14-Women Who Hunt

14

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Reprinted from http://www.womenwhohunt.com/index.php with permission.

It was during the opening week of the regular gun season in Georgia when this story began. My husband,

Chuck, and I had been hunting for nearly a week and both of us had taken a young buck and a mature doe.

We were in camp preparing to leave for the afternoon hunt when the accident happened. Chuck was

already on the 4 wheeler ready to go. Needing something from inside our camper, I leaned my favorite

rifle, a lever action, 1949 Model 99 Savage chambered in 300 Savage, against the rear of the 4 wheeler

and went back inside. Chuck had not seen what I had done with my rifle and it was too late to warn him

when I heard the 4 wheeler start...

Although he looked before he backed up to turn around, he had not seen the rifle. He stopped immediately

when he felt the resistance, but it was too late. The stock of the old Model 99 was splintered in half. I was

in tears. There is a story which I will not go into at this time on how Chuck and I acquired the old rifle but it

came into my life mysteriously and I considered it a gift from the heavens. It is the favorite of all my weapons

and I was certain it was ruined and irreplaceable. I completed the hunt with a borrowed rifle.

After returning to our home in Waco, Texas, Chuck took my rifle to the Hewitt Gun Shop in nearby Hewitt,

Texas. Both Chuck and I expected the only alternative would be to buy a reproduction stock. While Chuck,

Charles Smith (the shops’ owner) and Ricky Smith (Charles’s brother) were assessing the damage and

looking through some parts books, Darryl, the shop’s gunsmith appeared. He asked if he could look at the

rifle. Of course no one objected and he began to scrutinize the damage. Everyone stood and watched,

shaking their heads to see such a pitiful sight. But, after a couple of minutes he looked up and said, “I think

I can fix it if you’ll give me a little time.”

Darryl began picking up pieces of wood which had fallen out during his inspection and put them in a small

plastic bag and some of the pieces were so small they required tweezers to pick them up. He explained the

repair would have to be done in stages starting with the inner most damage and working his way out.

Darrel had already begun the repairs when he learned I would be leaving the following Friday for a Women

Who Hunt sponsored hunt at the Legacy Ranch in Foreman, Arkansas. Upon hearing this he agreed to have

the broken stock done by Thursday. This took a special effort on his part and I could not believe my eyes

when I saw the finished product. I was astonished. I could not even see one place where the splintered break

had been! My husband told me it was the finest work he had ever seen in his life. The patience and expertise

performed by Darryl shows he is a true artist and craftsman. Charles and Ricky are great business folks and

really cared about my situation as well.

Thanks to all of the wonderful guys at the Hewitt Gun Shop and especially to Darryl, I was able to use the

old Model 99, 300 Savage on the Arkansas hunt and by the way, I took my biggest whitetail deer to date.

He was the heaviest deer ever taken at the Legacy Ranch to date. He weighed in at 228 pounds and

scored 144 4/8 SCI points. I had shot 132 yards, through dead tree tops while in a Tripod. The shot was

true and this buck ran about 60 yards. The Savage had done the job, but only because of this remarkable

repair.

The Hewitt Gun Shop came to our aid again soon after. My husband and I both own Thompson Center

Contenders with 44 barrels. We have found it difficult at times to carry these weapons hunting as the

chest holsters are too cumbersome. Yet regular Thompson swivels could not be used since both

contenders had Pachmayr grips not the original wood grips they would have come with the guns.

The gentlemen at the gun shop again put their heads together and came up with a very unique fix. They

adapted a shotgun swivel mount to the front and they made special screws for the rear swivels and a

little bit more of imagination and handmade alterations. It is marvelous and ingenious.

The reason I am telling you these two stories is that I have found out the hard way that is vital to have a

gun shop you can trust. One that can accommodate most of our weapons and ammo needs and one

who has a skilled and imaginative gunsmith can save you when something goes wrong or you need

something out of the ordinary. Search for a gun shop or gunsmith now before you need them.

You will NOT be sorry.

Submitted by:

Bobbie Holloway, Pro Staff
Women Who Hunt In Texas

YOU CAN COUNT ON THE STAFF AT THE HEWITT GUN SHOP

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MAKE US YOUR ONE STOP GUN SHOP IN

WACO AND ALL OF CENTRAL TEXAS