Joe's Gun

[C.O.B.]

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.