lagrangedave
Gone But Not Forgotten
We could make a trip up to Charlie's if you want...……….
We could make a trip up to Charlie's if you want...……….
First deer hunting trip in my life was in Talbot County as it was the only county close to us with a deer season. I carried a single shot stevens 20 gauge with slugs. I got the crap scared out of me by two Vietnam vets in full camo including face paint. They were turkey hunting in the fall with 22-250 rifles...………..the bullets whistled …………...
Where is the family plot, if you dont mind me asking?????This rifle fits me to a T. This long barreled rifle will be buried with me.View attachment 945166
I know what you mean. Two years ago I got into TC encores. Great guns, functional, practical, but they just don't speak to me the way my family guns do. I get pleasure from some of my firearms just holding them in the stand, remember where the dints and dings came from. Dont get me wrong though, when I get to go out west on an antalope hunt, the TC pro hunter is going to be the right tool for the job and I dont take grandpa's shotgun marsh hen hunting.My Grandfather grew up in Macon county near the flint river. He never saw a wild deer. He had a reputation of being a dead shot with either .22 or shotgun. When I was growing up he only had a .22 Auto and that's the rifle I associate with him, my brother was there when he passed away so he has the gun now.
Today I have a number of rifles both .22 and centerfire. All the rifles have shared kills of elk, deer and hogs. But the ones that speak to me are my flintlock longrifles, especially my .40 caliber. I built both these rifles and put 150+ hours into each one. When I hunt or practice with these rifles I almost feel a kinship, something I never feel with the others.
Yep,,,,I used my Dads Light 12 for pheasant when I was a kid,back when we had pheasant,,,,I bet that gun represents more than wood and metal to you when you think of your dad. My grandfather farmed his entire life on 100 acres. I think his 30-06 rifle was a fairly new addition. He loved squirrel and quail hunting. Don't think deer even crossed his radar outside of his vegetable garden.
I completely understand your point. We have it good these days with both the advancements in firearms and our abilities to purchase them. They are no longer just basic tools but mild investments.I have been blessed with the means to buy a new rifle ever year or two, but sometimes I feel like something has been lost. I remember my grandfather's gun rack. A 30-06, .22, and a side by side double and that was all he ever needed. I remember men in my family that I identified with a caliber or a rifle because for decades that's all they ever shot. "That Uncle Joe sure is a sharp shooter with that .243 he got after the war".... anybody else feel like with the affluence we lose a little bit of the nostalgia for a man and "his" gun?
That's it in a nut shell, almost brought a tear to my eye. I like the way you put that.I have an old 700 30/06 with an action so smooth. Bought it for $150 on a payment plan with a dearly departed friend 25 years ago. He goes with me everytime I take it out.
I hope.
There weren`t any deer when I was a youngun and we didn`t get a deer season till I was a big ol` boy. When we did finally get a season, we used our shotguns since nobody in these parts were gonna buy a rifle just for deer hunting. We hunted fall turkeys, "summer" ducks, and squirrels.
To this day I miss hunting turkeys in the fall more than anything.