[larvatus]

The basic problem with quoting Tuco is that he seems to always be the one at the end of a rope!!!

I've long since made peace with not being pretty like Blondie, nor ruthless like Angel Eyes. So Tuco it is.

I am a shooter, not a collector or a seller. It always makes me chuckle when the cost of a gun is used as some measure of it's shoot-ability. Owning a sports car does not "by itself" make one a better driver. Paying $2,000 for a handgun will not make up for the sweat equity necessary to hit the X ring.

Not in and of itself, no doubt. But every bit of quality will help my performance. As to collecting, call it what you will, but some 10% of my net worth is tied up in guns. With another 20% vested in books, I am stuck with enough problems of mobility and liquidity. Every little bit of simplification helps.

I do admire purdy firearms, but shooters come in many flavors and do not seem to have a fixed price.

I will make an allowance for shotguns. My favorite field gun is a plain Jane 1957 28" Winchester M12 that cost me $400, unfired. It could use a rib, but fancy wood with a black diamond would add nothing to my satisfaction. On the other hand, a 1953 Russian SKS carbine sitting in the back of my safe has proven itself an absolute drag. Yesterday I spent over an hour on the phone explaining its features to somebody who described himself as a potential buyer. As a result of this conversation, I came to realize that my life is too short to shoot ugly guns. Fortunately, it's a free country, so I don't have to.