I (sniff) have sinned.

Yes that is right, I have committed a sinful act this afternoon. I sold a firearm that shoots well. Okay, it's not a Biblical sin, but it's is one of my self imposed rules that I try to live by. Never sell a gun that shoots well, even if you haven't shot the gun in question for several years. There are a few guns I sold in the past that I sorely wish I had back. There have been others I had no problems parting with. Such was the case today as I walked into the gun show looking to trade my old Remington model 12 pump action 22. I originally bought this rim-fire for my son when he was about six years old. I have always liked pump action 22s and thought it would be a good firearm for my son to learn gun safety with and maybe even a little ground squirrel reduction on my friend's ranch.

When I purchased the 22, from a local gunsmith no less, the chamber had been eroded and the spent cases would flare at the end and become lodged in the chamber requiring not a small amount of effort to eject the spent case. I sent the Remington up to Idaho to have the problem diagnosed and fixed. Why Idaho? That is where my friend Joe lives, and I trust Joe enough to send him any firearm and he will tell me straight up weather it is worth fixing or to hang it on my wall. He had a friend of his reline the barrel and the fix was not very expensive. One thing about Joe, he isn't a full time gunsmith, he works on stuff when he finds time or when he feels like it. Winter in Idaho being what it is, if you get something to him in November, your odds are very good you will get it back quickly. If you send it to him in the spring, it might take a while. The old Remington was very accurate when it came back but my son had since taken a fancy to my Ruger 10-22 semi-auto and looked upon the pump as rather quaint. Oh well. Into the safe it went, not to be fired for the next ten years.

Which brings me to today and the gun show. I have a few things I am passionate about other than my family and my faith. The list would include horses, cattle, firearms and music. With the price of hay and its seemingly inverse relationship to the cattle market, right now extra cash in nowhere to be found. However, I really wanted to buy an amplifier for my bass guitar. Playing my bass through my electric guitar amp doesn't allow for the full, rich low end that I need. If I could get enough cash for the old Remington, I could get my musical fix satisfied.

I also broke the second rule of gun show shopping, walk around the entire show before trying to buy or sell anything. I knew how much cash I needed to buy my amp, and I knew how much money I had wrapped up in the 22, but I didn't know the market price of the Model 12. At the second table I stopped by, the dealer asked how much I wanted for it. I told him what I thought was fair price, enough for him to turn around and make $50 for himself, or so I thought. He jerked out his wallet and peeled my off 20 dollar bills until he came to my price. I knew I should have looked around before setting a price but, that is the way it works. He may make $50 or even $100 dollars on my rim-fire, but it might take him three shows to do it, or it could take three minutes.

With the fresh bills in my pocket I made my way out the door, though not before I bought some rifle primers and cleaning supplies. I headed to my other favorite place, Guitar Center. I sat down and played through four different bass amps in my price range and finally decided on the one I like best. I paid cash for my amplifier, something the salesman seemed a little taken aback by. I loaded into the back of the truck and headed back over the river towards home.

I have been playing with my new amp since I came home and really like to shake the walls with the low bass frequency rumble. My wife does not seem to find the same satisfaction or amusement with my loud bass playing, but she is like that. No appreciation for the finer things.