I have a Rifle!
My luck during the gun hunting season has been limited, so far, to not freezing to death while sat in a tree. Put a gun in my hands and the deer will keep a very respectable distance away, although you can still hear them laughing!
Despite the previous lack of action, I am looking forward to the forthcoming season because I will be using my own gun for the first time, previous expeditions being armed with borrowed fire power.
Yup, I got me a gun! Something in keeping with my nature. I could have saved and purchased a fancy modern thing with all the bells and whistles. I could also have kept using the borrowed weapon and may again use it in future. This season I go old school. The rifle is a 1918 Lee Enfield SMLE mk. III*. It is bolt action with a 10 round clip. The original incarnation of this gun first saw action during the Boer War in South Africa from 1899 to 1902 and was used by various countries for 3/4 of a century after that!
I am still working on deciphering the markings, there are many, but know a little at this point. Made in 1918, mine is marked for use by the Australian military. Somehow it found it’s way here and at some point some of the wood was removed, giving it a more modern appearance. I plan to replace some, if not all of the missing wood and am toying with the idea of carving my own from some Black Walnut that I have harvested from a tree in our yard.
The first priority is to get a case for it and take it out to the inlaws place for a sighting in/practice. I’ll let you know how I get on. It should prove interesting as the gun sight is adjustable in 5 yard increments from 200 to 2000 yards!