I was heading for a night of Blue Grass listening south of here and I have a route of honey holes I run through there that has produced one rifle worth anything in 3 and 1/2 years but I keep trying like the good old blind squirrel I am. First stop nothing as usual and just the knowing greeting and smile fro the owners and a few pleasantries exchanged. Next stop nothing and more of the same. Next stop I talk longer because I was at a gun auction with the owner and the employee earlier in the week and he bought a 36 inch barrel shotgun or rifle no one knew of which it might be. Looked at it again and nothing was any more known about after much looking on the net and book reading, strange looking thing for sure! I asked anything new and was told this just came in right in front of you but I haven't priced it yet. He handed me an early 28/30 Sky marked and Sako made 1934 dated. I teased and said well if there was no price it must be free and mockingly headed for the door. He said $150 and the dickering was on in the usual good natured way I have dealt with him since he bought the shop awhile ago. We arrived at a price and I tramped out with a nice real early Sky Sako 28/30. It is in an M91 stock modified by the SYT school of stock making so to speak and it still has an old serial from it's former rifle stamped on the butt side. Has a Civil Guard number, D marked firing chamber modification is noted on the barrel, Finn matched bolt and receiver with non-matched mag plate, and only an old rack number on the butt plate. CAI mark for the importer and both sights have Sako marks and numbers meaning they are really early parts. Bore came up pristine after 5 minutes work with a dry brass brush followed by a patch or two with Balistol on them.

On to the next stop and more fun talking and teasing which has become my trademark in this area. They are down home people who aren't out to make a million off one customer and best of all they are fellow West Virginians! I have never gotten anything form the next stop except some good time and good company at different Blue Grass events over the years. I walked in the fun began because he had a US property No4 Mk1 Savage made Enfield in untouched condition loaded with hard cosmoline! I worked him over awhile and started with $75 and we walked up and down between that and $150 a couple of times and I teased that he would have to take one of my rubber checks cause his buddy wiped me out of cash. He said he was up to that so I walked out with an all matching 1942 dated US Property marked No 4 Mk 1 Enfiled with a perfect bore and not work at all put into it. Stock is not US marked and might have been a later addition but the serial is a real early one so I will have to do some reading on it and see what I really have there. US Flaming Bomb marked too. Lots of cosmoline as I don't think anyone has ever seriously cleaned this one other than the bore which was perfect and shiny.

So there I have done this route thousands of times and found one rifle in all those years and bingo persistence, effort, and luck pay off! I even had one of the best bluegrass shows of the year with a favorite band appearing and a surprisingly good other band there after them. Now I need to get to sleep because I am off at 5AM tomorrow for a gun show west of here I heard about earlier this week then a little club show on the way home. You have to work at this hobby if you want to find anything worthwhile and I try my best find or no find and enjoy it all.

Oh by the way if anybody wants to feed me for the rest of the month I find that would be particularly appreciated since that was the food money for the rest of the month and I find myself out of bread, peanut butter, eggs, butter, and the Ramadan Noodles are really low too. Catsup soup is getting old too I find without any crackers left. I need to find out where my money is going as I have only bought 6 rifles and 1 revolver since I came home from the big motorcycle trip across country. Oh the Discover card bill came it too! I sure didn't know they could make a minimum payment that high? Oh well Life is still Good at zeebill manor and I am not complaining. I even got the flu for night and that solved the food bill for a day or two at least. Cheers to All! Bill ELT