A Beloved Rifle Does More Than Shoot Straight

Buying a new hunting rifle has always been a bit unnerving.

All reputable firearms manufacturers can guarantee their guns will shoot. But none can assure that every rifle off the assembly line will fire with tack-driving accuracy.

A hunter might get only one chance in a lifetime to put crosshairs on an elk with a trophy rack. The distance might be 300 yards. The margin for error would be slim.

With the factoring the shooter must do for distance, trajectory and windage, a fickle rifle is unacceptable.

We don’t know all the reasons that make one rifle shoot straighter than another. Irregularities in barrel rifling and stock mounting can cause bullets to stray. But sometimes the culprit appears to have vague connections to metallurgy. Maybe even the alignment of stars.

An attractive rifle on a store rack could be a flop in the field.

Perhaps the best hunting rifle in the world is the one your dad used season after season until he finally passed it on to you after his last hunt.

That’s why I’m honored to have Norm’s rifle.

I bought it from his son, who no longer hunts.

Norm was well-known at the Spokane Rifle Club as a discriminating shooter.

He owned many rifles. But none went into the field more than once if it did not show flawless accuracy off the shooting bench.

His son gave me the chance to buy Norm’s 7mm magnum. There’s nothing pretty about it. The pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 action was fitted with a Douglas barrel. The original Winchester factory stock has the scratches, nicks and scrapes that prove the rifle went beyond the shooters bench.

Bright metal shows through the bluing in the places familiar to Norm’s hands. This rifle smells of elk camps and deer hunts.

His son remembers one shot Norm made to drop a mule deer buck at a phenomenal distance.

“It was the last chance in the last few minutes of light on the last day of the season,” he said. “But dad had shot that rifle so much, he had total confidence in what it could do.”

I have a few boxes of Norm’s handloads and his recipe for loading precision. Best of all, the rifle has the seasoning of seasons spent in the hands of one hunter.

I’m anxious to hunt with Norm’s rifle. But for now, I’m enjoying a lifetime of hunting with the rifle merely resting in my lap.

Zero in: The Spokane Rifle Club once again will open its range to the public so hunters can zero in their rifles before the general hunting seasons.

Non-members are invited to the range 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily from Sept. 20-Oct. 10, except for Mondays and Tuesdays, when the club will be opened only for club members.

The charge for non-members is $6, or $8 for a sportsman with two rifles. A sportsman bringing three or more rifles pays $10 and gets use of the 200-yard range and the 25-yard handgun and smallbore ranges, said Tom Higgins, club spokesman.

The club is raising money for a new clubhouse, Higgins said. The old structure, built in the 1920s, was recently razed.

Spokane Rifle Club members will be on hand to assist with sighting in rifles if necessary. The club supplies targets and spotting scopes, and members will help with minor scope and sight adjustments and gunsmithing.

The club is at the junction of Aubrey White Parkway and Rifle Club Road along the Spokane River, downstream from the Bowl and Pitcher.

Info: Tom Higgins, 327-7896 or Spokane Rifle Club, 327-9632.

Idaho, too: The Coeur d’Alene Rifle & Pistol Club has opened its range to non-members to sight in their rifles for the fall hunting seasons.

The range, on Atlas Road near the Industrial Park (about two miles north of Seltice Way), will be open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. through October. The fee for non-members is $4. There’s no limit on the number of rifles a shooter can sight in. Ear protection, targets and spotting scopes are available.

The range features a covered firing point, ranges of 25, 50 and 100 yards and a laser safety system.

Info: (208) 666-8803.

Women join the hunt: The Idaho Department of Fish and Game will offer its fourth Panhandle Region “Women in Hunting” clinic Sept. 27 near Coeur d’Alene.

Topics will include firearm safety, survival, hunting regulations, wildlife sign and field clothing. Participants will have an opportunity to fire shotguns at clay targets and centerfire rifles at paper targets.

The all-day clinic and lunch is free. Preregistration is required because space is limited.

Info: (208) 769-1414.

Hike to trout: Hunting seasons are nearly in full bloom, but don’t forget that fall is the best time since the ice came off to fish for trout in high mountain lakes.

Fly fishers focus too much on trying to cast straight out from shore, struggling with backcasts that snag in the brush. Often it’s more productive to get out on a log or rock and cast parallel to shore, where the fish often cruise.

A few tricks might be necessary to take bigger, more wary trout from deep water. Try casting a lure as far as possible and letting it sink to the bottom. (Replace treble hooks with single barbless hooks for mountain lake fishing to make life easier for you and the trout you release.) Retrieve the lure slowly. This is probably all you’ll need to do to catch a fish.

But if a stubborn bruiser follows the lure without hitting it, have your partner ready with a fly rod. A trout that suspiciously follows a lure often will jump at the chance to smack a juicy fly that shows up in front of his snout.”

You can contact Rich Landers by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 5508.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review