My First Saturday Night Special

My First Saturday Night Special

Maybe you don’t remember the phrase as it was born by the press to refer to a slang term used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun. Maybe you do remember the fact that Saturday night specials were plentiful and cheap and easy to obtain whether you were a law abiding citizen or a crook. 

The laws were lax and the price was right for anyone to buy one of these either legitimately in a gun store or just down the block on the corner exchanging it from hand to hand without any paperwork. 

The fact is it was easy to come into the possession of one of these delights. My first Saturday night special was a .32 caliber chromed revolver made by Harrington & Richardson. The five shot gun had no punch or kick back and was easy to shoot. Acquiring the target, you had to be close to it for the fixed sights were not very effective out more than 5 yards or maybe I was just a bad shot. 

I bought it for personal protection and home protection. In all reality, it was a waste of money but I got it thinking it would keep me safe. I didn’t buy it in a store but got it from a friend who was a friend of a friend. It was certainly not a collector’s item and if someone said it was a “throw away” you wouldn’t get an argument out of me. 

The gun had a sloppy cylinder that worried me a little and the trigger was harsh to pull. Maybe too hard for a girl as it was too firm in my opinion.Sure it prevented accidental discharges but hell, you had to pull hard to fire the thing or just cock the hammer back making it easier to shoot. It was a nice concealed piece if you wanted one but the stopping power was less than desired when you start reading about how powerful a .32 caliber bullet really is. 

All in all it was the best $35.00 buck I ever spent on a gun. I took it with me camping and I carried it when I was in place, the wrong places and nothing ever stopped me from carrying that little snub-nosed revolver with a 2 inch barrel.

It was a pocket gun. It was a concealed weapon unauthorized to carry in some states but perfectly legal in others. It weighed almost nothing and it fit in any pocket you chose to carry it in. 

The quality was less than desired and I am sure if I fired too many rounds through it the pot metal would melt or warp or even break down. The barrel was steel and the hammer looked like steel as well but the rest was cheap looking but a little bit better than junk. Oh yeah, those plastic grips were the bomb.

I finally got rid of the thing. Gave it away to a friend who had a friend wanting a pocket gun. I had replaced the snub nose revolver with an over and under .38 caliber derringer that was a little bit smaller but packed a wallop and made sturdier too. 

It was American made and did a better job than the little .32 ever did. Let’s face it, you get what you pay for and if you want a chunky clunky and reliable Saturday night special, this kind of gun will do the job and might be just right for you.