After recently retiring from a thirty six year career in law enforcement, as you can probably imagine I have quite a bit of memorabilia to remind me of this most extraordinary time in my life. The gold retirement badge in its leather case that rides in my rear pocket close to my EDC. The old shooting trophies I won in police pistol competitions I participated in back in the day. A framed evidence photo of the bloody barrel of a revolver I was carrying on duty when a crazed knife wielding attacker grabbed it, and tried to take it away from me.
These are all significant mementos of an exciting career now gone by, for sure, but they are also very static reminders. I was looking for something tangible from my old life to take with me on this journey of my new life, the true “dream job” that I now have as a full time outdoorsman, and writer. And then it hit me.
I went to my gun safe, and reaching far back into its deepest, darkest recesses, brought out my old Savage 110P .300 Winchester Magnum tactical rifle. It was still as long, and sleek, and deadly looking as I remembered it being. And I also remembered how easily it used to shoot half inch groups at 100 yards from a sand bag rest with its heavy bull barrel. Coincidentally, I had been shopping around for a new long range bear rifle and it suddenly dawned on me that I was actually holding that very rifle in my hands. And like me, all my old friend needed was a change of uniform, from police black to camo green. Two weeks later, with the help of Boyds Gunstocks, we were together again. And this time, it’s for life.
http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/
