Making a new post rather than to tag onto Michaels post regarding his love lost but reacquainted. My story didn't have that happy reunion.
When I was 8 or so, I had a couple 'BB guns' and a .22. I could shoot the .22 any time as long as my dad was there. The BB guns, I take out whenever I wanted. I lived rural and would go out and hunt whatever was appropriate (and sometimes not appropriate) from insects to squirrels.
So at some point, was trying to convince my dad to allow me to start taking the .22 out on my own. He declined and I tried to plead my case by saying I already take the BB gun out. My dad said 'you can take any BB gun out you want but you're not taking the .22 out until you're older'.
Right then, I made up my mind to get the biggest and baddest 'BB gun' I could find. I looked in the back of Field and Stream magazines and the 'biggest' was out of my reach... the Crow Mag, but I did see a nice RWS36 for around $130. I sold coon hides in the winter and picked beans in the summer and took nearly 2 years to save up that kind of money. I remember counting it all out on the kitchen table to my mom and she wrote out the check and we mailed it out to buy the RWS36. 'Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery'. Was a long wait, but when it arrived, it was beautiful. Never mind the fact that I knew nothing of springers... or that it was too heavy for me...or the fact that even to cock it, I would put the butt on the ground and grab it with both hands and struggle until it was cocked. It's a wonder I didn't get hurt with it...but I didn't. And I took plenty of squirrel and rabbit with that gun.
When I was 16, priorities shifted and I put the gun in the local paper for sale. I got a call and a fellow came out to get it. He was a big guy and said he was a collector and he got my gun.
Fast forward... teen years, etc... then tour in the Army and I come back home. I get a job and get back into airguns with a vengeance. I learn of Cecil Whiteside who lived about an hour away from me and he and I connect and I note his stature as a large guy and we talk about that day when I was a kid and yes.... it was him who bought my RWS36. I tried to buy it back, but he wouldn't do it.
When Mr. Whiteside passed away, his collection went up for auction. I went there with two guns in mind. Although his collection was vast, I only really wanted a little BSA Techstar and my old 36. I'd missed out on the Techstars earlier that were on clearance from Compasseco for $200 and I'd always loved the simple design of them. I ended up getting his Techstar and at some point during the auction.....it happened. I was on call for work and I got paged. I had my work laptop with me but I couldn't connect there in the arena (nor could I even hear on the phone there) so I went out and found a quiet spot at the fairgrounds and called and logged in. Some dimwit nurse had forgotten her password at work. After the painful process of logging in, getting hold of her and resetting her password (which took near two hours).. I went back in the auction.... as it was ending. I missed my chance to get my 36 back. Who knows, it may have been sold as a lot, but either way...I missed out.
I miss talking with Cecil. He was definitely a character. Each time he was go to the VAMC, he would stop by my office to chat. I still have an old B-Square catalog with is 'Worlds Largest BB gun' on the back and he signed it for me.
When I was 8 or so, I had a couple 'BB guns' and a .22. I could shoot the .22 any time as long as my dad was there. The BB guns, I take out whenever I wanted. I lived rural and would go out and hunt whatever was appropriate (and sometimes not appropriate) from insects to squirrels.
So at some point, was trying to convince my dad to allow me to start taking the .22 out on my own. He declined and I tried to plead my case by saying I already take the BB gun out. My dad said 'you can take any BB gun out you want but you're not taking the .22 out until you're older'.
Right then, I made up my mind to get the biggest and baddest 'BB gun' I could find. I looked in the back of Field and Stream magazines and the 'biggest' was out of my reach... the Crow Mag, but I did see a nice RWS36 for around $130. I sold coon hides in the winter and picked beans in the summer and took nearly 2 years to save up that kind of money. I remember counting it all out on the kitchen table to my mom and she wrote out the check and we mailed it out to buy the RWS36. 'Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery'. Was a long wait, but when it arrived, it was beautiful. Never mind the fact that I knew nothing of springers... or that it was too heavy for me...or the fact that even to cock it, I would put the butt on the ground and grab it with both hands and struggle until it was cocked. It's a wonder I didn't get hurt with it...but I didn't. And I took plenty of squirrel and rabbit with that gun.
When I was 16, priorities shifted and I put the gun in the local paper for sale. I got a call and a fellow came out to get it. He was a big guy and said he was a collector and he got my gun.
Fast forward... teen years, etc... then tour in the Army and I come back home. I get a job and get back into airguns with a vengeance. I learn of Cecil Whiteside who lived about an hour away from me and he and I connect and I note his stature as a large guy and we talk about that day when I was a kid and yes.... it was him who bought my RWS36. I tried to buy it back, but he wouldn't do it.
When Mr. Whiteside passed away, his collection went up for auction. I went there with two guns in mind. Although his collection was vast, I only really wanted a little BSA Techstar and my old 36. I'd missed out on the Techstars earlier that were on clearance from Compasseco for $200 and I'd always loved the simple design of them. I ended up getting his Techstar and at some point during the auction.....it happened. I was on call for work and I got paged. I had my work laptop with me but I couldn't connect there in the arena (nor could I even hear on the phone there) so I went out and found a quiet spot at the fairgrounds and called and logged in. Some dimwit nurse had forgotten her password at work. After the painful process of logging in, getting hold of her and resetting her password (which took near two hours).. I went back in the auction.... as it was ending. I missed my chance to get my 36 back. Who knows, it may have been sold as a lot, but either way...I missed out.
I miss talking with Cecil. He was definitely a character. Each time he was go to the VAMC, he would stop by my office to chat. I still have an old B-Square catalog with is 'Worlds Largest BB gun' on the back and he signed it for me.
