The 351

The 351
            I was around fourteen years old when my older brother and his friends decided to go deer hunting. My brothers friends were also my friends’ older brothers and we all knew each other one way or another. My friend George and his brother had several rifles their dad had obtained over the years and since I didn’t have anything but a pump shotgun they decided to loan me the use of a rifle because deer hunters used rifles!
            I was handed a used but nice Winchester 351 Self Loading rifle, which was by then obsolete, but I didn’t know that and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because I was going deer hunting. Being young and inexperienced I didn’t even think to try shooting the rifle or sighting it in but naively forged ahead as a fearless “poster” during the deer “drive”. A drive was a bunch of hunters spaced out along a line pushing through the stand of woods where deer were believed to be hiding. A select few were posted at the far end of the woods to ambush the deer if they came out and were of the legal variety, namely antlered deer with antlers at least longer than three inches.
            Being new to this hunting I was spotted at a far corner and strongly admonished not to shoot anyone! I wasn’t sure if I would recognize a three inch spike but I was very sure I would know a hunter!  I posted for several drives thereafter and then it was my turn to drive. The next few drives proved as luckless as the first few and the hunting was over for that day. The next day we tried again at several new locations and finally several bucks were harvested, unfortunately, none were mine.
            Once we were done hunting George and I decided to shoot our rifles so we at least had something to show for our hunting experience. We set up some targets out at about fifty yards and started shooting George’s rifle, a Savage 99 in 250-3000. It was a slick well honed rifle and it was accurate as well even for us nimrods. Next it was over to the infamous 351 and some hard learned lessons. I loaded the magazine with three or four of the old cartridges that were of an age much older than either one of us. They looked ok but there were some whitish-gray areas on the lead noses of some of the rounds and dark stains on some of the brass.
            The first shot was OK but the next one was a dud as was the next one and the next one. We tried many more rounds and ended up with four or five that actually fired! I wondered what would have happened had I actually seen a deer and tried to shoot at it. I figured the duds would have been my luck if I had shot. We cleaned the rifles and returned them to their resting place and the hunting was left for another season. I never pick up a rifle now without wondering if it will fire or if the ammunition is going to work.
             It’s a strange legacy that has been stuck in my head somewhere and that impressed me with the need to always try my gun and ammunition out well before the hunting begins and I owe it all to that Winchester 351 Self Loading rifle. I suppose with good ammunition I would have never learned the value of that lesson or, perhaps, I would have learned it later in a circumstance that was less forgiving. At any rate I count myself lucky to have learned young something which has been a benefit to me ever since.
Chris