Deep Fry of the Day: 1971 Hawes Catalog

Kentucky Fried Firearms traveled back in time and returned with this fine catalog from 1971.  (Google Translation: Bought it on Ebay.)  As you can see, Hawes sold a lot of guns made by JP Sauer & Sohn.  On the used market today, the Western Marshals are most common.  But I have seen a Montana Marshal and a Texas Marshal for sale before.  I think I saw a Chief Marshal on Gunbroker that wasn't labeled as such (the adjustable sights and short hammer look familiar).  The Virginia City Marshal is new to me.  I'll have to keep my eyes open for one (as if I wasn't obsessively checking Gunbroker and Armslist already).

The catalog itself contains five pages.  It's interesting to see what Hawes had to offer in '71.  I'll be honest.  I'd like to collect (and shoot) all the variants.  (Google Translation: Time to take out a 2nd mortgage.)

The most fascinating thing for me is on the bottom left corner in the orange box.  It looks like the .357 version (Model #6357C) could've been purchased with a optional 9mm cylinder.  And for whatever reason, shooting 9mm out of a cowboy six-shooter sounds so wrong, it's got to right.  You know what I mean?  I feel I've got to try it.  So yeah, add 9mm cylinder to the list of things I'll obsessively check for online.

Well, it looks like this deep fry is just about done.  Order up!     

UPDATE: Numrich used to sell a replacement 9mm cylinder (blue/nickel) for $58.85 but it looks like they sold out a long time ago.  I'll keep watching GB and Armslist.   
  

Going to Hell in a Hand Basket

This is my inaugural You Kids Stay Off My Lawn...Geez The World Is Going To Hell In A Hand Basket post.

If you couldn't tell from this post, I'm a fan of the old six-shooters made by JP Sauer & Sohn (imported by Hawes).  And I recently won an auction for a Western Marshal in .22lr.  It will be my first JP Sauer six-shooter (and 2nd six-shooter overall).  Since I was trying to get a feel for their prices, I've been watching every Hawes/Sauer auction on Gunbroker for the past month.  Most examples in good to very good condition have been selling between $280-$340.

This is a big part of the appeal for me.  Being able to collect quality pieces at fair prices.  It's one of the few guns made by JP Sauer that I can afford.  (Don't believe me?  Check out the prices for their double barrel shotguns or drilling guns.)  That said, I'm watching this one auction that ends in an hour.  It started at a penny.  It's now at $680!!  Six hundred and eighty dollars!! 

                             http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=370543006
Unsure if the Hawes Montana Marshals were made out of gold or something, I did a quick google search.  But didn't find anything out of the ordinary.  Most people paid around the same price as the Western Marshal.  So yeah, what the hell?  I have no idea, but that gun is going for almost $700.

Going to hell in a hand basket.  No doubt about it.