Posted: 12/23/2011 9:49:39 PM EDT
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Not sure why tonight seems appropriate.
There are related threads maybe...or I am feeling nostalgic. A story, if you will... "I had a vision for a rifle I wanted. Finding none, I went to a gun show, and bought a collection of parts that someone promised me could be that rifle. I went online and asked questions, I learned, I saved, I spent. Ammo, magazines, US parts. I stared at it all, and could not see the beginning or end...could not find, much less walk, the path. I found a man who said he'd help...no charge. I met him and shook his hand, but he did not seem to see me. His handshake was weak and distracted. He asked where the rifle was. "Well I have these parts and..." "Give it to me.", he said. I tried to explain how I had come by the parts, the confusion and frustration of trying to learn what to do to assemble it, the selections I had made and why I preferred those, my hopes for shooting with it. He took the parts and turned away from me. I heard him say "Trust me." I started to explain that I did, that he had come very highly recommended, and he looked over his shoulder at me, as if seeing me for the first time, and said. "I wasn't talking to you." ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- Inside he turned to me and asked "How much of this do you want to *know*?" I laughed a little then stopped as the look on his face warned me he was asking a serious question. Well, what did I want? He'd said he would help me put it together. Surely he would do that if I asked. What else? "I want to know whatever you can tell me." I answered. He looked me in the eye for a moment, then nodded and said "I'll be right back." and went inside. I wandered the shop ogling the tooling and various projects in process of becoming whatever they were meant to be. I could hear a conversation inside, but not the words. He came back out, smiled a genuinely enthusiastic smile, and asked me if I cared about my clothes. "Ummm...I guess not." An hour later we both had grimy hands, the kit was in pieces I hadn't even known it had, and a smile so wide it hurt crossed my face. His wife and daughter came out and the daughter ran to him screaming "Daddy Daddy" She leaned back and said "Maybe next time you can go with us!" My smile vanished. It was only then I realized how important the question had been to him. "Do try to remember to eat something this time sweetie." teased the wife as she artfully gave him a kiss without getting near enough to get dirty. "Eat something!" I thought, "...how long is this going to take?" He waved to them as they pulled out and then turned to me "You ready to make it look brand new?" Blasting, parking, it turns out these things take time! And all the while he kept up a near-constant stream of conversation about the rifle, always about the rifle. Which parts did I pick? Why? What was the rifle FOR? Here's how this works, here's how that works. Finally we got to assembly,and here he went very slowly, stopping often to disassemble something and let me try it. There was a fair amount of harrassment when I failed, and plenty of satisfied grunting when I would get it right. Just as we finished function firing the rifle, the phone rang. "Yes, we are about done." –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– As the car pulled into the driveway I sighed, and put down the work I was in the middle of. "Now don't be that way." I tell myself. "He asked and you agreed. And anyway, what's better than a new friend and another rifle being born?" Introductions. Yes it's a nice place. 15 years. My wife. My daughter. Thanks. She's four. Get your parts and come into the garage. Don't go inside without me, the dogs wouldn't like that. It will be fine. No, the barrell is fine. You won't know until you shoot it. Can I be blunt? How much of this do you want to *know*? Do you want me to build this or teach you how? |
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Damn Bruce, that how I felt meeting you the first time.
I have question about what type of extension mods, if any, were made for the 7.62x25 build. I have a customer that is having feed problems with his build. Merry Christmas, Rich PS: thanks for all you wisdom in Fals and other MGs. |
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Nice, Bruce.
And you do pass it along. I've learned plenty from you, just in less that a dozen times we've met up and chatted, or shot together. (I passed some of that, and what I have picked up from others along too.) I was glad to see you here in the HTF when I started really getting involved, you're one of the real good guys that makes shooting a great hobby to have. |
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The story isn't meant to be about me, though obviously it does draw on my experiences a good bit. It could be a mechanic or some other skill, my muse is armed so for me it will always be weapons. That story began with the last part. I had been doing work for a few folks, and had begun to feel like I was being taken advantage of. I complained about it to the wife and she told me "It is your decision to help them, or not, but do not complain about something you have offered when it is accepted." She's very smart. The rest of it is an attempt to see both sides of someone giving and someone appreciating the gift. I think about that whenever I am receiving someone's time or experience. Joe, I have never met Hook (if that is who you are talking about), but I have heard enough stories of the man that I know which parts of his character I want to emulate. Rich, what kind of feed failure is it having? Who made it? Got any pics? Probably we should run off to the pistol caliber forum and make a thread there. Merry Christmas to all of you! Here's hoping you receive a gift that you might need a little help with, so someone else can share in it's making with you. |
