I'm so glad you said "favorite" instead of best,,,
I'm so glad you said "favorite" instead of best,,,
Because I've never been able to define that best thing.
Back in the early 60's when a kid could order from a mail order catalog,,,
I mowed lawns and spent all of my money at the Alden's store.
My grandfather gave me my Uncle Banties WW-II bring-back K-98,,,
That was my deer rifle that bagged 5-deer in 5 years,,,
I still have it in original stock and bayonet,,,
It was a very accurate rifle back then.
I ordered a British .303 of some unremembered version for (IIRC) $19.95,,,
It was a rat/skunk/possum killing machine at the old county dump,,,
Using 3 cent a round milsurp ammo I could afford to shoot it,,,
Easily as accurate as any rifle I had at the time.
I ordered a 7.7 Japanese Arisaka for $14.95,,,
It shot well enough but was never a favorite rifle for me,,,
Perhaps it was a near end of war gun because it was sloppily built,,,
The only thing I ever used it for was to collect dust in the rack on my bedroom wall.
Same for a 6.5 Italian Carcano Carbine that I think was also $14.95,,,
It fired well enough but milsurp ammo was harder to find,,,
I never warmed up to the rifle even a little bit,,,
Then there was the Kennedy stigma thing.
The last one I ordered was a Springfield 1903,,,
If my memory serves me I paid a whopping $24.95 for it,,,
The rifle was well made, very accurate, and pretty, but wasn't a favorite.
Then my distant uncle came to the house one day,,,
He had borrowed my Father's rifle to go deer hunting with,,,
That was in 1951, just a few months before my Father was killed in a truck accident,,,
He had kept the rifle all those many years and decided to return it now that I was old enough.
It was a 30-40 Krag Jorgensen and gentlemen,,,
That became my favorite rifle of all,,,
I loved that side loading gate,,,
It was just an elegant rifle.
I don't know if it was originally the carbine or full rifle,,,
This one had been 'sporterized' as was common in those days,,,
The stock was chopped and reshaped to have a lovely Schnabel forend,,,
The barrel had also been shortened by a few inches and a nice ramp sight installed on it.
I never hunted deer with that rifle,,
I got it in 1968, my senior year of high school,,,
I had already taken my 5th and last deer with the K98 Mauser,,,
I never went deer hunting again but the Krag saw extensive use at the old dump.
There was something very gratifying about opening the gate,,,
Pouring in those five rimmed rounds and slap it shut,,,
Five rats would meet their maker that day.
I wish I still owned the rifle but I don't,,,
Back in 1981 I had a severe fit of some kind of lunacy,,,
I gave it to my sisters son as he is the last descendent of my Fathers line.
My nephew and brother-in-law are deer hunters,,,
I thought he would use the rifle at least once but he didn't,,,
I asked about it a couple of years ago and apparently he's never fired it,,,
For the past 32 years it's been on a rack in his closet and hasn't seen daylight since he took it home.
It's a pity because even though it a very old rifle,,,
It shot like a dream and would have served him well on the hunt.
That was my favorite rifle,,,
I've considered asking for it back,,,
But that would probably be a bad thing.
They do go shooting just before deer season,,,
Perhaps I'll ask him if I can accompany them this time,,,
Bring that old gal out, clean her up, and see if she can still dance.
She was my favorite of them all.
Aarond
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