Pulling the stock of the M1 rifle tight into his shoulder, Virgil Richardson clicked off the safety, peered through the sights, and squeezed the trigger.
The last time he did that, he was a soldier in the Korean War.
‘I thought it would kick more. I remember when I qualified with it, I’d get so sore,? said Richardson. ‘I remember it being a lot easier to sight in ? it seems kind of blurry now.?
Richardson carried the standard-issue, semiautomatic, eight-shot M1 Garand rifle as a radio operator with the 25th Infantry Division in 1953. The rifle he fired at Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club, Saturday, wasn’t just the same type, it was the same one.
‘It’s a great story,? said Jim Richardson, Virgil’s son, who tracked down and bought the rifle as a birthday present for his dad, who turns 79 on Oct. 26.
His original plan was just to get his dad a vintage M1 rifle, in honor of his service.
‘I looked for several years,? Jim said. ‘We went to gun shows like the one at Birch Run, two or three times a year, trying to find the right one. My dad made a comment, ‘well, shoot, if you can find serial number 1622261, I’ll give you $1,000 for it.??
It seemed highly unlikely ? millions were made and used all over the world. But he found it on the Internet soon after, sitting in a gun shop in Kentucky.
‘It was unbelievable,? he said.
So unbelievable, the story was written up by the Flint Journal ? Virgil lives in Davison ? and picked up by the Associated Press.
When Joe Oberlee, Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club president, read their story, he wanted to offer the Independence Township club’s services to the Richardson family.
? I called the AP and they told me they got it from the Journal,? Oberlee said. ‘I e-mailed the reporter to see if she could put us in touch, and Vic (Virgil) called me and said he would take us up on our offer.?
Virgil and Jim gathered with family and friends at the club, Oct. 11, for free use of its outdoor shooting range, Korean War vintage .30-06 ammunition, and safety check by experts Dave Buesching and Art Miracle.
‘Anything we can do for veterans, we’ll do it,? said Thomas Johnson, club member. ‘To find that rifle, still all original, and still be able to fire it, it’s amazing.?
‘It’s been a fantastic day,? Virgil said. ‘They’ve been very generous. They made me feel special, though I didn’t do anything special.?