The 1912 M1911 and other Heirlooms
"This sounds like a setup...don't go alone !" commented C4.
I wasn't worried, the email came from an friend since childhood. When I got off work yesterday, I drove the 40 miles necessary to visit my old friend.
After the usual Southern pleasantries, talk turned to the pistol at hand, and my friend removed it from an old bank money bag.
I looked the M1911 over, and found it to be 100% original except for the magazine. The rounded rear sight and the ball cut slide are two features that I really like on the old M1911s. Sadly, my Black Army gun lacks both. The old war horse being offered had not seen much actual firing; the rifling was still sharp (if dirty) and the gun had the original barrel. Most of the finish wear was the result of time, not carry, and not abuse.
My friend was simply acting as a broker to facilitate a deal, and I soon learned that the owner was not uninformed. I had cash in my pocket, but I could not pay what he hoped to get for the pistol. I gave a couple of combination offers, trades of firearms and the ability to buy the M1911 back at the same price in the future, and I left it at that. Perhaps the owner, knowing that my word is my bond, will take me up on the offer in the realization that it gives us each the opportunity to own and regain a bit of history we could not otherwise afford.
Talk turned to catching up on each other's lives, and my friend's son Lee brought out his prized possession. Lee has an appreciation for fine firearms, and is a responsible shooter who never turns down an opportunity to blast away steel or paper. For a year before his twenty-first birthday, he would wistfully rhapsodize about the AR he wished he could build.
Little did Lee realize that his father and a gunsmith friend were taking notes. On his twenty-first birthday, Lee was presented with a gift that is destined to become a family heirloom. A gift from a father that unequivocally recognizes his son as a responsible man.
These are the admirable qualities of the gun culture. It's a world where people are recognized by what they do, their actions makes them who they are. The honor among men (and women) is what makes the gun culture what it is. And it is that small fact, that honor, that is lost on those who would try to destroy the second amendment. Of course, what would they know of honor? If they trusted their fellow man, they wouldn't be worried about his guns.
I wasn't worried, the email came from an friend since childhood. When I got off work yesterday, I drove the 40 miles necessary to visit my old friend.
After the usual Southern pleasantries, talk turned to the pistol at hand, and my friend removed it from an old bank money bag.
I looked the M1911 over, and found it to be 100% original except for the magazine. The rounded rear sight and the ball cut slide are two features that I really like on the old M1911s. Sadly, my Black Army gun lacks both. The old war horse being offered had not seen much actual firing; the rifling was still sharp (if dirty) and the gun had the original barrel. Most of the finish wear was the result of time, not carry, and not abuse. My friend was simply acting as a broker to facilitate a deal, and I soon learned that the owner was not uninformed. I had cash in my pocket, but I could not pay what he hoped to get for the pistol. I gave a couple of combination offers, trades of firearms and the ability to buy the M1911 back at the same price in the future, and I left it at that. Perhaps the owner, knowing that my word is my bond, will take me up on the offer in the realization that it gives us each the opportunity to own and regain a bit of history we could not otherwise afford.
Talk turned to catching up on each other's lives, and my friend's son Lee brought out his prized possession. Lee has an appreciation for fine firearms, and is a responsible shooter who never turns down an opportunity to blast away steel or paper. For a year before his twenty-first birthday, he would wistfully rhapsodize about the AR he wished he could build.
Little did Lee realize that his father and a gunsmith friend were taking notes. On his twenty-first birthday, Lee was presented with a gift that is destined to become a family heirloom. A gift from a father that unequivocally recognizes his son as a responsible man. These are the admirable qualities of the gun culture. It's a world where people are recognized by what they do, their actions makes them who they are. The honor among men (and women) is what makes the gun culture what it is. And it is that small fact, that honor, that is lost on those who would try to destroy the second amendment. Of course, what would they know of honor? If they trusted their fellow man, they wouldn't be worried about his guns.
Labels: Gun Culture, Gun Tradin', M1911's
posted by Xavier at 9:12 AM
9 Comments:
In the sport of Bullseye, a.k.a. Conventional Pistol, dozens of shooters stand side by side firing at targets. Each shooter trusts those on both sides to fire their weapons safely, make them safe when the time is up, and follow the four rules of gun safety at all times.
At a large match, on a table for all to see and consider are the items each shooter has brought to sell or trade. Several thousand dollars worth of guns may be sitting on that table throughout the match. And at each shooter's firing point, two or three more handguns will be sitting there while everyone is 50 yards downrange looking carefully at and scoring the targets.
The thought of a gun going missing never crosses anyone's mind.
Trust and Honor.
Beautiful story. That is a wonderful aspect of the gun culture. It reminds me a bit about my own story. My wife does not care for guns, and earlier in our relationship she was against them being raised in an anti-gun family. I explained my beliefs regarding the 2nd Amendment, and after giving it some thought she realized that I was right. Not only that, but she knew she had nothing to fear from me, and that owning a gun would not magically turn me into some crazed nutjob. She eventually bought me my prized possession, a Springfield 1911.
It looks good for it's age! Too bad you couldn't make a deal.
Hooah.
Got to love a nice old pistol.
Woof!
"My friend was simply acting as a broker to facilitate a deal, and I soon learned that the owner was not uniformed."
Is "uniformed" correct, or did you perhaps intend to type "uninformed"?
In any case, good luck with eventually adding the pistol to your collection.
Thanks derick!
I noticed that the 1911 has shown up for sale in the Ruston paper. They want 2500 for it here.
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