Greg's request; "The Old Gentleman"......

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks for posting this story again Larry. Every time I read it, my tear ducts get flushed out.

Robert

[boog]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing and making another grown man choke back a tear.

[45workhorse]

Nice story!
May there continue to be 'old Gentlemen' teaching the ways of reloading. Especially with all these new folks buying their first weapon!

I have at least passed it on to my son! Muzzle loaders, single shot rifles, pistol........you name it, he enjoys shooting and reloading them.

[Tim357]

Thank you Mr. Gibson. That is an awesome story!

[Hickok]

Larry, Thanks for the great narrative!

[buckwheatpaul]

Larry, What a wonderful story......many of us have had mentors just like you had and I thank God for those special men and women.....and I have had the privilege to help others along their road to reloading and still love helping those that want and need our help....and I have noticed you have done a lot for others on our Cast Boolits forum.....keep up the good work and spread the knowledge.....Paul

[CraigOK]

I'm sure he's smiling up in heaven knowing the impact his kindness had on you and that you've more than paid it forward

[samari46]

I got discharged from active service from the navy in '67. At the time I had an 1891Argentine mauser, M1 carbine from the NRA and a U.S. model of 1917. Ammo for all was cheap and mostly military surplus. Used to shoot at the old Brookhaven range way out on Long Island. Plenty of WWII vets back then and they always had plenty of WWII surplus 30-06 ammo. Well long story short in short order had a 5 gallon bucket of empty cases. And one day one vet asked if I reloaded. Said no not at this time. Well they put me onto a source for the 150 grain M2 bullets and said get a Lyman reloading manual. Found a gun shop not all that far from home. Couple pounds IMR 4895, primers dies and press and some other goodies. Back then everything would fit in a navy surplus 20mm ammo can. Been at it over 50 years. Sufficed to say I've out grown the old ammo can. Heck even met a guy who worked with my day on the LIRR. Sadly all those great guys are gone now, but they helped me out when I made 1.95 an hour. Their generosity will never be forgotten. They closed that old range when developers started building new homes and folks who lived there complained about the noise. So lost a great range. Frank

[GhostHawk]

Larry considering all the people you have helped, all the knowledge you have placed out there for us.

I suspect that is one truly happy old gentlemen. That seed he planted grew into a mighty oak for sure.

And it is dropping steady crops of acorns to start new shooters.

I'd have to say he's darn happy with his choices.

Ya both done good.

[ebb]

I am meeting someone to teach him reloading today at noon. He is not a youngster, but someone that wants to learn the same lessons. Pray that i will have the same out come and patience as the Old Gentleman did.

[Outpost75]

Bravo Zulu Larry. Wonderful story.

[Bigslug]

The WWI veteran generation were my great grandparents - so pretty much the folks that raised and influenced the folks that raised me. In discussions of technology and modern culture, I often joke that "I was born in 1971, raised in 1955, and given my preferences, would probably choose to live in about 1932".

I've got a couple friends who are wired this way, but there's a lot of times when I say to myself "This is how Chingachgook must have felt"

[murf205]

My "old gentleman" was my grandfather. He was a WW1 infantry 1st Lt and he loved to hunt and shoot and since I never let him out of my sight, so did I. When I was 5 yrs old, he carried me into the wood lot above his farm and started teaching me to shoot his model 12 Remington 22. Boy, was I hooked. He didn't reload because small game was all there was in our area and he was a rifleman through and through so he didn't own a shotgun. For my 12th birthday he gave the Remington to me and it resides in my safe to this day. I started handloading shotgun shells in 1961 and the bug hit hard, thanks to the great start from my granddad. Before I retired, a friends son became my apprentice and I could sense the same love of shooting and loading in him that my grandfather saw in me. The questions he would ask were dead give aways. So I became the "old gentleman" and the joy it has brought to me is the same as the joy that I am sure my grandfather had in me and the old gentleman had in you. This young man and I now share powder and primer buys when I find a good deal and he calls me regularly to ask a question or two when he has one. He is married now and has a 5 yr old that is his shadow so maybe this thing we love so much will endure for yet another generation. I really identify with your story because I have a little bout with "the cancer" myself but I'm getting some advice from a higher power so we'll handle that later. Larry, your story really rings true and is a benchmark for what it means to pay a hobby/craft, or whatever we call it, forward. I can tell that you enjoy the helping hand that you give and it is much appreciated. We are truly thankful for you brother.

[curdog]

Thank You Larry for sharing this.............................Curdog

[Screwbolts]

Thank you for sharing!

Ken

[jem102]

My first reading of this story and must say it brings a tear. I will turn 70 in March and have forgotten many things I was "told are important remember"...but I see in my minds eye, clear as crystal, the day my great uncle taught me to handload for my grandfather's, then father's M94 .32 Special. Both of those fine men have been gone these many years and my dad is now 92.
That .32 made in October of 1940, per Winchester, that I shot my first deer with has passed through the hands of my younger brothers for the same purpose and returned home with me when I was back to PA for a visit in November. I would not part with it for anything but my children have little to no interest. I guess it will go in the coffin with me...

Thank you again for the wonderful story...

[lightman]

Thats a great story! Hopefully all of us will get a chance to be "The Old Gentleman" before we pass.

I've had the pleasure to teach one of my Sons to reload. The other son was not interested although he is a Hunter. I've started with my oldest Grandson. There is also a young man here in town that wants to learn to reload and is saving his brass. I'll have to spot him the components, because we all know the situation on those, but thats a small price to pay to get another handloader started off right.

[Texas by God]

Thanks for sharing this again since I missed it the first time around. A great read that reminded me of several helpful generous of knowledge gentlemen( and women) that I knew while growing up.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[W.R.Buchanan]

Great story Larry!!!

The Lee Loader has gotten more people started in reloading than any other tool out there. I still have my first one for .243 win I got in 1971 right after I bought the gun. My second one was a .44 Special which would also do Magnums. It didn't work the other way Mag to Spec. and the gun shop was good enough to exchange for the Spec tool. That was 1976

Lee also provided the first boolit mould for 240 gr .44 boolits for those .44's. I shot hundreds of them thru my M29.

I didn't have anyone to show me so I had to figure it out alone. Had no problems with the Lee Loader as I figured out immediately that I didn't like the priming system so I went back and bought the Lee Hand Priming Tool the next day. I was in the Air Force in San Antonio TX in 1971.

It took me alot longer to get my first good boolit out of that mould. I was casting with a Small Pot on the gas stove with a Ladle, but once I figured out to get the mould hot enough things worked out. Then 30 years later Don Verna told me about this place which is the Encyclopedia of Boolit Casting and Reloading, and now I can get any question about just about anything answered in 30 seconds..

Larry was already here.

Randy.

[MrWolf]

Thank you again, sir. The again is for the knowledge and advice you freely give. Thank you.
Ron