Sunday, May 17, 2009

beauty in the details


As fun as it is to see all of the newfangled guns the companies have to offer, I spent a long time marveling at the beauty of antique flintlocks.

The gentleman who owns the pistol above noticed me taking an interest in it and asked me if I had a concealed carry permit.

"I do, yes," I replied.

He got up from his chair, saying that he had been waiting for a woman with a CHL to admire this pistol. I looked at him quizzically and he explained that this beautiful Kentucky pistol was one that a lady in the 1800s would have concealed in her handbag or in a fur muff on winter days.

He was holding the pistol with something akin to reverence - gently turning it over in his hands and running his fingers over the carvings. He had probably picked up this pistol on a thousand occasions over the years but you could tell that he was still struck by its beauty and craftsmanship every time.

"I sold my wife's car to buy this gun," he said.

I chuckled.

"No, really - true story." He paused for a moment and then asked, "Would you like to hold it?"

Would I ever.

15 comments:

Tam said...

Envyenvyenvyenvy!

Have you been to the Breda booth yet? :D

breda said...

there was no Breda booth!

Mad Saint Jack said...

See there is no Ohio pistol. Now do you want to move south?

Last year Breda shotguns where part of a display in a larger booth.

http://www.bredafucili.com/

says they are imported by

http://www.legacysports.com/

but I don't see them on that site.

What you couldn't hold the pistol while he held your camera?

Tam said...

"there was no Breda booth!"

Nooooo!

And here we were all like "Breda's gonna be so stoked when she sees this giant banner with her name on it!"

Mad Saint Jack said...

So maybe next year there should be a Gun Nuts Media booth?

Anonymous said...

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Stranger said...

While polite language has changed for the worse, my great grandmother carried a Hopkins and Allen pepperbox in her handwarmer, and my grandmother carried a honkin' big Merwin and Hulbert .44 Russian in the same place. My dad got a good laugh out of Bret Harte's comments about a pepperbox. But the M$H was a regular fox, coon, and rabbit getter.

Stranger

dr mac said...

Noted he didn't sell his own car.

Is he still married ?

Anonymous said...

I could see Breda with an 1861 Navy!

Regards,
NMM1AFan

Old NFO said...

Nice pistol and a nice story! Glad you got a chance to oogle, hold that piece of history!

WV-luvely

Mad Saint Jack said...

I wonder if it is a .45???

Zdogk9 said...

Darn that'd look good on you

Jay G said...

Just remember, if you shoot it "gangsta" style all the powder falls out of the frizzen pan.

Err, not that I've tried that, of course...

Mike W. said...

"there was no Breda booth!"Biggest disappointment of the whole trip! You're a celebrity now, you should call and complain.

It was great getting to hang out with you.

*oh, and don't do anything dirty with that autographed Todd Jarrett poster....

BadIdeaGuy said...

I couldn't agree more that despite all the cool stuff that's out there, that craftsmanship is so uniquely American.

My wife wouldn't tolerate me selling her car though...