The chickens and the country living suits her, and keeps her calm... a nice lady at heart but very needy... if you know what I mean.
We do what we can, but set limits. I got a call from her one day, and I told her I'd get Tina, who was, as usual, in the coops. The lady said she actually wanted to talk to me. She had gun questions. She had collected a number of guns and was keeping two, but wanted to sell two, and wanted to know if I would be interested.Guns? I'm always interested.
She had the original receipts, and I told her they could have gone UP in value, or down.
If she would bring them we'd look them up next time she was over.
She and her friend did their research, and she came over with the guns, she told me she had set her price, for ME only.
The shotgun, she was going to trade to me for some chickens she was buying from Tina. That was about an even trade.
The handgun she was going to sell to me for what she paid, in the 70s, if I wanted it. She showed me the receipt, and the handgun.
It was a 1950s Ruger Single Six.
It badly needed cleaning and the hammer Screw was backed almost out.
"It's always been like that," she said. "It was like that when I bought it."
I was certainly taking the handgun, I'd find the parts if I needed to. (or so I thought)
I opened the safe, counted out the cash, and took both guns.
After she left, I removed the hammer screw and hoped for the best but expected the worst. The screw...
...was perfect. No wear, even the blue was intact.
I carefully screwed it slowly into place, no drag, no hangup, and it seated flush.
I could breathe again.
(I looked everywhere for the screw in case I needed one later, nary a one to be found... hens tooth)
I cleaned the gun up, and it looks pretty good for a gun made in the late 50s. There is some holster wear at the muzzle and on the ejector rod housing, the expected drag ring on the cylinder and the holster wear on the forward edge of the cylinder. Otherwise, it's beautiful.
I had tried to pay her a bit more for the gun, but she said she could never repay all that I had done, I could pay her price, or she would put the gun in the paper and sell it to a stranger. I took the offer. The shotgun I posted here before... made by the chainsaw company in the 1800s. A Coach gun.
