In a message dated 12/14/2007 11:06:53 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,=20 dale.r@cox.net writes:

<= FONT=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size= =3D2>Keep in=20 mind, that at that time, rent for three bedroom home was ~$55
per mont= h,=20 not the $1100 it is now, in the outer reaches of the
great= er=20 Phoenix area. A pound of ground round - what? 12% fat? - was=20
$0.39. A brand new Colt m1911 was 125.00, as opposed to the ~$80= 0 it=20 is
now. A half gallon of milk? Well, you know where=20= this=20 goes ...

Dale R.
COZY MkIV #0497

In 1960 I was in the US Navy and I worked on the pistol range at Mustin= =20 Field in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and had 55 gallon drums of 1911A-1 part= s.=20 So one day a E-6 engine mechanic stops by and wants to know if I want to ord= er a=20 1911 from the NRA for $15.00 each. Being a brilliant 18 year old, I said no.= =20 When the guns showed up, the purchasers were require to keep them off the ba= se=20 or in my gun room under lock and key. My key. Anyway, these were new in WWII= =20 packaging in brown wax paper and cosmolene. Zero time and unfired. I would l= ike=20 to live that week over again. Duh....................We had several hundred=20 cases of WWII .45 ammo. The boss told us to get rid of it. So we had the boy= =20 scouts and sea scouts and foreign guests, the base police, the Marine guards= ,=20 anyone who came by was issued a .45 and allowed to blaze away. The smaller k= ids=20 only got one round per set, because of the recoil. Lots of 45s dropped into=20= the=20 dirt.

But you couldn't get that grin off of them with sand paper. They wouldn= 't=20 wash their hands sometimes, Wanting to show their friends the black and=20 gray powder. For most of them loading up the magazines was as much fun=20= as=20 shooting.

Can you imagine what would happen today if a 20 year old and an 18 year= old=20 passed out 45s to a band of 10 year olds? Some of the cub scouts had to be=20 helped to hold the piece, so it wouldn't hit them in the head.

The only close call we had was from a Navy pilot who was looking at the= =20 left side of his .45 and for no good reason pulled the trigger. I was in the= =20 target shack building target frames. The round came through the wall passing= =20 between me and my hammer and out the other wall. There was a pause, then my=20 boss, Tim Sell yelled out "Hanover, you OK?" I got a splinter in my arm was=20= all.=20 During this time there were some stray rounds that got over the back stop an= d=20 into Camden New Jersey and didn't help anyone over there. I suspect that som= e of=20 those kids are still shooting pistols. I hear that's all houses now. What a=20 shame.