I Got It Back

[Moondawg]

Merry Christmas to Me from my youngest daughter. 37 years ago my first wife (cursed be her name) and I were divorced. She basically stole my very first rifle when I wasn't looking, kept it out of meanness and told the judge she didn't know anything about it. Maybe I pawned it. My youngest daughter after all these years weaseled it out of her on a pretext and sent it to me. Esmeralda and I are reunited again. My parents gave that rifle to me for Christmas when I was only 8 years old, back in 1953. Together we put a lot of squirrel and rabbit on the dinner table. We called and shot enough coyotes for their bounty that I could buy an Ithaca Mdl. 37, 20 ga when I was 15 years old. Esmeralda is only a single shot J.C. Higgins .22, the kind you have to pull the knob on the back of the bolt to cock it, but she was accurate and I learned to shot with her. She was all the .22 I ever thought I needed until I got into .22 target as a young adult and bought a Win. Mdl 52. I am so happy, what a good Christmas present the second time around for us. I have a bunch of rifles now, some of them are very expensive and a couple are custom built, but none of them mean to me what that simple single shot .22 does.

[w5pv]

Glad you recovered .22,I have had a rifle and a shot gun to go missing like you they put a lot of meat on the table.

[375RUGER]

Glad you got it back. I got my first 22 when I was 8, too. Still have it.

[Bad Water Bill]

That young lady deserves a great big hug,dinner and a dozen long stemmed roses.

[bob208]

I got mine when I was 10 1960. still have it. it still kills groundhogs.

[Crawdaddy]

Congrats Moondawg. I have an ex myself... Similar temperment.

[fishhawk]

Just can't understand there vindictiveness on things. Always was told it takes 2 to fight and 2 to make a marriage.

[BruceB]

Old card-player's joke:

At the beginning of a marriage, all it takes is two hearts and a diamond.

At the END of a marriage, all we want is a club and a spade.

Seems like there's a good bit of truth somewhere in there....

[tunnug]

Congratulations on having such a thoughtful daughter and you getting your rifle back, I also got my first .22 at 9yrs old, still have it at 54, it'll be going to my namesake grandson when he's old enough.

[Wag]

Moondawg, that is a GREAT reunion story!

--Wag--

[oldred]

I know how you feel and fully understand the value you place on that gun, I have a 12 ga Stevens single shotgun with the forearm taped on that is worth at least a million dollars (to me that is, it would probably bring all of ten dollars at a gun show). My grandfather was a coal miner in the hills of KY and he prized that old gun when I was just a kid, when we moved there I was 12 years old and he gave that gun to me then. When I went to work as a young man the shotgun was lost by a relative and presumed stolen for many years and I was heartbroken because of it, it wasn't missing as long as yours but 14 years after it went missing I got notice it had been found in the attic and had not been stolen after all! It resides proudly in my gun safe now with my more "Affluent" guns just as it was when I was a kid, that piece of tape my grandfather put on it to tighten the forearm is still there and I wouldn't repair it "properly" for all the tea in China!

[xs11jack]

My dad gave me a Winchester Model 67 single shot for Christmas in 1953, I was 11yrs old. 4 months later my dad was killed in a industrial accident. I still have it and it is worth a infinite amount of money to me.
Ole Jack

[Bad Water Bill]

My grandfather drove his VW beetle here from Ca in 1967 (he was over 80 at that time) and gave my dad the Win 94 RIFLE he carried when he was Texas ranger.

When dad passed mom gave me the old more than slightly used and slightly abused (Not much rifling to see and a ring about 6" from the muzzle and almost 0 bluing left) but a true historical piece of family history.

Will I ever part with it?

What do you think?:bigsmyl2:

[cbrick]

Them old pieces can sure have tremendous value. I got my first rifle at age 9 in 1957, it was my dad's Remington Rolling Block 22 single shot. Before that it was his dad's who bought it new sometime right after the turn of the century. Same story with my Winchester model 97 12 ga pump, still have them both & wouldn't sell or trade either for anything.

Glad you got yours back Moondawg, great story.

Rick

[bhn22]

Old card-player's joke:

At the beginning of a marriage, all it takes is two hearts and a diamond.

At the END of a marriage, all we want is a club and a spade.

Seems like there's a good bit of truth somewhere in there....

Truly profound.

[shaper]

When I was 11 I traded a bicycle for a single shot Hobin 22 rifle.(never heard the name again) When I went into the Air Force it disappeared. Years later I married my first sargents daughter. (She came with a 410 single shot, a sleeping bag, and $500). As a 2 striper we didn't have much cash, but for our firse aniversary my wife bought me a Remington model 29 12 ga. pump from a pawn shop. Next month is our 50th year being together. Still have that shotgun and will never get rid of it.

[Frosty Boolit]

I won't be gittin' rid of my sears model 1, given to me by my uncle! Love them old .22's.

[blademasterii]

I have every gun my father ever bought me, as well as most of the ones he bought himself. Finally I have the .22 short pump that was my grandfathers. I just had it repaired last year and haven't shot it yet with my dad. As far as we know it has not been fired in 60 years.

[schutzen]

Bad Water Bill and everyone else who has a family heirloom firearm, make sure you document the providence of the gun with pictures of the owners, notarized statements from individuals, and any other records that may be available. Then make sure your family knows this history. In my own family several heirloom pieces have been sold or traded by the second or third generation family members who did not know this was GGreat-grandpa's gun from frontier days.

In my family, it was the Colt revolvers that were traded for "more modern guns". I did get to keep GGreat-grandpa's Winchester, but only because is was broken and untradeable. I've repaired and restored it. I have pictures of GGreat-grandpa, Grand-pa, Dad, my Uncle, my Brother, and myself; all with the rifle. I wrote out the history of the rifle as I know it and had Dad sign it. I included several newspaper clippings of family members mentioned in hunting stories. Can I guarantee future family members will not sell it? No, but I am sure my sons and grandsons will not sell it.

[edler7]

I'm happy you got Esmerelda back, Moondawg.

I have my great grandfather's Remington Model 11. The forearm is lovingly checkered by him with a pocket knife, as well as a deep dish carved into the stock for his cheek. He was an avid duck hunter. During the Depression, he and another fellow would go duck hunting every morning. The guy that shot the fewest ducks had to make up the difference for his bad marksmanship at a nickel per duck, probably no small payment during the depression. To tip the odds for a couple more nickles in his favor, he honed out all the choke on the barrel with a dowel rod and emery cloth. It might have helped, they hunted over live decoys on the river.

I also have my grandfathers shotgun, as well as my father's and my own. 4 generations of shotguns in one safe. I'd as soon part with both hands as any one of those guns. I take them with me and use them in the field every year, keeping the best hunting buddies I'll ever have with me in the only way I can now, for one more hunt.

I don't know if your daughter knows what a wonderful present she has given you, but I'd sure try to let her know.

[MaryB]

I got an old JR Stevens single sjhot 16 gauge when I was 12, stock had been hacked off to shorten it, forend was really beatup. I used it like that for many years then restored it and gave it back to my dad for Christmas 10 years ago. He died this summer and I got it back again, looking to pass it down to one of my nephews.

[jonp]

My father gave me my first rifle in 1971 or 72 when I was about 8. It was a Winchester 190 22. The amount of ammo that went through that gun over the years was too many to count. More squirrels, woodchucks, rabbits and partridge were taken with that rifle than I can remember. Even shot a raccoon which brought me $30 or so which was a fortune to a kid.
Unfortunately all of my long guns were stolen in a break in a few years ago among them a Rem 1100 and a Rem 742 Woodsmaster 308 which were my Grandfathers. The 742 was pretty accurate and would shoot under an inch at 100yrds with 110gr Silvertip Bullets of all things.
That 22 was beat up and worn and worth maybe $50 if that to someone but I would not have sold it for $1,000 as my father drowned in a boating accident a number of years ago.

[jonp]

Double

[contender1]

Divorces & ex's have caused MUCH heartache, family history lost, & downright stupid things. I have heard of stuff being burned, broken, sold, destroyed etc all in the name of revenge.
It is truly a great thing that you have recovered something that should have never been taken in the first place.
My wife works for an attorney, and some of that they do is divorces. Some of the most expensive cases are the ones where the couple are fighting over every little item in the house. God forbid if both of them want an item.
Your daughter obviously loves you & knew to do what was right. Let's hope it doesn't cause her grief with her mother. But, I'd say from what she did, she felt she could handle it.
I'd say this year's Christmas has already been wonderful for you.

[Lloyd Smale]

with my first wife i made a big mistake. Money was a bit tight so when i got new guns i kind of had to justify them. So occasionaly id give her the bs line that i bought that one for her. I think 5 of them were called that way. When we got divorced i noticed one day before the papers were signed that some of my guns were missing. She had been in the house getting things that were hers and things that were agreed on she could have. I called her and asked her where the hell my guns were. She said do you mean my guns!! I called my lawyer and he said let it go. I eventually got the one i wanted back the most. its a kind of rare post 64 model 70 lightweight carbine in 250 sav. I talked her into giving it to my son for a first gun and in exchange i bought her a 243 ruger. Son got it and put it in my safe and he hunted one year and lost interest and gave it back to me. Another one that makes me cry to know is sitting at her house and never used is a side by side browing 20 guage sidelock!! Shes not the brightest about 10 years ago i thought id con her out of it. I told her id give her 400 bucks for it. I knew she never even shot it and figured 400 bucks would buy it on the spot. Well seems she asked around and knew exactly what it was worth. As a matter of fact what she thought it was worth was well over what id pay for it in a guns shop.

[Garyshome]

Ain't nothin' like an old friend!