Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Got a phone call last week from a gal who was handling the estate of her recently deceased brother. There were a bunch of guns and could I come by, look ‘em over and give her an idea of what they were and what theyre worth? Suuuuuuuuuuuure.

Went there today. As almost always happens in the case of an estate sale, once the other family members heard someone might actually be coming by to buy the goodies they all suddenly start clamoring about stuff they want. More than once I’ve tried to buy an estate, had the money in hand, and had a Suburban full of relatives show up at the last minute and leave me holding an empty gun case. Apparently, that was the case in this one. By the time the relatives got through there were only a handful of items left. Out of what was left only two things interested me. A new Rem 870 Magnum (extra 870’s are always nice) and a Contender package deal. The Contender package is pretty sweet: frame, wooden pistol grip, wooden rifle stock, 16″ 45-70 bbl., 10″ 44 Mag. bbl., 10″ .357 Mag. bbl., and a 14″ .223 bbl. I already have a 14″ .44 barrel, and the .45-70 barrel does nothing for me, but the rest of it has some attraction. All new in box, too. Made ‘em an offer and we’ll see what happens.

Only other gun of interest, to me, was a Winchester Garand. Had import marks but was otherwise nice. Trouble is, it fits nowhere into my plans. I think the Garand is a less than good choice as a semi-auto rifle for anyone unless theyre stuck in someplace like California with its ‘assault weapon’ nonsense. Told her it was worth upwards of $600 and that she should see if maybe someone in the family doesnt want it after all.

While the 870 fits into the scheme of things here, the Contender is a bit esoteric. I was thinking of having the .357 barrel threaded for use with a suppressor, which would make for a slick little package. What I’ll probably do is part out the barrels I dont want and use the money for other acquisitions.
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My tomatoes and peppers have sprouted. I have a little box in the window full of tiny seedlings that, hopefully, will get transplanted outside next month and start the long journey towards my pressure canner. I picked up some heirloom seeds from Victory Seed Co. and was interested especially in some of their offerings for the colder climes like Montana. We have summers that are nice enough for growing but at night the temperatures can drop thirty degrees or more and thats a bit much for some plants. Someday I’ll have a nice glass-block greenhouse to allow me to grow stuff year round but until then Im stuck with the usual assortment of garden vegetables…but someday…Montana-grown okra.