Ol Bear 1st is wanting me to show you some pictures of a rifle he built for me about a year ago. Shucks, it could be longer than that, how should I know, I can't remember that far back. He also wants me to tell you how much I paid for it, which proves little bubba likes pain, because I really hurt him on this one. Starting at the beginning, there came a lock up for sale one day on eBay. Little Bubba bought that lock for about 50 bucks. That lock was an original brand new English gun lock. The Frizzen wasn't scratched, and the colors of the temper were still on the sear. This lock is awesome when I gets to see it. The writing on it says "TOWER" and there is a crown with WR (William Rex or King William who was after George of Rev. War fame, and only lived about 2 years) and it's dated 1836, and it's brand new. You aint never seen nothing like it. So the first thing is I gotta figure out how I'm gonna get it away from him. One thing you got to understand is we both like to get something we know the other would like, and then we do the "eat your heart out" bit for all it's worth. So I've go some antique rosewood handled wood carving tools that he'd been eating his heart out over, and what made it even worse I don't carve wood. So we affected a trade, of which I had to throw in some green boot -- but we won't talk about that. Now I had the lock and I need a rifle built around it. English sporting rifles were large caliber, and .62 is about the smallest they used. Remember the English were hunting big game in Africa, and the only way you can make a round ball heavier is by making it bigger around. The concept of elongated bullets hadn't been though up yet. So I chose the bore to be .62 caliber, walnut half stock, checkering etc. -- a real English gentlemans rifle. Now I still have something that Lil Bubba wanted. It's a rifle that he owned years ago. In fact you can see the forestock of this rifle in the PHOTO section with him looking crosseyed at the arrow. He loaned that rifle to a guy to shoot, the guy short started the ball and fired it, there by putting the cutest little ring in the barrel you ever saw. This upset Little Bubba so bad that I was able to take advantage of him when he was down -- which I would never do unless I had the chance. I bought that rifle from him for a song. I think it's kind of like the horse shoers horse always being barefooted. Nobody pays you to shoe your own so it never happens. The gunsmith don't want to work on his own gun for the same reason. Anyhow, I paid way less money than you would pay for just the stock and set out to repair the rifle. It wasn't easy, but I bought a new barrel and fit it to the wood and got the rifle back to shooting real good. Then he wanted it back, real bad, and I had enough sense to keep it until the time was right. So you guessed it, that's what it cost me for Bear 1st to build me the rifle. I had to pay for the parts such as they were, and he built the gun for a straight across trade. Actually this is the best kind of trade going, becaues we both figure we got a good deal, and we are both happy with how it turned out. The target included with these pictures was shot off a bench at 25 yards using 90 grains of FFg.
:redface: But thats ok I will get back at him next time :RO: and then tells the world about it now what do ya think bout that :crackup: :crackup: Now for the rest of the story and sad it is, I lost the old rifle it took 20 years to get back from that feller that calls me friend, any way....as I said I lost my rifle once more :cry: My loving wife has taken it over and said it and all my old rifles from the 17/1800s are hers and the only way I will get it back is build her the rifle I said I would build her. :huh: :what: :boohoo: So I am going to be buying my rifle back once more for the 3rd time :what: :: I say my OLD friend put my sweet loving wife up to it as I know :imo: she would not do a rooten thing like that to me :no: not my wife. :no: :no:.
