Bill and I are in Houston, Texas visiting his parents. They have a dial up Interent connection that is a little "off." I've already lost this post once when I tried to add a link, so there won't be much linkosity today.
We had a good time at the Grand Casino in Tunica, Mississippi and didn't lose too much money. We're both cheap when it comes to gambling, but like to play slots every now and again. We left Tunica Thursday morning and headed to Vicksburg, Mississippi. We toured the Civil War fortifications there and bought a couple of books. What's a vacation if you don't spend money you earned the rest of the year?
BAG Day
This morning I made my BAG (Buy a Gun) Day purchase at Collectors Firearms in Houston. I looked at several items I had preselected on their Internet site. I decided to throw financial caution completely away and bought the most expensive gun I had preselected. I am now a proud owner of a Mauser Broomhandle "Bolo."
The one I bought had most of its bluing in place, all matching serial numbers and a strong, if not perfect, bore. It's chambered in .30 Caliber Mauser and was made sometime after World War I. I've wanted one of these guns ever since I've become aware of them. Now, I did say I threw financial caution to the winds, since it cost more than most of the guns I own, a little over $1,000.00. I know, it's expensive, but c'mon all matching numbers, decent finish, and everything we collectors love. I couldn't pass it up
After my BAG Day purchase, Bill looked at some shotguns, and pretty much selected a brand and a type, but he will need to make a belated purchase. We will blog about it later. Also, we will post a picture of my BAG Day purchase when we get home in a little more than a week.
NRA Convention
We made it down to the National Rifle Association convention. Today was it's first day, but we missed the opening ceremony. Houston traffic can be a royal bitch. We roamed around the exhibit floor for several hours. We ended up with sensory overload. There were so many guns there our heards were spinning. Not only guns, but equipment, new product displays, hunting businesses, and much more.
We attended a lecture session on concealed carry offered by Thomas Marx of Blackhawk. NRA's police training bureau sponsored the talk, but Marx, a former Chicago police officer, discussed many important considerations for civilian concealed carry not the least of which was you should spend as much time researching your holster and how your body can most easily hide a gun while maintaining access as you do choosing a firearm.
We saw some gun world celebrities there. I bought a Ted Nugent book and he signed it for me. He looked a little older than his pictures, but still in the best of health. Of course, I probably looked much older than my almost 50 years due to walking around the hall for too long.
We saw Craig Boddington talking on a cell phone, R. Lee Ermey signing autographs for Glock, and Michael Bane in his Shooting Gallery TV show shirt. We went up to say hello to Mr. Bane since he has linked up on his blog, but he was talking to other people. We roamed off and came back a few minutes later, but no Mr. Bane. Maybe we will have the chance to say hello as one blogger to another (the "another" just happens to have his own TV show and a lifetime of work in gun related journalism, while we have three months blogging experience).
From the exhibit floor, Cam Edwards was broadcasting, people were buying NRA stuff, and a good time was had by all. We're going to the banquet tomorrow and we'll let you know how that was. For now, good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment