for Veteran's DAy

by Norm, Monday, November 12, 2018, 15:24 (2140 days ago)

I've posted this here before, but there's a little twist that I did not notice until I posted it yesterday, November 11, on various Facebook pages.
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It's November 1964, and my 16th birthday was coming up in a few weeks. My dad Charley calls a friend of his, Archie Mackler, manager of of Herman's Sporting Goods in downtown Oklahoma City. Herman's was owned by old man Herman, and not part of the east coast chain that closed down and went bankrupt in the mid-90's. Mr. Herman dealt in guns, ammunition, golfing and bowling equipment, fishing tackle, etc. He also supplied uniforms and euipment to high school football, baseball, basketball and tennis teams.

"Archie, has my boy been in looking at anything in particular?"

"Well, the last couple of times he's been in, he's been looking at and asking questions about a couple of .45 Automatics I have in the showcase."

"A .45? What the hell is he going to do with that?"

Dad was a fisherman, neither a hunter nor a shooter, but at his restaurant, he usually had a ".38 snub nose" in his pocket - if you must know, a pre-S&W M36, flat-latch Chief's Special in .38 Spl. He'd taken the advice of some of his police friends and kept it loaded with the Winchester's blunt 200 grain round nose "Super Police" Lubaloy" lead bullet

He called me one afternoon, after school, and Archie got to the restaurant a few minutes after I did. He delivered a brand new Colt Commercial Government Model, in .45 ACP, with one box of shells (I remember it was a box of Winchester 210 grain jacketed SWC's). The total cost including tax was $90.09 ! Dad paid him cash, and for his trouble gave him a sack of Chinese take-out to take home to his family. "Shot these when I was in the Army, I hate 'em. Kicks too much and they're not accurate. Happy Birthday!"

I think Dad got the last laugh and is jabbing me from the grave today. I've told this story before, posted the image before. But not till THIS DAY, November 11, 2018, did I pay any attention at all to the date on the invoice!!

A few weeks later I went back to Herman's and purchase a Bucheimer Clark IWB, similar to the one shown, except in regular cowhide instead of suede roughout, and carried that Government Model many, many years.