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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2018)
Old Reliable DEADLY ACCURATE AND POWERFUL .30-06 Story by Dale Valade for the Blue Mountain Eagle or every rifleman and hunter, For others, perhaps “the one” got away at some there exists a certain weapon point. As they got older, priorities changed, and in of somewhat enchanting, if not a desperate moment “the one” was sold and the mystical, properties. This is the money went to pay rent or buy groceries. Maybe one they would grab if the they saw something shiny, which somehow house was on fire and let the diminished their “Old Reliable” just enough to feel rest go to perdition. The one all right about sending her down the road. Regrets? they value above all the rest Oh, they regret it all right and usually quite deeply. and view as the favorite. Sometimes it has a For me, it’s not my first .22 nor my first deer nickname or has somehow been a source of good rifle that I consider “the one to rule them all.” luck, if you will. Just like each of us, each one has Fifteen years ago, I blew a half month’s wages at a very unique and interesting story. Nydam’s Ace Hardware right here in John Day to For some, it was their very first smoke pole, and buy it. Darren showed me three rifles that day, and whenever they clutch it in their hands, they’re this is the one that followed me home. With it I instantly transported in their mind’s eye to a vivid, have taken a myriad of coyotes, a badger, various if not immortal, childhood memory of days gone other varmints, more than several deer and elk. I’ve by. This was likely a .22 rimfire of some sort with even used it to put down beef cattle and as backup basic open sights good on a bear hunt. enough to score hits on a At one point, I tin can out to 75 or 80 nearly sold it. I was yards if the wind stood broke, and it was well Fifteen years ago, I blew a still. Perhaps it was on a worth what I was half a month’s wages at hot summer afternoon asking. I thought to spent trading maternal that I would Nydam’s Ace Hardware right myself insults and shooting replace it with a newer, here in John Day to buy it. ground squirrels. Merely flashier magnum caliber holding this amulet rifle once I was able. I Darren showed me three awakens sleeping remember well the day rifles that day, and this is the I told Dad that I had put memories to become immortal dreams to be one that followed me home. it up for sale. My father, relived again and again. in his usual loving way, Maybe this memory told me that I should took place on a cold autumn morning. Perhaps it duly extract my cranium from my posterior to wasn’t a .22 but their first “big” gun. At last they make room for his foot if I was to be foolish were going to become a man. Mother bundled enough to sell that rifle. them up and handed off a brown bag of “Everything you’ve pointed that rifle at has hit sandwiches to Dad with a kiss on the cheek as they the dirt. Son, some men spend their whole lives headed out to a favorite duck pond or deer haunt. looking for what you already have, and you’re As they yawned and staggered toward the truck, going to get rid of it?” the excitement was already building inside. The old man didn’t live as long as he has by Hopefully they could keep a steady nerve and being a fool. I immediately took it off the market, shoot straight, just the way Dad and Grandpa telling all interested parties they were out of luck. taught them to. That’s only one of the many good lessons I’ve been Perhaps, for some, “the one” belonged to party to in my time. Grandpa and has been handed down to them. Nope, for me, that gun “Old Reliable” still Maybe it has been in the family for several resides in my gun cabinet. Every year I take her generations and was carried on the trail by pioneer hunting for whatever big game tags I’m lucky ancestors and was used to hunt buffalo and elk and enough to draw. I have always had a Leupold to defend the homestead against any would-be scope mounted in steel rings for sights. It’s pretty malefactors. Like other heirlooms, its very plain Jane as far as looks go: a standard factory existence is revered and honored. It will be kept, stock full of dents, dings, scratches and gouges used and passed on again for as long as it lasts. from the miles we’ve shared. It was fitted with a F ‘‘ MyEagleNews.com Dale has taken a myriad of coyotes, a badger, various other varmints, several deer and elk with “Old Reliable.” Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad by John Petersen of Idaho Falls a few years back because the factory pad began to split. She’s on her second barrel, a 24- inch Douglas just a little larger in diameter than her first, installed by Randy Wills of Bend. Randy also tuned the Winchester factory trigger to a perfect 3- pound pull. The old military-style leather sling belonged to my grandfather and has been a great aid to making shots in the field where no other rest was available. When I look at that rifle and take it hunting or shooting, it’s a tome of the miles we’ve shared, the freezers we have filled and the great memories with family and friends, some of whom are no longer walking this earth. She’s no speed demon as far as velocities go and lacks a lot of the pizzazz that folks nowadays consider necessary for big game hunting. In a world of polymers and carbons, she’s walnut and steel. Maybe you could even say she is fleshy, weighing 9 pounds loaded. This, for me, is a plus rather than a minus. I have always been able to shoot straighter from all the various field positions with a heftier long gun. It’s the rifle for which I will no doubt be remembered when I’m long gone and hopefully will be cared for and passed on just the same. Oh, I almost forgot, you all will want “the rest of the story.” For those of you who care about the numbers and specs, the legend stamped on the side of the barrel reads “.30-06.” It may not be all you ever want, but for myself and thousands of other sportsmen across the globe, it’s all the rifle we need. Its ubiquity of ammunition and components, deadly accuracy and awesome power are the main reasons for me that it is “The Rifle.” Whether I am hunting badgers or bears or anything in between, I feel perfectly confident in the power and performance of this caliber and rifle. For those out there just getting into the shooting and hunting sports, I implore you to take a second look at the rifle that you choose to make yours. While a big, heavy magnum or a light speed freak may be en vogue, the classics last forever. They outlast and usually outperform all candidates that appear to supplant. While numbers can be made to reflect any opinion, actual performance is always what counts. Whatever you choose, take care of her, and she will last. Maybe someday your grandchildren will hold your rifle in their hands and reminisce fondly of the memories they’ve had and will yet create while hunting with Grandpa’s rifle. Your rifle, the one, the only one worthy to be called “Old Reliable.” Dale Valade is a local country gent with a deep love for handloading, hunting and shooting. GRANT COUNTY HUNTING JOURNAL 2018 • 17
