A WARM GUN

After missing that buck on Friday, I went shopping on Saturday. Like the bow upgrade, I'd been meaning to change calibers in my choice of deer rifle for some time. I hunted in the morning at Majestic and never heard a crow. If by any chance I HAD gut shot that buck, I would eventually hear crows making a racket. At noon I went to The Market. I knew what I wanted- a Remington or Savage, no nonsense, accurate, light, bolt action 30.06. I settled on the Rem. model 700 with a nikon scope and synthetic stock. This info. is for my "gun geek" readers. It's a sweet durable firearm. I have no idea if it will help me kill a deer, but at least I'm being pro-active. I could've jerked the shot and just plain missed. I'll concede that. But for now the entire staff here at HWS agrees- deflected bullet. New gun.
   Speaking of "gun geeks", there are no larger that Savage Lynch and his father Beaver . Mupp was the one who suggested that I just "bite the bullet", so to speak, and buy a nice new gun for myself. "Do it in memory of the old man." he said "You never sell them. He'd appreciate it." Mupp was right. This being a small community, word immediately got out that I was buying a new gun. Beaver was the first to call. "Hey, young fella, I hear you made a purchase..."  Beaver was full of questions. "22 inch barrel?" I had no idea. He was disappointed in my lack of knowledge, but moved on. "What power scope?" I told him when I looked through the scope things looked bigger. Now he was getting disgusted with me. He made me find the scope box and read the power to him, which I did. When I told him I was shooting 150 gr. solid nosed bullets he was very pleased. Finally I did something right. I didn't tell him it was an old box I'd had laying around in the closet for 15 years. We ended the conversation with love yous, and good luck for the morning. Beaver's the old man now. I sure like his calls.
    The next call was from Savage, 2 (or 3) sakes into the evening. He was very proud of me- his words.  There was some confusion as to which model the 700 or the 7 I had purchased. He was incredibly excited that I had bought the 7. Hell, I thought they were the same. When the confusion was finally cleared up, I could sense Savage's disappointment. He put on a good face, talking up the 700. But I knew he was putting on for my benefit. I probably should've conferred with him and Beaver before buying a new gun, but if I had I'd be lucky to get a consensus before next season. We talked trigger pulls- 3 1/2 lbs. out of the box and no "travel". Check. "You want to be surprised when it goes off." Savage was ever the guru. "Take a deep breath and squeeeeeeeze. Don't worry about the second shot. Kill him on the first. The bolt won't be a problem. And next time you buy shells- 165 gr., hollow point boat tail. " All good advice from Savage and Beaver. So dad, this gun's for you. I hope next time I warm up the barrel there will be a dead deer in front of me.