rburg
Member
OK, I stumbled in with high hopes and a little cash. Stopped at the mandatory check point to talk to dant. He said I was a wanted man, and that our poster RAGS was looking for me. I wondered what I'd done now and who I insulted. Dan said he just wanted to meet me, so I figured the poor guy was simply misguided! 
. I probably made 10 more passes by Dan's tables and never could be there at the right time. But I did see a bunch of really nice guns. Mostly in my old age I look for K22s, as I've been doing for the last couple of decades. I can say that there was only one priced under $1700 and a few up in the $1800 and above range. Most did have boxes, with one box in terrific condition. One priced up there without a box, and he'll be taking it back home with him.
The cheap one was a "fake" 2nd model. Not really a fake, because anyone familiar with the guns can instantly see something isn't right. It did have a spectacularly beautiful set of prewar magnas. For only $850, it might have been worth it just to harvest them. It was still an outdoorsman and had the unnotched hammer. Someone, someplace along the line had a postwar rear sight put on, with the strap milled down to the frame like a 2nd. The grooving on the backstrap had been partially either removed or just reduced. It was an early 1st model, with I think a serial like 637,777. Way too early for the magna's, and you couldn't see the sight screws because of the postwar large micrometer sight. Sometimes the guns with the least collector value prove to be the interesting ones to watch.
I really wanted to buy the fishing sinker mold the guy had. It was aluminum (they cast better than cast iron.) This little baby was 3 1/2" in diameter. One of you math whizzes figure out how heavy that would be. I know my 1" round ball mold is 4 oz, a quarter pounder. Down that same aisle a guy had golf ball cannons made from stainless (practical because they would corrode) and he had one 2"+ model that shoots pop cans (I assume filled with concrete, lead is too expensive to send away). I'm thinking my wife would disown me over it.
One guy had a beautiful canoe. it looked like cedar planks and was about 4' long. The kind of model you'd use for decorating. I mentioned that to my wife and she wasn't thrilled. Ya know, there was a time when I wanted to get married.
Jack Rutter still has his nickel postwar Outdoorsman (38/44). I can't decide if he wants too much for it, or if I'm a fool for not making him an offer. I don't know when I've ever seen one in nickel before. And I talked to Blake for a while. He had/has a K22 Masterpiece 2nd. There was a time, maybe 5 years ago, when I wanted it badly. As I recall the gun it had a bunch of wear and tear on it. Not bad to in any way impact its shooting, but enough that the investment guys would suffer seizures. What I wanted it for was just why he's keeping it. He said back when I actually offered him 2 Registered Magnums for it. OK, so they weren't pristine either. He said one was a refinished KC gun and he thought the other had a cut barrel.
Sure were a lot of guns being sold. I'm kind of a rude guy, so I often stand and listen to the dealings. Or I just watch them out of interest. Another thing I like to watch are the foot works of the show walkers. I'm firmly convinced many of them have never been to a big city before (like Wilmington is big). They just stop and stare from the midst of the aisle. Paying no attention to their petite 350# posterior that blocks the way. Then the seem shocked that they bump into people when they just turn and walk without looking. Never crossed their little mind that they've created a jam with 10 or more people. I've adopted a kind of aggressive stance to those with long guns or swords held down at waist level. I slap them out of the way when they turn and swing the things at me. You'd think that after hitting a few dozen others they'd kind of get the idea, but they don't.
Keith Brown was there, as usual. We think we're his prime market. Maybe we are, but he's developing a lot of friends at the show.
And I'm looking for another Randall. No idea why. One guy had a beautiful 1-7 with a plate on the butt. Nicely done brass. If the stag was a little smaller I'd have been on it.
A bunch of ammo at fair prices. That is unusual, as are bullets for under 50 cents each. If we get in a shooting war, I'm probably set anyway.
. I probably made 10 more passes by Dan's tables and never could be there at the right time. But I did see a bunch of really nice guns. Mostly in my old age I look for K22s, as I've been doing for the last couple of decades. I can say that there was only one priced under $1700 and a few up in the $1800 and above range. Most did have boxes, with one box in terrific condition. One priced up there without a box, and he'll be taking it back home with him. The cheap one was a "fake" 2nd model. Not really a fake, because anyone familiar with the guns can instantly see something isn't right. It did have a spectacularly beautiful set of prewar magnas. For only $850, it might have been worth it just to harvest them. It was still an outdoorsman and had the unnotched hammer. Someone, someplace along the line had a postwar rear sight put on, with the strap milled down to the frame like a 2nd. The grooving on the backstrap had been partially either removed or just reduced. It was an early 1st model, with I think a serial like 637,777. Way too early for the magna's, and you couldn't see the sight screws because of the postwar large micrometer sight. Sometimes the guns with the least collector value prove to be the interesting ones to watch.
I really wanted to buy the fishing sinker mold the guy had. It was aluminum (they cast better than cast iron.) This little baby was 3 1/2" in diameter. One of you math whizzes figure out how heavy that would be. I know my 1" round ball mold is 4 oz, a quarter pounder. Down that same aisle a guy had golf ball cannons made from stainless (practical because they would corrode) and he had one 2"+ model that shoots pop cans (I assume filled with concrete, lead is too expensive to send away). I'm thinking my wife would disown me over it.
One guy had a beautiful canoe. it looked like cedar planks and was about 4' long. The kind of model you'd use for decorating. I mentioned that to my wife and she wasn't thrilled. Ya know, there was a time when I wanted to get married.
Jack Rutter still has his nickel postwar Outdoorsman (38/44). I can't decide if he wants too much for it, or if I'm a fool for not making him an offer. I don't know when I've ever seen one in nickel before. And I talked to Blake for a while. He had/has a K22 Masterpiece 2nd. There was a time, maybe 5 years ago, when I wanted it badly. As I recall the gun it had a bunch of wear and tear on it. Not bad to in any way impact its shooting, but enough that the investment guys would suffer seizures. What I wanted it for was just why he's keeping it. He said back when I actually offered him 2 Registered Magnums for it. OK, so they weren't pristine either. He said one was a refinished KC gun and he thought the other had a cut barrel.
Sure were a lot of guns being sold. I'm kind of a rude guy, so I often stand and listen to the dealings. Or I just watch them out of interest. Another thing I like to watch are the foot works of the show walkers. I'm firmly convinced many of them have never been to a big city before (like Wilmington is big). They just stop and stare from the midst of the aisle. Paying no attention to their petite 350# posterior that blocks the way. Then the seem shocked that they bump into people when they just turn and walk without looking. Never crossed their little mind that they've created a jam with 10 or more people. I've adopted a kind of aggressive stance to those with long guns or swords held down at waist level. I slap them out of the way when they turn and swing the things at me. You'd think that after hitting a few dozen others they'd kind of get the idea, but they don't.
Keith Brown was there, as usual. We think we're his prime market. Maybe we are, but he's developing a lot of friends at the show.
And I'm looking for another Randall. No idea why. One guy had a beautiful 1-7 with a plate on the butt. Nicely done brass. If the stag was a little smaller I'd have been on it.
A bunch of ammo at fair prices. That is unusual, as are bullets for under 50 cents each. If we get in a shooting war, I'm probably set anyway.
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