April 2026 (2) - Flipbook - Page 23
n
the
n
.”
d
was
y in
n
ere
gun
wly
ch
use
for not capitalizing on something as means of convenience,
but this? This sign had been
looking at me all day, whispering little teases from a distance
and by the afternoon my curiosity got the better of me.
As I approached that wagon on
a break to paint targets some
little part of me hoped that the
gun in question was nothing
more than a dilapidated piece of
worthless iron that this shooter
had hoped to o昀툀oad onto some
unsuspecting boob. In truth, I
believe I used that thought as a
cushion for the girl who knew
she would have no self-control if
there was indeed a spectacular
gun that was for sale beneath
that sign. So, I braced, took a
breath to calm the raging river of thought in my mind and
asked, “So what kind of gun you
selling over here anyway?”
I was not prepared. Not at all.
The seller’s name was Steve. He
was from Roundup and was a
relatively new shooter as well.
He reached into the wagon and
pulled up the most beautiful
ri昀氀e I had ever seen. A Shiloh
Sharps Model 1874 45-70. He
began by telling me that he had
purchased the ri昀氀e new at the
Quigley Match a few months
prior. He had never shot it until
this match so it would only have
the match rounds and very few
sighter rounds run through it.
He told me that he loved the
ri昀氀e but had decided to buy a
Ballard since the purchase of
this one and now he needed to
sell this one to purchase the
other. It was magni昀椀cent in that
afternoon light. Octagon barrel, 昀椀tted with sights, gorgeous
bluing and the most spectacular
wood grain I’d ever seen. I was
God bless Black Powder!
Bev with Steve Anderson following the 2025 Quigley
Match at the Lee Ranch.
With her new friend, Walter the Bear...
23
