I think the ultimate cartridge is what was passed down from previous generations. If you didn't come from a family that hunted or used firearms, that puts you in a very important position. You will provide family heirlooms for future generations.
Either way, you are part of a great legacy. A custodian of your family's possessions.
---
Joe Grinder's HeirloomsJoe Grinder was a quiet man,
Who spent a lot of time at the range.
He was a hunter,
A father,
And a Gulf War vet,
Who didn't deal too well with change.
It wasn't because he was older,
If sixty could make you that way.
He just wished folks would mind their own business,
Like he did, himself, every day.
"Stop livin' in the past, old man!
It's time for a new Creedmoor gun!
It's like your frozen in time,
And you've fallen behind,
Your 30-06 is all done!"
Joe smiled when those fools started speaking,
And recited in their uppity way,
The mistakes Joe was making,
And how to improve,
As if Joe was the one who had strayed.
But he never paid much attention.
He just sipped from an old coffee cup.
And pondered on all of his targets,
And if he could tighten them up.
But then came that morning, one Tuesday,
When a young fellow they called Jimmy Jay,
Saw Joe in his chair,
And decided right there,
To reward him with counsel that day.
For twenty minutes, Jimmy Jay jabbered.
For twenty minutes, Joe's interest swayed.
But Jimmy kept talking,
And Joe kept on thinking,
'I'll ignore him, and he'll go away.'
Then the range clock struck the half hour,
And young Jimmy asked of old Joe,
If he'd learned anything of importance,
From the story that young Jimmy had told.
Joe sat silent, considering his options,
Now it was his time to speak,
And tell off foolish, young Jimmy,
And rebuff his silly critique.
"I only shoot four guns, you see,
'Cause that's all that I'll ever need,
And in the forty odd years that I've used them,
They have never failed to succeed."
"The first gun I got was dad's old 44,
That he got from his dad, at ten.
It's been in the family for one hundred years,
Passed down from past Grinder men."
"The next two, I got from my uncles.
And neither came back from the war.
The hippies protested them going,
But I was proud of their time in the Corps."
"This last was from my lovely wife, Sarah,
When I returned from my war in Iraq.
It was a 30-06 from her daddy,
Who used it, himself, some time back."
"These things are constant reminders.
They're heirlooms that fed us,
And symbols of service,
But to me, they are much more that that."
"They remind me of family,
Now long gone in my past.
The youth of my father.
My granddad's great vigor.
And fun teenage times,
When the world was less angry,
And before my innocence passed."
"So go buy your new Creedmoor rifle.
You need to create your own merit.
When you're done,
Pass it down,
And remember my words,
It's a memory your children inherit."
With that, Jimmy Jay started speaking,
But Joe shook his head to say no.
The young man looked confused and frustrated,
Then waved and said he must go.
And Joe took a sip of his coffee,
He leaned back and let out a sigh.
He thought for a moment,
Then started to laugh,
Jimmy Jay was too young to know why!
He just didn't get it.
Youth got in the way.
But he'll realize it,
In time.
That old heirlooms remain bright and shiny,
When fads are all covered in grime.
- 2018, Stephen Redgwell
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