A Day Full of Shooting and New Guns - 2007 Pre-SHOT Show

After some more wandering, I found what I've been wanting - a Sako 85S bolt-action rifle. Not so much that I've been longing for a Sako, but for the cartridge for which it was chambered - the 338 Federal. And after having fired it, I like the rifle a lot, too. Ammo was Fusion, with 200-grain bullets. Accuracy was fantastic, and the rifle functioned like a dream. I had to get away from it quick, before I lost control and tried to take it home with me.

Perhaps that's why, just a few minutes later, I couldn't stop myself from bidding on a gun at the silent auction that the National 4-H Shooting Sports was hosting. So I ended up the proud owner of a Benelli Supernova shotgun - but my heart was still a bit broken, because I then had to find a local FFL holder to handle the transfer before I could take possession, call it my own, and take it home. Oh, the pain!

It's kind of a lovely pain, though, since at the end of the rainbow there's a brand-spanking new gun for me. This will be one of very few brand-new guns I've ever had.

- Russ Chastain