Gloating? A reasonable question, but no----just curious to the point of being dumbfounded!

Inflation? Sure----or at least a reasonable thought, but these guns were sold almost four years ago----BEFORE "the Fed" DRASTICALLY increased the money supply. And not that I think nobody knows this, but inflation isn't about higher prices, it's about drastic increases in the money supply-------as in reducing the value of the money---such that it takes more of it to buy something today than it did yesterday---as in "Econ 101". Higher prices are a symptom of lower value money---not the real problem.

And here's a kicker: One of these guns was bought by a fellow we'll call nobody's business except his---and he's one we regard as a hip dude---as in when he talks, people sit up and take notice-----pretty much every time he has something to say---one of those who's been there and done that---and one who's Momma didn't raise no dumb kids! Not only that, but he regards the gun as something special----and if I was so gouch as to say his name, you'd recognize it----RIGHT NOW!!

So---all that leaves us with the conclusion the folks (a pair of folks) I bought the guns from were as dumb as a rock---and that doesn't seem likely. These were two older gentlemen---older, as in been there and done that when it comes to gun collecting----kind of like the one who bought one of these things I mentioned up above.

When was Dallas? I clearly don't remember, but someone here knows exactly when/where each and every SWCA meeting was---right from the get-go. The best I've got is it was in the earlier 2000's---after 2000 (Knoxville)---which was my first one. And as an aside, I'm not even sure it was Dallas---and push come to shove, it doesn't make any difference where it was.

And as another aside, I met John Watts at the Knoxville meeting. We hit it off first crack out of the box. We decided it was because we weren't competitors. He collected antiques. I collected targets. The only overlap was the the first targets---and I already had those. After that, we went to the meetings together. I'm from, call it Chattanooga---he's from Cincinnati. If/when the meeting was beyond either of those locations for either of us, one goes to the other's home on Monday. Tuesday's travel day to the meeting site---worked like a charm---right up until that no good lout up and died on me! The meetings weren't much fun after that.

The mystery continues------------

Ralph Tremaine