Dave DeLaurant
Member
Apropos to to an earlier posting about projects stuck in limbo, how does a gun guy fill in the time between range sessions when he's caught up on reloading? Here some examples from my last few weeks, in no particular order. Any other suggestions/recommendations welcomed.
Thrift store hunting -- there is a local wheeler-dealer named Yoshi who buys up old estates, mainly from local Japanese-American families, and piles everything into two large buildings that he opens to the public a couple days a week. Usually its a general mix of old tools, furniture and housewares, but every now and then an old gun guy passes on and his kids either live far away or can't be bothered to sort through the mess left behind. Last week I found a Lyman case trimming kit, unused and still packed in the box, along with a mint Lyman front shooting rest. Got both of those, plus seven illustrated history books for $50.
BTW, I went back to Yoshi's today and this was my haul (it was a good day!):
Small Arms Review crossword -- I'm not usually a puzzle guy, but I actually learn some stuff doing these.
Cataloging/photographing the arsenal -- I know what I own, but if I get creamed by a bus someday my wife might find it useful to know where everything is stored and how much it was worth when I bought it. The trick here, of course, is to make sure she can find the list when she needs it, but not before then! Might also prove useful after a break-in. I started this spreadsheet years back, but when things are slow I'll go back and bring it up to date with any additions, deletions or changes in storage location.
Reading pricey gun reference books -- I subscribe to Gun Collector and pick up reference works from Collector Grade, Schiffer, Wet Dog, etc. These usually aren't casual reading, but when I have the down time and am in the proper mood, I'll tackle something like Edward Ezell's "SPIW The Deadliest Weapon that Never Was."
Watching old TV shows -- Gunsmoke, Lawman, Rifleman, Soldiers of Fortune. IMO, some of the stories back in these old '50s TV shows were better than anything Hollywood is currently spewing. Sam Peckinpaw, for example, wrote some surprisingly tough scripts for early TV.
Thrift store hunting -- there is a local wheeler-dealer named Yoshi who buys up old estates, mainly from local Japanese-American families, and piles everything into two large buildings that he opens to the public a couple days a week. Usually its a general mix of old tools, furniture and housewares, but every now and then an old gun guy passes on and his kids either live far away or can't be bothered to sort through the mess left behind. Last week I found a Lyman case trimming kit, unused and still packed in the box, along with a mint Lyman front shooting rest. Got both of those, plus seven illustrated history books for $50.
BTW, I went back to Yoshi's today and this was my haul (it was a good day!):
Small Arms Review crossword -- I'm not usually a puzzle guy, but I actually learn some stuff doing these.
Cataloging/photographing the arsenal -- I know what I own, but if I get creamed by a bus someday my wife might find it useful to know where everything is stored and how much it was worth when I bought it. The trick here, of course, is to make sure she can find the list when she needs it, but not before then! Might also prove useful after a break-in. I started this spreadsheet years back, but when things are slow I'll go back and bring it up to date with any additions, deletions or changes in storage location.
Reading pricey gun reference books -- I subscribe to Gun Collector and pick up reference works from Collector Grade, Schiffer, Wet Dog, etc. These usually aren't casual reading, but when I have the down time and am in the proper mood, I'll tackle something like Edward Ezell's "SPIW The Deadliest Weapon that Never Was."
Watching old TV shows -- Gunsmoke, Lawman, Rifleman, Soldiers of Fortune. IMO, some of the stories back in these old '50s TV shows were better than anything Hollywood is currently spewing. Sam Peckinpaw, for example, wrote some surprisingly tough scripts for early TV.
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