ALMOST made it....... (g) (Plus Gun show AAR)

One hour before the closing bell on this weekends gun show at the club..... and I had not bought a blessed thing (besides breakfast sandwiches, cheeseburgers, apple dumplings, and chicken corn soup).

Two whole days at the gun show, and I had only walked it once, and that was a quick once as it was way too crowded for me.  Luckily, my tables were in the BIG room (outdoors), with all the sunshine, fresh air, and ever loving room one could ask for.

That one quick trip had been enough to notice a rifle on a table that rang a bell.... and I spent all day thinking about it.   An Interarms MkX in 30-06.  Just a simple Mauser based hunting rifle, bolt action, monte carlo stock, and a 4x scope.

It rang a bell because I had the exact same rifle when I was 17, and hunted with it for some years till money was short and it got sold.   I've regretted losing it ever since.

I mentioned it to a few folks, that I was thinking about it, and word got back to the man who owned it, a club regular and someone I knew.  Not long after, he came out to 'visit' a while, and after a some hemming, hawing, backin and forthin, a deal was worked out with cash/ammo in exchange for the rifle.

Folks, Carteach has been wanting a 30-06 bolty ever since the Garand came to roost in this birdhouse, and this one fits the bill just right.  Not only is it a decent quality Mauser action rifle in the caliber I wanted, but it's so close to the one I had as a kid..... it could be the same one.  Icing to the cake, I already own several Mauser rifles built at that same factory in Yugoslavia, both military and commercial.

On to a Gun Show AAR......

It was a small club show, only about 90 tables and not heavily advertised.  Still, we were busy on Saturday and half-busy on Sunday.  The incredibly gorgous weather probably hurt us a bit, as it wasn't the weekend to be inside.  50's, sunshine, breezy.... just beautiful weather.

 Money flowed freely, and there was a steady stream of long guns moving in and out the doors.  Notably, good quality double barrel shotguns seemed well represented, along with an exceptional number of high quality muzzle loading rifles.  Some of the Hawkens and Pennsylvania long rifles had my interest, for certain.
  

Ammo was in short supply, with my tables being the only ones heavily laden.  Surprisingly, Mil-Surp ammo was not a heavy seller, nor was buckshot or .45 acp.  .223, .22 rimfire, 9mm, 7.62x39.... all these sold out by the end of the second day.  No more than a crate of 7.62x54 sold, and a case of Czech 46 training ammo. I came home with half my stash intact, and happy for that.  It will go back on the shelf for personal use, and I'll be contented I did my best to share with the club members.

At one point on Saturday, a youngish looking fellow exited the club, with a few people I know following behind.  One of them mentioned they thought he might be an ATF agent or some such, as he had been caught in the show taking pictures (and no obvious interest in buying anything).  We all had fun taking pictures of him and his vehicle in return, as he left.  I suspect one of the nice officers in attendance will be running the plate, just to see who it was. 

Other than that, it could have been a carbon copy of any show the club has had over the last few years.  Not crazy, just a nice local show with a bunch of fairly local people enjoying a fine day.