Since then I have always looked at M59's at gun shows and occassionally on-line, but I never found one to mimic the one I had. They were either the wrong configuration or poor condition or way over-priced. Last Sunday I went to a gun show at Mesquite Rodeo Center in Texas, armed with a 45 on my right hip and a wad of cash in my right pocket. On my left hip I wore my cell phone and in my left pocket I had my FFL. I came upon an exhibitor from Rusk, TX (a pawn shop). I noticed he has a M59 and began to look at it. The first thing I noticed was a distinct circular crack in the fore-end - just like the one I had.
Upon closer inspection I called my wife and asked her to look in my book to recite some #'s to me. The gun I had featured an easy-to-remember 5 digit serial # (a lot of the #'s were the same or consecutive). Sure enough, I am holding "my" gun. I talk to the vendor and tell him most of the story. I told him at the time I often put my initials and my SS# under the buttplate of my guns (in case they were stolen and altered or parted out). I assured him if he removed the buttplate he'd see JR and 9 digits which I wrote down for him. Without a word he got a screwdriver and took the buttplate off. There it was. We both stood in silence for a while.
The vendor said, you're story is very believable and now you've proven it without a doubt. He told me he purchased the shotgun in November from a soldier at Ft. Hood. He remembered talking to the guy for a while and recalled he had mentioned Ft. Bragg, among other places. His name was not Williams. I asked what it would take to get the gun back - the price was quite reasonable already. The vendor looked in his book and told me to pay him back what he gave for it (around 1/2 of what he was asking) and the gun could go home. I don't know if the price he gave was really what he paid or not as he didn't show me his book but it was the lowest price I've EVER seen on a M59. Frankly, to have this gun back I would have paid triple!
At home the gun cleaned up nicely, shows absolutely no wear since I had it last and functioned perfectly. For those not familiar with the Winchester Model 59, aka "Win-Lite" it is a 12 bore semi-auto. The barrel is a steel liner wrapped in fiberglass thread (500 miles of it). The receiver is aluminum. It holds only 2 shots in the short tube mag and 1 in the chamber. The internal mechanism is colored in gold. The floating chamber, return spring and bolt are the only moving parts - there's no gas system or inertia transfer system. It was the first shotgun to offer removable choke tubes, although mine doesn't have tubes, it is a plain Modified. This full sized 12 gauge weighs 6 pounds.
I guess fate reunited this gun with me. I'm happy to have it back and it will never be parted with again.
.***
Good show.
