While I am no Skeeter Skelton (besides, who could turn a phrase like Skeeter?) I am a frustrated gun writer, meaning I would love to be able to write for one of the popular firearms periodicals. Since this is unlikely I thought I would regale you with some of my experiences with firearms during the last forty years

I hope you enjoy this series of on-going recollections.

I was 16 years old when I received my first firearm, a .45 auto. It came with a Colt slide and an aluminum frame the make of which has long since been forgotten.

The first firearm I purchased when I turned 17 was an old Mossberg M-151 with the Mannlicher style stock. I paid $75.00 for it.

Times certainly have changed since then. I recall that I hitched a ride home, some 15 miles away, carrying my new rifle. Further, there was no background check or waiting period for rifles at that time.

The gun was manufactured around 1948 but was in great shape. I promptly purchased a Weaver scope for the Mossberg.

I thought it would be a good idea to mark the second Mossberg so I proceeded to carve my initials into the stock. Further, I decided that it would look better if it was “sporterized” so I removed the forward part of the stock and attempted to reshape the stock. I never completed the job and as I grew older I regretted butchering my rifle.

Then, in 2003 a co-worker introduced me to on-line auctions and I was able to find another stock, less the forward part. Since I still owned the forward portion I installed it on the newly acquired stock and was able to restore my Mossberg to its original condition. This included the hood over the front sight –which has a couple of different front sight posts to chose from—as well as a rear sight mounted at the rear of the barrel and a peep sight at the rear of the receiver which can be rotated 90 degrees to give clearance for the barrel mounted sight.

My Mossberg also has the original sling swivels which are becoming more difficult to find and when they can be found are a bit pricey.

I like the Mossberg M-151 so much that I purchased another one in 2000. I happened across it at a gun store in Southern California. It wasn’t as complete as my original M-151 but I was able to replace some of the missing parts from an on-line auction site that no longer allows the listing of most firearms parts. I installed my original Weaver scope on the second rifle.

It was 37 years ago that I purchased the first Mossberg .22 rifle. During that time I have parted with some guns but this one I still have.

Five or six years ago my dad gave me an old Remington Nylon 66 .22 rifle. The 66 had seen better days. The butt plate had been broken and part of it was missing. The stock, being made of a synthetic material was severely scratched and was in need of replacement.

Again I turned to on-line auctions as a source of replacement parts. I located what is called a “new, old stock” stock.

For a reasonable sum I was able to return the Remington to near new condition. What’s more, I listed the old, damaged stock on-line and it sold for more than I paid for the nicer replacement stock. Such a deal.

About the time I received the Remington, A friend presented me with the really nasty looking piece of rust. It somewhat resembled a rifle receiver with a bolt and barrel. After removing the rust, an extremely time consuming process, I found that it was in fact a receiver and barrel. In fact it was what was left of someone’s attempt to sporterize a Springfield 1903A3 rifle. I figured this would be an interesting project that would six to twelve months to complete.

Once again I searched on line for parts to restore this old rifle. The first thing I did was obtain a manual for the rifle so I could determine which parts I would need; then I began acquiring parts.

I determined that the barrel had been cut off just behind the front sight so a new barrel was needed. I found a new 1942 barrel and took everything to a local gunsmith (Ray Lynn) who replaced the barrel and blued the barrel and receiver.

After seeing how nice the newly blued receiver and barrel looked, I began purchasing the remaining parts required to restore this old rifle.

In about two months time I was able to completely restore the old rifle. It is quite a nice shooter. I am extremely pleased with the end result. I am also pleased that I was able to salvage a rifle that may have been tossed in the trash. If it hadn’t been for the fact that my friend knew of my interest in working on firearms it may have been consigned to the landfill.

Certainly, it isn’t an original 1903A3 but at least some aspect of history was saved and restored.

During the years I have learned the value of leaving a thing in the original condition. You won’t find me carving my initials into the stock anymore.