Petzal has knowledge, experience and the ability to COMMUNICATE BOTH. He writes with authority tempered by humility. And humor!

What are the types of problems that make a gun innacurate, that working on them can't fix?

I don't know the original source of this story, but as it was told to me that in about 1970 an elderly gentleman took a cheap turn of the century 22 rimfire rifle into a gunshop and asked that it be refurbished to as new condition. Accompanying the elderly gentleman was his grandson, who apparently was there to drive the gentleman. The gunsmith took the young man aside and inquired as to the state of mind of the elderly man. The grandson stated that his grandfather was in full command of his mental facilities and had both the desire to refurbish the rifle and the means to pay for same. Reluctantly the gunsmith agreed to perform the work.

Upon completion of the project, the elderly gentleman and his grandson returned to the gunshop to retrieve the rifle. A photo album was brought along for the gunsmiths benefit. Each photo in the album was of the elderly gentleman beginning at an early adult age and increasing in age as the pages were turned, also in each picture was a dead tiger and the little 22 rimfire rifle.

The elderly gent related that in the early 1900's he had been a missionary in Asia. He had bought the rifle on a whim just before boarding the ship in San Francisco. The cost of the rifle new was about $4.00. After arrival at his assigned missionary post, one day a tiger was menancing the settlement, as the only person around with a gun, it fell to the young missionary to attempt to kill the tiger. He was successful, not only that time but eleven more times over the years. You see, no one had ever told him that a 22 rimfire rifle was really not a suitable arm for killing tigers.

So, no matter what a gun cost new or what it may be worth on the market now, the true value of a gun is in the eyes of the person who has used it.

my wife recently purchased a 220 swift Ruger. it was at an auction here near my home in Nebraska. now this gun hasn't even been made in some years as now they have gone to the hawkeye I believe, but this gun was totally rebuilt from the trigger up. all new stock done in what looks to be walnut, and it is solid wood. has a bran new barrel. now this is a heavy gun as most varmit guns are due to the thick barrels. but she paid $400 and the man that did the repairs had a whole lot more money than this into it. so I ask him why he would redo the gun like he did. he said it was always his fathers favorite gun and he wanted to give it to him as a fathers day present, and it turned out his father passed on before he could give it to him. now he couldn't bare to look at it. I just bring this up to say sometimes the repairs are worth it if you really love the gun, and his father obviously did, and had he not passed and they would have gotten even ! good hunt out of it it all would have been worth it to him, even though the gun whent for so low. he told me. guns often have very good memories and he told me even though he never got to give it to his father, he said it was a labor of love and he felt his father was with him the whole time he did it. and to end the story I got ! heck of a gun out of it and he got some closer he said in finishing the gun and he told me he felt happy inside knowing it would go on hunting as his father would have wanted it. end of story