I was given the deer rifle and a partial box of ammo from a deceased friend. Nobody in his family had any interest in hunting and his wife knew he had hunted one of my farms for several decades. His widow said he used it the last nine hunting seasons of his life. She gave it to him for his 70-th birthday. He did the same thing every year. Shot one bullet to check for point of impact being unchanged, then shot his deer with one perfectly placed shot. She said he killed one buck every year, not monster sized, but all decent bucks. The box has two loaded bullets left. I wonder if he knew his end was near? I did buy another few boxes of bullets but have not shot the rifle. I'm holding it for his recently born great grandson, on the off chance he will be interested in it. If I go before then, my son has instructions to follow through on my wishes.
My friend was an engineer and had the most organized wood working, mechanic shop and gun room you ever saw. Every thing in the right place, all tools cleaned and stored in drawers, socket sets complete, boxes of screw and bolt neatly closed and stored by size for quick use. His hand saws sharpened, chisels razor sharp, even his stacked lumber was divided by species and thickness. The man was more organized than I ever have been and my friends and family consider me a neat freak and slightly anal about organization of my stuff. And he was a good man, a good friend and solid Christian, who I wish was still here to take his single buck every year. Friends like him are rarer every day. I keep the rifle and partial box of ammo side by side as they ought to be kept and a note with the story they represent.
