Crazy Life 'o mine

Jan 21, 2008

Happy freezy Monday to you all, and for those who get to celebrate MLKjr day...Lucky you.

My Packers lost. Enuf about that...

I work as a tax professional. I don't think I mentioned that earlier in a blog. So during the down time, with the computer in my face almost all day long, I might get more blog entries in. Love working for myself...

Maybe I mentioned the job with the other girls...of course I did. Anyway, "the boss" went out and bought himself a new toy. Usually he buys himself a new collectable coin, or that paper note stuff...the stuff I really can't fake an intest in, but I try. Sometimes he buys himself a new power tool that is gonna help build something he plans to make in the distant future. Once he bought the store a new cargo van...but I think its just out in his driveway waiting for the possibility of being used in the Spring.

This time he bought an interesting piece. He loves to go antique-ing. He wasn't going to show me it because he thought I wouldn't be interested in the piece of history he managed to obtain. Which just goes to show him he doesn't really know me. (I love history..despite my view point of guns in the home)

Picture the year before Custer got his infamous last haircut. The government is issuing replacement rifles to the soldiers. Custer and his regiment turn in their old weapons, get the new, and the old weapons are modified and redistributed. Of course we realize that will be the last gun ever issued to Gen. Custer.

What happened to the old weapon? The gov't, as I mentioned, recycle the weapon. It goes through several wars, is modified to take cartridges, changes from one soldier to the next until the rifle's military usefulness becomes obsolete. It disappears...

AHA..this is where you are wrong. Somehow it magically becomes the possession of an antique dealer in bo-dunk someplace Nebraska. It has become the object of deep fascination bordering on lust, for "the boss" since the first time he saw it and the dealer said it wasn't for sale.

"The boss", after years of begging is finally granted permission to purchase the rifle. I honestly think he wanted to get rid of "the boss".

The piece is beautiful. It's a level action rifle, where it was converted from powder and ball, to paper cartridge, to being ablke to fire rifle cartridges. It still has the loop for the saddle ring on it, though I suspect the ring is a replacement. The serial numbers on the stock and and butt match. There's only one mechanical replacement piece that I saw; a safety switch that is obviously new. It looks as if someone put on a new coat varnish...the "notches" aren't exposed, they have varnish in the creavices. The barrel definitely needs to be cleaned.

So, in the bosses mind....he owns Custer's gun.

In my mind, it's a beautiful piece of hardware. But he needs to take the rifle to a real antique dealer and find out the guns true history before he gets too carried away. Would hate to find out he purchased a replica.