"Something For Nothing"

We live in a world today where they charge you for a glass of water. But sometimes you can still find people who are willing to "just do something for you"

I saw a great example of that today.

If you're a shooter in Idaho, it is difficult to find nice enough weather to really get out there and do some meaningful sight-in work.

THIS was the morning I'd been looking for over the last 3 months. I had just added a 1924 vintage Mauser rifle (Model 93), to my collection, and have been itching to get out there with it. I loaded up three 1-gallon "water jugs" (old milk containers), and drove out to my favorite "pit area". Got set up, water jugs in-place out there, locked & loaded, lined it up and squeezed.

"Click"

I unchambered the round. The firing pin had never touched the primer. I put a new round in it......same thing.......

I was very baffled.......while I am not the world's expert on guns......I HAVE been collecting and shooting most of my life, especially old war rifles. The old German bolt action Mauser is a ROCK. They rarely ever break for anything and they are still expected to fire (even after 87 years, in THIS case).

Without a local gunsmith now, I had no other option but to pack it in and head for Boise. I'd been told that they have a couple of pretty good "smittys" at the Buckhorn Gunshop on Ustick, so I rolled on out to I-84 and headed for Boise.

I KNEW the problem was in the bolt someplace but it has been so many years since I've owned an old Model 93, I'd forgotten how to strip down the bolt itself...........and if you DON'T UNDERSTAND something, DON'T SCREW WITH IT......that's what causes "lost parts on garage floors" As I passed the Boise Stage stop, I was convinced it was a defective pin plunger spring or something, that wasn't letting that firing pin come all the way forward.

Whatever it was, I knew it'd be some "Mickey Mouse" little thing. I'd probably have to LEAVE the gun up there for a few days, and it might be overcast again with 40 MPH winds out there when I got the rifle BACK! I really hated the thought of LOSING this day, because they don't come along that often around here.

At Buckhorn, one of the two smittys (Mike), took the bolt back into the workshop, then returned a bit later. He'd taken it apart, and as it turned out-----whoever owned the rifle before I bought it, had torn that bolt assembly down, and didn't get it back together correctly, missed one full turn of shaft adjustment on the pin.

"Here you go......it should work NOW.........if it doesn't, bring it back."

"What do I owe you?" I asked.

"Nothing......just remember our shop whenever you come to Boise and need something!"

Wow.

Seems like just about EVERYBODY has their hand out for something these days.

It was 11:10.........there was still time to get back to Mountain Home, and back OUT there before the usual afternoon winds.

Back to the pits. Wind HAD picked up a touch, but not enough to affect anything. Three "bursted" water jugs later, I was on my way home to clean it, but before I did, I got on the phone and called Mike to thank him once again.

Although he didn't charge me anything, he'll probably pick up a few customers, as I've already been out to the gunshop this afternoon and let THEM know of the good service I got. They'll spread it around as people come in there with guns in need of repair.

An old business adage, is that if you give a customer a break on something, he'll tell a few friends. If you rip him off, he'll tell EVERYBODY!

All that firing pin fix cost me today, was gasoline up there & back........which doesn't amount to much in a VW!

And I WILL "remember" that shop!

Ain't everyday you get "something for nothing." It's something that in turn---we can ALL pass along to the "next person" as the situation might call for.