to the public, back in 1973, I think it was.Ill State Trap Shoot. Billy Dale Emerson, taught me a lot about guns, ammo, shooting. He'd had one of the first successful triple bipass heart surgeries, and was retired on Fiat Allis's superb medical insurance program. So ALL he did was shoot, hunt, reload, compete. The local gun store, in Springfield, ILL, Bill Fishman, was a Smith DISTRIBUTOR, and as such, an excellent source of info on them. I got a 6"M29,for RETAIL price, $250, during the HEIGHT of the Dirty Harry craze, from Fishman's, too. 
My buddy, Jerry Banfield, was an experienced salesman and machinist. He opened a gunsmithing biz, in his basement, in Glenarm, ILL, and I taught him how to detail strip a 1911. 5 years later,he'd made himself into a FACTORY warranty station, for BOTH Remington and Winchester. Both he and I learned a lot from armorers Louis Seman (Ill State Police) and Norman (Pinky) Shinpaugh, (Air National Guard) I learned a lot about smithing from Jerry, as well as from Ken Hackathorn(via phone). Hack even took collect calls from me, when I was in the Joint.
My buddy, Jerry Banfield, was an experienced salesman and machinist. He opened a gunsmithing biz, in his basement, in Glenarm, ILL, and I taught him how to detail strip a 1911. 5 years later,he'd made himself into a FACTORY warranty station, for BOTH Remington and Winchester. Both he and I learned a lot from armorers Louis Seman (Ill State Police) and Norman (Pinky) Shinpaugh, (Air National Guard) I learned a lot about smithing from Jerry, as well as from Ken Hackathorn(via phone). Hack even took collect calls from me, when I was in the Joint. 
