In March, I had the pleasure of being invited to the Annual Hog Roundup in Halletsville, Texas for the Texas Dog Hunter's Association. While there, I was introduced to two gentlemen that run and oversee the Non-profit under the name Veterans Xtreme Adventures. They are a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is "provide [a] professional adventure guiding for our nation's wounded combat veteran's". In our conversations about what they do, and how they do it, the conversation turned to ARs. We had a few present to show off at the show, and they liked what they saw. Well, long story short, they were intrigued and interested in a .458 SOCOM.
We happened to have a barrel/bolt combo on order for some time, and thankfully one showed up this summer in our down time. We received multiple donations after making the announcement that we'd be putting it together, and at no cost to the organization. I donated the time and the majority of the parts to build the rifle, with additional parts and funds coming from Facebook friends.
I plan to get the guys to South Texas soon; and with the help of some benefactor land owners, that can happen sooner than later. The program that VXA promotes is they get everyone hand's on. From the ranchers/land owners, helpers/handlers, the veteran(s) that they bring out to hunt has as much camaraderie as possible in the field for a truly remarkable experience. The guys at VXA, Matt and Paul, both have their own set of hog dogs, and they truly have a passion for running hogs with dogs and sticking them knives; but at the same time, enjoy rifle hunting as well.
All veteran's are screened to make sure that utilizing a rifle is not a detriment to their PTSD or care treatments, as well as being able to physically be in the field. Matt, one of the co-founders, is an engineer and works diligently to make certain all accoutrements are available for everyone to hunt: be it motorized chairs, assisted vehicles for the riders safety, etc. All hunts are filmed in 1080p HD footage, and provided to the hunters for a lifelong token of thanks and remembrance of the hunt. These hunts end up being a "make-a-wish style hunt for our Warriors and Soldiers". Truly a remarkable team.
Since embarking on the build of this rifle, Matt and Paul have become close friends of mine, and I truly thank them for allowing us to build them this rifle. I was truly blessed by the amount of folks that reached out to us to help with the build!
Here's the finished product:
We happened to have a barrel/bolt combo on order for some time, and thankfully one showed up this summer in our down time. We received multiple donations after making the announcement that we'd be putting it together, and at no cost to the organization. I donated the time and the majority of the parts to build the rifle, with additional parts and funds coming from Facebook friends.
I plan to get the guys to South Texas soon; and with the help of some benefactor land owners, that can happen sooner than later. The program that VXA promotes is they get everyone hand's on. From the ranchers/land owners, helpers/handlers, the veteran(s) that they bring out to hunt has as much camaraderie as possible in the field for a truly remarkable experience. The guys at VXA, Matt and Paul, both have their own set of hog dogs, and they truly have a passion for running hogs with dogs and sticking them knives; but at the same time, enjoy rifle hunting as well.
All veteran's are screened to make sure that utilizing a rifle is not a detriment to their PTSD or care treatments, as well as being able to physically be in the field. Matt, one of the co-founders, is an engineer and works diligently to make certain all accoutrements are available for everyone to hunt: be it motorized chairs, assisted vehicles for the riders safety, etc. All hunts are filmed in 1080p HD footage, and provided to the hunters for a lifelong token of thanks and remembrance of the hunt. These hunts end up being a "make-a-wish style hunt for our Warriors and Soldiers". Truly a remarkable team.
Since embarking on the build of this rifle, Matt and Paul have become close friends of mine, and I truly thank them for allowing us to build them this rifle. I was truly blessed by the amount of folks that reached out to us to help with the build!
Here's the finished product:
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