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Should I buy a 63 Medalist?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:11 pm
by Tigerbeetle
I want to... you will have to tell me why I shouldn't. It is a beautiful gun, but not without some issues. The bluing is excellent, no wear except where the barrel weight mount has been taken on and off. There are only 2 barrel weights and mounting bracket, not three as would have come with it. The largest and middle weights are the ones with it, I believe. It is in a soft, zipper, Browning pistol case. The Medalist hand grip has been replaced with a Challenger I fully checkered grip that looks immaculate. The red medalist forearm has one small crease in the lacquer. I can go out the door for under $600. Several people I have talked to on another forum have told me it is an excellent buy. I have it on hold, but I would really like to get it tomorrow. I know the grip does not match the forearm in color, but is it ever a pretty pistol anyway. Someday I will get another Medalist grip for show. What do you all say??
Tigerbeetle :) :D

Re: Should I buy a 63 Medalist?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:22 pm
by bearandoldman
Tigerbeetle wrote:I want to... you will have to tell me why I shouldn't. It is a beautiful gun, but not without some issues. The bluing is excellent, no wear except where the barrel weight mount has been taken on and off. There are only 2 barrel weights and mounting bracket, not three as would have come with it. The largest and middle weights are the ones with it, I believe. It is in a soft, zipper, Browning pistol case. The Medalist hand grip has been replaced with a Challenger I fully checkered grip that looks immaculate. The red medalist forearm has one small crease in the lacquer. I can go out the door for under $600. Several people I have talked to on another forum have told me it is an excellent buy. I have it on hold, but I would really like to get it tomorrow. I know the grip does not match the forearm in color, but is it ever a pretty pistol anyway. Someday I will get another Medalist grip for show. What do you all say??
Tigerbeetle :) :D
Go for it, if you want it. It's only money and after you are dead and buried what good will it do you to save it"? Buy it, shoot it, enjoy it, life is short.

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:17 pm
by KAZ
Don't count on me to attempt to talk you out of it. If, I knew where one was for $600 I would be fondling it, and showing off a picture for you to lust after 8) My 65 Challenger is my favorite pistol. Regards

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:09 pm
by bearandoldman
KAZ wrote:Don't count on me to attempt to talk you out of it. If, I knew where one was for $600 I would be fondling it, and showing off a picture for you to lust after 8) My 65 Challenger is my favorite pistol. Regards
Lik the KAZ says, if you want to get talked out of buying that pistol, you came to the wrong place. KAZ, Bear is 10 years old today, next year he and I will be =equal in dog and people years.

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:25 pm
by KAZ
KAZ who turned 8 this past December sends a Happy BirthDay BEAR'S way! They do love a party 8)

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:41 pm
by bearandoldman
KAZ wrote:KAZ who turned 8 this past December sends a Happy BirthDay BEAR'S way! They do love a party 8)
Yes, a fresh bag of dog cookies wqs opened this morning and have been partake of several times. Bear is just the sweetest dog and has now been with us for 9 year on the 10th of of this month. Got him just before he was a year old from the Golden Retriever of Michigan Rescue, some people downstate probably did not like dog hair in their house, what dog haor, I don.t see any.

OK, Guys...

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:09 am
by Tigerbeetle
I give in. :wink: I will pick it up this evening on the way home from work. I think it will be fun to shoot. i will post a picture when I get it along with my Challenger II and my Camo Buck Mark. BAOM, My #2 son has a golden that is about 2 now. Biggest clown you ever saw and smart enough to read the telephone book. Comes in from outside and retrieves his house blanket for someone to spread out so he can lay in front of the fireplace.
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He was about 10 weeks here I believe.

Happy Birthday, Bear. :D
Tigerbeetle[/img]

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:03 pm
by bearandoldman
Cute little guy, bet he looks a lot different now. Bear was just short of one when I got him 9 years ago non the 10th. He sure has been a friend, on guard duty righ now at my feet. Buy that gun and shoot it don't just look at it, that is why gns were made for SHOOTING. If the weather was warmer here, Bear and I would be heading out for a little range session. Only 7 miles away so we do get a lot of half hour to hour shoots in frequently when the weather is nice.

Well, I did!

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:47 am
by Tigerbeetle
I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but maybe this evening if the rain quits and I'm not sneezing up a storm. BAOM, I cried (alligator tears) to the shop dealer because it was going to cost me so much to find a Medalist grip he really needed to come down. So I ended up OTD at 525. Made me feel better. I took it down and cleaned it good. It was a little dry and had some old powder residue, etc. Took a little bit of gun scrubber to break it all loose. I used some synthetic grease I use on my fishing reels (Ardent Reels, Reel butter and reel oil) and if functions slicker than a baby's bottom.

Image

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It is maybe not pristine, but it really is in pretty good shape. I wish I had the Medalist grip, but I'll keep my eyes open and maybe come across one I can afford. Not right away, anyhow. Time for that. Just all grins for right now. TB

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:57 am
by bearandoldman
Crying, whining begging, pleading and groveling are all fair in gun dealing. I myself use he poor old man approach in my bargaining. Usual buy most everything at my old friends gun shop so I am well know. They always have the marked price and the "Lennie" price for me.

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:20 am
by KAZ
You did WELL!!! I'm looking forward to some targets, Ill bet that ir is a sweet shooter. Mine loves CCI Standard Vel. This is my 1985 Challenger with it's 4" barrel,just a joy to shoot. Points well. Regards
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Thanks, Kaz.

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 1:45 pm
by Tigerbeetle
I'll try not to disappoint. I will go shoot a couple this evening. :lol:

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:49 pm
by greener
Good looking guns, guys. May have to try eye avoidance techniques if I pass by one. :lol:

Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:30 am
by Bullseye
Nice pistol! I'd have bought it at that price. I'm looking forward to hearing how your first shoot went.

R,
Bullseye

First time out...

Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:24 am
by Tigerbeetle
The 50 ft. indoor range close to where i live is really a hole-in-the-wall. The lighting is horrible, and the targets hang on clothes hangers, so you have to wait for them to stop swinging before you can shoot. If you shoot to fast, the target will start swinging again, so it makes it interesting. You learn to time your shots with the pendulum period of the target. What a Hoot!! Sometimes, they quit swinging fairly quickly. All that aside, it is still a place to shoot 10 minutes from the house.

I shot up the first target tweaking the sights. I didn't have a manual, so I had to experiment a bit to see which way was which with the windage and elevation adjustments. That came along okay. I like the sights on the Medalist much better than the Challenger II. The rear sight gap is a little wider and allows me a better sight picture. I was shooting a 2-handed supported rest over the top of my hard case and a roll of masking tape I use on my targets. On top of that is a sort of rubber pad that was some left-over shelf liner I put in my wife's kitchen cabinets. Works really well to absorb excess movement. I shoot in a kind of hunched over standing position. No chair. Anyway, here is my best 5 shot group on my first target:
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Then I put up the second target with a few more pieces of tape and shot some more 5 shot groups. I shot the center bull first and then the pieces of tape. The last group - at the bottom (right side of photo) of the target was just 2-handed blasting away at the piece of tape. More FUN! I love it!!
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I will have to take a picture of this range to show you all. It is probably a public menace. :shock: