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ADOPTING A SAKO

© 1999 BY L0REN MOORE

 

 

I’M 66 YEARS OLD. I’VE HAD A GOOD LIFE. I’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HUNT AND FISH WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS YOUNG, THROUGH MIDDLE AGE BY MYSELF, AND WITH YOUNG FRIENDS IN MY OLD AGE.

I CAN REMEMBER MY FIRST GUN. MY DAD GAVE IT TO ME WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD. YOU SAY HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE FOUR YEARS OLD? VERY SIMPLE. I HAD A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE WITH THAT BB GUN. IT WAS A DAISY RED RIDER REPEATER THAT HELD 500 ROUNDS. IT WAS THE FANCY GRADE WITH AN IMAGE OF THE RED RIDER AND LITTLE BEAVER, HIS SIDEKICK, BURNED INTO THE WOOD OF THE STOCK. IT WAS A LEVER ACTION JUST LIKE THE OLD WINCHESTER MODEL 94 30-30 GENE AUTRY. ROY ROGERS, AND RED RIDER USED IN THE OLD BLACK AND WHITE MOVIES I PAID 10 CENTS TO GET IN TO SEE EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

THAT TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE WAS A BROKEN FINGER ON MY RIGHT HAND. THE WAY I GOT THAT BROKEN FINGER SHOWED HOW INEXPERIENCED I WAS WITH FIREARMS AT THE AGE OF FOUR. I COCKED THE LEVER ON MY RED RIDER SPECIAL AND FELL DOWN IN THE PRONE POSITION TO SHOOT THAT INDIAN HIDING BEHIND OUR OUTHOUSE. THE WEEDS IN THE BACK YARD WERE TO HIGH FOR ME TO SEE THAT INDIAN WITH THE SIGHTS ON MY TRUSTY RIFLE, SO I OPENED THE LEVER AND USED IT AS A REST TO KEEP MY RIFLE ABOVE THE WEEDS. WHEN I PULLED THE TRIGGER THAT MADE THE LEVER COME CRASHING AGAINST THE STOCK TRAPPING MY FINGERS. THE BLOW BROKE MY LITTLE FINGER. I RAN, CRYING TO THE HOUSE AND SHOWED MY MOTHER MY “OUCH”. SHE ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED AND I TOLD HER THAT AN INDIAN HAD SHOT ME. BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

AS I SIT HERE IN MY OFFICE WITH ALL MY TROPHIES AND MEMORIES OF YEARS OF HUNTING, FISHING. AND COMPETITION SHOOTING AS WELL AS MY GUN COLLECTION. I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL MY THINGS WHEN I PASS ON ESPECIALLY MY GUN COLLECTION. I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS. TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS. AND NOW A GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER. NO BOYS! AND ME WITH AS FINE A GUN COLLECTION AS ANYONE COULD EVER WANT. I’VE BEEN PUTTING THIS COLLECTION TOGETHER FOR FORTY YEARS. WELL, THE ONLY THING I KNOW IS TO FIND A GOOD HOME FOR IT. SELLING A $40,000 COLLECTION TO ONE PERSON IS HARD. SO I HAVE TO SELL IT A GUN OR TWO AT A TIME, AND THAT MAKES IT DOUBLY HARD BECAUSE EVERY GUN IS LIKE A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY. AFTER ALL SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN IN MY FAMILY FOR OVER 40 YEARS. IT’S HARD TO THINK ABOUT SENDING A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY OFF WITH JUST ANYBODY. SO I DECIDED TO FIND SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT I WOULD APPROVE OF TO ADOPT EACH GUN.

I STARTED BY RUNNING A CLASSIFIED AD IN THE NEWSPAPER. AS I WOULD GET CALLS TO BUY ON OF MY RIFLES I WOULD INTERVIEW THE PROSPECTIVE BUYER BEFORE I WOULD SHOW HIM THE RIFLE. IF HE DID NOT MEET MY APPROVAL. I WOULD ASK HIM TO FORGIVE A SENTIMENTAL FOOL BUT I JUST COULDN’T PART WITH MY RIFLE. BUT IF HE SEEMS LIKE SOMEONE I WOULD LET CARE FOR A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY I WOULD GET THE RIFLE OUT OF THE CASE AND LET HIM SEE IT. I WOULD WATCH VERY CAREFULLY TO SEE IF HE HANDLES MY CHILD WITH RESPECT. IF HE WAS ANXIOUS TO LEARN HOW TO FEED AND CARE FOR MY CHILD. IF HE PASSED ALL THE CRITERIA I HAD SET FOR ADOPTING A FAMILY MEMBER I WOULD PROCEED TO GIVE HIM INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FEED AND CARE FOR MY CHILD.

AFTER A PROPER PERIOD OF INSTRUCTIONS IF HE SEEMED CAPABLE OF CARING FOR MY SAKO RIFLE I WOULD TELL HIM THE PRICE. USUALLY BY THIS TIME HE WAS SO ANXIOUS TO BUY IT I ALWAYS MADE A SALE!

SAKO RIFLES WERE A LARGE PART OF MY COLLECTION AND I WAS VERY PROUD OF THEM. I HAD 15 SAKO RIFLES IN MY COLLECTION. SPORTER MODELS AND HEAVY BARRELED VARMINT MODELS, WHERE AVAILABLE. WHEN I DID SELL ONE OF MY SAKOS I WOULD STAND AT THE DOOR AND CRY. MY CHILD WAS LEAVING HOME FOREVER. I WOULD BE HEART BROKEN.

MY WIFE HAPPENED TO WALK UP BEHIND ME JUST AS ONE MAN WAS LEAVING WITH ONE OF MY SAKO RIFLES AND SAW ME STANDING THERE AT THE DOOR CRYING. I WAS HOLDING EIGHT, HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS IN MY HAND. SHE ASKED ME WHY I WAS CRYING. I TOLD HER IT WAS BECAUSE MY CHILD WAS LEAVING HOME FOREVER. SHE TOLD ME IF IT MAKES YOU THAT UNHAPPY TO MAKE EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS I’LL MAKE YOU HAPPY. SHE REACHED OVER AND TOOK THE MONEY OUT OF MY HAND. “THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY.” SHE SAID. I STOOD THERE CRYING HARDER THAN BEFORE. SHE SHOOK HER HEAD AND WALKED AWAY. AS SHE WALKED AWAY I HEARD HER SAY,” THERE’S NO FOOL LIKE AN OLD FOOL!”

 

  BY LOREN MOORE

COPYRIGHT 1999

 

LOREN

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