Beater guns: here, use this one

Guns Magazine, April, 2007 by John Taffin

Someone once said, "No good deed will go unpunished." That's not quite true, but it happens way too often. A fellow had a friend who wanted to do deer hunting but had no rifle so he loaned him a very special firearm. It was an old carbine, one from the used-but-not-abused category and had been used by several generations in the same family for just such a task.

It was mechanically perfect and its pristine barrel reflected meticulous care. however the exterior of this 100-year-old .44-40 Winchester Model 1892 reflected the blue wear and honest stock scratches one would expect from its long history of outdoor use through many hunting seasons. The sights were dead on and the old .44-40. or if you prefer .44 Winchester Centerfire. is an excellent cartridge for relatively upclose deer hunting.

Don't Do That!

The .44-40 was borrowed, the hunt was a success, and the borrower wanted to do something to show his appreciation. Can you see it coming? He felt the old rifle would look better so he did the unthinkable: he stopped at a local gun-shop and commissioned a hurry up job so he could return rifle in due time. Yes. he really did it. He thanked the friend who had loaned him that beautiful little .44-40 levergun by removing the honest wear placed his by father, grandfather and great-grandfather from the same family and replaced it with new bluing. The wear and consequently the family history were now all flushed away. Gone. He wanted to do a good deed to match the loaning of the Winchester and instead accomplished just the opposite.

It is unfortunate the gunsmith who performed the operation was not one of those who subscribe to the idea of leaving old guns which have never been re-finished before in their original condition. We can well imagine what went through the mind of the lender when he received his family's prized levergun back.

It's probably a good thing the .44-40 came back unloaded. There is definitely a lesson here, probably several. One is to be very careful in lending firearms even to friends. Another is to be just aS wary about what firearm is placed in someone else's hands. Not for one minute did the lender ever think such a "good deed" would be performed on his family heirloom.

Sometimes we're placed in the position of lending guns to good friends. I have done it often, however, I have been careful who I lend to and what I lend. This is not only true with friends, but also where family members are concerned, especially son, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, none of whom may be quite as careful with prized firearms as I am, nor should they be burdened so. This is exactly where "beater guns" come in.

The Beater

The idea of a "beater gun" came from my oldest grandson inadvertently when he was much younger. My son had purchased a pickup truck in excellent running condition, however like the .44-40 levergun, it showed plenty of use but not abuse on the outside. It had been many years since that dreaded first scratch had appeared and the bed reflected the carrying of many loads of different kinds.

My grandson labeled it the "beater truck." It was dependable, did any job asked, and you didn't have worry about any new scratches. As I compared the "'beater truck" to my working truck, the difference was obvious. Mine is used only for traveling and shooting. The bed is lined with carpeting and is filled with all my shooting equipment, targets, tools, chronographs, sweatshirt and jackets for cool weather, cleaning rods, cleaning kits, etc. There is enough equipment to fill the 8' bed protected with a locking solid steel cover, which lifts and stays open for easy access. It is definitely not a "beater truck" and nothing has ever been transported not gun related.

Beater Gun Battery

Most of my firearms are in the same category as my working truck and are cared for very carefully. I have managed to come up with several "beater guns" for the express purpose of being able to lend them without burdening the borrower to the point he won't enjoy them. Although these are labeled "beater guns," it doesn't mean they can be abused. I'm just not overly concerned about protecting their finish. I picked up most of my "beater guns" for less than $200, although I have a couple primarily refinished for this same category.

Several years ago I picked up a Ruger .357 Magnum Flattop Blackhawk for $90 simply because it was abused and pitted in several places. I could have left it alone and just used it as a shooter but decided to go an extra, actually two extra steps. I sent it off to Hamilton Bowen who re-chambered the cylinder and re-bored the barrel to .44 Special and instead of spending a lot of money finishing it I had him bead blast the exterior and finish it a matte blue. Although I have considerably more than $200 invested, the result is a .44 Special go-anywhere "beater gun."

I recently found another Ruger Blackhawk Old Model .357 Magnum with much worse pitting for $100. The stocks and ejector housing were missing, but it was mechanically OK. I don't particularly care for 6 1/2" barrels, so an old 4 5/8" barrel along with an ejector rod and housing were installed from my parts box and this prime example of the "beater gun" was topped off with a pair of Pachmayr rubber stocks. There's absolutely no way anyone can do anything in normal use to hurt either the finish or the stocks on this one. I expect it will be in the family for a long time.