Sometimes, the planets align and everything goes just right and an almost perfect rifle comes off the regular production line. That is the legend of the Winchester "One of a Thousand" rifles. (Anyone out there ever seen "Winchester '73" with Jimmy Stewart?) If you unaware of them, the Winchester "One of a Thousand" and lesser known "One of One Hundred" rifles were fancy to super-fancy factory customs based on the Model 1873 and 1876 lever actions. The story goes that the company discovered that about one out of every thousand barrels or so from normal production was much more accurate than the rest. It was these supposedly super-accurate barrels that became the basis for those custom rifles. I've never handled one, but from the photos I've seen, these rifles were tastefully engraved with extra-fancy and beautifully checkered stocks. In fact, you could even order them with set triggers if you wanted to! In 1875, a standard Model 1873 sold for $27 and a "One of a Thousand" sold for $100! (Why is it there's never a time machine around when you need one?!!)

When I'm in the market for a new (or at least new to me) gun, I almost never buy the first one I see that fits the bill (as in maker, caliber, configuration, etc.). I always try to find just the right one that really speaks to me. Maybe I'm indecisive, or maybe I'm just a picky bastard at heart, but with all this fondling of various firearms over the years, I have noticed that sometimes, right out of the box, one just feels better and fits better than any of the others. And it doesn't matter that it's one of several dozen, brand-new, exactly-configured examples of a particular model, one just seems to really stand out. So when I've finally found that one (if I'm lucky enough to find it), that's the one I buy. (By the way, I've found the same thing applies to clothes and shoes too!)

So, maybe, just maybe, there is something to the idea of the "planets aligning" on a particular day to produce that one special rifle, pistol or shotgun....

I for one sure hope so!

J