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Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on September 21, 2008, 04:59:33 PM

Title: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Hazcat on September 21, 2008, 04:59:33 PM: DAVISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — As gifts go, Jim Richardson's choice for his father's 79th birthday was a long shot.

Virgil Richardson fondly remembered the .30-caliber M1 Garand rifle he carried during his time as a soldier during the Korean War.

He even still had the weapon's serial number.

Using that number, Jim Richardson went online and found the firearm at a Kentucky gun broker.

"I couldn't even talk when he gave it to me," Virgil Richardson told The Flint Journal. "It didn't even have to be the same gun to be important to me."

About 7 million of the sturdy rifles were produced during the Korean War period, making the odds of finding the right one so long that the broker didn't believe the serial number matched, said Jim Richardson, 54, of Saginaw County's Frankenmuth, about 70 miles northwest of Detroit.

"After the war, the soldiers couldn't bring the rifles back with them," Jim Richardson said. "They stayed in Korea (until the 1980s), when they were able to be imported back to the United States."

He won't say exactly how much he spent, but some collectors have paid as much as $3,000. He gave the Garand to his father last week, although the elder Richardson's birthday isn't until next month.

Virgil Richardson served from 1951-53 as an Army radio operator in the 25th Infantry Division. When he speaks of the war, the General Motors Corp. retiree often mentions the rifle's accuracy and dependability, as well as his own marksmanship.

"My sister lives in the country, and it came up that you could shoot a deer right from the deck of her home," Jim Richardson said. "Dad made a comment that he could hit a silhouette target at 500 yards without a scope. Most people can't see that far without a scope."

Virgil Richardson said he'll wait until his Oct. 26 birthday to shoot the weapon.

"What shocked me the most is how very heavy it is," he said. "I have trouble now holding it up and aiming it. I guess they were made for 20- and 21-year-olds."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,425678,00.html
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: tombogan03884 on September 21, 2008, 05:01:50 PM: Very cool.
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: DesertMarine on September 21, 2008, 05:06:43 PM: Great story. Great rifle.
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: CurrieS103 on September 23, 2008, 08:20:23 AM: +1
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: tman on September 23, 2008, 12:40:24 PM: Great story Haz, thanks
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Hazcat on September 23, 2008, 12:49:08 PM: tman,

You feeling OK? Your avatar is looking a little strange. ;D
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: jaybet on September 23, 2008, 01:14:16 PM: Little cartoon X-s on his eyes?
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Hazcat on September 23, 2008, 01:22:05 PM: Quote from: jaybethel on September 23, 2008, 01:14:16 PM
Little cartoon X-s on his eyes?

YEP!
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Big Frank on September 24, 2008, 01:53:22 AM: That's my local newspaper. Too bad I don't get it because that's worth CLIPping out and saving.
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Dakotaranger on September 24, 2008, 02:02:26 AM: WOW :o
Title: Re: Man Hunts Down Dad's Long-Lost Korean War Rifle
Post by: Hazcat on September 24, 2008, 06:49:15 AM: Quote from: jumbofrank on September 24, 2008, 01:53:22 AM
That's my local newspaper. Too bad I don't get it because that's worth CLIPping out and saving.

Maybe a local MAGAZINE will reprint it. ;D