14 June 20XX+1
My Dear Lucilius:
The rifle barrel is cold in my hand.
This rifle was my grandfather’s, a hunting arm that came down to me after his death over 40 years ago. My cousins, my uncle and I divided them up among ourselves, back in the days where firearm ownership and transfer was nothing more than an interaction between family and friends.
The caliber is an antique one, not common when I received the rifle and not more common in the years since. Yet it has served my purposes, a tool both to use when I had the need to practice and a gateway to a world before I was born, where men lived differently than they did even in my own life time.
I work my way down the barrel with my polishing cloth, then look to the stock.
The stock shows the age of the weapon more than the metal parts; the pits and scratches of the wood making this rifle more unique than even the individual number on it does. Like many things to me it tells me a story without revealing to me what the story was. It was a good story, to judge by its condition, speaking of adventures in the outdoors that were never spoken of in my hearing.
Ammunition for such rifles as this were always hard to come by; between building up a reserve and practice using more common calibers, it was never quite the problem it might have been. I carefully saved the casings, less from the fact that I could or would reload them as much as I might find someone to do so. I never really did, and so the casings have continued to follow me around as well, a potential use never exercised.
The casings, or at least some of them, went away last night.
It was almost an unspoken transaction between Young Xerxes and myself. He asked; I gave them to him. Where they are going or to whom I do not know, nor was the information offered to me. Nor a specific reason why.
The gun sits in my hands, glowing softly in the afternoon sunlight.
Never in all my years had I pictured that I would sit polishing this gun – not for practice, not even perhaps for hunting, but for some potentially grimmer purpose. One reads of such things of course: the sword or gun pulled down from the hearth at need, not having been called upon in half a lifetime for use. Considered at that time items of decoration or even memorabilia, they remained able to be recalled at need to their original purpose.
Later, Pompeia Paulina asks me why I seem uncharacteristically reserved. There is not really a reason I can give her, I reply. Just reminders that the world is sometimes not as we wish it to be.
She squeezes my hand. I squeeze back, involuntarily comparing the softness of her fingers with the cold and hard textures of earlier in the day.
Your Obedient Servant, Seneca
I'm sure quite a few 'bring backs' from past wars from soldiers are still around, gathering dust or stored away carefully and never used.
ReplyDeleteI would bet you are right. I suspect things were much less controlled than likely they are now.
Delete"the world is sometimes not as we wish it to be"......those words describe a fair number of people who can't/won't see things for the way they really are. Hmmmm......ONE hunting rifle, two is one and one is none.
ReplyDeleteIt can be hard, Nylon12.
DeleteI will note that Seneca noted practicing with a different gun/guns. Likely this is the largest/main one.
Musings over the old Mauser
ReplyDeleteThe 7mm Mauser came out in 1892, the 8mm in 1888, both are still not obsolete. I'm thinking the 30-40 Krag a more likely candidate. Much harder to find than the Mausers, doesn't perform as well either.
DeleteDon't know Tree Mike, I find getting a decent supply of 7X57 Mauser or even 303 British pretty expensive.
DeleteI've seen 30-40 Krag ammo for sale.
Was a philosophical answer anyway, not a description of truly obsolete rifles.
I had not idea the "old" Mausers are not obsolete. Still, anything that has ammunition and can fire is a useful tool in trained hands.
DeleteThe "old Mauser" model 98 (as in 1898), was considered the "perfected" Mauser. The vast majority of bolt action rifles built since then owe their lineage to it. A classic example is the original pre 1964 Winchester M70, a not so classic example is the Ruger M77 and Kimbers 84 series. The 1903 Springfield was a licensed copy of the 98 Mauser. A distinguishing feature is the "controlled round feed". It will reliably feed upside down or sideways, even slowly.
DeleteThese days, most bolt guns are "push feed", they're cheaper to make. Any professionally sporterized M98 will be an excellent "bet your life" on it hunting rifle. Most all dangerous game rifles are based on the 98 (unless it's a double rifle).
The only Mauser I have left is an M38 carbine, 1943 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55. Super sweet shooter. The Swedes were obsessed with quality control and accuracy, they even made some design mods that Mauser adopted.
ALL THAT to get to the Mauser isn't obsolete, though maybe not the best choice for modern combat. Probably be a favorite after the fall of civilization (like in the story), since they're almost idiot proof and very durable.
TM - Thank you for the background and the information. I confess the history of firearms is something I am woefully ill-informed on.
DeleteI do think there is some value to simplicity when the situation requires functionality and there are variables - like, say, the collapse of everything.
Good update, TB.
ReplyDeleteNot as we would wish it to be, indeed.
You all be safe and God bless.
Thanks Linda. Honestly, this was one of the more difficult letters to write, although once it started it flowed.
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