by monschman on Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:53 pm
There is something inherently beautiful about a rifle, it becomes an extension of your ability and your beliefs. When held in the proper hands and with good practice it becomes a formidable weapon to defend family, self and country. It can also feed the mouths of starving people, repel and put down an enemy, or cause a person to have a stressfree evening putting holes accurately in inanimate objects.
For me, though I no longer own one, my heart will always be with a rifle, be it a lever action model 99 putting venison in the freezer, a G3 or L85A2 to defend my country and those that I care for and love, or a ridiculously overpriced piece of hand tooled precision equipment designed for sub MOA accuracy at great distance.
This is my rifle.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master it as I must master my life.
My rifle without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless.
I must fire my rifle true.
I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me.
I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My rifle and myself know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire,
the noise of our bursts, nor the smoke we make.
We know it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life.
Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories,
its sights, and its barrel.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage.
I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready.
We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God I swear this creed.
My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country.
We are the masters of our enemy.
We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until there is no enemy, but PEACE.