XBT
04-18-2005, 08:21 AM
I stopped by one of my favorite pawnshops the other day to look over the gun rack. I waved to the clerk as I walked behind the counter, past the sign that said “NO ONE ALLOWED BEHIND THE COUNTER!!†(I’ve spent enough money in that place that I now have certain “privilegesâ€).
I checked the handgun section first. No blued S&W revolvers. On to the long gun rack. A quick look showed nothing interesting there. I was about to leave when I spotted an old single-shot shotgun in the back corner. (I once found a nice unmolested 1903 Springfield in the same corner, marked $250.00, but that’s another story).
I looked the old gun over, noticing no missing parts or serious damage. It was proudly marked “EASTERN ARMS COMPANYâ€. It was a 16ga. like the one I had as a kid. The action locked up tight, and best of all the stock wasn’t cracked at the wrist, as most of them are. Some kid had carved his and his girlfriends initials in the stock, along with a double heart pierced by an arrow. The price tag said “$45.00 AS-ISâ€.
I hollered at the clerk, who was at the card table chatting with the usual crowd and asked what the REAL price was. He checked the records and said “For you, my friend, today only, twenty-five dollarsâ€.
Minutes later the clerk was on the phone calling “big brotherâ€, asking for permission to sell me the gun. I have a CCW permit that speeds things up, but the entire process offends me.
When I got home I tore it apart and went to work on the stock, removing the carving (sorry G.W. and K.S. wherever you are!). I applied some walnut stain followed by BLO and set it by the stove to dry. I cleaned the metal parts with WD-40 and then gave everything a light coat of oil. The hammer spring seemed light, so I freshened it up a little.
A few days later I put it all back together and was quite pleased with the result.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/retiredBT/shotgun2.jpg
Today I grabbed the gun, called the dogs and headed out to torment the jackrabbits.
As I walked along, thinking more than hunting, I was transformed back into the twelve year old farm boy I once was, out for adventure with his gun and dogs. That, my friends, was worth much more than the $25.00 I paid for the gun.
Jim
I checked the handgun section first. No blued S&W revolvers. On to the long gun rack. A quick look showed nothing interesting there. I was about to leave when I spotted an old single-shot shotgun in the back corner. (I once found a nice unmolested 1903 Springfield in the same corner, marked $250.00, but that’s another story).
I looked the old gun over, noticing no missing parts or serious damage. It was proudly marked “EASTERN ARMS COMPANYâ€. It was a 16ga. like the one I had as a kid. The action locked up tight, and best of all the stock wasn’t cracked at the wrist, as most of them are. Some kid had carved his and his girlfriends initials in the stock, along with a double heart pierced by an arrow. The price tag said “$45.00 AS-ISâ€.
I hollered at the clerk, who was at the card table chatting with the usual crowd and asked what the REAL price was. He checked the records and said “For you, my friend, today only, twenty-five dollarsâ€.
Minutes later the clerk was on the phone calling “big brotherâ€, asking for permission to sell me the gun. I have a CCW permit that speeds things up, but the entire process offends me.
When I got home I tore it apart and went to work on the stock, removing the carving (sorry G.W. and K.S. wherever you are!). I applied some walnut stain followed by BLO and set it by the stove to dry. I cleaned the metal parts with WD-40 and then gave everything a light coat of oil. The hammer spring seemed light, so I freshened it up a little.
A few days later I put it all back together and was quite pleased with the result.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y9/retiredBT/shotgun2.jpg
Today I grabbed the gun, called the dogs and headed out to torment the jackrabbits.
As I walked along, thinking more than hunting, I was transformed back into the twelve year old farm boy I once was, out for adventure with his gun and dogs. That, my friends, was worth much more than the $25.00 I paid for the gun.
Jim