GUNS!

After the afternoon's frustrating apartment hunting experience, I decided to follow through on a recommendation from one of my co-workers and check out the firearms department at the local Ace Hardware.  Yeah...Ace Hardware.

Well, I am not sure what I expected to find, but color me impressed.  They had roughly 20 long guns on display, and probably about twice that number of handguns.  Long guns ran the whole range of social uses...Marlin and Ruger .22's, a couple of lever-guns, some bolt-actions in big boy hunting calibers, 10 or 12 shotguns, then a couple of things I didn't expect to run into at Ace...one of the specially tricked out Ruger SR-22's, a M-1 Carbine, a Mosin Nagant, and then two .223 semi's...collapsible stocks and all. 

Handguns were varied also...nothing super top-end..I didn't see any Kimbers or H&K's...mostly Ruger, S&W and Taurus.  About equal numbers of semi's and revolver.  Which leads to sad story...one young gentleman was there with his wife and children picking up a pistol...I recognized the brick-like shape on the counter as a Hi-Point...so sad.  I almost offered the guy $200 so he could pick-up a Ruger revolver instead of letting him walk out with the Hi-Point, but...until my house sells, I can't afford to be that charitable. 

The only thing in the pistol case that REALLY caught my eye was a Walther PK380...the big brother in fit and function to the Walther P-22 I bought my wife a few years ago for Christmas.  It might make a nice matched pair for her...I will definitely being her in to do some fondling next time she is in the Tri-Cities.  

I didn't look close enough to judge if prices were good, but I was able to look close enough to decide they weren't bad.  Ammo selection was okay...no .35 Whelen, but I have pretty much resigned myself to buying that in bulk off the internet machine. 

I look forward to going back sometime after the house has sold, so I can do some serious fondling and considering, not just fogging up the gun case windows.