The world is full of creepy, gritty, no good, shifty and conniving….triggers (I bet you thought I was going somewhere else, didn’t you?). It’s nothing new though. In fact Timney Triggers has been putting smiles on shooters’ faces since 1946 with a wide array of drop-in versions to replace that factory-installed poser—but that’s not the only way the company makes people happy.
Sandwiched between all the frightening news the past few days, a good friend of mine shared a photo of his daughter—3-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Ruby—holding Tootsie Pops and beaming the kind of contagious grin you can’t help but catch. Her father, Josh Ruby, owns North Texas Rifle Precision and in his efforts to dial shooters into long-distance connections, he often “preps” a client’s rifle before range time. Part of that tweaking can include the installation of a Timney Trigger.
Maddie oversees some of his work—she’s more qualified than I am, that’s for sure—and the evening of the photograph, Josh had a brand new trigger come in. Her first assignment was to open the box and inventory the contents. He knew what was inside.
She received two treats, and a personal letter. In case you can’t read the note she’s holding in the photo, it says, “Hi Madeline, We want to thank you for being one of our best and favorite Timney Trigger fans. Here is another sucker for you because you are such a great helper for your daddy…”
Tootsie Rolls? Thank you notes? My grin was too big not to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Timney Triggers owner John Vehr explained the thank you notes started a year ago, and “…everybody at the shop signs them.” The inclusion of Tootsie Pops began nearly 15 years ago. “We buy them by the pallet several times a year.”
Why? “I thought it would be a fun surprise for our customers to get a Tootsie Pop along with an awesome trigger,” he explained.
The brevity of his e-mailed comments make it obvious he doesn’t consider it a big deal. Maddie’s smile says the opposite, and is yet another one of those simple and heartwarming stories so typical in the firearm industry.
Of course, you can’t please everyone. Nikki Nix, who handles customer service, explained, “One guy called in all upset because we put a Tootsie Pop in his box. He said it was like we’re calling him a sucker. I explained to him that’s not our intention….I told him the rule behind the Tootsie is it takes less time to install our triggers than it does to finish a Tootsie.” It turned out his wife called him a sucker, and he called to complain and recommend the company stop including the candy.
Timney didn’t heed the Grinch’s advice, the smiles continue to glow and, more than likely, Maddie is watching diligently for the next UPS truck to arrive.
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