Got one too!

I never did meet "Pappy" Boyington, but I was a member of VMA-214. I was the intelligence officer (S-2) in the early 70s. When Pappy was the CO of 214 it was VMF (heavier than air, Marine fighter) It was a fighter/attack squadron when I was a member. The Blacksheep. I always loved contacting Center saying, "This is Blacksheep so and so". I also read "Ba Ba Blacksheep" when I was a high school kid and I became a member of the squadron. GREAT! Really a dream. When I was there we received brand new A-4Ms which replaced our older A4Fs. A neat jet plane. Now just think for a moment. You are strapped into a single seat fighter at the end of the runway. You pour the coal to it and blast down the runway to take off...the g's throw you back into the seat. At 150 knots you pull the stick back into the pit of your stomach. The nose eases up and you leave the ground. Your rate of climb gauge pegs at 6,000 feet per minute. You raise the gear and climb like a homesick angle. The ground falls away. Now folks doing that is just amazing. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Reading the above….
Worth the price of the membership, and far more.

Maj. Wilson told me of the bombing runs they would make in the Corsairs, and how exciting they were. He said that, at some point, they installed some armor plate under and behind the pilot's seat to give a measure of protection against anti-aircraft fire. The problem was that due to space limitations they had to keep the armor plate very narrow. He laughed and said that when you dropped the bomb(s) or fired the missiles and then pulled the stick back to climb out of danger you learned to squeeze yourself into a very narrow profile to allow that narrow plate to provide as much "cover" as possible.

I was part of a reserve attack squadron, VA-205, for some 4 1/2 years. Like you, we also had A4 Skyhawks. Our squadron logo was a green diving falcon. I was in ground support and would attach the probe and huffer to the belly of the jet to start it for the pilot, who was strapped in. We communicated via hand signals. I can vividly remember bringing the rpms up to where the pilot wanted them, him giving me the signal to stand by, and him lighting the engine off. I also hot fueled the A4s at times. Exciting stuff for a country boy.

Let's see...it was one finger for electrical power, two fingers to start the "huffer" three fingers to shut off the huffer and four fingers to switch to internal electrical power. The "M" version of the A4 had an internal starter and we didn't need the external power to start it up. The problem was early versions of the system didn't always work. The A-4, known as the "scooter" was a wonderful attack aircraft. I did a lot of ACM (air combat manuvering) against Air Force F102s/F106s and we did very well against them. Those guys used WWII tactics and we used newer tactics. Loose duce....A form of the thatch weave. That was fun stuff....exciting. Full power, going straight down, going super sonic, really exciting stuff. I was 26. I'm 80 now and think I could still do it....sorta.

Back to the original premise: I’ve found that I rarely go looking for something without already knowing exactly what I want, and I hardly ever find it, or at least not exactly what I had in my head. That can be dangerous because in the instances when I went ahead and settled for something close I almost always ended up disappointed.

On the other hand, when I’m not looking for anything in particular and just come across something, I usually know right then that it’s right. And it is.

Of course you are right, but I have purchased over the years demascus barrels and have shot them with confidence. Have they been honed? I don't know. I shoot old shotguns, might not be too smart, but that is what I do. I've got an old LC Smith O grade, a 1900 Remy and an ancient Astra Spanish double. Pretty gun. I've got two Parkers, a GH and an SC, neat guns, but my favorites to shoot are old Winny Model 12s in 16 and 12. The guns are worn silver, from the 20s. Hemingway would love them. I do too.

Hello Steve , by your first post , I was thinking you were new to the " Old Shotgun World " after your post started to take form it is apparent you are not ! I enjoy shooting damascus Barrelled guns myself to the point that I bit the bullet so to speak and purchased a John Hosford's Barrel Wall Thickness Gauge many years ago just to be sure of any thickness problems ,hence the reason I mentioned it ,new buyers often don't give it a thought but a lot happens to these old guns over a hundred year or so and there is no way to be sure without measuring them ! Have you found that new Double you started searching for at the beginning of your thread ,if so what have you decided on ?

Phil: I'm in the same boat. If I'm looking for a specific gun it never surfaces. Now I'm just looking for a great Fox or Parker. I know if I found if I don't have to make any compromises.and love it immediately.

I thought you found it in the parking lot at Ernie's