"Carbine Bud"

[imarangemaster]

There was an old boy in central California (NOT RIVERBANK) that did gun shows when I did them as US Armory about 15-20 years ago. He did Carbines and Garands and their parts. We called him "Carbine Bud" I think he was from Oakland or someplace close to the Bay Area.

Anyone know if he is still around? I still have an original Korean War vintage 30 round pouch I got from him years ago. I had it out last night and it made me think of him. AT that time he was a great source for original parts.

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[painter777]

Bud Evers?

[imarangemaster]

Yeah, I think that was his last name. Is he still around? I think the last time I got anything from him was mid to late 90s or so.

[painter777]

IIRC,
Bud was worked over by the Feds, something about them not liking the locks he had on the back door.
A fellow member here may chime in that knows much more about what may have happened to ole Bud.

Charlie-painter777

[imarangemaster]

I heard that some folks fell to some Klintonist Federal hysteria back then, but I didn't know he was one of the unlucky victims.

I gave up doing gunshows regularly in the mid-90s, even though I still had my FFL and I was still a cop. I always had the feeling someone was going to make me a criminal "after the fact." After that and the bad laws in Kalifornia, I switched to Cowboy Action Shooting guns as my main push. After I retired, I gave up my FFL and the gun business all together.

[Mike Henning]

Here's the story as I have heard it from several sources:

Bud was worked over by the feds, but allowed to stay free if he got out of the carbine business. He sold some/much/most of his stuff to George. This supposedly included the fake SA barrels which George sold. (So I have been told.)

Bud lived in Grass Valley before he moved to the Napa Valley. I visited his old neighbor one day to talk about carbines and he took me out to his garage to show me the metal block with stamps from all of the prime makers which Bud had given him. I hate to say it, but he didn't find the block, so I can't say that the story is true or not.

I used to see Bud at the Pomona shows back in the '90s, but never bought anything from him because by the time I got around to him I didn's have any money left after I visited Les Polin. Those were the days, 4 hours in the big building alone and couldn't quite get to all of the buildings. Saw and bought some interesting stuff tho.

Mike

[imarangemaster]

Hmmm. Sad. He always did Cal-Expo and sometimes Cow Palace, too.

I lived in Grass Valley after I retired (2000-2007) until I moved to Southern Illinois . Before that I was a Deputy there 1977-1979 when I got out of the Army.

Ah Pamona. I loved that show. At its peak in about 1990/91 I did $10,000 in gross sales under my FFL/DBA of US Armory under my big orange banner in 5 days. Then the was Old Sarge, Lonnie, who did the shows (not the same guy as the current Old Sarge's Drop Zone). He had a Korean or Japanese wife that was great. Last time I talked to him was about 10 years ago, and he had cancer.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

I knew Bud and his wife (now passed) Mary, very well. I haven't seen him in years though. I think he will be 90 this year. His parents owned a flower shop in Walnut Creek called Ever's, of course.

Bud was a WW2 combat pilot, who later trained pilots in Arizona. He owned a machine shop in Concord, Calif for years.

When I was 15 (1964) I crashed my motorcycle in his front yard. I was going too fast in the rain and couldn't make the corner. I didn't know him then, but he came out and helped me get it going again and I left.

In 1986 I was at a Gun Show in San Jose and I saw this guy selling Carbine's. It was Bud. I bought a few Rock-Ola parts from him. Then I saw him at San Francisco (Cow Palace), Sacramento (Cal Expo), Vallejo. We became friends. He lived in Grass Valley until 1989, then moved to Napa, and then a second location in Napa along the river, where he still lives. He never remembered the crash in his yard.

He got into trouble selling M-2 items, and other machine gun (Sten) parts and receivers, and they took his FFL away. He transfered the business into Mary's name and they continued doing shows, minus the M-2 stuff. After a few more years I heard he sold all his items to George. That was over 10 years ago. He is another of the Greatest Generation.

Pomona was a great show. Seven miles of tables. Bud was in building #7 next to a knife maker. Everyone went to the big building first, then the others. Can't tell you how much money I have spent in that place. I bought my 2X cutaway trainer in the parking lot one year before the show opened. It was a Thurs through Sunday show. Same weekend as NHR Drags werre going on.
Those were the days.

[imarangemaster]

I must have met him about the time he moved from Grass Valley. I moved back there from Washington in summer 1988, but did not start doing gunshows until 1989 or so. I am sorry to hear about his wife. Anyone sees him, wish him well for me.

[Calif-Steve]

Bud Evers was a very good guy who got into trouble with the State of Calif. They claimed he was selling machine guns as his carbine had M2 bolts, M2 trigger housings and M2 safety's. It was the State's position that all of these parts in a semi-automatic carbine made them de facto machine guns. Never mind they were semi-automatic!! It resulted in unrelenting "visits" by the State Guys. Eventually he got caught in a sting when he sold a carbine for a Nevada delivery. He got out of gunshows and is now quite elderly and alone. A very good guy.