Last night, couple hours after dark, Kelly called me from the house. There's a truck in the driveway. Someone is knocking on the front door. They won't go away. I ran to the house. Siliouetted in the dusk to dawn light, I see a big pickup with a brush guard. I very tall man is backlit. On his side at the belt line, the light shines off a big flap. He's carrying. He's turning away. I'm halfway up the lane. I hollar out. Hello. Nothing. Truck is running. I yell louder, as I'm stiff leg running. He hears. Turns back. Now he sees big ole me backlit in another pole light. He yells, something. "Who are you", or something. I yell "that's my house". He says, "are you Gary Barnes?" And we go from there.

I finally get to where he is. It's a pretty long lane. Longer at night. The shop lights, way down thru the woods, look like another house and property. So; to this guy, I looked like some aberration, charging out of the dark lane. To me, it looked like I was encountering "Walker, Texas Ranger". Ha.

I'll be back .....

Oh no .... Was it dark AND stormy too???

Thanks
Kurt

Hi Kurt,

It was a waning moon. Dark. No storm.

Back to the story ....,

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2017 03:25PM by barnespneumatic.

Sorry. I have been working on that secret small bone handled, brass bolster, file worked Aurora.

Well, to continue. ...,

I got within about 20 feet of the "Law Man?", and he says .... I have one of your older knives. I was hoping you'd take a look at it.



I had been going thru all the .... Bank Robbery? No. Liquor Store job? Huh ahh. Selling knockoff Designer Hand Bags? Nooo. Wait .... I haven't done anything. Nuthin' but work. Hey .... Is that illegal now??? Good Grief!!!! That's It!!!!!

I was about to turn myself in when ..... Huh??? Knife? Did he say old knife. And heyyyyy, he's not Chuck Norris!!!! What IS this??????

Fella that looks my age says .... "we had a devil of a time finding you!" We stopped out on the road and went to a door and asked about you. Nobody knew you. Then, a lady called from the back of the house ... "He's next house back the road". "Hey, don't you tell people what you do????" No. "Would you mind looking at this knife?" Sure. We shook hands. Would you mind coming back to the truck there ... So I could knock you in the head and dump you in the back, and tear out of here to hold you ransom from the people on your forum?" Sure.

Ohh, the side holster turned out to be a big custom phone belt case. He also said, I asked about you but people didn't know if you were still alive. "How old are you?" He asks. 62 I answer. "I'm 76, my WIFE there is a couple months younger.

I peeped into the interior, figuring this was when if get a Sapp to the temple. Instead .... I meet the kindly eyes of a sweet older lady. "Ma'am", I said. Good Evening.

Our fellow proceeded to tell me how he'd took a tumble down the terrace steps in the dark. The ones from the upper drive area to the house terrace. The failed ones covered and blocked with about 20 flower pots of differing sizes. In the daylight, it's clear that it's blocked off and "on the list". A couple hours after dark, it's not clear. Make a note.

Our visitors proceeded to lay out a case on the driver's seat. It was unzipped and laid open. Inside were custom pocket knives who's worth far exceeded the very costly truck they were in. My eye went to one knife. One of mine. (No - darn. I didn't take a pic. I was a bit off balance yet, I suppose). A damascus folder, classic Lockback. Fluted Bolsters. File art. Barnes jigged brown bone with Barnes Sterling Silver escutcheon plates. Beautiful. One of us picked it up. He said - "Is that yours?" "Yes, Sir it is." He was very pleased as I showed him my Cartouch on the blade. He said, "Out of All of them, that's my Favorite!!" "Well, that's very nice - I'm so glad. It's a very nice knife."

Then he wanted to see my shop if possible. And, of course; I didn't have anything to sell him!!!

Well, they had a huge fifth wheel trailer at a local campground. His wife declared that they just love to travel. You'll meet him at an Invitational some time. Oh ... BTW ... He doesn't look any older than me. Course ... I know, I know. But, he's certainly not a frail fellow. He did say that he is starting to make some knives. I may have found my intern!

Gary

Gary,

You scared me with the story. How did they find you? Really glad it was not the Men in Black or worse.

Keep us updated on what happened after you met them and talked.

On the hammers. I had sent him some photos of hammers on the net and he got the right idea from the bolt in the end of the hammer idea I had so he was going to make the Head or striker part smaller.

I have a made in China digital scale that works super and I will check the weights. Pellets like I said before are very good except for weight. Head size and skirt size seems really good. I catch all the pellets from my trap and they seem grooved nice but not too deep. On the pellets about 25% are too heavy it seems. I lump the rest back in the box and shoot them. The 25% too heavy I toss in a box marked do not use. I only found 3 out of the first 500 that had bent skirts. I think I told you but 100 pellets in the local store is $1.19 by today's converter. I looked on the net and they seem to be copies of older JSB pellets. They are made by a company called Hystan Cottage Product in Malabon, Metro Manila.

I guess you are right about leaving the gun in CO2 but air would be nicer. But they do not make any PCP's here. They are all making copies of the basic gun like mine all based on the one valve made here. They have it down and hammer them out in several small shops in all the big cities. In each town there seems to be one or two stock makers cranking out bad fitting stocks.

But it is nice to shoot again even a CO2.

Thanks for all the free advice it helps.

Be safe out there.

Larry

Larry,

I'm running a tab on you. NO FREE ADVICE for you.

Hey, the rats don't care if they are killed by Co2 or HP air.

Sounds like you have a nice rig and good, cheap, accurate pellets. That's great! Make Holes.

Thanks for posting

Gary

Guys .... Seriously?

A story like that, and you all have no comments.

Man, if that guy can find you there, I want to hunt with him.

No doubt he hasn't heard of the Internet.

He-he.

Lon

That's a good one Lon. Hah! I like that.

Yeah. Witness Protection ain't what it used to be!

Gary

Great Story... Was he frightened at the sign of you menacing towards him? I know myself that we get so few visitors in this day and age it can be quite alarming. Then of course when i'm working on a project i get so grumpy and discourage any visitors, Later regretting that i wasn't more accommodating .Good for you for sticking with him.

Hi Steve,

After I got off his back and left his face out of the gravel, he came around.

Ha.

You are right. If we get a visitor, I always expect the worst. Although, everyone down here is so courteous, we've never had a bad visit.

Gary

Yep Gary, that certainly ain't Georgia!
Jeff