TS> VH> Me, I don't care -- I want it for a shooter.  It will make a great
TS> VH> companion on long rides or hikes through the hills.

TS>I don't get why anyone would own anything for its collector's value alone.

For the investment value and the aestherics.  I have two guns which are
not shooters -- an 1849 Colt and a Berks County pecussion Pennsylvania
rifle, made about 1840.

TS>Guns, knives, swords, etc. were made to be used, not put in a case or hung
TS>on a wall.  If you want that, IMO, order one of Gil Hibben's fantasy
TS>pieces, or one of those "guns" from Bud K.

That's why when I make knives, I don't polish the blades -- my knives
come from the charcoal forge with a swirl pattern caused by taking up
carbon in the heat-treating process.  I clean off the slag and leave
them that way.

A lot of knifemakers give the blades a mirror finish, and as soon as you
use those knives, or touch them up with a stone, you leave scratches
that really stand out against that mirror finish.

My knives are meant to be USED.

TS>Now, to the contrary, a well-finished item is a wonderful thing, especially
TS>if it works as well as it looks.

Well, this gun IS beautiful, if you can put the "reblue" out of your
mind and look at it as if it were from the factory.
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