Bill Fleming has passed

Damn it's a sad day. I wonder when was the last time him and Curtis Higgins spoke?
 
I will miss him.

In 1986 I bought a very lightly used HK94 for $250 through a friend who owned a sporting goods store. Less than a month later I sent it to ‘Wild’ Bill Fleming to turn it into a S.A. replica of an MP5A3, registered SBR.
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I really liked this gun and even took it to MT once on a prairie dog hunt.
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(after 8 'ranging' shots a hit @106 yards!)

He was a nice guy when I met him and did great work. I wish I had bought one of his sears back in the day.
Rest in Peace Bill.
 
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Bill really was one of the dying generation of good guys - he didn't know me, and a friend had suggested i contact Bill for the assist or info i needed. Bill didn't hesitate, i believe he'd adopt a baby elephant if it walked into his shop.
Don't know how many folks know the basis of his conviction - it was basically a setup and a mistake that anybody would have made. FET (Fed Excise Tax) had not been paid on some M16s Bill had taken in on trade from a PD. Law enforcement firearms are exempt from FET. But nobody thought about it, even though LE is exempt, if a dealer takes in LE weapons on trade, before reselling them, he/she should file FET on them. But nowhere in the regs or FAQ was that ever mentioned - ATF just wanted Bill, on a vindictive basis because he had dared to testify on behalf of someone ATF had charged. So for failing to pay approx $100 each on 9 M16s he received a 2 yr sentence in fed hotel

Tim La France is still alive and is the last of the dying breed but after designing the surefire silencers he retired and is now racing cars - trust me, he has my envy
 
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Is there a book or documentary on Bill Fleming?
A fascinating character from everything I've heard about him but most of it's from random stories told on forum posts.
 
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