Gents

I just learned that my friend David Powell (Guns International) passed away on Tuesday morning.

May he rest in peace...

Sad news it is. His knowledge was astounding, but more so, he was a great guy. I will miss him, as well as his humor.
RIP David...
John

He was always extremely generous with his knowledge and time, and I visited him once in Tampa. He was amazingly knowledgeable. I called him once asking about his opinion on the proper charge for a rifle and he asked me to weigh the barrels and then looked up the weights of the 13 previous ones he'd owned in that caliber. When I was looking for a 577BPE or 2 3/4 nitro I asked him to keep an eye out and he remarked he had 11 of them and would sell me whatever I wanted. The hours could fly by as we chatted. RIP

Edit: When I first bought a 4-bore almost 20 years ago I sent him an email regarding an ad he had for some components. I was surprised when my phone range minutes later. He asked how I was loading, explained why it was all wrong, then asked for my address as he was going to send me a care package and set me straight! A few days later I got a box, for free I might add, with every component I needed along with priceless step by step instructions and explanations. I'd never met him and was just some guy thousands of miles away who'd sent an email and I felt like I'd won the lottery.

David was a good friend who actually introduced me to the world of double rifles... in his home, showing me, hands on, with his extensive collection!!... that was before GI after his first retirement...

David hunted extensively with old, big bore doubles, mostly dangerous game.... with custom Nitro for black loads in BOOMERS!!...4Bore, 600, 577, 500, 20ga/577, on and on. Truth be known, he may be the most prolific elephant hunter of modern times?? He hunted yearly with his great friend PH Eugene Small.

We did a handoff of a Lang double rifle in 375FlMag late last year that I passed on... then he did too!! Lots of chats surrounding that rifle and origin and history....he also picked up a beautiful 475 No.2 Belgian double in the exchange...and I bought a stack of Norma modern, and more H&H branded 375FlMag for my later purchase Royal!!

It is also coincidental that my email address book was hacked and the perpetrators sent huge files to everyone more than once!! The positive outcome was that many old friends called me to see if I had sent the messages!! The positive outcome was David calling me twice in the last few weeks... great chats as usual. He had been in Africa only a month back!!

David passed from a heart attack while being diagnosed for serious back and stomach pain.

I am sure that Guns International will continue to thrive with his lovely wife Debbie and son Hunter both intimately involved in operations.

I will sincerely miss David's friendship and his generous guidance. May he Rest In Peace, my thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family.

He is probably one of only a few to ever kill an elephant with a 12 bore ParadoX!

quote:

Edit: When I first bought a 4-bore almost 20 years ago I sent him an email regarding an ad he had for some components. I was surprised when my phone range minutes later. He asked how I was loading, explained why it was all wrong, then asked for my address as he was going to send me a care package and set me straight! A few days later I got a box, for free I might add, with every component I needed along with priceless step by step instructions and explanations. I'd never met him and was just some guy thousands of miles away who'd sent an email and I felt like I'd won the lottery.

Agreed.

I had a question about some 8 bore components he had listed for sale and called him. After introducing myself and asking a couple questions we spent about 4 hours on the phone with him answering every question I could think about hunting Africa with the 8 bore and completely changing my mind from shooting the bullet I designed based off the CEB, to shooting a Lyman #2 or WW hard cast water quenched round ball as he'd killed everything including an elephant with a frontal brain shot with the RB and felt it wasn't worth the trade off in recoil to shoot a conical.


He will be missed, two great double rifle legends gone in the same year, and far too soon.

David was a good and honest and generous man. He will indeed be missed. RIP.

I bought some .577 brass from him a few years ago, he was a real gentleman. RIP

I always looked forward to meeting up with David at the Colorado Collector shows.
I bought my 425 Westley Richards from him and often sent components back and forth.
Goes to show, we all better live the fullest life we can - you just never know.
He will be missed.

David was a good man and very honest. I still have the Holland & Holland sxs shotgun I bought from him several years ago. He said it was his personal gun that he hunted with often. RIP David

He was at the last Colorado Collectors show and I sat with him for some time swapping stories. We never know what the future holds (maybe for the best) but certainly need to appreciate each day, each friend and each memory. RIP David...

Obituary...

https://www.dignitymemorial.co...5tBucgPO8mCRYdv1pqJY

Don...Good to know that you are still alive kicking and are able to still take nourishment...KD

Thank you for posting David's Obit.

He will be missed!! A great friend...

David and I go back to about 1980. He was a big time stock trader and had a heart attack. While in the hospital, he called me about a drilling and double rifle that I had advertised in a small, local want ad book. Over the following days while in the hospital he called daily and chatted for hours at a time regarding the same. When he got out, he came to my home and we chatted face to face. The friendship continued. David, his young son Keith and my young son Beau would get a couple of tables at local gun shows. Always a bottle of Evan Williams and ginger ale under the table. In 2003 we started getting adjoining rooms at the SCI Conventions. In, I believe, 2006 he told me that he and Deb were going to start a new gun site. Guns International. I laughed. This from my friend who, when you called his cell. Message was "You have reached David Powell. I am out frog gigging or opossum hunting. Please don't leave a message as I don't know how to retrieve them." Too funny. During the following years I traveled to shows to help David and Deb spread the word. We continued to exchange info and opinions on double rifles. He was a great friend. I miss him!!

David always had time to share with everyone!! He was an encyclodedia of double knowledge!!

When they were kicking off Guns International, he gave me a nice logo safari type shirt to wear at guns and hunting shows to promote the name!! I did regularly and always got questions in the early years!! I still have the shirt!!... and GI is incredinly successful!!

I still am shocked that he didn't have symptoms that would have allowed open hesrt surgery to clear blockages??!! I still can't believe he is gone!!

RIP DAVID, Our thoughts and prayers are with your wife and family!!