Pretty Before Performance.

As I unpack at the Black Powder Cartridge Rifle (BPCR) events I go to, I start to feel a bit self conscious about my packaging.  Everyone has a nice varnished rifle case.  I have a modern aluminum case.  Everyone has a nice varnished wooden "Possibles Box."  I use a nylon motorcycle tank bag.  Everyone has a nice varnished wooded ammo box full of neatly aligned 45/70 rounds.  I use a combination of plastic bags and styrofoam.  Finally, today, I set one thing right.  I have a real ammo box and I'm fiercely proud of it!

This past weekend was a festival of oldness for me.  I rode my 1954 BSA motorcycle 80 miles to a vintage motorcycle show.  My bike, a Bantam, is nowhere near show quality, but it is nice to show up on something older than a lot of the entries.  After rambling around the show and swap meet, I returned home, but stopped at some antique stores along the way.  I had two options, either a nice old leather doctors bag, or a wooden box similar to a card catalog box. 

This is what I found:

It is a microscope box from somewhere around the late fifties or early sixties.  It has nice slip joint corners but the blocking inside to hold the missimg scope was a bit beaten up.  For $4 it was mine.  Once home I chipped out all the interior blocking, added a better hasp, added the bullet holding trays (still styrofoam, but now neatly housed), and added a felt lined foam in the lid to hold everything in place during transport.  To add to the oldness vibe, the photo is taken atop a console radio/turntable with "stereophonic sound."

Open the lid, and voila:

So now I can go the range and hold my head high knowing I have an attractive ammo box.  If only the box could make me shoot better.


Current $ per shot = $3.90
Current % of the money spent on shipping = 10.2%