Credit...

 This article in my newsfeed this morning and the below quoted blurb led me to wonder how others manage their debt...

"Credit card balances surged from July to September as Americans continued to sink deeper in debt amid rampant inflation, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday."

My method of controlling personal debt is probably a little austere to most people, but once I got accustomed to it, it became manageable, and allows me to live within my Social Security income...I have zero ongoing debt in that my home is mortgage-free (not even a HELOC), and my truck was paid for before I drove it home that day...I use credit cards for whatever merchants and vendors will accept them without penalty...I've never had a debit card of any kind...

My five credit cards are "reward" cards which pay me a percentage of whatever I charge every billing cycle...None of mine have any annual fee or other associated use charges...If the balance is paid in full at the end of each billing cycle, there is never an interest charge...I use cash only at gun shows and garage sales when the occasional bargain surfaces, and the occasional lottery quick pick when the jackpot is big enough to catch my attention...

Each card issuer has it's own hook to justify its use...For instance American Express pays me 3% for whatever I buy at grocery stores...Two of my VISA's pay 4% at gas stations (even for a Slurpee) and 3% at restaurants including the fast food joints...My other VISA pays in "points" which equates to 2% of all charges which I apply against the monthly billing balance...My Discover Card (my very first credit card which I've had for 36 years) pays me 5% on certain categories which change quarterly...For instance I get 5% for Amazon buys right now, so I usually wait until this time of year for most of my planned Amazon expenses...

Therefore the CC companies pay me to use their services, and the only money they get is in merchant fees (which I fully understand is paid indirectly by us, the consumer)...But unless there's a cash discount by the merchandiser, there is no point in my paying cash...It's been many years since I carried a balance into another billing cycle on any of my cards, the last time in memory being when my ex-wife charged her divorce lawyer's fee on my Discover Card as a parting gift on her way out of my life...At that point I could not find the means to pay the balance in full, and was forced by the circumstance to pay the usurious monthly percentage for a short while...Since then, they've gotten nothing from me but the monthly balance...

So referencing the above news article, I see only misery in the future of those individuals and families trapped into carrying a balance on their credit cards...I know why they do it, and I also know what it will take for them to be released from the self-induced debtor's prison in which they reside...I also foresee the day when CC companies will get tired of people like me who contribute nothing to their bottom line, prompting them to eventually do away with paying cardholders anything...I'm curious how my readers here manage debt, and why your method works for you...Let me know in the comment section below...

A Small Niche in History...

One of the things I cherish most about owning guns is the history that accompanies each of them...I've written in the past of my being the direct descendant of a lineage of gunmakers whose fine firearms became a benchmark for accuracy and reliability, being put to practical domestic use as tools for stocking the larder in many frontier homes, to establishing and defending not one, but two nations...Prized for their accuracy Bean rifles were known to be used by marksmen in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 as well as by Col. David Crockett in his role in defense of the small Alamo Mission establishing the Republic of Texas...

Neither of the Bean rifles thought to have been taken to Texas by Crockett are known to have survived, but I continue to look for one to add to my own collection...In the meantime other paths are taken, and as paths do, they occasionally cross in time...On December 2, 1968, James C. Parrish, a US Navy veteran of WWII and now employed as a civilian mathematician at Holloman AFB, NM bought a S&W Model 14-2...This was a finely crafted target revolver with 6" barrel, and was purchased new at the nearby town of Alamogordo, NM...It is unknown how skilled of a shooter Mr. Parrish was, although his obituary in 2011 described him as a firearms enthusiast...Also unknown is whether his family shared his enthusiasm, but it is known that until last week his S&W Model 14-2 was for sale at a gun store in Albuquerque, NM where he lived his retirement years...

Following my finding the revolver in an internet search, and a 14-2 variant not being one I presently owned, I bought it and had it shipped...Yesterday when I received it, It was exactly as described...It has been shot, and obviously carefully cleaned and stored away from the elements...I suspect that Mr. Parrish not only understood the need for cleanliness, but also knew the value of storing guns separately from any boxes or papers with which they were originally shipped...The only marks on the gun are the carbon rings left on the front face of the cylinder from shooting it...There are no rub marks in the bluing to indicate it was ever in a holster of any kind...The cylinder has a very faint turn line...The walnut Magna grips are numbered to the gun's frame, indicating they were handfitted at the S&W factory during assembly and shipped on the gun...There are no marks anywhere on the metal nor wood to indicate any rough handling...

Inside the very crisp cardboard box which originally housed the revolver when shipped, I found the papers and seemingly unused cleaning tools and sight adjustment tool still packaged in the plastic wrapper from S&W...The anti-rust vapor paper with which S&W still wraps new firearms was still present in the box carefully folded...Under all this was the original invoice from which I obtained the information on Mr. Parrish, including his check number, and his promise to pay the balance owed, $50.00, within 30 days...Obviously his credit was good...At the time Mr. Parrish bought the S&W which I now own, I had been stationed at his place of work, Holloman AFB, for about six months, having returned with my wing to our new desert home from Spangdahlem AB in West Germany...At that time of December 1968 we were making preparations to return to Spangdahlem to support the Joint Forces War Games, an annual event...A few months later, we returned to Holloman where I received my honorable separation from service...

It is unknown to me whether Mr. Parrish and I ever saw or spoke with each other...It is possible since I interacted with many civilian contractors, both on and off duty...Either way I am glad that our mutual love of fine firearms allowed this second crossing of our paths in history...

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Notes Concerning Honorable Service...

 My longtime friend, Kevin, inspired this article with his answer to a thread I started in the Cracker Barrel, one of the few forums in which I regularly participate...Kevin pointed out the sometimes questionable circumstances for which certain awards are cited...I decided to post my thoughts here...Thanks Kevin!...

I've studied many of those early awards, and although the service of the recipients was honorable, and the cited action noteworthy, I believe the honor associated with the Medal was diminished somewhat by its wholesale distribution to those who should have been recognized for their service in another manner...In those early days even civilians, such as Billy Dixon, whose actions at the Battle of Buffalo Wallow as a scout doubtlessly qualified for the award, were recipients...The 1917 Review Board revoked Dixon's award citing his ineligibility as a civilian, a technical error later reversed in 1989 by an Army Board of Corrections of Records...Dixon died in 1913 unaware of the discredit heaped on his memory, nor the later restoration of his well earned citation...

Another later recipient of the nation's highest military honor certainly knew of the discredit assigned to him by politicians, many of whom could not claim military service on their own records...But these politically motivated aspirants were happy to deny earned honors from those who did serve and had invoked the wrath of unforgiving partisan officeholders besmirched by other actions of the recipient which were completely unrelated to the cited activity...Theodore Roosevelt, who had resigned his position as Undersecretary of the Navy to accept a commission in the US Army during the Spanish-American War, was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his combat actions at the Battle of Kettle Hill in Cuba...Before the award could be confirmed by Congress, it was blocked for political purposes by those deskbound soldiers who were insulted by the embarrassment heaped on them when Roosevelt published a letter in US newspapers revealing the deplorable treatment of sick and wounded soldiers who were left behind to garrison Cuba and ensure the peace...More than a hundred years passed before the award was presented posthumously by a grateful nation in the office of then President William Clinton...

Valor can also run in family bloodlines as evidenced by another Roosevelt, Theodore III who certainly was not required to volunteer for service in WWII at the age of 56...Yet he not only successfully argued for an Army commission, but despite his own physical infirmities led the Allied invasion of Utah Beach in Normandy on 6/6/1944...His decisive leadership on that beach while under fire, even knowing that his unit's position was far from his approaching reinforcements, contributed greatly to the eventual success of the Allied invasion...Like his father before him he died unaware that the nation had awarded him its highest honor, as he died days later from a heart attack in Normandy...His widow accepted the award on General Roosevelt's behalf in the presence of Allied commanders and the US Secretary of War...

It is certainly true that some presentations of the nation's highest military award may not have been the result of direct combat, but in my opinion were justified as they took place in war zones with the intent of bringing that war to a successful close...Two examples follow another family bloodline, that of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher and his nephew, later Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, each of whom were nominated for the Medal of Honor for their actions in battle at Vera Cruz in 1914...Although the citations accompanying their awards seem lackluster in comparison to others, I contend that they are both well within the standards of the valorous service for which all Medals of Honor have been awarded...Both men were in command and performed their duties under fire, exhibiting the conspicuous leadership necessary to inspire the confidence of those men in their commands...In addition both men lent their names to US Navy destroyers after their deaths...

I cannot close this article without pointing out that although some high awards have been said to be overrated, others are severely underrated...Exemplary of this is the service of US Navy Cook 3rd Class Doris Miller...Miller was on board the battleship USS West Virginia when the ship was attacked along with all other ships in Pearl Harbor on the beginning morning of the Pacific War...Although untrained for combat operations nor medical service, his quick, unflinching and decisive actions were instrumental in saving the lives of many wounded...Using his great physical strength he gently moved his ship's captain to a more secure and comfortable position allowing that commander to direct combat operations and die in relative safety...He then assisted two junior officers in operating a .50 Caliber machine gun against the invading Japanese fliers...When they became disoriented in battle and unable to continue, Miller, with no training whatsoever with the heavy caliber gun other than watching the two officers, took control of the gun after seeing they were in a safe position, and was responsible for the downing of at least one, and likely two of the Japanese aircraft...

For his service that day Miller was awarded what was then the 3rd highest Navy decoration, the Navy Cross...The award itself was later upgraded to the Navy's second highest award...The Pacific Fleet's new commander, Admiral Chester Nimitz, himself of above average height, lifted himself on his toes to personally pin the medal on the chest of the towering Miller in a shipboard ceremony...Miller went on to further service, yet still as a Mess Attendant (later Steward's Mate), aboard the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay until that ship was attacked and sunk by the Japanese in the Gilbert Islands...Exactly two years after Miller's meritorious action after the Pearl Harbor attack, his parents were informed by telegram that their son was missing in action and presumed dead along with two thirds of his crewmates...

Miller was further honored in the 1970's when a US Navy frigate was commissioned bearing his name, and most recently it was announced that the keel was laid for America's newest nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN-81, USS Doris Miller...Admiral Nimitz, a man with no political aspirations but one who understood the importance and effect of politics on the Navy, used the award ceremony for Miller to springboard the need for sailors and soldiers to serve in positions for which they were qualified, not just because of the color of their skins...Even in death Miller inspired the work of civil rights leaders of all races to advance the uniform service of all members of the nation's military, regardless of race...Others, convinced that racial qualities should govern service in some areas, argued against the idea...Today that struggle continues, but the weight of the actions of men like Miller, and the influence of men like Nimitz continue to equalize opportunities for all...Perhaps in generations to come it will be decided that Miller's award deservedly be upgraded to the Medal of Honor...Until then I will point out that Miller's Navy Cross citation states that he continued his fight against the enemy until he was ordered to stand down...Such instinctive service in the face of certain death is exemplary of actions taken by all whom have been awarded the nation's highest military honor...

Such after-battle actions by committees are the work of politicians, and the toadies who seek favor from those politicians...Above all that stands the unflinching service of those noted in each citation, none of which asked to be present at the noted scenes of action and sacrifice, nor raised a hand for recognition...This is why I have always argued that awards of merit in our military are never "won," as often stated by misinformed writers...They are instead awarded to the often unwilling recipients by a grateful nation as a small token recognizing the valor of not only those who came home to wear the ribbons and medals, but also those who fell on the fields of honor...

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Legislating gun shows out of existence...

 I like to attend gun shows...I like the atmosphere, the variety of guns, ammo, memorabilia, accessories and other items I see...I like talking to the people I meet there, many of whom I've known for decades and not all by name...Some I meet and exchange ideas with whom I may never see again...I usually carry a gun with me to these events, sometimes more than one...I like to trade and otherwise acquire guns for my personal collection...This year I added several guns to my household property, while at the same time divesting myself of other personally owned items, including firearms...I like to alter the content of my gun collection by trading because it keeps me sharp concerning the relative values of firearms...Sometimes I buy outright, other times I'll sell one or more of my guns to finance the acquisition of others...The variety of the guns which hold my interest is what keeps me involved in this activity...

Upgrading the content of my meagre collection is the intent of my participation in this hobby, just as it is with collectors of other types of items...I should interject another thought at this point, I don't really consider myself a collector, rather an accumulator as I increase my knowledge in a specialized field of firearms, namely revolvers, and specifically Smith & Wesson revolvers of the 20th Century...I accumulate some of my gains in personal property through mainstream venues such as licensed gun stores and pawn shops where I've uncovered some real gems, in addition to some real clunkers...Even the clunkers have their value as they can be stripped of their more valuable parts and accessories, while trading away the remains to someone who needs the parts...In my eye there are no unloved firearms, only those which need to be relocated to a more appreciative owner...

It is well known that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for guns, as headlines are made everyday concerning those who feel it necessary to strip me and all other Americans of our constitutionally guaranteed right to do as we please as long as we don't harm others...Many of these rabble rousers are actually well-intentioned but misguided fools who simply have not thought the subject through to a logical conclusion...These can at times be convinced of the error of their ways of thinking, but the most dangerous ones are those who use the subject of gun ownership and use as a springboard to personal power, and control over wealth...Politicians, both those who are elected to office and those who prefer to own and direct the officeholders, are the true dangers to our always fragile republic...Many of these power-seekers choose to fulfill their lust for control through the fear generated by a public which feels helpless against criminals and the insane who are merely bent on death and mayhem in their frustration over their unsatisfactory lives...

The power hungry who in their insatiable greed for more and more control over the lives of others know that they cannot achieve ultimate power as long as an armed populace exists to stand in their way...Therefore they have learned that they must disarm those who would stand in their path by either convincing them they are safer disarmed, or to forcibly disarm them through legislation which makes it ever more inconvenient to hold ownership of firearms as personal property...This has been done incrementally at all levels of government as the power brokers continue to find elected officeholders who are willing to accept support in election campaigns at the expense of debt which can only be repaid with legislation which serves to increase the power of those supporters...The latest in those incremental steps takes place in a few days in Texas...

On January 1, 2021, enforcement begins of an interpretation of Rule §3.316 of Subchapter O of Chapter 3 of Part 1 of Title 34 of the Texas Administrative Code...This bloated title will begin to affect gun shows in Texas through the enforcement of sales tax collection on the occasional sellers of private property...For those unaware of the people who populate gun shows, sales occur not only with licensed firearms dealers who already collect sales tax on purchases, but also collectors who sell and trade from their own collections of privately owned firearms and other items...It will make these private individuals responsible for collecting a sales tax from purchasers of their collectibles and disbursing it to the various taxing entities, both state and local, who greedily present their outstretched palms...The money thereby collected will be used to finance yet another layer of government which must be added to ensure this new source of public income will be drained of its potential...These newly appointed public servants will of course be dedicated to wringing every possible penny from these previously private sellers, making sure that their careers stay intact...

The effects on the gun shows will be multi-layered...The pushback from participating vendors who have never seen their activities taxed will be immediate and vigorous...Taxing authorities will choose some of the more entrenched vendors for exemplary punishment when they resist becoming tax collectors for the state...Attendees such as myself will resist becoming the unwilling financiers of this new layer of government, and sales will fall...Eventually as vendors and attendees drop out, the promoters of the shows will see their own incomes drop to the point where they must fold their tents and close...This has the effect of reducing the circulation of available cash leading to yet more unemployment and recession...As gun shows begin to be reduced in number, the newly appointed tax code enforcers will begin to use their interpretive powers as it applies to the law to visit their presence on those vendors at flea markets, seasonal festivals, Girl Scout cookie sales, church rummage sales, private garage sales and those who advertise their personal belongings for sale on CraigsList...No rock will remain unturned as the tax code enforcers justify their own existence...

But there will be joy in the encampments of the power brokers as their control over people and the available wealth slowly increases at the expense of rapidly depleting democracy and freedom...The only question remaining is that of who will be left at the top when there is no longer a bottom...

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Keeping It Safe...

This article was inspired by the questions from a young lady friend who is thinking ahead to her first gun safe purchase...

I've only owned National Security safes personally...That company was acquired by Liberty Safe some years ago...When I had my first FFL, I eventually bought two more National Security safes besides my original to hold everything...When I entered business as Shooter's Station, I put two of those safes into inventory, but kept the original which I still have...After buying the third safe I remembered the advice my first service manager gave me as a new auto mechanic when I was thinking about my first roll-around tool box...He said, "Try to imagine which tool box will hold all the tools you ever expect to buy in your lifetime, then buy one twice as large and it may last you five years before you have to buy a bigger one"...And he was right...The same principle applies to gun safes...

If I was buying a new one today it would be a Liberty...I think they have the best product as well as the best customer service...Liberty also still sells the National Security brand for those who don't mind paying more...You'll also find out while shopping that there are "gun safes" and there are "gun lockers" as I call them...A gun "safe" will have rounded corners which indicates 100% seam welded construction...Gun "lockers" have square corners and are spot welded which can be cracked open like a walnut shell by any experienced thief with a 12 pound sledge hammer and a prybar...I prefer safes with Sargent & Greenleaf locks (either dial or electronic), any other brand is second rate...You also want the locking mechanism to have thick bolts driven from all four sides of the door edge (mine has 16 1" steel bolts), and a glass relocking system which prevents the safe from being opened even if a thief has cut away the complete outer lock mechanism...

Ask about the thickness of the steel used in all six sides of the safe...On mine they used 1/4" steel on both the inner and outer walls on five sides (some safes don't have an inner wall), and my door is one inch thick with alternating steel and copper plates which makes cutting torches useless...Weight is a big factor also when a safe is fire-lined...Mine has thick fire-liner between inner and outer walls, and this is where a lot of the weight comes from...The fire-liner rating is important, the higher the better and the more chance that whatever is inside will survive a house fire...Remember that you can protect not only your guns, but also any important papers, old photographs, jewelry, watches, etc...And the additional weight can discourage thieves from trying to move the entire safe...At Shooter's Station we had an additional safe (besides the walk-in vault we built) that was truly old-school - it was double walled with the cavities filled with three inches of concrete for fire liner...It weighed 3500 pounds and was installed with a fork lift during the construction...It's still there today...One of the photos in my article on the store's construction in my photo blog has a partial view of it...

When you choose where to place your safe, try to pick an inner wall if possible...Thieves have been known to steal a tow truck, tear down an outer wall, chain onto a safe and pull it out of the house to another location where they can cut into with a carbide saw...Mine is in an inner closet, under a load-bearing beam, where it would be very inconvenient for a thief to even bring in industrial cutting equipment to access it...It's best to have the people you buy it from to install it because they have special equipment and methods to move it in and out without damaging the floors or walls, even climbing stairs...It's well worth the delivery/setup fee...They can also bolt it to even a concrete floor with lag bolts...The best place I know to buy a safe locally is Lone Star Gun Safe on FM 1960 in Houston...If the same people who own it now are the same who founded it, they are great to work with...Another great place to do business for safes, guns and other items is CC Plus on Hwy. 105 in Conroe...

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Living with it...

These following thoughts were spurred by the words written to me by a friend who visited blame for destruction and theft of private property on a group of people not because of the choices they made, but because of an accident of birth...No other identification of this friend will be made here...

I kid and poke fun at a lot of people and ideologues when they involve the choices people make which govern their lives...In my mind, people choose which gender attracts them sexually; they choose whether and which religion to follow; they even choose how to vote for government leadership, and they choose what to ingest in their bodies regardless of the consequences...The paths they follow as results of those choices are of their own volition, and they have the further choice of reversing course and renouncing the choices which harm themselves and others...

Two things I choose not to use for scorn or the purpose of humiliation are race and physical abnormalities...Neither were asked for, yet the consequences of both are something each individual is left to deal with over the course of a lifetime...None of us chose to be born of a particular skin color nor of the ability to move about under our own power, and yet we did choose to live and vote responsibly accepting the results of our choices, to earn our own living without harming others and to allow others the same opportunities...Or not...When the choice is made to take what seems to be an easier path to happiness, however temporary, then we must accept the consequences without falling back on the empty defense of being guiltless because of being born with less-than-popular physical characteristics...

I scorn those who wreck their own lives and the lives of others with drugs, crime and violence...I do not scorn them because they are not of the same race as I am since an accident of birth did not cause their actions; their own choices did that...I am not angry at my friend, merely disappointed...We also have the choice of recognizing our own errors and correcting the course of our lives...It's now been more than 50 years since I described anyone using the epithet now known as the "n-word"...It was slapped out of me by a friend who heard me use it to describe our mutual friend...I've always been grateful for the accidental timing which allowed that slapping to occur by someone who had my best interests in mind, and not someone who might have carried those actions further...

There is such a thing as slapping some sense into a person...

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Letting It Go...

 I've heard it said by people much smarter than I'll ever be that none of us on Earth ever truly own anything, that we are merely custodians and stewards of what possessions cross our paths as we mark our time in this life...The kings and queens of ancient Egypt thought they owned it all, even the human beings that were kept alive to serve them...They imagined that if their wealth and their staffs of servants could be buried with them, they would always be in possession of their accumulations...But their bodies were scarcely cold and tucked away in their pyramid tombs before the ghouls ransacked many of their gravesites and carried off their precious wealth only to become yet again the temporary possession of fools who thought their property to be sacrosanct...Those few whose tombs escaped plunder were only later opened by archeologists who removed their contents and even their bodies for display in museums...When those museums are buried in the dust of collective ages to become the foundations of a thousand succeeding civilizations, those ancient rulers will be no closer to ownership of the baubles and trinkets they coveted in life than they were when they could still draw a breath...

No matter our status nor position as we work our way toward the end of our allotted times here, the objects we have claimed during our years are no more ours to keep than the diamonds buried under miles of rock on distant planets...Even our own bodies which have been our only true homes since birth will be taken away from us eventually by the ravages of time...When we leave to find our next place in God's plan, nothing will remain of us or what we possessed but whatever memories we have bestowed in the minds of those who knew us...And even that will fade to nothingness with the passage of generations...

What then of the physical possessions that mean something to each of us beyond their monetary value...Each of us has and still do have in our possession certain objects which retain for us a value higher than its market worth...When we are no longer in possession of even the life we were granted at birth, and even our souls are returned to He who created them and granted us temporary stewardship, those objects we coveted in life become the possessions of others who may or may not understand the value we placed on them...Not sharing a common history with us, the new stewards may merely exchange our trinkets for new trinkets which they now covet...

In the past year or so, I began to think of the things I possess, and to ponder over the value of what little earthly belongings I have gathered in a lifetime...That which I can still lay my hands on is hard earned, and in some cases fought over to retain...But I know in the end it will all remain behind me to belong to others, however temporarily...My closest family consists of only my two nephews, my late brother's sons, who have grown to manhood and both lead their own lives with their own values...I'm proud to leave whatever I possess to them as I move on at some point, but since their values and their experiences differ from mine, certain earthly items of mine will carry no more value to them, than the money they can be sold for...There are two items of mine which, although they carry a high monetary value in any case, they have a different value while they are in my stewardship...While I still have control over these items, I have decided to transfer ownership to others, to whom I believe they will not only retain my value, but will add their own value...Both of these new custodians are friends, one recent and the other of many decades...

The first item is a wristwatch, an Omega Speedmaster Professional which I bought new at a Canadian Air Force Base in what was then still called West Germany...Details in my memory have faded in the intervening 52 years, but to the best of my knowledge it was Zweibrücken Air Base where at that time an air show was being held, the first I had ever attended...I cannot recall exactly what led to my enamorment with the Omega Speedy Pro, but it may have been an article on personal timepieces in the pages of Playboy magazine, which at that time and place was required reading for any GI stationed anywhere in the world...I can only recall being influenced by many recommendations concerning fashion and accoutrements considered to be the proper choice of discerning gentlemen of the era...Whatever the source of the spark, it lit a flame in my heart to own a Speedy Pro, but the local Base Exchange not only didn't stock it, but had no idea when or if they could obtain one...

The year was 1968 and I knew I would not be making the US Air Force my career, but also knew this would be my one chance to see as much of Europe as possible...Together with three friends in my squadron, we pooled our two Volkswagens and as much camping gear as we could beg or borrow for a 20 day tour of Europe, culminating in attending the Gran Prix of Monaco held in the streets of Monte Carlo...[Note: the photo link just provided includes several photos of a very young Truckman wearing this particular watch]...I wrote to my parents telling them of our itinerary, and to my delighted surprise they sent me a check for $300.00 so I wouldn't have to take the trip of a lifetime on the cheap...Before we were to embark our VW's to conquer a small chunk of Europe, we had a chance to attend the airshow the Canadians were hosting, and while there we visited their Base Exchange to gather a few supplies for the journey...Naturally I cruised by their jewelry department, and lo and behold, there sat a brand new Omega Speedmaster Professional under glass...Having my trip money in my pocket and knowing this might be my only chance ever to own this fine wristwatch, I asked the price...

At this time the watch had not been announced as the choice of NASA for issuance to all astronauts, including those who would be chosen to wear theirs on the surface of the moon the following year...But it was still a hefty price tag even before it became famous...I was able to obtain mine on the spot for the princely sum of 95 US dollars...The remainder of what was in my travel fund found good use as we were able to check into the local hotels every few days, with genuine beds and actual hot showers...I was also able to take advantage of local bargains in quality goods such as leather items in Florence Italy, and hand-blown glass in Venice...When I got back to base, I applied for, and was granted a $300.00 loan from the on-base American Express office which I sent home in the form of a money order...Prompt repayment to American Express also helped with building my credit rating...

My Speedy is what became known as a pre-moon watch since it does not have the (to me) gaudy NASA inscription on the back, but it does have the then new smoother more accurate movement and I have worn it proudly for 52 years...It has endured two divorces, an accidental dunking in a lake when I fell overboard (after which I sent it off for its first overhaul) and even though I shouldn't have, I wore it many times while working at various jobs...In recent years I had it overhauled yet again by a local watchmaker with many years of working on high-end watches as I was told...

Since then it gains about a minute every three or so days, and possibly due to my habit of working while wearing it, the chronometer knobs have both become detached, one of which I was able to recover...It needs another overhaul, and whatever the cost of that might be, it is well worth it to retain its value...But even then its true value to me is beyond whatever it might bring on the open market when left up to my nephews if it came into their possession...At this writing new Speedy Pros are listed at about $6500.00 while pre-moon watches in primo condition sell for considerably more when they can be found for sale...But I agonized over the watch's history being lost and forgotten if my nephews just cashed it in and it wound up on a new wrist...

Recently when my trusted friend of more than 30 years and I were off to yet another gun show, we took one of his fellow workers and friend with us who is also a firearm enthusiast...While talking he recognized and asked about the watch on my wrist...After several conversations it turned out the Speedy Pro is his dream watch, something he has admired for many years...I saw an opportunity here to continue the history of my watch in a new tradition which will see it passed down to one of his sons or grandsons...Being a young family man with the usual obligations, he could not justify draining their savings for either a new or used Speedy, but after talking it over with his wife it was concluded that he could fulfill his dream if he could use some cash and a trade for guns already in his possession...We established a fair price, and came to an agreement to trade for cash plus guns...I will continue to trade up in my own gun collection, and have some cash to put away in savings...This also alleviates the burden on my nephews whom I'm sure would find themselves at a disadvantage when it came to the responsibility of liquidating my assets...When the time comes for my new young friend to pass along the Speedy, which I'm guessing may occur some 50 more years down the line, it will be 100 years old, and he will know its entire history from its date of original new purchase...

This takes a huge worry off my shoulders as I can concentrate on other events as time creeps up on me from behind...But there are still a few items which have some history for me, and I think I can rest easier knowing how they will be treated when they leave my grasp...I have a particular pistol which has not only commercial and intrinsic value, but even greater value as a memory prop for those who know its history...The gun in question is a Colt Gold Cup National Match chambered in .45ACP...I bought it for cash from a man I had dealt with before, but also had a reputation as one who is not always trustworthy...But I ran the gun's serial number through several databases purporting to contain complete lists of of stolen and missing firearms (NCIC is unavailable to me)...The number consistently returned as clean...

When I first got it in the early 90's, it had already been refinished as blued, and some of the lettering had been lost in the process...It shot well in my amateur hands, but I knew it could be improved...I showed it to a friend, Art Collins, who was not only a chief of police at the time but also one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever known on the subject of firearms and shooting in general...Gold Cups are known to have excellent triggers out of the box, but Art cleaned up the action a bit for me, and the shot groups tightened...Later I decided I wanted night sights in place of the repulsive tall Millet target sights which would not even allow the pistol to fit a standard holster...Art sourced some adjustable Meprolight Tru Dot sights for me and installed them...In doing so he had to overcome the double staking on the front sight to correctly install the new ones...Being the consummate master gunsmith he was, it was performed without complaint and he merely passed the information along matter of factly...In the intervening 20 or so years following, the sights have lost most of their original glow, and to my knowledge Meprolight no longer offers this sight in inventory...However the slide could always be sent to Meprolight, or another source such as Miniature Machine Company (MMC) of Ft. Worth, either of which can drill the dead globes out and replace with fresh ones...

At a later point I decided I wanted to refinish the gun again because I did not like the blued finish; it did not match Colt bluing and to my eyes, just didn't look right...In talking it over with Art, I decided on hard chrome which is an industrial finish just about impervious to wear or weather...The hard chrome pieces I had already seen elsewhere never came out as shiny and reflective as traditional triple chrome plating, but Art called a contact he knew at Checkmate Refinishing in Florida (no longer in business today)...He was told they were very familiar with hard chrome and could make it look as shiny as a '58 Cadillac bumper if I wanted...

Before sending the gun off, I also wanted a few changes to the gun...Art ordered a BarSto barrel and bushing, new steel magazine release, Ed Brown single-side thumb safety and wide grip safety...He ordered all new springs and new firing pin at the same time...When they arrived, he fitted each new part to the gun, which in the hands of a master craftsman like him, means that each part of the gun was perfectly mated to the pieces it came in contact with...He took it to the range and shot it, then being satisfied with its performance, he again disassembled it down to the last pin and spring...The parts which were to be hard chrome plated were boxed and shipped to Checkmate...When they came back the job had been done exactly as he specified: flats polished to a mirror finish and rounds chromed in matte...

Plating adds a few microns to the dimensions of each part that is plated, and Art again hand fitted each of the parts on reassembly to a perfect mating...At this time he also hand fitted the slide to the frame, allowing for the new thickness on the parts, and fitted the barrel and bushing for a positive no-movement alignment...After shooting the gun to verify function and accuracy, Art cleaned and returned the gun to me...What, the reader may wonder, was the cost of performing this miracle of new accuracy and dependability?...Art charged me his cost on the plating and the parts used...For his expert labor and hours of painstaking, tedious work he wouldn't take a penny...We had always done each other favors, also watching each other's merchandise and money when we set up together at gun shows, with me selling guns and Art selling his custom loaded ammunition...To my knowledge, neither of us ever made a nickel off each other in our years of friendship...

Sadly Art died from his recurring bouts with cancer in 2009...His funeral was one of the most heavily attended I have ever witnessed with well wishers and mourners packing the overflowing chapel...The stories and accolades heaped on him from those who knew him both personally and professionally went on for hours...I have fond memories of my friend, and of everything he taught me about shooting, firearms, ammunition, history and most importantly - character...Today those memories and the Colt Gold Cup he built for me are all I have left of those days...My recent thinking about my watch also led to thoughts of this gun, and the few other earthly possessions I treasure...Again referring to my well-meaning but inexperienced nephews, they both know what to do with any money I leave them, and will invest it carefully...But the Gold Cup has a history which would be lost on them...It's just another of my guns, and would likely be sold or traded for far less than its value...

To that end I decided the best thing to do would be to turn over custodianship to my friend who has attended so many gun shows with me, and who also worked for Art Collins as a policeman for many years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant under Art's leadership...He is several years younger than I am, and will likely be around long after I am gone...He is also the most trusted of my small circle of friends, and will treat the gun as it should be, shooting it and carrying it on duty...He has been my friend as long as I have owned this gun, and I can think of no better steward for it and the memories it inspired than him...He was even present when I bought the giraffe bone grips that now reside on the gun...As he pointed out to me, he has excellent taste in grips...

At some point both these men will reach my point in life where they wonder what will become of the objects that have stirred their memories and marked their time on our planet...I trust that both will make suitable plans to pass on the custodial duties of a few shiny objects and the history connected to them...

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