My small adventure on Friday...and with lever content!

[wecsoger]

My adventure in gun running,
or,
How I spent my Friday driving around Eastern KY.

Got a call from younger brother early this week. Wanted me to be 'money man' for a gun deal. Story I've heard before, old man is in the hospital and has a big stack of guns family wants to move or get rid of. In this case they're not being complete vultures but they would rather turn the guns into $$ and move on.

Brother had an intriguing list. Browning 16 and another unknown Browning, Browning .22, Winnie lever in 22 mag, an older model 12, three S&W bodyguards, two SKS's, Ruger P89, etc. 43 guns and an asking price barely a little south of 10k.

Hmmmm, that's serious money, in anyone's world.

Quick figuring, I could make my money back depending on condition and if 'clunkers' in the collection didn't kill my average. So I secured the money, most of it coming out of savings of course after discussing with the office of Financial Management. Note, this is one of the more excessive demands I have placed on that office lately and I was amazed at the amount of understanding I received when I presented the proposal. Either she really trusts and understands me, or I have just worn her down over the years that she has given up. (grin)

So my son and I get up at zero early thirty on Friday morning (got the day off from work!) and headed 'home' to Ky. For those of you from Kentucky, you'll understand those words. You may move from the state, but it's always home and where you go back to.

Off into the hills. Meet up with my brother. Drive off. Me carrying a large-ish sum of money and also my Glock 19 CCW. Not that I'm worried, but......

Meet the folks. I really wasn't that worried, since they were relatives of my brother's wife. and yeah, before you ask, the guns all had good provenance. Old man very ill, one younger son in prison, another one couldn't own due to other 'legal issues'. (I didn't ask) A writer friend of mine (Chris Offutt) said that our area seemed to only be able to produce cops or thieves and it looks like that's true in my case. I'm in the latter category, not the former.

Sadly, I was very disappointed. Brownings and the Model 12, blueing almost completely gone. Engraving on the Brownings, very worn. Browning bolt 22, made in Japan. Three of the bodyguards, not there, in pawn. Couple of the guns not ID'd on the list were single shot .22's and single shot 12's and all in poor, rusty condition. One marked as an SKS was really a Mosin Nagant. And the other SKS was ChiCom. Overall, all good functional guns, but there really wasn't an NRA 'Good' rating on any of them.

OK, back out to the truck for consultation. Quick back-of-envelope figuring and re-looking at my average price.

Went back in, talked to the family. Told them I was no good at 'dickering' and just wanted to lay out the facts. Told them about the condition, that I did want to keep several and sell the rest, told them about the average cost per gun and the resale value of some of the good ones (Browning's and model 12) and the one's not so easy to re-sell, the single shot 12's and 22's. (No, I didn't call them clunkers!) Apologized and told them I didn't want to insult them on the price but from where I could see it, I countered with a little more than half asking price.

The man's wife said she was sorry and she couldn't take my offer as someone has already offered her more than fifty percent what I just told her. Hmmmmmm......

So I smiled, shook their hands and walked out. Hung around my truck for several minutes talking with my son and younger brother thinking they might reconsider. No luck with that so we headed back home.

Called a friend of mine who was interested in the deal also, and he agreed on my decision to walk away. "It's better we looked," he said, "than always wondering if this was the one that got away."

So while we're in the area, we stop by my favorite pawn shop. Usual rack of $69 Mosin Nagants, old guitars, rusty tools. In the rack, couple of Marlin 336c's at $275, a slightly rusty Winnie 94 at $325 complete with a horrible side mount scope. All 30-30's. Couple old .22's, no-name shotguns and what's this? A Marlin 336a with the requisite redneck scope mount. In this case a $49.95 Burris on top of horribly high see-through scope rings. High as in lift-your-cheek-off-the-stock-high. Some cold blue, other bluing turning to brown on the back strap and lever, a little 'freckling' on the barrel. But tight as a vault. Looked at the lever screw, it wasn't boogered (hollow ground screwdrivers are non-existent in Ky) so it looked like it had never been taken down for cleaning.

After I talked to the owner, $225 total out the door. And I got a good conversation out of it. In those parts, genealogy is everything. Once I introduced myself, "hi, I'm John Smith's boy and I'm down here visiting" and introduced my son who said, "good morning, sir" (for a teenager, he really impresses me sometimes) we were practically family.

Stripped it today. Rings off, gotta get or make filler screws. Barrel dirty, but shiny. Scruffed it hard with Ed's red, but it still needs more TLC. Bolt had 'varnish' on it so I doubt it had never seen the light of day since install in 1973. Did I mention no cross bolt "safety"?

No range opportunities for a week or two till I get my next trip out of the way.

So my attempt at gun running, a total loss. Did I really 'need' to get another lever? Nope. Am I happy I got this one? Heck yeah!

Got to spend time with my son driving down and back while we listened to Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall. He had never heard of them. And I stopped at veggie stand on the way back, got a big bag of half runner beans and new potatoes. They are, along with smoked sausage on the stove right now and the cornbread just came out of the oven.

And I got to work on my writing skills turning this out for y'all.

Good times and Happy Fourth, everyone!

[mescalero1]

As we say in N.M " you done good "

[Chuck 100 yd]

Not a total loss!

[gamekeeper]

Sounds like you did the right thing and found a good levergun! Not a bad day after all!

[Rusty]

Well at least you got to go back home and show your boy around. I'd say the time you spent with him was priceless.

[rjohns94]

got to know when to walk away. well done. blessings and welcome to the fire.

[brucew44guns]

Wecsoger, I just read an interesting post, I feel like I am a family member of yours because you shared this trip so well. Thanks for the details, and I think you did the right thing.

[mod71alaska]

Wecsoger....great post! I enjoyed coming along on your gunrunning trip. I hope you practice more of your writing skills and post often

Welcome to the Forum!!!

[Grizz]

Yup, welcome to the fire. Great lesson to teach the young, how to use your head for something besides a hatrack. Ya done good.

Grizz

[wecsoger]

Thanks much for the kind comments all around!

About the rifle. Front sight is beat up, and no hood. Bet money it's spent a lot of time leaning against the wall behind the door. Rear tang screw boogered (refer to my previous comment about hollow ground screwdrivers) but the lever screw was untouched. I'm pretty sure it had never been cleaned or the bolt pulled. And regardless of the tang screw, rear stock appears to never have been off, something I'll remedy later when I refinish it.

Oddly enough there was quite a bit of leading in the barrel - I thought the rifling looked too smooth. I've run three different five minute vinegar soaks and got an amazing pile of crud out.

As far as me. I've been lurking here since the old board but only lately been playing with levers again. And part of that is stress relief since I've changed jobs and a couple other things in my personal life - I'll spare you details. But y'all are right, I'm lucky to have a family and a couple of good, and smart kids. And I'm sure this was a good experience for my son regardless of the outcome.

As far as writing. I have dabbled a little bit, military and survivalist (ooops sorry, self-reliance movement) fiction. Just do it for myself to be doing. I'm no Louis Lamour but I'd like to think I've picked up some things from him. Interestingly enough, you can take a story about a family situation in a survivalist situation and very easily change it to a cowboy/western story.

Maybe I ought to spend more time working on my writing chops - Heaven knows where this economy is going. (grin)

Again, thanks for the kind words. I've got three levers now I have to wring out, this new one, my new 1895 "the voice of thunder" Cowboy .45-70 and the new Davidson "Deerthumper( SDT 30.30. Good Lord willin' and I make it through my trip to (yuch) Baltimore next week, I'll try to report in.

[Bullet Bob]

[quote]mine (Chris Offutt) said that our area seemed to only be able to produce cops or thieves and it looks like that's true in my case. I'm in the latter category, not the former.
/quote]

Did you perhaps get that mixed up?