When I was about 7, my grandfather sent me my first .22 caliber boltgun for my birthday. I still have it today. I decided that when I started building quality boltguns, I would return the favor.
I built him his first custom rifle - A .25-06 on a Howa 1500 action and Douglas hunting contour barrel with a Bell & Carlson fiberglass stock and a Leupold scope. I put the whole thing together in a custom cut Pelican case and sent it out to him in Michigan, where he had lived and hunted for over 60 years. He never got a chance to take it out on one last hunt, but he went to the range with it a couple of times and told me he had never had such a fine piece of hardware in his hands.
For a man who spent his entire life turning out custom wood working projects after his duty to the US overseas in WWII, it was quite a compliment.
I never heard the man ***** or complain about anything my entire life. He always had a kind word and a funny story to cheer you up, no matter what. When life gave him lemons, he always made the best lemonade you ever tasted.
He passed before he got a chance to take any game with it, but he made a point of amending his will to make sure he referenced that rifle specifically as being one of his priced possessions, in spite of a vast collection of firearms valued much higher, and that it should be given back to me.
I would say without a doubt - that rifle is my absolute favorite rifle, sporting or otherwise.
JD