OM Goodness ...
In early 1973 at the end of ‘formal’ US involvement in Vietnam, I returned from RVN, spent a few weeks in DC at DIA, and was then fortunate enough to be accepted at the University of Tampa to complete my undergraduate degree in history. I discovered Kenfix in my search to equip my High Standard M-10B police shotgun with a Kel-Tec flashlight. I walked into Ken’s shop which was like 98% machine shop and one glass case with a few generic handguns as I recall. Eventually Ken walked over and I explained what I was trying to have done. A very huff, no nonsense man, he said he could do the work, we agreed on a price, and I left to return when the work was completed.
On the promised completion date I arrived and on walking in and waiting for Ken to appear, I began to really look at all the ‘stuff’ he had randomly stacked on shelves there at the front of his shop. On the top of a high shelf I spotted what appeared to be a BAR but didn’t look exactly right. Ken arrived, went back and retrieved my completed shotgun w/modification, but noticed my attention on the top of the shelf. I guess he must have asked what I was looking and I explained my confusion at what I though I was looking at and that exchange marked the beginning of our interesting relationship.
The man was a true character and very much a man of his time. He had a contract to produce adjustable rear sights for 1911’s for Uncle Sam. As part of the acceptance he was required to fire - as I recall - 1k of hardball .45 ACP through several government supplied pistols equipped with his hardware. Uncle shipped him the ammo and he proceeded to fire the so equipped pistols there in his shop. Ken had excavated a pit in the floor and arranged a large, 20 - 24” pipe that extended under the shop floor that he used to test fire guns. For this contract Ken did the firing while I helped out loading a stack of magazines. We went through the required ammo during the course of a Saturday as I recall and then celebrating with cold refreshments. Beer for me and a soft drink of some kind for Ken who was a diabetic. Both Ken’s sights and the pistols functioned as required with his adjustable sights remaining tight and fully functional for windage and elevation per specifications. Firearms and expended brass were returned to Uncle and Ken got paid for his efforts. He was an excellent machinists.
Ken was also a Class III dealer back when encountering one was fairly rare. He had an Uzi, a wide assortment of WWII US, British, and German semi, select, and fully auto firearms. Bought a few handguns from Ken but nothing earth shattering. I did purchase a nice Winchester M12 which I took to Thailand with me but unfortunately, it was stolen from our household goods shipment when we returned to the States.
So what about a S&W connection you ask? Well Ken’s in shop carry gun was a cut down triple lock. Told me it would most certainly do the job and I had no reason to doubt that. I’d learned that years earlier several individuals were in the process of breaking into the shop through the roof. He used the Uzi to dissuade them from entering or leaving. Enough said.
And the BAR? Remember my saying that at a distance it just didn’t look right ... like something was off? Well I don’t know how and knew better than ask, but it was an early prototype that was belt fed vs. magazine fed. Somehow Ken had a number of one-off, prototype firearms. Like I said, Ken was an interesting guy.
Ken and his wife Nelly treated my wife and I very well. My wife even got to fire his Uzi out on some property Ken owned north of Tampa.
Good memories of a truly interesting character. R.I.P. sir.
