I was 17 and in my grade 12 year of highschool. About April I saw a double online, or what was left of one, no wood, no fore-end iron, missing a hammer, rusted to hell, but for 55$ I was open to the idea. It was a Riverside Arms made Savage 215. I knew enough about doubles to give me some confidence when looking at the pictures. While the outside was rusty, the bores were like mirrors, and the lock up was tight as could be. Three weeks later it was in my hands, having shipped from PEI to Ontario.
As the weeks went by I started working on getting things back in order, made a new fore-end iron, polished and cold blued the barrels, made a new left hammer. Having watched Colin Stolzer's videos on gun building I started to make the stock, fitted for myself. By this point it was the end of June, grad fast approaching, and 3 University prep class exams to write. I worked on the stock when I was no longer capable of studying. Smoke inletting is surprisingly good stress relief. The stock was done by the time I graduated, the fit on that gun was excellent, I found I could break crossing clays without even touching my cheek to the comb, a feat I have been unable to replicate with any other guns I have. It just points so easily.
I spent my downtime that summer eradicating starlings and grackles at an abandoned family farm. I must have taken down nearly 60 of them between July and September, I say nearly because I quit counting at 52, and I know I took care of a few more after that. I still have the gun, though I've upgraded to a FEG 500 with 3" chambers, and a Spanish made 10ga SxS. It comes out to break clays here and there. It has over 40 hours of work into it, and I treasure it as a reminder of that time.
