Have you ever been called by the EQ president to help someone in the ward move, and then you dutifully show up only to find that its the crazy cat lady and she doesn't have anything packed? That's where I found myself this morning, trying not to breath while hefting weird junk into a U-haul.
Things unexpectedly got much more interesting once we reached a back bedroom and found a couple of rifles in the closet of what was obviously a guys room. She told us that her son had passed away some time ago and she hadn't really done anything with his stuff. We asked her what she would like done with the rifles and she said she really didn't want to think about it, and just intended taking them to the nearest pawn shop.
They were in pretty rough shape from neglect but the elders quorum president and I both had an eye for the situation and promptly made her two offers she couldn't refuse. I came home with a nice little 270 Winchester Model 70, and he bought the other two which were a Sears model 30-06 Springfield, and a little tube-feed .22 that looked more serviceable as a baseball bat than a rifle.
The 270 was very dirty, but after taking it apart and cleaning things out, I don't think her son ever did anything with it. The stock has no signs of wear other than a pinhole size indentation on one side. The checkering is still very sharp with little sign of handling. The bolt is bright, the action smooth (once cleaned and oiled), it has a cheap but functional scope, and a fairly nice leather shoulder strap (although the leather still reaks of cats and smoke, so I'll have to see what a little saddle soap will do for it, or just throw it out). Everything is perfect about the gun except... it looks like he stored it with the end of the barrel in a glass of salt water. The last inch of the barrel and front sight are horribly corroded with rust, to the point that I seriously think the gun would come apart in your hands were you to fire it as it is. Have a look at the pics and you'll see what I mean.
So, now my next decision is do I buy a new barrel, or just shorten and re-condition this one? If I buy a new barrel do I look into smithing it in myself or do I find a reputable gunsmith and pay him to do it (I'm partial to this option)?
The funny part about this story is that once I realized I was getting a gun out of it, I didn't mind so much helping the crazy cat lady move!
2 comments:
Nice score...You could always test it out on one of her cats. It is strange that only the end of the barrel has rusted. I'm like you...I tend to lean towards a gunsmith doing it when I'm dealing with something that could blow up in my face.
Nice score! I would have the barrel shortened and remove the front sight altogether unless you plan to use the open sight aspect of the rifle.
I strongly recommend the Wheel of Time series. I do have to warn you that Robert Jordan is DEAD and the series is not finished. The publisher is having Brandon Sanderson finish the series using all of Jordan's notes. It should be published later this year. If you want to see what Sanderson's writing is like before you commit to 12 books I would recommend Elantris. It is wrapped up in one book and showcases his ability. I have been thinking about picking up 1776. What did you think of it?
Chris
Post a Comment