Monday, July 10, 2017

Lost Opportunities


Years ago I wandered into a pawn shop up in beautiful Redding, and they had one of these for sale.  Used, but according to the guy at the counter, it had provenance.  According to the tale, it had been the personal firearm of one of the local sheriffs, and he had carried it for years on the job.  He supposedly had the habit of tossing it on the dashboard of his cruiser, or in the glove compartment.  Never had to use it.

Well, at the time I already had Savage's version of this, and although you can never have enough guns, I just didn't motivate to negotiate a price and come back in ten days to get it (in those years, I had enough business in Redding that I was there a couple of times a month, on average).

Big mistake.  The pawn shop gun was in decent if used condition, it had a fun story behind it, and I should have bought it.  Oh well.  

On another occasion, at this same shop, I picked up an honest to goodness Allen's Pepperbox, that because of its age, I could take home immediately, without California's annoying ten day wait.  Still have that one, and although I've never shot it, it cycles perfectly.

Redding: Hotbed of cool handguns.

2 comments:

  1. Back when I was serving in the USAF in Germany around 1970, an acquaintance had a pistol he wanted to sell for $50; he thought I might like it, as we were both into science fiction. It was a Gyrojet pistol, new in box, with all accessories. He'd never shot it.

    http://www.gunsandammo.com/historical/rocket-powered-pistol-mba-gyrojet-model-b/

    That reminds me, it's time to bang my head against the wall once again for not buying it. Oh yes, we have some regrets.

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