I've always said that I was a JEDI-MASTER at spending other peoples money!
I got my best-bud into hunting when I bought my place 4yrs ago. (I've done it for over 30yrs but he'd never done it before I carried him, he was hooked after the first time out!) So his wife texted me Monday asking if there was anything he wanted for hunting or maybe a new gun, for their 20th anniv that was on Wed? Funny, just the prior weekend YES he and I HAD talked about him getting a new rifle. When he first started he was using his deceased fil's Belgian Safari BAR '06 (blonde wood, it's a BEAUT!) but didn't like it's weight nor was he comfortable using it in bad weather and down in my swamp where our guns can get a lil mud and water on them from time to time. So he's been using my pet 280 700 SS/Lam from the Rem Cust Shop that's a JEWEL... but I kinda want my 280 back!
So I seized the moment, I asked her how much of HIS money she wanted to spend?
I gave her a "decent", a "better" and a "best" recommendation of combos/rigs. (Now my bud already told me that he had dropped 14large on bling for wifes anniv gifts, so I knew his wife would feel "cheap" if she "bought" him a new 783 or Savage combo after getting all the new bling she was wearing! I'm good watching out for my buds like that!!!
) Of course she said, "Well it's out 20th so I better get him "really nice"." So I instantly spec'd out a combo that I've been eyeballing for some time: A Sako 85 Finnlight ST, 7mm-08 wearing a Swarovski Z3 3x9x36 and all held together by Sako Opti-lock bases and rings!
A quick few calls within an hour of town showed what I knew before, nobody would have one in stock and ordering one would be "hit or miss" at best. (I know from having previously been in the hunting/fishing biz off & on for 2 decades, that dealing with Beretta was akin to working with Congress!
) So I got online and found the whole shootin match, rifle, scope and bases/rings at eurooptic.com & their prices were spot on as well. I called them, ordered it all over the phone and they shipped it FedEx on Wed. The scope and bases hit my doorstep this morning and the rifle is at my local Gander Mtn.
This whole package should tip the scales right about 6 3/4-7#, be lightining quick, a breeze to carry and with that caliber in a Sako it should be a LIGHTS OUT SHOOTER!
I'm hoping to get it all together tonight, sight it in tomorrow mid-day and then my bud is coming down tomorrow night to hunt Sun and Mon. He'll have his new "anniv rig" and I'll have my pet 280 back!
Of course the "danger" of this is that once I lay my paws on his rig I'll of course hafta have one as well.
I thought about REALLY gettin in his wallet and getting close to the amount he spent on his wife, as that's only fair right?
Maybe a custom Blaser with a matched Schmidt & Bender? lol, naw I couldn't do that to my boy.
