Just because...

Customer: "I don't know what happened. The gun was shooting straight and now it doesn't. Balls sling to the left and then to the right and then they cork screw."

Me: While cleaning a big gob of goo from the breach I asked, "When was the last time you cleaned your gun?"

Customer: "All the time. Maybe I need a different barrel. Do you think I need a different barrel?"

Me: Forty three seconds after I picked up his gun I had it cleaned, lubed and ready to shoot. "Maybe. What paint were you shooting?"

Customer: "I dunno. Something I picked up at Wallyworld - some good orange stuff, on sale for eight bucks a box."

Me: "Ummm, yeah. Sausage and eggs, I bet," I said under my breath.

Customer: "Say what...? Hey, and then I shot some of your yellow paint I had left over from about six months ago. Maybe it's your paint. Did you get a bad batch of paint?"

HOLD THE DAMN TRAIN. Now, see, I usually just blow off these types of conversations. But I get real sensitive when it comes to my paint. I study paint. I research paint. I shop for just the right brand. I carefully calculate just how much I need so I never have more than enough sitting and going stale. I watch the weather all along the delivery route. I stand waiting for it when it's due for delivery. I delicately off load each box and tuck them safely in their air conditioned and heated storage room. I test and sample random bags checking for bounce and fill stability. I check on it in the middle of the night when the temperature drops and set up more fans when the mid-day heat threatens. If there is even a hint that a box of paint may have to wait on the shelf for more than a weekend the boxes are flipped to avoid flat spots or settling.

Those guys checking hops for Sam Adams beer have nothing over me when it comes to picking and choosing paint.

So, yeah, I get a bit fired up when someone questions my paint. Again I usually just blow it off. Only this time I did something else I don't usually do.

It's an arrogant thing to do. A show-off, kinda in-your-face thing that is very much not my nature.

I loaded the customer's clean gun with a hundred rounds of T-Square paint and took him outside where I made him watch me drill the center of a coke can wide sapling, setting about 50 feet away, with 75 out of 80 shots. I then handed him the gun and let him plink the remaining 20 rounds while I went back inside to clean up.

Customer: "It's shooting better now. Thanks."

Me: "Your welcome. No charge."