swapped for a posthole digger for my tractor, and not one but at least a couple pre '64 (actually prewar!) 94 Win 30-30s swapped one off and paid my brother-in-law's buddy with the other for scraping the paint off our 200 yr old house!

The older sales/trades were when we were young and land-poor trying to raise a family - the last 5 years you'd think a 45-70 hammer gun loving sometimes DR lusting would've bought or traded for a Pedersoli Kodiak 45-70 w/spare 20ga. brls! Kind of doubt I can scrape together the 3-4 thousand at this stage of the game ... unless I sell/trade some of the new pieces ... don't think so.

Realistically I have too many projects waiting to be completed, but I still have a good bit of my machine shop left (moved it up to the new house, but after a year nothing set up or under power - yet). I've really liked my Rossi coachguns, and the 12ga 3" w/heavy 3" buck loads and slugs hadn't loosened up anything outside of probably brain cells for considering this, but I'm just pushing 60, still remember how to profile and thread up and fit a barrel blank, or 2, have done a lot of hand fitting of replacement parts, much delicate soldering and both hard & soft silver soldering over the years, and know my way around the handloading bench! What's around for a modern production hammer double? I'm guessing I'll be told those Rossis are too soft and that firing pins could be a problem, but if not what then? 2 new Green Mountain 1.275"D. 35" 4140 banks are $400- for the pair, whether 1-18" twist .457/8 groove, or or 1-24" .510" groove!

Ongoing introduction, Thanks, Joe (hobbyguymaine)