Northern Vargina Road-- in VA- near Fredericksburg?? Huumm-interesting. Lots of minimum wage GM employees will be flippin' burgers at McDee's in the future, is my guess.
Four years ago I went with a friend who had a 1940 era field grade L.C. Smith 12 gauge DT EXT 30" barrels M&F-- good shape, and the barrels were 99%- no dents or pits. He wanted to see what the GM gun dept. "gurus" would offer him in trade for a Binelli 12 Montefetro- as he was getting into waterfowl hunting and wanted a steel shot compatible shotgun.
The young gun dept. employee looked it over, and told us "We can't buy this old gun, as someone has used steel shot loads in it, and the barrels are "rippled" near the muzzles. This Smith came to my friend from his Grandfather, who used it for birds back in the pre-steel shot 1940's and 1950's. He had only shot it once, with me, with AA No. 8 loads- No Steel.
I told the kid he was as full of crap as a Christmas goose, and took out a pocket machinists' rule, and laid it on the barrels, top, side and bottom, as you would lay a level on a 2x4- no gaps, the rule made 100% even contact, no "high or low" spots anywhere- we walked out with the Smith, which my pal still has, and he won a Binelli at a DU Banquet later that year. I am not surprised that GM is "pulling the pin"- but what has happened to the Bass-Ass Pro Shop buyout of Cabelas??
I drove by Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg Va yesterday. The parking lot looked like it had about dozen cars in it. That was on very, very congested Northern Vargina road. They probably had some blue-boxed 'C.I.P' (not CIP/M) Fiocchi 16ga game loads. I feel bad now for not stopping there. 