So, you wanna know about that rifle?

Denise and I slept in Sunday and woke up very slowly, as is our practice on the weekend. We both work late during the week and get up early, so we value the time we have on the weekend to sleep in and relax. We headed north towards Gatesville by about noon, stopping only at a stop-n-rob in Cove to get a Dew and somethin' for breakfast.

We'd had plans to spend our Sunday goin' to a gun show in Harker Hights and a home and garden show in Belton before headin' over to visit the folks in Temple for a bit. Then we were gonna head back to my place and Denise was gonna make lasagna. Well, ain't it so, that the best laid plans of mice and men... Something or other. This trip to Gatesville was gonna throw somethin' out of kilter, but it was worth it.

The gun show ended up being replaced with the trip north to see this mystery rifle. I was pretty sure what it was from Dave's description, but wanted to see for myself anyway. The whole thing intrigued me. Denise had never met Dave or seen his place, so it was gonna be fun showin' her around "the museum", as I like to call it.



Here's a little taste of what I'm talkin' about. There are walls full of old muskets and other artifacts. You've seen pictures of his place before. Just go here and look at pictures from one of our shoots and you'll see a few other shots of the place.



It's like a museum of 19th century Civil War memorabilia. It's a guys place. Post and beam, with no central air. Two fire places for the winter, and a window unit in his bedroom for the summer. I think about this place a lot of the time, that it's like the sort of place I should have built on my land instead of buyin' the house I have in town. I think about doin' that sort of thing still, but I like my house. It's a good investment, and I like bein' close to work.

Anyway, we got to Dave's place and I showed Denise around, and she loved the house and all the gear. After a while we all piled in my car and Dave guided me to his buddies place on the other side of town. We got out of the car and stepped into a large garage/shed/machine shop type place filled with junk. When I say junk, I mean lots of crap that represents someones life, but looked like junk to me. Sprinkled in there were a few very nice objects; a roll-top desk and some nice furniture, a huge TV, and up against one wall, a very large white gun safe.

Dave introduced us to his friend. Apparently this guys brother had been the owner of all this stuff, but he was very sick and going into a nursing home in Austin. His family was finishing the task he'd started of liquidating his possessions. He'd already sold off some guns, but they were left with a few, including a Remington 700 bolt action hunting rifle, and this mystery rifle that no one knew anything about. I couldn't wait to see it.

Slowly the dude spun the dial on the lock, turning the wheel left and then right, and then left again, and then the door cracked open. He reached in and began pulling out what was immediately identifiable to me as a Dragunov, SVD snipers rifle. I knew it as soon as I saw the muzzle break and front sight post on the end of the barrel. They're distinctive to anyone who knows these things.

I confirmed to both of them what it was, and asked if I could hold it. All my thoughts of leading them astray and getting a cheap deal had been dashed when Dave told me that this guy was his friend (I think since high school) and he didn't want me to screw him over. He wanted me to tell them what it was and what it was worth, so that's what I did. Friends are friends. I have to respect that.

It turned out to be a very nice example of a Chinese NDM 86, or an exact Chinese copy of the famous Soviet/Russian sniper rifle that was introduced in the 1960s. This Chinese rifle is basically their military rifle, and a copy of the original Soviet military rifle. The only thing that would differentiate it from the Soviet model is the Chinese markings on the detachable illuminated scope and receiver. This is a military rifle, like the SKSs imported into the country in the 1980s. There's been no modification for the civilian market, other than putting "NORINCO" on the right side of the receiver.

I told the guy it was a beautiful rifle, and that I thought it was worth about $2000 bucks. I told him the illuminated scope was worth several hundred dollars all by itself. A bit later, while looking through a box of clips and junk I found a white cotton bag filled with the oiler, cleaning kit and spare rubber lens covers for the rifle and scope. There was supposed to be a clip for it in the safe, but I never saw it.

That damn gun worked on my mind all through the night and into Monday. Should I or shouldn't I? I don't think I slept three hours. I really shouldn't get it if I want try to be financially responsible. I should really use that money to pay down my existing debt. It was torturing me. Then Dave and I got together at school Monday night and I looked up this site and found out these things are really sellin' for $4000! So I decided I couldn't pass up such a sweet deal. I told Dave to tell his buddy I'd give him $1200 for the rifle, or $1500 for the rifle and the sealed tins of ammo to go with it. If someone else outbids me, so be it. I took a shot. It sure will be cool if I end up with it, but I can continue to live without it.

After leaving Gatesville Denise and I drove East down 36 towards Temple. I showed her some of the pretty scenery along the way, and the old farm houses that have always intrigued me on that drive. I used to make that drive all the time, when I used to teach college classes at the prison units up there in Gatesville. Thinking about that reminded me of a little community off 36 that I used to pass all the time, and I decided to show it to Denise.

Between the late 1990s to about 2004 I taught for Temple College at their local campuses in Taylor and Cameron. That was about a one hour drive early in the morning, both to and from, but they payed me more than CTC does now. I put a lot of miles on that Jeep doin' that. One guy that I met in Taylor turned out to live in this little community. It's a quaint little place called The Grove. It looks like a film set from a western movie.



The guys name is Carl Symm (he lives down the street to the right of this picture). I met him in Taylor and we got to where we'd always see one another and commiserate about the travails of part time adjunct instructors like us who had to do all this drivin' to get to one class or another.

I used to also teach at the high school in Gatesville, teaching college classes at night up there on one night and then at one of the prison units on another. One day I was looking around the high school class and found an old school newspaper that had Carl's picture in it. I told him about that the next time I saw him and he said "Oh yea, I used to teach up there a few years ago." That's when he told me about living in The Grove, and how he'd grown up there.

Supposedly when highway 36 was built back in the 1960s, The Grove was bypassed. The road cut about a quarter of a mile to the West rather than cutting down through the town, so the town slowly fizzled. Now there's a beautiful old Lutheran church there, and this remnant of the general store and a few other buildings, and the houses of all the old locals like Carl who still call it home. It's cool to drive through. Denise loved it.

The last time I saw Carl I was eating Chinese food with Dad one Friday and saw a very familiar old guy sidle up to the buffet. I walked up to him, knowing that I recognized him from somewhere but not knowing where. He turned around and saw me staring down at him through squinty eyes, desperately trying to figure out who the hell he was. He turned and gave me a look that said "back off mother fucker". Now realize, this guy is built like bull. Probably about six feet tall and muscles like a guy who spent his life workin' hard on a farm.

After I saw his face I knew it was him, but couldn't remember his name for anything. I asked him "Didn't you used to work down in Taylor?" Then the look of recognition warmed his face as he recognized me and we got briefly reacquainted. He couldn't remember my name ether. It'd been too long. I told him that I'd thought I knew him but that he'd gotten so damn old since we used to teach together I couldn't recognize him. He laughed and said that my hair had gotten a lot grayer too, and then we both laughed. After that we both went back to eating and I haven't seen him since.

Denise and I drove on to Belton and walked through the home and garden show. It turned out to be just like the food show we went to in Dallas last year, only at this one there wasn't any booze so we didn't get loaded walkin' around tastin' stuff. I did register for a free Harley Davidson (or $35,000), and I signed three tickets for a free 2008 Tundra crew cab with ostrich skin leather seats. The money for the car raffle goes to soldiers on Ft. Hood. Please God.

At one point we turned a corner and there sat a navy blue Shelby GT500 with it's hood up revealin' the 5.4 liter, 500 hp V8 engine. LUST! I walked up and tried to keep from slobberin' all over it, and asked the dude "Now why aren't you guys rafflin' this thing off?" He said he could probably get me in it, and I said "Oh yes, you probably could", and we laughed. Then I realized that this guy, working for one of the local dealerships, was the guy that sold me my old Jeep Cherokee like 13 years ago. Couldn't believe it.

The car was just amazingly cool, with white stripes going down the top of the body. I used to ignore these cars thinking that there's no way I'd fit in them. Then I took Denise's Camry to get the oil changed and spent some time walking through the used car lot there at the Toyota place. I found a nice 2006 GT open and sat in it, fitting very comfortably. Now I have to think about that every time I see one. Bein' and Army town with lots of young guys drivin' muscle cars, it's common to see these things zippin' by. It's almost become a cliche. Maybe one of these days I'll have the disposable income to get somethin' cool like that to tool around in on the weekend. Who knows?

After the show we headed over to visit the folks. It turned out mom had come down with a stomach thing and wasn't feelin' like cookin', so I floated to dad that Denise and I take him back to Dynasty for some more shrimp. You should have seen the grin on his face.

First we took him back to the drivin' range and Denise got to see how badly I hit 'em. When we were in the shack payin' for the balls I heard Dad tell the dude "He's gonna be showing off for his girlfriend." The guy laughed and said "Well then be sure and correct him a lot. " I could a fuckin' killed him. The two of them sat down and watched me hit 'em, and I did OK. At one point I made dad get up and hit a few, and as he walked toward me I made a motion to take him by the cheeks and give him a big kiss. I told him I was gonna smooch him on the lips right there in front of everyone. He struggled out of my hands and told me "I don't know what I'd do to a guy who tried to kiss me while I had a golf club in my hand, but it wouldn't be pretty." We all laughed.

The Chinese food was great, as expected, and the evening ended with Denise and I heading to my place and hittin' the sack early. As I said, I tossed and turned all night thinkin' about that gun. I'll keep you updated on what happens there.

Hope your week is goin' OK. It's almost Friday. Keep hope alive. Cheers.