Post
by Vikram » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:00 pm
Raks, No offence taken.I understand why you made your post.
Let's think about the "discussion" you refer to.Hope, this would clear up a few things.
One of the primary purposes of IFG is to disseminate knowledge,as accurate as humanly possible, about guns especially in India where a few generations have been deprived of the right that was so liberally enjoyed by the preceding generations. One of the ways of passing on that knowledge/information is through debates and discussions. Of course all this is in the utmost civil fashion. Sometimes, tempers are lost and a few words are exchanged but in the end the camaraderie of fellow gun lovers wins over.
Just as an example, let’s see what emerged out of the debate on Shahid’s guns. All appreciated the beautiful collection and complemented him on owning and shooting those guns. The issue debated was if the Army&Navy co-operative gun was made by Purdey as was stated by Shahid. What did emerge out of this debate? You learn that Purdey never made guns for Army&Navy. Did you see the pictorial evidence in the form of the pin locations on the Beesley type sidelock on the Purdey that is vastly different from the one on the A&N? Now, I never gave a look at the location of the pins on the locks even though I held in my own hands literally tens of the finest examples of British gun making from assorted makers. I learnt a new thing. Earlier I never knew that Army & Navy were a co-operative. I learnt a new thing. I also learnt that the Army Navy archives are with the Univ of Glasgow.I learnt another new thing.
Does this debate rob Shahid the pride of owning his guns? No way. Does the Army&Navy gun cease to be a fine gun because it wasn’t made by Purdey? No way. Each gun is appreciated by its owner and the gun and the owner are appreciated for their place in the fraternity of gun ownership. The single most important thing we should remember is, to keep an open mind and be ready to learn. If Shahid comes up with some conclusive new evidence that proves that the gun in deed was made by Purdey, hurray, we learnt another new thing.
A little reminder. If you see, people like Grumpy and Mehul , they spent innumerable hours on learning about guns and their reading and practical experience and above all their commitment to gun rights is infinite. This is despite dealing with the demands of life to survive ie to work to make a living.This is not about one-upmanship against individuals.I think all parties understand that. This is about ensuring that accurate info is passed on to our readers.
Hope this clears up.
Good shooting-
Vikram
Last edited by
Vikram on Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over! "Rocky,Rocky,Rocky....."