Originally Posted by jkc

Thanks for posting the Klein's ad --- brought back a fond memory... In 1963, at age 13, I'd saved enough money from mowing neighbors' lawns, working at the canoe livery, and other odd jobs to order a very exotic shotgun from Klein's --- a 20 ga. Beretta "Silver Snipe" O/U, (fixed)-choked IC/MOD, the ultimate ruffed grouse and woodcock gun for Michigan's woods. After two years of working for slave wages, I bought a money order, and sent my order off to Klein's, in eager anticipation. A couple week's later, I got a letter from Klein's, and my heart sank. It read to the effect of, "The item you ordered is not in stock, so we have taken the liberty of making a substitution, which we trust you will find satisfactory. If not , please return it at our expense for a full refund."

I feared they might have substituted a cheap Mossberg or Remington for the Beretta, and was resigned to disappointment. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when the postman delivered a cardboard carton containing not some cheap American repeater, but a jewel-like Silver Snipe, with a ventilated rib --- a coveted feature, but one beyond the reach of my budget, at about $30 more than the $160 cost of the plain barrel gun! It's still a treasured part of my battery...