Yoshi's Hobby Page
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Topic: Yoshi's Hobby Page
Posted By: sirsaka
Subject: Yoshi's Hobby Page
Date Posted: 20 Jan 2015 at 9:53pm
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I just now learned that Yoshi passed away just before Christmas of last year. If this is old news, please forgive me for bringing up the subject again. If not, I thought I should share with you all. ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Replies:
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2015 at 3:28am
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OMG are you sure Brian??? Yoshi is a young guy,,, gh ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: Gerry
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2015 at 5:52pm
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I noticed his website is down. Gerry
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Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 21 Jan 2015 at 9:52pm
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That is a great loss. I just checked and Yoshi did pass on May 11, 2014. Rest in Peace my friend!!! ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 12:16am
I received a call last night from a man who said he bought the .45 Stark barrel I made for Yoshi. He was asking if I was the maker of the barrel and stated that Yoshi passed away sometime before Christmas of last year. Apparently his wife sold everything to someone who sold a few things to this gentleman. I asked him to describe the barrel and it is indeed the .45 Stark. There are only two. Bruce owns the other. There was also an unmarked Bob Barbaschuwits (spelling) barrel with a pinned front sight. He also has and unfinished stippled frame. This sounds like part of Yoshi's collection. get this, he bought the barrels for $200.00 ea. I think this is all legitimate. The man is going to email me some pics when he gets a chance. He reiterated at the end of the call that indeed "Yoshi is no longer with us". Sad news for sure.
------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Auto Mag wrote:Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 1:06am
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Very sad news to say the least,,, Those of you who knew him will remember what a super nice and decent person he was. He just had such a pleasant manner. Tragic loss,,, gh ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: AutoMagyar
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 2:55am
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Didn't actually know Yoshi myself, but I did correspond with him once, by PM here on this forum back in 2012, just to thank him for his great article, the Auto Mag Buyers Guide, which was very helpful to me in examining mine. BTW, I can still view his website, Black Stone Arms Research (Yoshi's Hobby Page), just fine. Certainly one of our learned Auto Mag gurus, with a good eye for photographing them, as you can see from the photos on his site. He will be missed. R.I.P. Yoshi. ------------- "Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?" |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 4:31am
 Here are two pics sent to me by John, the buyer. The top pic looks like a "Bob" bbl with the .45 Stark bbl. The bottom pic is the etching on the .45 Stark bbl. I've been promised more to come. ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: wbautomag
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 11:24am
| The top barrel could be a Gera barrel as it looks like a screwed in barrel. |
Posted By: BEEMER1
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 1:32pm
| Brian said the top barrel was unmarked. It certainly looks like a Barbasiewicz barrel to me. Many of his barrels were threaded but not all. Most, if not all, had pinned front sights like that one. |
Posted By: AMTFAN44
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 5:34pm
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[/QUOTE] he bought the barrels for $200.00 ea[/QUOTE] And this my friends is why I think it's very important to make sure you share with a family member or loved one what your collection is all about and what it is worth and document (through a will or other legal instrument) what you want done with it when you are no longer with them. I had a close call last April (Heart Attack & Stroke) and believe you me - my brother and girlfriend know what to do with my collectibles next time I'm not so lucky. R.I.P. Yoshi ------------- "Maybe we could build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don't we try that?" |
Posted By: Ian
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 9:05pm
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This is sad news. RIP Yoshi. Ian ------------- http://www.amtguns.net" rel="nofollow - Ian's AMT Information Page http://www.glossover.co.uk" rel="nofollow - A little more about me - My corner of the internet |
Posted By: darrell
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2015 at 11:07pm
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OMG! So young, man just goes to show you never know. Going to a friend's funeral nxt wk. About the same age as me. What a wake up call. Unmarked barrel looks like my old Barb. barrel only in 10" mine was 12". Hope you are doing ok Brian. Thanks for the info. R.I.P. Yoshi ------------- darrello |
Posted By: jw4570
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2015 at 1:17am
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That is very sad. Yoshi and I corresponded some, and I always enjoyed his sharing of knowledge. He had a beautiful polished frame. The unfinished stippled frame came from me as I sold it to him (or I sold him one, he had another I think). I got it from Walter Sanford. It's a small world. Way too young. Jason
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Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2015 at 2:44am
A couple more pics of the bbls in question. I do believe the one is a "Bob" barrel. ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2015 at 2:46am
 ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: Rumore
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2015 at 11:32pm
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Many years ago, I made Yoshi a pair of AR-15 uppers in .357 AMP and 44 AMP. I was a bit surprised that I did not hear from him when I made the .375 AMP recently. Now I know why. Yoshi was a hell of nice guy. Tony Rumore Tromix |
Posted By: Gerry
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2015 at 7:27pm
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Our gun club just had a presentation on Estate Planning and your guns. I was not able to attended but it may be offered again. When I think of all the stuff I have acquired the last 45 yrs of shooting, I am mad at myself for not cataloging it. Has anybody else talked to an attorney about your gun estate? Gerry
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Posted By: tgt40
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2015 at 12:52am
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Well I never knew the man but am saddened by his passing. I loved his website and found his Auto Mag Buyer's Guide very helpful when I decided I 'needed' one of these wonderful firearms. Thanks Yoshi. |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2015 at 12:53am
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At the request of the owner, I am posting a few things for bid on Gun Broker, starting with two barrels. The Bob Barbasiewicz and a rare Harry Sanford signature bbl (not Signature Series) fitted with a Weaver scope.
------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: Dances with AutoMags
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2015 at 5:14pm
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Yoshihide
(Yoshi) Ishagura
21
July 1970 to 11 May 2014
I
am saddened to lose a friend like Yoshi.
I first met him while selling at the Cow Palace gun show in San
Francisco in 1998. He was very inquisitive about the Auto Mag
and asked very intelligent questions regarding the mechanical operation and
timing of the cycling sequence of the gun.
Not the usual questions about Clint using the gun in Death Wish. We had several phone conversations and I eventually
met him again in Moro Bay while I was attending a wedding. I sold him some XP parts and a barrel.
Brian
is right in settling your gun affairs before you die. I am disappointed that Yoshi didn't write
down the history of the items I sold him.
That polished stippled frame he had was the one used in the advertisement
"We're Making It". All the
parts used in the ad were included with the sale and are now lost to
history.
Yoshi
had many burdens to bear besides not being in his native country, Japan. He wore his hair real long and besides his
accent, he had a lisp. He had a mixed
race marriage which is not accepted in Japan.
Some speak well of the dead even though they may have been an A-Hole in
real life. This was not the case with
Yoshi.
In
April of 2013, Yoshi helped me sell at the Big Reno Show in Reno, NV. I told him he was my first choice as he was
honest and was a bit of a celebrity in the AM world. He had half of the table to sell some
Japanese knives. Only one hillbilly cut
his finger before we could stop him from running his fingers across the blade
of one of Yoshi's knives.
He
loved American culture and picked my
brain about desert trips, ghosts, camping and other adventures.
This
was my last communication with Yoshi just after the Reno show.
"Hi Bruce,
Glad to hear
that you made your trip home safe. It was a whole new experience to me and I
liked it. Thank you for paying for the table and the room, and pulling me in to
this. And don't worry about my bad dreams.
It's a reflection of how I enjoyed various conversation with you. For the next
show, as long as its within driving distance, I'm looking forward for it.
However, I will not have enough time to make adjustments to my day job for the
one in May 18-19 at Flagstaff. It would be nice if I can plan 2 months ahead.
By the way,
below is a link to a video clip that I talked to you. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVS1UfCfxlU" rel="nofollow -
Yoshi"
The u-tube clip
was an advertisement the he felt was the funniest ever.
I don't know
how he died but it was too early. God
hold your hand over Yoshi.
Bruce Stark
------------- An armed society is a polite society. |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2015 at 8:27pm
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Thank you Bruce for such an excellent, heart felt post about our good friend. I know you two were very close. It's truly a sad day. ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: Gerry
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2015 at 8:42pm
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Amen Bruce 44 yrs young is way too early to check out. Gerry MI
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Posted By: Ian
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2015 at 4:09pm
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44 Years old, I am only a couple of years younger that makes it even more shocking. He had some fantastic things in his collection, love the signature barrel and some of the AutoMag toys he had. This was one that he had that I always envied and never found any of its sisters.  His website is still up and running at the moment : http://www.blackstonear.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.blackstonear.com I wonder if we should take a copy and host it in his memory? Ian
------------- http://www.amtguns.net" rel="nofollow - Ian's AMT Information Page http://www.glossover.co.uk" rel="nofollow - A little more about me - My corner of the internet |
Posted By: AutoMagyar
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2015 at 5:47pm
Ian,
I think making a copy of it and hosting it is an excellent idea, as it is a great recource of info about Auto Mags. And it would be a nice tribute to Yoshi. (do you need any permissions?) You could add it to your other Auto Mag Info Site.
I second the motion.
 Cheers.
------------- "Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?" |
Posted By: Ian
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 10:45am
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Having had a couple of emailes & PMs about this I have mirrored the site and hosted it on the forum domain, if you would like to take a look please follow the following URL. http://amtguns.info/wwwarchive/www.blackstonear.com/index.html" rel="nofollow - http://amtguns.info/wwwarchive/www.blackstonear.com/index.html Ian ------------- http://www.amtguns.net" rel="nofollow - Ian's AMT Information Page http://www.glossover.co.uk" rel="nofollow - A little more about me - My corner of the internet |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 2:34pm
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Ian, thanks for adding Yoshi's site to the forum!! Let me also add that I am not the John who purchased the barrels from Yoshi's wife. I have more morals than he does apparently!! I personally could not have taken advantage of her the way that he did on buying the barrels even though she may have set the price. Knowing full well what the barrels are worth he should of at least had the decency to have let her know the potential value of the items. Oh well Karma will come back to him......it always does. Just my 2 cents worth and if you want to make any snide comments feel free. There are some on here that always feel the need to do so. ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 3:08pm
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Hi John, No snide comments here, as I too had the same thoughts/concerns about ripping off a widow. But it then occurred to me that the buyer may not have known the value of what he was buying and considered it taking a chance on some oddball gun items. I cannot say and so for the moment I am hoping it was not an intentional rip-off of someone who did not know the value of what they were selling. Unfortunately the damage is now done. As the items come up for re-sale again, I would personally rather see folks here end up with them and appreciate them as Yoshi did. In any case, its a process and cycle that we cannot stop, and a good lesson for you all to keep a list of the Auto Mag items you have, their estimated value, and guidance about how best to dispose of them if needed to ensure maximum value back to your families. Not the most fun thing to think about and do, but a better plan then doing nothing and have the items sell for .25 cents on the dollar,,, gh ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 3:22pm
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Good hearing from you George!! I was kind of hasty in my snide remark comment!! I am so use to the 1911 forums that I frequent and not all of the members there are as friendly as we all are here. If you say it is white some will argue that it is black!! I have all of my firearms be it an inexpensive Llama 22 to my M1 Garands and AutoMags all listed as to price and rarity. All of mine are going to my 2 sons anyway so that is not a problem as there will be a reference should any want to be sold. As with selling the other son will always get first chance at the sale and vice versa!! I am always on the lookout for that "once in a lifetime" deal but it never happens or I should say never happens when I have the cash available!! ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 3:52pm
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Not hasty at all, just may not be what happening in this case, or you may right on target. Its just a reality that there are always people who will slip in and take advantage of a widow. And then you also have the cases where the widow or seller just does not want to deal with guns and just wants them gone and does not care how much they get for them. Many people are very uncomfortable around guns (yes even the wives of gun collectors!) and they just want someone to deal with it for them and get them gone. In this case I have no idea. On another note, have you been hit by the current east cost storm? We are at 2 feet of snow here and it still coming down like crazy. And thats on top of the 8" we just got last weekend! GH ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: John
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 6:51pm
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Hi John, Unlike you I am the John who purchased the barrels. I do find it interesting that you can pass judgement on another. ridicule someone without knowing all of the facts at hand. It is also obvious to me that you are more intelligent then I am and know so much with so little information. May I ask how you came about the wealth of knowledge you have of what transpired with so little information? One may want to gain knowledge of the situation before they exercise their 1st amendment right. Yes you may say what you want but if you put forth words that are untrue are you no better then what you claim me to be? I will set the record straight so there is no more confusion or false accusations against my character. I have not met, seen or purchased anything from Yoshi's wife. I will repeat so you fully understand I have never met, purchased or seen Yoshi's wife. I heard that a local gun store was buying Auto Mags and parts from a local person who was not identified. To make this perfectly clear for you a local gun store bought the Auto Mag pistols, barrels and parts from Yoshi's widow. By the time I knew they had purchased the parts all the Auto Mag pistols were sold. All that was was left were Auto Mag barrels and two AR15 uppers one in 357 the other in 44. The gun store not me set the price for the barrels I just happened to be the purchaser of goods at the price they were asking. If you lived in the area you could have walked in and bought the barrels at the same price. Anyone could have bought the barrels at the gun store. From the way you judged me and my morals it would lead one to believe that if you walked into a gun store with a phenomenal gun at a fantastic price you would correct the gun store and pay much more than they were asking. What does sadden me though how much Auto Mag history was lost to others who have no idea what they have. Yes it would have been nice if Yoshi's wife reached out to the Auto Mag community so those who know and appreciate Auto Mag's had an opportunity to purchase what was left. Sadly she didn't, that is not my fault nor did I take advantage of Yoshi's widow it was her choice to go to a local gun store. You took the liberties of assassinating my character on a public forum without full knowledge or facts. If you have the integrity that you claim to have then an open apology on the same forum would be expected. If you do not have the morals, values or character to apologize than you sir are no better than what you claim me to be. Yes karma can get us. ------------- John Small time Automag enthusiast. |
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 7:18pm
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Hi John, Clearly you are not a regular here and probably don't know all the folks. And while its not my job to defend anyone, I don't think the comments you are speaking about were specifically directed at you, but rather (I assume & hope) that they were intended to address concerns about whomever it was that bought the guns directly from Yoshi's widow. Yoshi was a good person who was very liked and respected here and people have expressed concerns that his wife not be taken advantage of by someone who would do so just to line their pockets with a few extra dollars. If you are not that person, then you sleep well knowing you have not done anything you should be concerned about. Once the guns have been moved from her hands what happens to them next is no different than anyone buying anything anywhere. They are clean and should not be a concern to anyone. I myself expressed concerns to several folks that I hope she did not get ripped off selling his guns, and even if they did sell for lower than their value, I still hope the buyer did not under bid the items knowing the actual value and cheat a widow out of her husbands hard earned treasures. As you are not that person, I think John's reference to "not that John" was probably an honest mistake and probably not intended to be directed at you. We have seen our fair share of folks working scams buying and selling Auto Mags, so some are a bit sensitive. I hope you will understand our concerns. I also hope we will see more of you here. If you appreciate Auto Mags, you will find that this is THE place to come to, to interact with other Auto Mag owners. Most here are the very good people and will treat you right if they are treated right. But like anywhere you will always find a few snakes hiding in the grass, hence our sometimes concerns about the few who will take advantage of others. If you end up with more of Yoshi's stuff from the gun shop or elsewhere and have questions, we have many here who can help. Yoshi had some very good items and they should be enjoyed by someone who will value them as he did. All the best. george ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 7:24pm
John, please accept my apology. I guess I rushed in without knowing all of the facts, and for that I also apologize. If I walked into a gun shop and the items are priced then I will pay what the shop is asking if I want the item. If buying from an individual and the price is way out of line either way I would speak up to the fact. It looks as if you were in the right place at the right time and for that you made out with some very nice items at a very affordable price. ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: John
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 8:11pm
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I received a nice private message from a forum member. He encouraged me to post the following which is a readers digest version of what happened, what transpired and where Yoshi's collection ended up. Yoshi passed on Mother's Day from a massive heart attack. He went to the bathroom and never came out. It is my understanding a lot of his Auto Mag's went to family members. In December Yoshi's widow was packed and ready to move. She went to a local gun store and wanted what was left gone. If they would have chosen not to buy the Auto Mag's and barrels she was going to take them to the police and have them destroyed which would have been the real tragedy. ------------- John Small time Automag enthusiast. |
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 8:23pm
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Many Thanks for sharing John! It was a sad and tragic loss and Yoshi was one of our long-time and respected and liked members, so we do appreciate knowing what happened. I hope you will be visit more regularly and come to enjoy the site and our member as much as we do. Look forward to seeing you here again soon. GH p.s. please post pics of anything you care to share, we like to enjoy others toys/goodies as much as our own! Even with all I have been lucky enough to acquire, I always find things other people own that makes me want more! So Bruce Stark, if you are reading I am still dreaming about your 45 ACP Auto Mag HARDBALLER ;-)  ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 8:26pm
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Well, it has been 1 hour since I posted my apology to John! I guess he chooses not to accept it as he posted right below mine but made no mention of it. Did someone mention integrity in a post above!!! Funny!!!! ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: Auto Mag
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 8:42pm
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I think it likely you guys just got off on the wrong foot. Best to reassess after a quality adult beverage and maybe a break on one of the retro TV channels. A good episode of Batman always leaves me in a better mood ;-) I'm off to shovel my 3+ feet of new snow,,, Or maybe I could just blast the snow away with a few rounds of flame-thrower Auto Mag ammo built to Kent Lomont specs ;-) gh ------------- Who was that masked man,,, |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 9:27pm
I agree George. I just felt an acknowledgement of my apology would be the manly thing to do!! Oh well guys I also have better things to do than deal with this..... George, I like that picture more and more every time that I see it!!!  ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: Rumore
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2015 at 11:38pm
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John, Are the Tromix 357 AMP and 44 AMP AR-15 uppers still available for sale at that gun shop? Tony Rumore Tromix |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2015 at 7:39pm
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Brian, did the barrels sell as yet, I could not locate them on Gun Broker. Not much more said on this posting after the rebuttal post!! ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: sirsaka
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2015 at 9:02pm
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Both barrels were sold the following day of the post. I also have good authority to say both AR uppers were grabbed from the gun shop, which I or John had nothing to do with. ------------- Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
Posted By: AUTOMAG
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2015 at 11:25pm
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Thanks for the reply Brian!! ------------- "This is the 44 Magnum Auto Mag and holds a 300 grain cartridge and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints"!!! |
Posted By: John Nada
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2015 at 2:48am
44 that's my age too.  Very young to go. I didn't know him, but I liked his website (very informative guide). RIP |