Unfortunately, a couple pulled out of the parking lot on the far corner as I turned. I wound up on their windshield. They were more upset than I was. My frame, though, was gone - front fork bent. They gave me $20, I think, and I walked the bike like 30 blocks home.
I was living in a house full of bokers (bicycle, two with trophies, more bikes than the five of us). I got a booklet, which I still have, and was thinking of brazing a frame together, when a friend of a housemate told me of someone selling a frame. Went, bought it. Starting around 15:30, I began moving everything I could from my old cheap bike to this DROP DEAD GORGEOUS frame, white, chromed front and back forks. Stopped for dinner, had to stop to go buy a head set for the... handlebars? 'cause the one I had didn't fit. Was cleaning up around 02:30 or 03:00. Then, a couple years later, bought this fabulous hung leather quilted seat.
And the next year, the house I was sharing was broken into, and they took the prettiest bike, though all the others were lined up - someone must have been coming down the street.
Since 1990, when we got me one to replace the one I got after that one was stolen (rusting), I ride a Miyata.....
]]>"I load my bullet with salt, so that by the time I reach the deer, it's already cured."
]]>For those who don't know, front fork is at 75 degrees, while a touring frame, which I'd have preferred, is at 72 degrees.
]]>I'd be very curious to know what kind of rifle your uncle wanted to give you that couldn't fire modern copper ammo as that's not a problem I've heard of for most rifles as one ammo company or another would generally continue to make ammo suitable for the older guns. Though I'll admit that I'm more familiar with military rifles which generally don't have those sorts of problems. I'm unaware of any commercially available ammo for my M-1903 .30-'06 rifle which it cannot safely fire, regardless of the material of the bullet.
]]>I don't know about his uncle's rifle but that was the situation for my grandmother's shotguns. They'd been tucked away in the attic for many years when I finally discovered them, both out of lack of need and lack of ammo; they were too old to handle the more energetic modern shells. That was the late 1980s and they'd been unused since my grandparents moved into town from their farm, so probably around WWII.
What was going on with shotgun shell technology in the 1930s I couldn't tell you.
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