Black Magic is a Remington 700 SPS Police, chambered in .308 Win. She's a solid, accurate rifle with capabilities above me. LOL! Many a shooter will claim their gun is more accurate then they are. Black Magic is no exception.
Far away from my typical tastes, Black Magic was a pipe dream for me. She was on my wish list, but she was always far above my price range. And with a rifle like this, you build on it to meet your needs and it's own qualities. So I knew, with what I always said I'd do to it if it were mine, she would cost me far more than I ever said I would spend on a rifle.
But fate was on our side.
At the time, I worked in the first gun shop I was employed with. It was a very large shop with a gigantic selection. There was something for everyone there from tactical to hunting to fun guns, etc. And I like fun guns. I like guns I can clean up, study, find history on, just plug holes in paper, etc. Black Magic was a little more work than I really ever thought I'd put into a gun.
But she came into the shop with a twin many moons ago. She went on the wrack while her twin waited in the warehouse for a new home. It came.
The guns sat for almost a year before someone came in and happily bought the twin. We were glad one finally moved. After all, this rifle was very popular with the staff. We all played with it on a regular basis, fake sighting it, working the action, and firing onto dummie rounds, all of us saying what we'd do to dress it up and what we wanted to learn to be able to meet the weapon's capabilities. But none of us could afford such a gun. So we were content to drool all over it whenever the shop was slow.
The customer came back a month later. Being a regular, he considered us friends and knew our feelings toward the rifle. So he wanted to show off his handy work.
He pulled it out of the carry case and we gasped in horror. He had painted the rifle tan and spray painted what appeared to be ferns all over it. A cheap scope sat on top, the cross hairs badly tilted, a set of plastic bipods were clipped to the barrel (which is horrible for accuracy), and there was rust all over the barrel. He was more concerned with making it look like he was a sniper in the jungles of Vietnam than actually taking care of the rifle. But he was proud of himself, so we chocked it back and told him it was wonderful.
A few months later... the Presidential election happened. We learned Barack Obama would be taking over the White House. We came in that Wednesday and we knew what was coming. We could smell it in the air. The gun owners and those who considered becoming gun owners were coming... they were coming in droves with cash in hand to buy anything that even remotely looked tactical and could be banned a la Clinton. We were like a championship football team in the locker room before the game. We began clearing isles and interviewing prospective sales people. We needed everything set by Saturday, because the hordes were coming.
But those who stood behind the counter looked at the wracks. We looked at what we knew had numbered days left on the shelf. And my eyes rested on the Remington 700 SPS Police. She had recently been marked down to blow out since her time on the shelf had reached a year and a half. And I thought about the twin and the ferns.
The other sales people began plucking AR-15 rifles off the shelf, intent to get them into their collections before the hordes came and left us with nothing but revolvers and tumbleweed. But I reached out and took hold of the bolt gun. The time had come.
I didn't consider it an Obama panic buy. I didn't even consider it a buy. I considered it a rescue. I was saving this rifle from the fate of the twin. I was keeping it from getting into the hands of some tactical trunk monkey who wanted to be a Marine sniper but didn't have the balls to go through Marine basic, or had possibly eaten one too many Big Macs to be accepted in.
As my financing application was being approved, I swore several things:
- She would never be any color other than black.
- She would never be referred to as a "sniper rifle." And I would correct anyone who called her such.
- I would work and learn about the rifle, shooting it as it was intended to be shot, and not just to be another cool jack ass at the range.
In the end, I was right. I spent more on this rifle than I ever wanted to spend on any rifle in my life. I added only a few things... a bipod and scope. I bought a nice set of "clothes" for her, too. It's a set of padded covers for the scope and crown of the barrel, they connect, and the scope cover wraps around the stock so it can be used like a carry handle.
Black Magic is my least discussed rifle. No one else has ever shot her, which is unheard of because I let everyone shoot my guns, even people who ask nicely at the range. She's never appeared in any videos. I rarely show pictures of her. I brought her to the new shop once to let my boss see her, and that was it. And this is the first time I've told that story about how and why I got her.
People who have seen her... they're never impressed. She's not much to look at. But she fits the bill for the gun I think everyone should have. What is that?
I think everyone should own one gun that is too expensive for them. A gun that shoots better than they do. A gun that urges them to move forward in their sport and learn. A gun that the pure thought of makes them smile ear to ear. That's my Magic. I don't shoot her often. But I've kept my word. She isn't a "fun gun." I plan to someday try a match with her. But before that, I am learning everything I can about her and how to shoot her correctly. It's a lot of math and science, and it's a ton of fun for someone like me who is a complete nerd. I have moved forward with her in an attempt to become as proficient with her as I possibly can. And I think everyone should have a gun just like that, whatever the gun may be.
She has zero cool factor. She really does look just like any old hunting rifle to the naked eye. But the insides are what is important. To someone who cares, she is a piece of art and they know what they are looking at. She was fun to assemble, she's fun to learn about, and she's helping me to increase my skills to the next level. I wish a gun just like her for every collection.
