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01-23-2021, 10:50 AM
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Sometimes they just speak to you
I haven't posted much in the past couple of years. I changed careers - kind of semi retirement, kick back and get out of the rat race of my previous profession working as a Parts Manager at a big car dealership. That job afforded me to be on the Forum much more as it was mostly a desk job.
Now I manage a good size gun shop and shooting range. I'm also one of the pistol instructors and I don't have the opportunity to sit behind a computer much. By the time I get home at night the last thing I want to do is talk guns! Things went sideways starting about a year ago, and now I'm working harder than ever, for about one third the money!!
But at least I'm doing something I love.
Anyway, every now and again something comes into the shop that catches my eye. Some are guns you don't see everyday, and some are guns that just speak to you.
This is one that "spoke to me".
An older gentleman came in with it and wanted to "just get rid of it". He said it belonged to a friend who had passed away and his widow gave it to him many, many years ago. His friend was a police officer in Philadelphia, and supposedly this was his duty gun and holster. I asked him how much he wanted for it and gladly handed him the $75.00 he asked.
It needed to be cleaned up and lubed, but it times perfectly and I love it's charm and character.
According to Roy, it shipped in February, 1927.
Ugly ducklings need love too!
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Rick
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01-23-2021, 11:05 AM
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Not an "ugly duckling" in my book...
That one would've spoken to me, too!
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01-23-2021, 11:16 AM
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Did you feel "guilty" paying only $75? I would have been all over that.
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H Richard
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01-23-2021, 11:17 AM
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$75 well spent! Tons of character on that M&P. I can see why it spoke to you.
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Richard
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01-23-2021, 11:36 AM
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You paid for the holster, and got the gun for free...
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Randy
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01-23-2021, 11:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1blindref
and I love it's charm and character.
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I do too....both the gun and rig!
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Terry Lester
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01-23-2021, 11:53 AM
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Not so much now that the end of the world is here, but in normal times with a $200 tag on it, that gun would have sat in the case at my LGS for at least a year before it "spoke" to someone. I think all the new shooters are speaking a different language.
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01-23-2021, 12:02 PM
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Dontcha love prewar guns? Let me know if it stops speaking to you. It’s whispering to me.
You hang in there. Sounds like you had a dream job for awhile anyway. Some day, I want to be the guy on the driving range, picking up golf balls...
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Illegitimi non carborundum
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01-23-2021, 05:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by H Richard
Did you feel "guilty" paying only $75? I would have been all over that.
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After I paid him, he said he just wanted to get rid of it and didn’t expect to get anything for it. He was extremely happy and told me he was going to buy himself a steak dinner!
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Rick
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01-23-2021, 05:21 PM
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I had an opportunity like that awhile back. A coworker told me his neighbor was an elderly widow who wanted to sell her husbands gun collection. He wanted to know if I would buy any of them. I asked him what she had for sale and the first gun he mentioned perked up my ears. When he told me what came with it I stopped him. I said that i couldn't afford it. When he told me what she wanted for it, I asked him how many guns she wanted to sell. He said she had 15-20 and named some of the others. I did some research and told him to tell her to get the collection appraised as she was selling this gun for WAAYYY less than it was worth. Here's what he said the offer was. Thompson subgun with 12 20 round sticks, 2 30 round sticks and a 50 round drum with a factory case. This was in 1996-7 during the ban. She wanted $700. At the time the drums alone were going for $500. Several of the other guns were high end hunting rifles and collector grade shotguns. I couldn't do it. Not to a widow.
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01-23-2021, 06:01 PM
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"...some are guns that just speak to you."
Listen close. That old thing has a lot to say. I love it!
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01-23-2021, 06:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thinnes
Dontcha love prewar guns? Let me know if it stops speaking to you. It’s whispering to me.
You hang in there. Sounds like you had a dream job for awhile anyway. Some day, I want to be the guy on the driving range, picking up golf balls...
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Crazy thing is, my first job as a kid was working at a driving (golf balls) range and I eventually worked my way up to driving the International Jeep around and picking up the golf balls. It was a cool job at first, but it got old pretty quickly. It’s incredible how loud a golf ball hitting a Jeep sounds.
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Rick
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01-23-2021, 07:56 PM
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I wouldn't worry about only paying $75. It sounds like it probably would have ended up in a gun buyback. At least you will enjoy it and maybe pass it on to someone else to enjoy when you're done. It will avoid getting pounded into a plow shear.
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01-25-2021, 11:18 AM
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If it could only talk. Nicely done !!!!
Glad to see your post, we'll have to get together some time soon !!
Rick
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01-25-2021, 11:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RAELAND
If it could only talk.
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Maybe it's good that it can't!!
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01-25-2021, 12:00 PM
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What it's saying is; "take me to the range so I can put some holes in paper".
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