I know this isn't turkey related but it's very special to me. A couple of months ago my grandad called me up and told me to come over to his house. He is 82 and still doing well. Dosn't hunt much anymore but has done plenty in his day. Anyways I get there and he takes me to his gun cabinet and hands me his favorite deer rifle. A browning bar in 30.06. Made in Belgium and topped with a weaver 4x scope. The very first scope he owned. He told me "take it, it's yours to pass down to your boy when your ready. I am getting old and I want you to have this and put it to use. Before anything happens to me I want it to go to someone who will appreciate it". This means the world to me cause my grandad has been about the only man I have ever had in my family I have looked up to and I can't believe he wanted me to have it. He killed his best buck with that gun. An 8 point with an honest 24" inside spread. He killed it on property that is now the hunting club I am on and for sentimental reasons I am going to take it this year and try to take a buck not far from that spot. Kinda dumb I guess but I am sentimental like that. He also gave me his reloading bench and supplies about two years ago and I just am very humbled and flattered that he wanted to give me these.
No. Not "kinda dumb". Not even remotely dumb!! You obviously love your pap beyond words and he obviously feels the same. Cherish every moment you spend with him. And cherish that rifle. You'll think of him every time you carry it. Sometimes it will bring a smile and sometimes it will bring a tear. But it will never bring one single ounce of regret!!
Here it is
Good luck with the rifle, hopefully you can get a buck with it. Thanks for sharing!
Nice. And nothing at all unusual about wanting to kill a deer with it close to where he killed his best one. I fully understand and would do the same thing. Good luck and congrats on the heirloom.
Very nice...
I too am sentimental... My father recently gave me an old A-5 that he, his brother (who passed before I was born), and my grandfather all used... He gave it to me on the condition that I would shoot it, which I have. In fact, I shoot it better than any gun I own.
Oddly, he just got a great deal on a similar gun and bought it for himself...
That's super. If you're lucky enough to tag a deer with it - get somebody to take a GOOD picture of you, the deer, and the rifle...frame it up and give it to him. That would probably make him as happy as you are!
Congrats.
Awesome gun bud. Miss your grandad. I need to swing by and pester the old man when I get back up that way. Glad it went to you instead of someone else. At least it'll be taken care of and never sold for recreational money.
Quote from: SteelerFan on July 06, 2016, 11:17:58 PM
That's super. If you're lucky enough to tag a deer with it - get somebody to take a GOOD picture of you, the deer, and the rifle...frame it up and give it to him. That would probably make him as happy as you are!
Congrats.
You kidding? This guy has a lucky horseshoe up his hind end. He could sit in a paved parking lot that goes on for miles and have a deer walk up to lick the salt from his boots. He's going to kill a deer with it. Probably within 15 minutes after daylight while I sit around freezing my tail off watching song birds and squirrels. That's how it's happened most years anyway.
Congrats on the new rig happy.
Cool story, and I know the feeling. My paw-paw was the one who introduced me to hunting. I took my hunter's Ed class in the fall one year, and thought I might get to go on some squirrel hunting trips. When he took me out back with a .357 lever action to get ready for deer season, I couldn't believe it. I was on top of the world deer hunting with him that year. He was in declining health, and unfortunately he passed in October the following year, just a few weeks before deer season. I'll never forget the day my uncles came over to hand me his deer rifle, an old 760 Remington pump .308. The gun is really nothing special as far as prestige in the gun world. It had been well used, as a deer rifle should be, but I just stared at that gun forever because I couldn't believe my paw-paw chose me to have the gun he personally carried to the woods. Just a few weeks later I killed my first deer, a nice wide 10-pointer, with that gun, and that's one of those memories you never forget. I've been carrying that gun with me now for 21 years, and I've never even considered buying another, and I don't think I ever will. To this day I spend a good amount of time in the woods each season just looking at that gun and recalling the love he showed by passing that gun to me, and reflecting on all the memories I've made with it over the last two decades. Congrats on getting your grandad's gun, I hope it gives you all the enjoyment that my paw-paw's gun has given me! It truly is a special gift.
excellent!!!!
That's awesome man! I hope you slay a few deer with it this coming season. Good luck
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Happy, i have one just like it with the same power scope that my dad left me..My dad was a 30-06 man..I have or try to hunt with my dad's gun every season for couple days..So glad you got the gun and will hunt with it also...
Thanks for the responses fellows. Grandad has always been pretty frugal. He worked his entire life and was careful with his money. He is pure Irish and it shows. He is a rock. He doesn't pander to anyone else's views and he has a fierce pride in doing things himself. He grew up in Nicholas County,Wv. He left school after 8th grade and worked the home farm. He joined the army and was in the Korean conflict. He returned home and went straight to the coal mines where he worked another 40 years. He doesn't show a whole lot of emotion over anything but he has started to soften a bit. He absolutely loves my youngest boy and I had to hold back tears the day he gave me that gun. I will post this picture. It is sitting on my reloading bench now. 30 years ago I sat on this very same 4 wheeler with him. I pulled out my phone and snapped this cause it just hit me hard. This is grandad with my youngest
Very cool, I've got an old fishing pole that belonged to my pap. I want to put a reel on it and take it out to catch one more fish on it. Those are memories that will last a life time.
Nice gun.
As with most old things with sentimental value the real beauty is within.
If that gun could talk........
It's about so much more than a rifle. I'm happy for you to have such a treasure!
Update on this story. I found a box of his empty brass with his original load data on television side. So I loaded up some shells using his brass and duplicating his load specs. I took his gun out today being opening day of gun season and went to "his" mountain where he took his best buck ever. Well at 3 am he called me to tell me he took a short hunt today and was standing over an 8 point. I was still in the woods hunting but we talked for ten minutes or so. It was miserable today with Temps in the 20's with 20mph plus winds all day. About an hour later I also was rewarded and took a pretty nice buck with his gun on his mountain. Got to go and admire his deer and show him mine. I wanted to get pictures of them together but he hates getting his picture taken so that didn't work out. It was a great day spent with great friends and the older I get the more I realize how precious the memories are. My deer was bigger but he claims his had bigger testicles. Gotta love him.
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Awesome story, congrats to you both!
Quote from: Bowguy on November 22, 2016, 10:27:34 AM
Awesome story, congrats to you both!
:agreed: Congrats
very nice, congrats to both of you
Very very nice.
Great story. Congrats bud!
Fellas, I was there for it all and let me say, it sounded like was on the front line and the enemy had just arrived. Lol. Nice deer, nice gun, congrats again bud. Real happy for you.
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Awesome story hope you get to kill a good buck with that rifle.
Cool story. Congrats to both of you.