Ballistic Soulmate

So, I got the idea from a Gunbroker.com commercial.  A guy holding a 1911, saying that it was his "ballistic soulmate" and how he got it on Gunbroker.  It made me chuckle and I obviously remembered it, so it must have been a good ad.  So, on to the point.  What is your "ballistic soulmate"?

This is not just a gun porn or "look at my gun(s)" post.  It is more born of my curiosity about the connection we have with these tools.  I'm just very interested in how some firearms seem to "speak" to certain people.  It doesn't have to be particularly fancy or expensive to feel like an extension of you.  It may not even be the one you carry all of the time.  For me it certainly isn't.  It's just the one that always seems to "feel" right.  It seems to almost shoot itself. 




Don't look at me like that, I know you know what I'm talking about.

Here is my conundrum on this post:  I can't decide, so I went with a handgun and and long gun.  I'm already blowing up my own meme, I know.  So, moving on to the meat of the matter, this is my handgun that just absolutely is my ballistic soulmate.

Love at first sight

It is my Les Baer Custom Comanche 1911.  It was sold to me at cost as a tip from a client waaay back when I was hunting guide.  The extra-special tip was the 3,000 rounds of .45 ACP that came with it (long since gone).  The gun also came with advice regarding the high thumb grip which improved my performance dramatically.  This gun holds my hand when I pick it up.  When my wife reads this I'll probably have to be supervised around it from now on.  I love to carry it, but as we know sometimes it just isn't practical and that's why we tend to have a gun safe full of options.  At least that's my excuse.  These aren't all toys, they're options.

In a more recent picture:  The new grips are Cocobolo and are inset with a Texas quarter.  They were a gift from a friend on last year's big shooting trip that we do annually.  They're awesome.  I also acquired some Chip McCormick Power Mags, though I also still use the Wilson mags that came with it.

So, moving on to my other love...

Uhhh, hey baby

It is an engraved Remington 700 BDL in 7mm STW (Shooting Times Westerner).  What a love/hate relationship this has been.  I love it when I shoot it, I hate it when I try to find ammunition.  My wallet generally despises this rifle.  It is the main reason I've been considering getting into reloading.  Two years ago (out of desperation) I scoped my AR-15 for deer season.  It turned out to be an awesome culling rifle and I saved a ton, but it didn't "do" anything for me. 

Comparison: 7mm STW (top) and .223 (bottom) - obviously



The Two Towers
7mm STW (L) .223 (R)

Then a situation transpired that put the STW back into my hands.  Last season we were culling a lot of trash bucks and one particular fork was being a persistent pain in the hind quarters.  I didn't shoot him early in the season while I was still trying to monitor and determine the worst offenders for which to use my limited tags.  D'oh!  This guy became a legend on the lease within the next month.  He would literally run through the hunting area and you had no chance to react.  Why he even continued to move through the same area if he was so spooked is beyond me.  Well, out came big Mr. 7 and a change in tactics. I moved from the blind up the hill.  The above picture was taken sitting on an overlook where he came through.  I ended up shooting a different deer that day, but it was so much more memorable than all of the deer I shot the year before with the AR.  A friend ended up finally getting the fork later in the season.  The STW has taken Aoudad at 400 yards and Red Stag at 50 yards.  It has taken 6 Axis from the same herd in one sitting.  Now, that was a wild time with a rifle that holds 2+1 (3+1 if you really squeeze them in).  The point is that gun made the hunt fun again.  I just seem to exude confidence when I use it, but not in me... in the rifle.


With Versa-Pod

So, tell me if you have a "ballistic soulmate".  Is it just a "feeling", or are you more left-brained about the technical reasons?  The curiosity regarding guns that "speak" to their owners has stirred me and I'd love to hear more.

Mmmmm, Axis