Benjamin Sheridan 392P adopted and revived - long read, lots of pics

[Viper1357]

Part 1 - Not sure where you'll end up, but I'll try and fix you up. - Days 1 thru 12

As mentioned in another thread I've been shooting an older Benjamin Sheridan 392P that I recently adopted and had been reviving for the last month now. I've had it in storage for a friend (ex-boss gave to me in 2003) to try and get it fixed for him...by a paintball air-smith guy I rarely saw...and we all had lost touch with each other, (yeah, long story) for about 14 years now. I have made several attempts over the years to locate my ex-boss the original owner, but I was told he retired somewhere in another country, and other former workmates haven't been in contact with him either. In any case, I told him at the time this would more than likely happen (I'd end up with it and him not) and he didn't seem too concerned about it.  But.... See *but* later.

This started for me after reading several posts on the forum about older (and newer) 392's, their popularity, issues, fixes, etc., and I thought I recognized that as being what may have been taped up in the box all these years, so I decided to pull it out of deep storage, and have a look. Well there it was 'BENJAMIN SHERIDAN CORP. RACINE WI. MODEL 392P' a few scuffs and scratches on the wood, quite a bit of rust on the outer blued steel parts, but otherwise all there. I picked it up and tried to pump it up, but it offered no resistance in or out, no air sound, no pressure of any kind. Well, after reading all the posts, the support and information on how to fix these (and others) I thought it deserved a chance to be revived, at least I would give it my best.










I started a month ago on 10/1 (Day 1) the with the 'alcohol then oil flush', and got some gaspy gurgling sounds when it was pumped, so it was a good feeling to get a little life breathing through it again. After a few hours there was a slight resistance in the pump arm, so I pumped it up (8x) and fired into a couple of paper catalogs duct taped together (redneck chrony I've been told) to see how much power/penetration it could muster. (see pics below) The pellets I was using were Ruger .22 pointed @ 16.97 grains. As you can see by the first shot (Day 1) in the first pic, the gun came back to life a little and at least shot out a pellet to .110" deep penetration in the catalogs and tape. I then patiently waited and tested it each day, added a little more oil, gave an overnight pump to see if it held air, and/or improved in power, and while it did improve a little each day it reached the limit on 10/4 (day 4). Again in the pics Day 2 improved to .190" deep, Day 3 to .290" deep, and Day 4 to .335" deep. That was great I thought, seeing improvement, but Day 4 was the end of improvement. Also the gun would not hold any air overnight. I continued to shoot it, let it set, etc. until 10/11 (Day 11) but there was still no improvement past Day 4. It was taking air, but only 'seemed'? to be about 1/2 power (give or take - as no chrony, but can judge against penetration and seeing pellets in flight), but at least it's shooting again! (see pics below of pellet to taped catalog penetration redneck chrony)


 Days 1 thru 4 penetration improvement with the 392P. As a rough point of somewhat known power/penetration reference, I shot my .22 Crosman 1389 BP (9x pumps) upper left which penetrated quite a bit deeper (@.380") than the slightly revived 392P)






 Day 11 penetration test found no improvement since Day 4)




=====================================================

 Day 12 I flushed myself a bit with alcohol and only fondled the 392P.. Still no improvement..


======================================================



Part 2 - You're a mess inside, and I hope I can do this right, ok it took two tries. Days 13 - 14


Having read threads and other web info on the 'relative' ease of proper repair/rebuilding of the 392P I had ordered the (hopefully correct) repair kit from PA on Day 10 or 11, when I realized the 392P wasn't going to improve any further. I had spent a lifetime modding and repairing PB's and lots other mechanical, electrical, etc. big boy toys, so I figured I might have just enough experience to get myself into trouble and a mess..lol

On 10/19 Day 13 (of actual hands on with the 392P) the repair kit came (the one with the valve nut tool) and I didn't think it seemed too bad, but I wondered how rough a condition I would find things in the 392P's tube. I followed the fairly straight forward instructions supplied by PA in the kit and only had two difficult areas in disassembly. First was getting the roll pins out of the tube (that secure cap, pump arm, wiper) up front as one appeared to have smeared tube material on one side hole already, and they were really in tight. Many wood jigs and makeshift punches I messed around with to get them out without further/any damage. Secondly was the check valve disk. It was lodged in somewhat crooked with rubber and green corrosion holding it in place. I honestly don't remember what I did, but after a lot of fiddling with different 'gentle' material makeshift tools, I got it out. When I took a look at all the removed parts with so much rust, green corrosion/oxidation, destroyed rubber seals, etc., (see pics below) it's really amazing it shot as well as it did from the "flush and lube" quick fix.

I knew enough to really clean the inner tube and soldered valve body as good as I could, but I got a little concerned when I saw an odd looking thread or burr down inside by the valve body. I finally got the nerve to slide a long metal dental pick and gently pull at it and remove it. I think it was a 4" or so sliver of solder? Maybe from when they originally soldered in the valve. So, relieved that I got that crud out of there I cleaned and assembled/lubed the remaining old and new replacement parts following the PA instruction sheet, and trying to remember how I removed the original parts, and finally in the tube they went. I had some (hopefully a little typical) trouble with making sure the check valve dropped in and seated properly, the disk washers and springs were correct, and the hammer/bolt/trigger block assembly was a bit awkward, but all seemed to go well. 

Now the good and bad, and good again. I knew it was too good to be true for it to go well on just one try. Anyway, it was really exciting to feel the pump have pressure/resistance build with each stroke (remember I had no idea how it was supposed to feel or sound originally) and even a couple little squeaks on the first two pumps sounded good to me. I pumped it 4x loaded and shot into a metal pellet trap and it sounded pretty powerful, (compared to past performance) so then 8x and wow it really sounded and felt improved. Then it happened.. while I was pumping it, the resistance didn't build that much between pumps, and I was hearing a leaking noise seemingly out the exhaust port through the barrel.. Uggh... what did I do wrong now??

Ok, re-open and disassembled it, and as I was removing the check valve spring and check valve itself, I found  the issue. Wedged in with the spring and side of the check valve was that pesky long sliver of solder. I wondered how I messed up that bad, but turned out it was another piece I didn't see, and maybe even dislodged while previously cleaning. So again I did my best to clean the snot out of the tube and really checked for any solder, burrs, etc. I also noticed that the check valve got a little gouge on the seating radius so I gently sanded it with wet 600 - 1500 sand paper removing as little material as possible and smoothing as much as it needed. Worst case I would have to get another one, but I'd see later. So again I reassembled (was a little easier with some gained experience) and hoped it was gttg. I pumped and dry fired 1x, 2x, 3x, to 8x, and seemingly no issues but the little squeak from the wiper and tube. Put a couple drops of lube on the exposed back of wiper on an extended handle position, and the squeak was gone. I then proceeded to shoot into my metal trap with 4x, 5, 6, 7, and 8x pumps and could hear and feel a huge difference in improved power from where it started. I was also quite surprised at how difficult (not hugely but very noticeably) each pump got especially after 4 or 5 pumps. I also found no discernible/audible leaks. Whew, I think I may have done it right.












   


It's still Day 13 (later in the evening) and I can't wait until morning to hit the redneck chrony (taped catalogs I've been using) to see where the 392P is with penetration/power improvement. Still using the 16.97 grain Ruger pointed pellet (see catalog pic below) at 4x pumps it went a hair deeper .342" than it did previously at 8x pumps .335" deep. The real improvement is 8x pumps yielded .650" deep, nearly double the 4x pumps, and a lot more than the 2289 (9x pumps ref) at .380" deep.






Next day 10/20 (Day 14) It held 1 pump of air overnight and sounded great blasting it out. Gave it 2 pumps to hold from morning until night today and the same thing, held it's air and blasted out properly. Not sure where the 392P is exactly at with fps/fpe, but I know it's much improved and a blast to shoot.






=======================================================





Part 3 - Wow, the 392P has improved a lot, but at it's full stock potential? Day 15

10/21 (Day15) It's been a couple days since my (err his, our, the..)  392P has been repaired and revived, but I'm still not sure if it's at the correct power it should be. I know someday I'll have to get a real chrony, but until then I can only compare the 392P to my other guns I am mostly confident are at their correct stock power levels using the same pellets and target material against the 392P performance. This test is so non scientific and just a quick off the cuff comparison for basic differences, please accept it's just a crude test at best, and forgive it's presentation as I'm not thinking it through all that much.

Now the 392P (8x pumped) is being tested against my new custom Crosman 1300KT .22 w/18" bbl (10x pumped), which I figure the 392P should be a little bit more powerful than, and my Ruger Impact .22 (break barrel) which I figure the 392P should be a little less powerful than. I used 2-3 different pellets, CPHP 14.3 gr., H&N Excite Hammer 14.66 gr., H&N Sport FTTG lead free 9.56 gr. (same for each gun in each test) and 2 (test A - B each gun) different harnesses of wood at 3/4" thick each. I'm already confused just trying to write this out..lol  I think the pics below will show what I'm trying to explain, and unless one of you guys/gals on the forum catches something obvious I missed, I'm thinking the 392P is pretty much where it is supposed to be power wise.


- Test results and pics.

- 392P (8x pumped) Test A - harder wood:
   All 3 pellets penetrated past surface approx 1/2 way into 3/4" board.

- 392P (8x pumped) Test B - softer wood:
   All 3 pellets penetrated past surface, and the 2 heavier lead pellets penetrated close to back side and caused cracks/splits on backside of wood.








---------------------------------------------------------

- 1300KT (10x pumped) Test A - harder wood:
   All 3 pellets penetrated past surface but only the skirt of the CPHP barely broke past surface. The H&N lead free skirt did not get past the surface

- 1300KT (10x pumped) Test B - softer wood:
   All 3 pellets penetrated past surface, with the CPHP going deeper than the other 2 pellet skirts just getting past surface. Not deep enough to disturb backside of board.








---------------------------------------------------------------

- Ruger Impact (break barrel) Test A - harder wood:
  All 3 pellets penetrated past surface deep into board. The CPHP penetrated deep enough to cause a crack/bulge on backside of board.

- Ruger Impact (break barrel) Test B - softer wood: (did not use the lead free pellet this test)
   Both lead pellets penetrated past surface, and the CPHP penetrated through (exiting) the backside of the board.
   The H&N penetrated all the way to (cracked through) the backside of board but did not exit.











===================================================




Part 4 - Time to clean you up on the outside and see how you shine at my little range. Days 16 thru 18

10/22 & 23 (Day16-17) I'm really happy with how the 392P has been functioning the last few days so hoping it's fixed up correctly inside, it was time to clean up the outside a little. The rusty parts were the trigger guard and  trigger, rear bolt block, a few external screws, and the rear sight assembly. The trigger guard was the worst with some pitting and crusty rust on the inside of it, so I removed it and went through the whole wire brush, and sanding with grits from 180 - 800 wet by hand, and finally buffed it on a wheel. I then made sure it was really clean and oil free, and re blued it with Oxpho-Blue. It really turned out nice. I didn't go quite so all out on the other parts, but they were steel wooled, cleaned and re-oiled as needed. The stock I might redo in the future, but other than some scuffs and scratches it looked pretty good. I just used a finish restore product on the whole thing, let it dry and applied a quality wax. This 392P will be my "Sunday drive, special occasion" gun, so no need to worry about super outdoor elements re-finishing. To me it looks great now.











10/24 (Day18) My final "Day" of a total 24 day project with 18 days of actual hands on it. Time to hit my also newly finished indoor 10-12 yard range in the pole building. Unfortunately the building is not quite finished inside, nor heated, so with winter coming I probably won't be shooting for long sessions, or using Co2 guns.
Anyway, I was really happy with how the 392P shot and grouped. The pic below was about 5x and 6x pumps and 12 rounds of RWS Hobby 11.9 gr wad cutters, at 10 yds benched, and honestly I was struggling to see the front sight in the dim lighting in the building. No doubt the gun will shoot tighter, just not that day in my hands.







I'm really glad I took the time to revive this 392P. The gun was really worthy of it, and I not only enjoyed it, but actually learned a little bit about how they work, and some little tricks here and there. I also want to thank a lot of you members on the forum for taking the time to spell out things and give great advice and support to others who will benefit from all your collective expertise and experiences. I honestly might never have opened (for many years anyway) that taped up box, and certainly never considered undertaking a repair for something I didn't even know I had, which may or may not be mine, adopted.

Which brings me to the final pic and the *but* from my very first paragraph in this super long post. I found a place in my gun cabinet where it fits and looks right at home, and I'm lucky and happy to keep it and call it mine... *But*, if my ole' buddy ex-boss ever wants it back, I'd get it to him without any regret. Oddly now that it's fixed I feel really compelled to try and get it back to him. Last week in fact I found (who I think) is a relative of his, on Facebook and dropped a msg to see if so, could he let me know and provide any contact info. We'll see, but no reply so far.


Thanks for reading this, or at least looking at the pics!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

This is a fantastic write up and review Mark !   You did a really good job with this gun.  There are others here that are EXPERTS on these guns and do a lot of rebuilds on older Sheridans.   Hopefully they will see and comment on your post.   Mark. I hope that the original owner never shows up and you can keep this rifle.   After all you were the only one of the two of you that really cared about this fine rifle.   If you do locate the original owner, then you should charge him for parts and labor. If he balks at paying for the parts and a reasonable labor charge... then he wanted something for nothing and you should keep the gun until he pays up.         Good Job !    Best Wishes - Tom

[longhunter]

Nice job, and excellent write up  .
That sliver of stuff you pulled out of the valve was lead shavings from the rear seal.
Power-wise, you seem to be right there. Actual velocity should be around 650-670 fps., with 14.3gr. crosman pellets.

[Yng@hrt]

Hey Mark great to read about another 392P fan. What everyone stated; great right up & excellent pix! Really like how your trigger guard turned out using the Oxpho-Blue as well.

It took what seemed like years for me to finally commit to a chrony as well. Like you, I asked for someone to do that same not so scientific test of shooting into a phone book as a starting point. Well, no bites. I highly recommend you get a chrony even though you might have to pass on another pumper to make room for it.

I'd be happy to fire a few rounds of CPHP's 14.3's into either hard wood or soft wood if you'd like. Just let me know what type of wood.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Nice job Mark!
They are a fine rifle and as you now know are worthy of resurrection. Congrats.

[TerryM]

Nice work!

I resealed a 397P a few years ago and found the check valve in the same condition as yours.  From over-pumping, I suspect.  Had a real hard time getting it out.  No reason to believe your 392P isn't shooting like new, with all new seals.

+1 on getting a chronograph.  Very useful for the airgunner, I use mine all the time.

This may be overly cautious, but I would stay away from the lead-free pellets for the brass 392P barrel.  They are a harder alloy and lead pellets probably shoot better anyway.

[avator]

Great job with the resto and the write up. Great looking gun.

[Viper1357]

Thanks a bunch guys for the kind words, and especially the additional information and advice. It really felt like a labor of love in that such a nicely built worthy gun just needing some attention and tlc. But I was also really serious that I wouldn't have even thought about that box, the gun in it, or especially trying to repair it without the forum and you guys helping and sharing info, and supporting where needed.  I also think I felt as good digging into it and being successful as I do shooting it with it's restored glory. Man it's a nice little (shorter and stout I mean) rifle. 

As far as the original owner vs. me keeping it, I have little doubt it's going to stay mine as he stated way back then he didn't care if it didn't work out and it may stay in my possession unfixed, as it had been until now. He didn't seem to have any money worries and didn't sweat any small stuff, and as mentioned moved out of the country to retire somewhere.. I remember him replacing it with a Diana 34(?) which is the box he gave the 392P to me in and I had all taped up and stored away. He seemed to like that replacement pretty well, but always retold me the story's of the many, many squirrels that gun had taken with the Benjamin, and he hoped his replacement (until I got the Benjamin fixed) would be as effective and enjoyable. He left the company like a month later, and I a few months after that. So yeah, that was a long time ago, and I doubt it's going anywhere.... "But".. lol 

Also thanks for the info on the lead shavings on the rear seal, that makes sense to me now as I do recall it having a smeared sharp edge all around. Never thought about it being that as I was so concerned about the soldered in valve. Anyway, I didn't like the split teflon washer type replacement, so I cleaned up the lead one and reused it. I hope that wasn't a mistake.

Good info on the mushed up rubber check valve too. The original owner was the type of guy to ride it hard (bigger squirrel, farther away, probably more than 8 pumps..lol) and put it away too dry, or too wet condensation. Not to purposely abuse it, but just another tool that will last til it breaks. 
I thought about the lead free pellets being harder as well, when I was seeing a lot less (if any) deformation in wood, paper, etc. I have only shot the two in the pics out of the 392P, and those will be the last out of it. I'll stick with those in steel barrels.

And while I believed the 392P has been revived to it's stock power, I really appreciate all your input on it. It helps confirm when you guys have a good idea how they should perform comparatively. No need for further wood and book testing (thanks for the offer though!) as I see it's unanimous that I need to get a chrony as I'm definitely into this hobby. I have quite a few guns now, and changing breeches, barrels, seals, (you know, those newb mods..lol) but still, I really like to know where they're at with different pellets, the mods, or just in general. So I'll be getting one sooner than later, hopefully by the end of the year.



Here's a quick pic of it tonight. Sorry the lighting is not so good. But just had it out to see if it held air for a week or so now, and it has no problem. This 392P is back in action.. I think I might add a little scope to make up for the difficulty using the open sights. (I'm getting old eyes).




"

[TerryM]

  Yep, if it were mine I would have to scope it.  I use peep sights on three of my old guns, the rest wear scopes.  For precision shooting, I have to have glass.  Pumping technique has to be adjusted but the accuracy is worth it, for me.

[Hoosier Daddy]

*Cough*.  Pistol scope
*Cough cough*   Long eye relief.
*Cough cough cough*   Scout mount.

That way you can still still put your free hand across the breech while pumping.

[Rob112o]

Great write up Mark and good work. I got me a 392P and it quickly worked its way into the 3 spot on my favorites. I got mine peeped, eyes are still gods and not needing a scope just yet.

[Flint]

Very nice! 

Great job bringing it back to life! 

there are several 392P fans around here.  I have a few myself. 

I'd say if you get a chrony and it shoots anything over 600fps with 14.3 grain pellets is acceptable.  My .22 benjamins all shoot between 610-650 fps with 14.3 gr. 

The gun looks to be in pretty good condition also.  The benjamin sheridan corp stamp likely dates to 1993.  I'd love to know the serial number if you don't mind sharing. 

oh, and I'm glad it worked out for you to get it, but in my opinion, your co-worker did not improve on anything by switching to the RWS 34. 

[Viper1357]

Sorry I didn't check up on the thread, but we got blasted here in mn with an early 'stupid wicked' cold and snow spell, and I had to get a crappy load of stuff moved from garage, to shed, from shed to barn, etc., and do a bunch of maint to my atv and plow set up. Needless to say I ended up stiff and cold many days laying on the ground and creeper.. brrr.. lol.

But, I was ahead of a couple of you as I had a pistol scope on order from PA, and mounted it a week ago maybe? Not so much time to play with it, but it's on, works great, and thanks for the advice.






Now that said, I also had a chance a few days ago to pick up a Caldwell chrony (it was driving me crazy wanting to know for sure) after I felt a vibe in the force (ok, a lot of you guys) really encouraging me to get one before other stuff. I played with it a bit today, and wow, did I have a good time testing as many guns as I could, but I'm a bit sore and jelly armed tonight pumping 5 different guns almost 100 times (total) to their max pumps for testing. I only had one disappointment with the 1377 I recently added a steel breech and 14" barrel to, and it was only a minuscule bit (7-10 fps) more powerful than my other box stock 1377. That's for another time, though.

Now, the excellent news for me and more especially the 392P is that it the chrony seems to have confirmed that it's back to it's original glorious power. I'm a real newb with a chrony as well as re-builder, so I just wrote down some numbers with a few different pellets.

8 pumps - CPHP 14.3 Gr.
 
 637
 638
 637
 634
 636
=================

8 pumps - JSB Exact Jumbo 18.13 Gr.

 584
 590
 588
 587
 585

==============


8 pumps - RWS Hobby 11.9 Gr.

 681
 683
 680
===============

Based on what I've researched and you guys have stated, the numbers look pretty good to me, and more importantly that dang thing feels really powerful when you shoot it. I really like it a lot.


Billy,  I didn't forget about your request, and no problem sharing the s/n. Please share any info you know about it, if more than you've already mentioned, thanks!





"


 

 

[Old Corps]

Mark-Really enjoyed reading your post and the great pics. She looks fantastic! I've got a '78 Blue Streak that's in super cosmetic shape but will no longer pump up. I tried the "secret sauce" solution to no avail and keep trying to decide if I want to tear into it or send it off to some one to reseal it. My hands are so arthritic nowadays I have a hard time with hand tools. Anyhoo, thanks much for letting us share your restoration journey!

Ed

Btw, I'd like to know what the "finish restore product" was. Thanks!

[Rob112o]

Mark-Really enjoyed reading your post and the great pics. She looks fantastic! I've got a '78 Blue Streak that's in super cosmetic shape but will no longer pump up. I tried the "secret sauce" solution to no avail and keep trying to decide if I want to tear into it or send it off to some one to reseal it. My hands are so arthritic nowadays I have a hard time with hand tools. Anyhoo, thanks much for letting us share your restoration journey!

Ed

Btw, I'd like to know what the "finish restore product" was. Thanks!

Ed, I'd reseal it for you. With your proximity you can contact Scott(longhunter) to see if he's not busy. If he is and you wanna spend a few more bucks to ship this way. I'll knock it out for you.

[Flint]

Mark,

those chrony numbers look great.  sounds like its right on.  good job restoring it.

thanks for the SN.  yours is one of the earliest numbers with the Benjamin Sheridan Corp stamp.  I would guess late 1992 to early 1993.  When Crosman bought Benjamin in 1992, Benjamin Air rifle company ceased to exist but instead became a division of Crosman that crosman renamed as Benjamin Sheridan Corp.  during the second half of 1992, the guns remained stamped benjamin air rifle company, but the manuals and boxes were changed to benjamin sheridan corp.  Then, the best I can tell, around 1993, they changed the stamp on the guns to benjamin sheridan corp.  another change along with the stamp was the change from flat head screws to phillips head screws.  must be crosman prefers phillips or something, I don't know. 

[Viper1357]

Thanks Ed, and I hope you get your Blue Streak up and running! I used 'Howard Restore -A- Finish' just to freshen up the scuffs and scratches, and it did a real nice job for what the product is. To seal it, I used my favorite wax called 'Music Nomad Guitar Wax - Highest Grade Brazilian Carnauba'. It's probably very similar to Renaissance wax, but I can't say enough good about it. I've used it extensively for about 7 years or so (since it was first available), on guitars, all manner of firearms including blued steel, wood stocks and grips, knives, swords, machetes, and knife scales, and lots of stuff I can't remember. It's a good lasting product, but the more the item gets used, you have to reapply from time to time.

Oh yeah just remembered I used it about 5 years ago on an old Damascus double barrel shotgun that I cleaned up (rusted near completely, with some pretty scratched up wood) fairly well considering, and then choosing not to refinish it as much as just protect what was left. Anyway after getting tired of oiling it and wiping down from some occasional handling and dust as it was out on display, I replaced the oil finish with a nice hand wax and buff of the Music Nomad Guitar Wax, and it has not been oiled (externally anyway) since, and shows no sign of any rust coming back. Just a quick dusting/wiping from time to time, and it still looks great.
No I'm not selling the stuff ..lol   I do need more though.     

" 

[Viper1357]

Mark,

those chrony numbers look great.  sounds like its right on.  good job restoring it.

thanks for the SN.  yours is one of the earliest numbers with the Benjamin Sheridan Corp stamp.  I would guess late 1992 to early 1993.  When Crosman bought Benjamin in 1992, Benjamin Air rifle company ceased to exist but instead became a division of Crosman that crosman renamed as Benjamin Sheridan Corp.  during the second half of 1992, the guns remained stamped benjamin air rifle company, but the manuals and boxes were changed to benjamin sheridan corp.  Then, the best I can tell, around 1993, they changed the stamp on the guns to benjamin sheridan corp.  another change along with the stamp was the change from flat head screws to phillips head screws.  must be crosman prefers phillips or something, I don't know.

Thanks for that interesting information Billy, as I do recall him saying he had had it for about 10 years back in 03 when he pushed it on me, (lol, so glad he did now) something like June/July IIRC.  So he more than likely got it early to mid 93 perhaps. Nice to have a little history on it, thank you. 


So with no response from any/all correspondence, feelers, etc.. I'd been using to contact my old boss, the original owner, with no further adieu, I accept this adoption of the Benjamin Sheridan 392P I most recently revived, and promise to cherish and shoot it loyally for as long as I shall own it.   From now on I consider it mine!    


 

[Hare splittin]

Mark,

Nice job all the way around. Your ability compliments your modesty.

[Viper1357]

Thank you Bill for such kind words, I really appreciate it.  Took more than half my life lead very immodestly and not knowing it, and taking some harsh life shots and being humbled by near everything I thought I was in control of and found out I wasn't in control of much at all. Quite the painful fall from grace. Now I just try to enjoy anything for what it is, and if it works out that's great, and if not I figure it's not the end of the world. Many things seem new to me, or I see them in a different way.

I've been called a lot of things in my life, but never that.  thank you