Lead Friend, SASS #53635

I’ve seen a number of them, just never took any pictures.

Just the simple fact of storing customer’s guns that long is no way to run a business and neither is such poor communication. The time that he quoted you, plus a small grace period, is the appropriate length of time for him to take. Anything beyond that should come with good communication to explain why and a clearly revised timeline. In my personal business experience (I’m not a gunsmith) I’ve learned that the best way to deal with bad news is to stay on top of it by being forthcoming about it. Not only is honesty the best policy in general it’s the best policy in business. It all comes back to setting expectations (and occasionally resetting them) and ultimately delivering on them, two actions that the vendor is in complete control of.

Holy smokes!

Hornady One Shot is my go to and has been for a full season. Despite what the reviewer says I find it hardly smells at all which is why I can use it in my basement and my wife doesn’t notice. It’s pretty remarkable stuff.

While it’s true you don’t need a Corvette to drive to church if you already own that Corvette you might just take it out after church and give it a work out. Then again you might not, but sometimes it’s fun knowing you could if you wanted to. And one day, when you decide you are ready, you’ve got the hardware for it.

If you want a race gun I’d buy one new and race ready from a reputable cowboy ‘smith. The factory gun will be a compromise that you will soon outgrow. “How are they out of the box?” Better than bone stock but not as good as race ready. If you’re in the mood to buy a new rifle I’d circumvent the factory gun and get one that’s been massaged by one of our own. You’re going to want one sooner or later.

This has been my strategy too. I was at the optometrist today getting a trifocal prescription filled for real life and started looking at their safety glasses for shooting, hence the search for this old thread. With my current shooting glasses set for distance I can see to load just fine when I’m outside in the bright daylight but at the local indoor range it’s a fair bit darker and I need to find a solution for that. I’m thinking it might be bifocal shooting glasses with variable tint lenses that I can use inside and out. With so many possibilities it’s hard to determine the best direction to take. I’ve been gettin’ by with cheap glasses all my life. Might be time to step up for something more purpose built.

You seem like a smart feller. You got a link that'll make me shoot faster?

Thank you, Dan. As a coat salesman I've probably owned twenty Vanson jackets. They came and they went and I never bothered to count how many. Even had a set of jacket and pants cut off me by the paramedics when I hit a bear outside of Markleeville in the Sierras (true story). The R100RS was totaled and I got a helicopter ride. Good times. Alas, the glory days are gone and all I have left are scars and a limp and my memories (the older I get the faster I was) and a few prized gems left from my coat collection, this B-3 chief among them. It's seen more action being taken in and out of storage than it has being worn. Step right up! Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Every time I check back the view count has climbed. Someone out there is thinkin' about it.

857 views is a lot of curiosity. Time for someone to make a dream come true.

Thank you, Dan. One more time to the top.

Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls, This is too much coat to not get worn and I have outgrown it and will not wear it again. This coat needs a new and loving home where it will provide many decades of ongoing service as well as historical reference. I am not specifically wedded to the asking price but a fella has to start somewhere. I am open to interesting offers both monetary and trade. I have received a number of PM inquiries about it so I know some of you are thinking about it. Now is the time to make a bold move.

BTT.

Thank you Allie Mo for un-archiving this for me. There was a deal in place for it that did not materialize so it is once again available and still an awesome coat! Thanks for looking.

Offered here for your consideration is a 100% US Made B-3 bomber jacket, authentic in its reproduction down to the Talon zipper which was specified by contract on the originals in WWII. This jacket was manufactured by Vanson Leathers in Massachusetts with whom I was associated in a number of capacities over a span of eighteen years, starting as a dealer and culminating as the territory manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Europe. This jacket is a standard US size 44, both the shearling and the cowhide are domestically sourced and domestically tanned. It differs from an original in one aspect only: on the original the cowhide sleeve patches and map pocket were tan as opposed to the walnut on this jacket. A quick Google search will show B-3 style jackets with two handwarmer pockets but the original government contract specified one map pocket only: Uncle Sam did not want his boys standing around with their hands in their pockets! This is a beast of a jacket. I have carried it with me for about fifteen years, always properly stored, and hardly worn it. I bought it because it is beautiful but I just have not had much occasion to wear it. That and I haven't been a size 44 for some time. The National Geographic website shows a similar style for sale for $1050 and the Schott website (a friendly competitor back in the day) shows their equivalent for $1270, both no doubt fine jackets but not nearly the coat offered here. Leather garment manufacturing in the US was a robust industry up until the turn of the millennia but imports from China and the middle east have all but crushed it. The EPA restrictions have choked tanneries out of business, the sourcing of much of America's beef from south America have dried up the supply of hides for the few tanneries that are left and the infrastructure that supplied findings to the industry are all gone. I'm not overselling it to say that this coat is a piece of history, and you can take that from an old coat salesman. $475 shipped and insured to your door.