This is a story that was from the back page of, if I recall correctly, Field and Stream magazine when I was a kid, so early to mid 1970s.

It may not be exactly a verbatim copy but it's as close as I can get to it nearly 40 years later.

Does anyone else remember this story?


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In the 1950s I was working at the Abercrombie & Fitch counter in New York City (back then Abercrombie & Fitch was a real honest to God outfitter and they did things like sell guns).

One very slow day I was working the gun counter and in comes a man who looks around for a little while then finally engages me and says "I'm looking for a shotgun."

My response was to ask "What do you want the shotgun for, shooting trap and skeet or for hunting?"

His response was "Well, I need a shotgun for shooting burglars."

I was taken aback by that response, but I completely understood the sentiment and so I went and I got the most dilapidated shotgun we had in stock. It was a beat up Winchester Model 12. I had no idea where it came from. The stock had been cut down a bit and the barrel had been cut down, and the bluing was mostly worn off too, but was still legal to own. But it was not the kind of gun we normally sold.

So I show it to him and explain to him that while it looks ugly, it's perfectly functional and the perfect shotgun shooting burglars.

He was kind of surprised and he asked to see something that looked a little nicer.

So I began pulling shotguns off the shelves to show him

I started with a new Winchester Model 12 and then a Remington 870 and then a Browning double barrel. The price on the guns began to gradually go up and up and up until I decided he's looking but wasn't going to buy anything. So I pulled a matched set of Holland and Holland shotguns off the rack behind the counter.

I showed him the beautiful workmanship, and if you've ever seen a Holland and Holland gun you know what I'm talking about. They are pieces of art. I showed the engraving and the incredible attention to detail, for example, all the slots of the screws that held the piano hinge on the custom fitted box were perfectly aligned.

"Both shotguns are only sold as a set and are currently priced at $47,900."

The guy looks at me and he says "I'll take these" and pulls out a checkbook.

I said "You understand that I'm going to have to wait for that check to clear, before I can give you the guns."

He replies "I understand. Don't worry, I'm good for it. I'll be back in a couple of weeks."

So a couple of weeks go by and the check cleared and he comes in to pick up his guns.

He goes on his way, but about 2 weeks later he comes back into the shop carrying the shotgun case. I figured it was a case of buyer's remorse and he wanted to return them.

He sets the case down on the counter and says "I have a problem."

"These guns are absolutely gorgeous works of art. I collect Stradivarius violins and when I get home in the evening from working on Wall Street I'll take one of my Stradivarius out and I'll play it for a while and I'll admire the incredible craftsmanship that went into making it. I derive a great deal of pleasure from this. Then, I look across my vault and I see the Holland and Holland guns o the shelving I had installed and I take them down and I take the case down and look at them and I admire the quality of the craftsmanship."

"But this is where the problem arises."

I think to myself "What kind of a problem can a man wealthy enough to collect Stradivarius violins and Holland and Holland shotguns have?"

"Well, you see... I still need a shotgun for shooting burglars."

I went and got that old beaten up Winchester Model 12.

This should help you ... page forward or backwards for different months/years of the magazine. Kinda cool to be able to read the stories and see that ads.

https://books.google.com/books...9?lr=&sa=N&start=490

At the end of the magazines is a section called, "Exit / Laughing". This is probably where you saw your story.