Last month, my sons Ethan and Frankie and I took a trip to Breezewood, Pennsylvania. We met up with my good buddy Jeff 'Tank' Hoover for an afternoon of eatin' and gunshop runnin', that started in Breezewood, and ended in Hancock, Maryland. The last shop we hit, was named Dugan's Sporting Goods. The small shop was packed with classic old rifles and shotguns, but we were huntin' sixguns!
The display case only held a handful of handguns, but one caught the eye of my 13 year old, Ethan. With a bit of prodding from 'Uncle Tank', I agreed to putting money down on the classic Colt sixgun...it is currently on layaway, and will be the subject of another post in a few weeks. The real story is what happened on the drive home.
Frankie is a really neat kid, and has a keen interest in all things sixgun. While we made the long drive home, Frankie's wheels were turning! He is especially thrifty with his money, and rarely spends any of his Birthday and Christmas money. We talked guns all the way home, and once there, he talked with his mother and I about being able to spend some of his own money on a gun for his upcoming 11th birthday. I of course, was fine with it, so he only had to convince his mom, and she didn't mind as long as I made sure he got something that was worth the money. We spent an hour on Gunbroker; I was trying to decide between something brand new or something classic, like what Ethan had just put on layaway.
All of a sudden, I remembered an ad from the Classifieds here; NIB Single Sixes in 32 mag! I found the thread and what do you know?? One left! The following Monday, a check went out to our member ACRYLICTNK, and in a short time, the little sixgun was waiting for Frankie and I at my local FFL! When the paperwork and background check were done, we were about to walk out when Jim said to us 'when you gonna shoot it?'. I mentioned how I had just bought some 32 brass (from forum member lark63!) and would be loading it up as soon as it arrived. Jim told us to wait a second, and he went to a corner of his shop and produced a box of Federal 32 mags! He handed them to Frankie and said 'There! Now go shoot it!'...what could I say?
We got to the range, and actually shot by the headlights of my truck. Frankie sat down and shot across his knees and clanged away on the steel plate! He LOVED it!
A few things happened over the past couple weeks, one prior to receiving the gun, and one after. First, Uncle Tank had jumped early and claimed one of the little Rugers for himself. After I told him that we got one for Frankie, Tank contacted the seller and we had a pleasant surprise when the sixgun arrived; Frankie's 32 is serial numbered consecutively with his Uncle Tank's!
Once Frankie had the gun in hand, he said he wanted some custom stocks on it like I have on my sixguns...enter Dick 'Sixshot' Thompson! I arrived home today to a package from 'Uncle Dick'...inside, a set of English Walnut stocks, and a note to Frankie! Michelle teared up when she read the note.
Frankie wants to travel to Idaho later this year, and hopes to shoot some ground squirrels and maybe chase a badger too! When he is a little older, he says he wants to hunt a Mountain Lion with Dick and I! I think he's hooked!
Ethan is well on his way to being a sixgunner. He shoots all of my sixguns well, from 22s up to the 45s. He knows Skeeter and Elmer, helps me reload, and is even apprenticing in my leather shop.
Frankie is now headed down that same path, and it sure is good to see!
I want to put out a special 'Thank You' to Tank, Sixshot, ACRYLICTNK, and lark63, for helping to make this a special birthday for Frankie!
Sorry for the poor quality of the cellphone pics...
The display case only held a handful of handguns, but one caught the eye of my 13 year old, Ethan. With a bit of prodding from 'Uncle Tank', I agreed to putting money down on the classic Colt sixgun...it is currently on layaway, and will be the subject of another post in a few weeks. The real story is what happened on the drive home.
Frankie is a really neat kid, and has a keen interest in all things sixgun. While we made the long drive home, Frankie's wheels were turning! He is especially thrifty with his money, and rarely spends any of his Birthday and Christmas money. We talked guns all the way home, and once there, he talked with his mother and I about being able to spend some of his own money on a gun for his upcoming 11th birthday. I of course, was fine with it, so he only had to convince his mom, and she didn't mind as long as I made sure he got something that was worth the money. We spent an hour on Gunbroker; I was trying to decide between something brand new or something classic, like what Ethan had just put on layaway.
All of a sudden, I remembered an ad from the Classifieds here; NIB Single Sixes in 32 mag! I found the thread and what do you know?? One left! The following Monday, a check went out to our member ACRYLICTNK, and in a short time, the little sixgun was waiting for Frankie and I at my local FFL! When the paperwork and background check were done, we were about to walk out when Jim said to us 'when you gonna shoot it?'. I mentioned how I had just bought some 32 brass (from forum member lark63!) and would be loading it up as soon as it arrived. Jim told us to wait a second, and he went to a corner of his shop and produced a box of Federal 32 mags! He handed them to Frankie and said 'There! Now go shoot it!'...what could I say?
We got to the range, and actually shot by the headlights of my truck. Frankie sat down and shot across his knees and clanged away on the steel plate! He LOVED it!
A few things happened over the past couple weeks, one prior to receiving the gun, and one after. First, Uncle Tank had jumped early and claimed one of the little Rugers for himself. After I told him that we got one for Frankie, Tank contacted the seller and we had a pleasant surprise when the sixgun arrived; Frankie's 32 is serial numbered consecutively with his Uncle Tank's!
Once Frankie had the gun in hand, he said he wanted some custom stocks on it like I have on my sixguns...enter Dick 'Sixshot' Thompson! I arrived home today to a package from 'Uncle Dick'...inside, a set of English Walnut stocks, and a note to Frankie! Michelle teared up when she read the note.
Frankie wants to travel to Idaho later this year, and hopes to shoot some ground squirrels and maybe chase a badger too! When he is a little older, he says he wants to hunt a Mountain Lion with Dick and I! I think he's hooked!
Ethan is well on his way to being a sixgunner. He shoots all of my sixguns well, from 22s up to the 45s. He knows Skeeter and Elmer, helps me reload, and is even apprenticing in my leather shop.
Frankie is now headed down that same path, and it sure is good to see!
I want to put out a special 'Thank You' to Tank, Sixshot, ACRYLICTNK, and lark63, for helping to make this a special birthday for Frankie!
Sorry for the poor quality of the cellphone pics...
