Joe's Gun

C.O.B. · 10-11-2009, 02:08 PM

Joe's gun came out of the safe for the first time in 27 years when I took it to the range to check it's zero for my trip to Wyoming for Mule Deer and Antelope. The gun is a Ruger .270 he bought new when he was 16 and he equiped it with a Dusk 3X9 wide angle scope from Boyd Williams who was a jobber at the sporting goods store I was working at the time. Boyd is one of the Williams of Williams Gun Sight and has now passed on also.

Joe used the .270 for his first ever Whitetail, a doe the year he was 16 and the following year he got a 7 point with it. Joe left us early on 8/15/82 and I took his rifle on my first trip west that fall. That was 27 years ago this month. I got a nice deer that year with it and this year I used it to take a 14.5 inch Antelope.

I can't really put my finger on why I haven't used the gun other than I just have other guns I like the looks and feel of better. The gun is still essentially new and at the range three shots were all in the money and one well placed 130gr soft point put the Antelope down hard. I must admit it felt good to carry his gun in the field again and I should and probably will do more of it as I know he was with me and appreciated the fact that the gun saw use again.

Bill Murphy · 10-11-2009, 05:42 PM

Richard, I have a baggo shotguns and rifles that are in the same category, that I have received from friends. I have also sold a baggo guns to my friends at less than fair prices just so they could stay local and my friends could hunt and shoot with those guns with some memory of past events and hunts. Great post. By the way, my very early Ruger 77 is not my favorite rifle, but it is the only one I have used on long hunts, the most hours and days carried, and it will be the one I give to my favorite rifle hunting friend, some day.

Dean Romig · 10-11-2009, 10:58 PM

My Ruger is a .270 also. I don't know if there is a better cartridge available for medium size game. It just gets the job done. I don't own a Model 77 and I like my No. 1 just fine. Knowing I have only one shot keeps me from taking a poor shot.
Those are some very good sentiments Rich. I hope there are people like you and Bill and other good friends in the PGCA who will see that my guns find good homes when the time comes. . . . NO, I'm FINE so don't get grabby!