I lusted after a 71 it seems my entire life. Every time it seemed I had gotten to where I could afford one the prices had gone up again. I looked at several over the years. Always either too much money or they had been overly abused. Even saw one that the action would not stay closed on unless you held the lever agains't the tang.... overload?
Anyhow a few years ago my favorite Gun haunt had a very nice one sitting on the rack. It was a post war Deluxe that had been drilled and tapped on the side for a scope mount. Somone had done a clean job and had gone too the trouble of fashioning flush screws to plug the holes. It showed a little honest wear but had been clearly cared for. Best of all its bore, muzzle and chamber were bright and shiny and it locked up tight as a bank vault. What can I say? It was a shooter, it was nice and was in my price range so I took it home. It is one of my most prized firearms. It handles like a good shotgun. There really is no substitute for some things. With 250gr. Woodleighs and 4350 it holds 1.5 inch at 100 yards. That is beyond good and more accurate than it needs to be for my purposes. The reality of the dream has been wonderful. Hands off my 71
