HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Chasing Zero
Thread: Chasing Zero
View Single Post
Old 11-02-2008, 02:17 PM
  #6  
eldeguello
Giant Nontypical
 
eldeguello's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY
Posts: 6,270
Default RE: Chasing Zero

One fall, I was working in a gun shop in Las Vegas, New Mexico (The GOOD Las Vegas, not Sin City!!)

One of my duties was selling hunting licenses. (Just observing the folks who bought the licenses was enough to keep you out of the woods during open season!!)

In adddion, I got to do some basic sighting in of customers' rifles. Of course, they were all told to go to the range before hunting, and make the final adjustments for themselves, as no-one sees their sight picture the same way as another person! Few did!!

One of the local guys of Hispanic extraction came in with "my grandfather's thirty-thirty" to have it sighted in. Let me describe said .30/30. It was an original M94 RIFLE with 26" barrel. It had the original sights, and was polished bright. The stock looked for all the world like a piece of a cedar fence post, which I am sure it was. No finish at all. In addition, you could grip the rifle around the receiver, and shake it. The barrel threads were so loose, the barrelflopped up & down at least an inch at the muzzle. In addition, I was able to insert a .30/30 cartride bullet-first all the way into the muzzle. Very loose fit!!

I opened the breech, and inserted a cleaning patch to reflect the light so I could examine the bore. But all I could see was a black, circular hole, no lands/grooves visible inside. There may have been some, but you couldn't see any!

Well, we offered him $20.00 for it on trade for a new M94 carbine. Nope-it was grandaddy's rifle, etc. In those says, we sold M94's for $87.50, so he could have had a new one for a mere $67.50 additional. All he wanted was for us to sight it in for him, "and do a good job". After all, he'd killed a mulie at 700 yards with it last season!! (Honest!!!)

I was afraid to try to fire it like it was. So the boss removed the barrel, built up the threaded portion with a little arc-welding, and recut the barrel threads. After the barrel was re-installed, darned if the thing didn't keep all shots in a 12" circle at 100 yards!!
eldeguello is offline