Well, as I see it, you just haven't been working at it hard enough. Its called getting in the groove. There are some tricks to all this, as spoken by a true addict. First, go to the bank before every show and take out enough money. Even if you haven't spent the money for the last show, load up again. Then start making friends with other S&W fools. Soon they'll be acting as a bad infuence. If you have a wife at home who scowls when you bring in new guns, learn to take old guns with you. Tell her its trading material and if you return with the same number, she might not get too mad. Then always take the guns out and back in using gun rugs. Buy new ones at the show and leave a rug or two in the truck. That way when you've worked your way up to 3 guns at a lucky show, you won't be afraid to leave one or two in the truck overnight or until she gets too busy to notice.

If there's a nearby railroad crossing, stop some time when you get the chance. Rocks are heavy, like guns. Smuggle some ballast into the house for later use. Just put a few rocks in the rug you carry out when you leave for the show. If you buy a gun, dump the free rocks in the show parking lot. If you see a pile lying there, you'll know I was at the same show and got lucky. Or some other fool who reads my drivel followed my advice.

Boxes work just like gun rugs. Buy them when you see them at the shows or here on the forum. I tend to use flat wrenches and ratchets to weigh the boxes down. If you leave them under the seat, its just normal clutter. Once I got a box from a friend here (Dewey). I got home kind of late and my wife was dying to know what was in the package/present. I wasn't concerned, it was from South Carolina and was from Dewey. She was a bit upset when I didn't tear into it instantly. So I then opened it and showed her it was just an empty box. That was how I got away with a stack of empties on top of the safe. She had this woman like view that one box equals one gun. Its important to break the connection in her mind. Boxes are boxes and guns are guns with no real connection between them. You can even sit in your easy chair and examine a box or two and compare them. If she asks, just explain you're interested in the old boxes and are looking at the differences. Its enjoyable and confuses the female mind.

Or you can take the smart move and ignore old gun collectors and all we've learned over the years.

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Dick Burg