rburg
Member
OK, I kind of started a post up in the older revolvers section. The one about kit gun #890.
And I decided to make this post to explain a few things. We often have folks come here and tell us they haven't been to one in years but they're all too expensive, don't have anything, or they went and there was nothing. I just can't imagine that ever happening.
And worse, the thread about the gun you've always wanted has kind of gone weak and died with no one posting to it for a couple of days now. I'm thinking that I'm greedy and want way too many things. One gun I've been looking for just never seemed to turn up at a decent price and in a configuration that was acceptable. This show was different and I'm in pain.
I always preach that a gun show is a living breathing thing. It changes constantly. If you ever go to one, just for the fun of it, turn around and walk the show from the opposite direction. You see al lot of things you missed the first go around. Probably a mix of perspective where something hides behind a box or whatever. Also you've got things coming in the door an changing hands, then going up on the table to be sold. Or something on the table gets sold and the vendor digs deeper into his junk and hauls out the next gun. That's the obvious.
But Saturday I left the table to my partner and went for my 30th or so walk. Just lookin'. Then I started to see the real gun show. I always stop and look at the wares of some of our other reprobates. Over the years they get to be your friends just because you've seen them and joked with them so many times. So as I was standing there looking and waiting my turn, the vendor (known to others here) said some magic words. He said "and I've got the Model 21 down under the table". The other guys weren't interested but I sure was. It was a beauty and fairly priced. Not only that but the configuration was one I'd love to own. 26" barrels and a full beavertail fore end. Nice wood, nothing to stop the show over, but nice enough for an old hillbilly to own.
The real gun shows sometimes have the very best items hidden from sight. You've got to be a worthy or known to the sellers to even get a glimpse of them. This was one of those. And I've done that myself from time to time where I bring something in for show and tell, etc. An example of that might be RM #12, maybe just to prove to Frakes it existed. But now I have a problem. I've seen a few over the years that were cheap enough, but usually poorly refinished or with 28" full choke barrels, etc. So now I've got the usual problem. How's an old retired country boy gonna come up with the Jing to pay for such and elegant shootin' iron? Judging from the choke gauge the guy used, its cylinder bore and Improved cylinder. Open enough that maybe even an old man can hit something if its not too far or runnin' too fast.
And it is Christmas coming up. Long ago I decided that there was no one ever going to buy me a righteous gun for any event. Not Christmas, not my Bday, or any other event. The reality of life is if you really want such a fine gun, you've got to swing it for yourself.
But we're not talkin' a $300 revolver or cheap plastic throw away like the police or the gangbangers use. Maybe another problem is this will be a gentleman's shotgun bein' toted around by an old yokel. My wife seemed less unimpressed than I thought she'd be. Of course it helped I took her to a really nice place for lunch and then she asked if I minded if she bought a really expensive "special". She's always afraid to do that, but I really didn't care, I'd sold a bunch of junk stuff (including a Spanish 12 gauge double). So while we were waiting I mentioned the shotgun I wanted. She didn't hit me or stab me with her fork. In all fairness, she's never complained when I bought a couple of dozen RMs or K22s. And never complained as I sold them off and banked the pitiful amount I got out of them. The fun was in the owning anyhow.
I don't hunt much these days. But then who in their right mind hauls a M21 out in the stickers. Of course I haven't often been accused of being in my "right mind". It'll probably be just a toy I look at whenever I find it in my piles of junk. Just like my other treasures I'll smile a lot for a month or two, then less often. Don't know how I'll sit in my recliner with it on my lap. The cat won't have a place to sleep then.
Guess I gotta call my table pard to change plans on the big show in two weeks. Not sure if there's any way to pick it up before that. I'll have to move mountains to assemble the cash. But I want it. And I don't need to be selling off other goodies to get it.
And now when I up and croak, the kids will have something else to fight over. The youngest one might not even care if he isn't told how much the thing costs, the older one already hates the stops at gun shows where I see one priced at the low end of the range (the high end is $20-30,000.) And where am I gonna get a suitable case to haul it in? And this might get ugly when Momma decides to go along to see the Christmas show at the same time in the fairgrounds. Its gonna be touchy.
And I decided to make this post to explain a few things. We often have folks come here and tell us they haven't been to one in years but they're all too expensive, don't have anything, or they went and there was nothing. I just can't imagine that ever happening.
And worse, the thread about the gun you've always wanted has kind of gone weak and died with no one posting to it for a couple of days now. I'm thinking that I'm greedy and want way too many things. One gun I've been looking for just never seemed to turn up at a decent price and in a configuration that was acceptable. This show was different and I'm in pain.
I always preach that a gun show is a living breathing thing. It changes constantly. If you ever go to one, just for the fun of it, turn around and walk the show from the opposite direction. You see al lot of things you missed the first go around. Probably a mix of perspective where something hides behind a box or whatever. Also you've got things coming in the door an changing hands, then going up on the table to be sold. Or something on the table gets sold and the vendor digs deeper into his junk and hauls out the next gun. That's the obvious.
But Saturday I left the table to my partner and went for my 30th or so walk. Just lookin'. Then I started to see the real gun show. I always stop and look at the wares of some of our other reprobates. Over the years they get to be your friends just because you've seen them and joked with them so many times. So as I was standing there looking and waiting my turn, the vendor (known to others here) said some magic words. He said "and I've got the Model 21 down under the table". The other guys weren't interested but I sure was. It was a beauty and fairly priced. Not only that but the configuration was one I'd love to own. 26" barrels and a full beavertail fore end. Nice wood, nothing to stop the show over, but nice enough for an old hillbilly to own.
The real gun shows sometimes have the very best items hidden from sight. You've got to be a worthy or known to the sellers to even get a glimpse of them. This was one of those. And I've done that myself from time to time where I bring something in for show and tell, etc. An example of that might be RM #12, maybe just to prove to Frakes it existed. But now I have a problem. I've seen a few over the years that were cheap enough, but usually poorly refinished or with 28" full choke barrels, etc. So now I've got the usual problem. How's an old retired country boy gonna come up with the Jing to pay for such and elegant shootin' iron? Judging from the choke gauge the guy used, its cylinder bore and Improved cylinder. Open enough that maybe even an old man can hit something if its not too far or runnin' too fast.
And it is Christmas coming up. Long ago I decided that there was no one ever going to buy me a righteous gun for any event. Not Christmas, not my Bday, or any other event. The reality of life is if you really want such a fine gun, you've got to swing it for yourself.
But we're not talkin' a $300 revolver or cheap plastic throw away like the police or the gangbangers use. Maybe another problem is this will be a gentleman's shotgun bein' toted around by an old yokel. My wife seemed less unimpressed than I thought she'd be. Of course it helped I took her to a really nice place for lunch and then she asked if I minded if she bought a really expensive "special". She's always afraid to do that, but I really didn't care, I'd sold a bunch of junk stuff (including a Spanish 12 gauge double). So while we were waiting I mentioned the shotgun I wanted. She didn't hit me or stab me with her fork. In all fairness, she's never complained when I bought a couple of dozen RMs or K22s. And never complained as I sold them off and banked the pitiful amount I got out of them. The fun was in the owning anyhow.
I don't hunt much these days. But then who in their right mind hauls a M21 out in the stickers. Of course I haven't often been accused of being in my "right mind". It'll probably be just a toy I look at whenever I find it in my piles of junk. Just like my other treasures I'll smile a lot for a month or two, then less often. Don't know how I'll sit in my recliner with it on my lap. The cat won't have a place to sleep then.
Guess I gotta call my table pard to change plans on the big show in two weeks. Not sure if there's any way to pick it up before that. I'll have to move mountains to assemble the cash. But I want it. And I don't need to be selling off other goodies to get it.
And now when I up and croak, the kids will have something else to fight over. The youngest one might not even care if he isn't told how much the thing costs, the older one already hates the stops at gun shows where I see one priced at the low end of the range (the high end is $20-30,000.) And where am I gonna get a suitable case to haul it in? And this might get ugly when Momma decides to go along to see the Christmas show at the same time in the fairgrounds. Its gonna be touchy.
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