Do you have a special firearm? what's its story?

[Alabama358]

187486

This little Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket pistol is what you could say started off my lifelong love and some might say obsession with guns.
Back in 1963 my mother on occasion would have this little Colt tucked into her pants waist line. At this time she just happened to be pregnant with me, so I guess you could say that before even exiting the womb I knew the comfort of having a Colt within arms reach. The imprint must have look like a howitzer from in there.:Fire:

Growing up, there were times when a few of us neighborhood boys would pull our quarters together and walk down and buy some .22 & .25 ammo (didn't seem like a big deal back then, kids buying ammo. Different times indeed) and I would sneak the little Colt out and we would plink with it until the lead ran dry. Then I would clean it up and put it back with the stealth of a ninja.
Its funny that it seemed like it was more fun shooting this little pistol then the .22s or shotguns floating around… Maybe because it was such a challenge hitting anything with it. Heck you could claim neighborhood expert champion if you could flip 5 pine cones in a row at a respectable distance.

The pistol was manufactured in 1912 according to the serial # so it is in pretty good shape considering its 105 year age. I know that her brother had given it to her when she was pregnant and told her to keep it in the car when Dad wasn't there. Before that I am not sure of its history.
So this past Christmas, she gifted the little champ to me as a family heirloom.

When I put it in the safe next to the Sigs, Glocks, Rugers, Colts, Smiths, Remington Rand etc. It seemed to have a sparkle that none of the others did. It might not be the best of the bunch but it sure is special. Kind of like ones first true Love.

Anyhow thought I would share the story… You got one? I would love to hear it.

[Thumbcocker]

The Bisley .44 magnum that Mrs. Thumbcocker got me as an engagement present in 1990. It has put a lot of venison in the freezer an taught me that 200 yards with an iron sighted handgun is doable.

[nagantguy]

Yep a double barrel .410 made in Spain, Nice wood nickle receiver deep blue barrels front sling swivel is part of the barrel, hammers 2 triggers ! My Great Great grandfather brought it home after the First World War , his 5 sons all learned to shoot small game and pests with it! My Great Grandfather as a foolish young man sold it to his best friend , tried for years and years to buy it back, when Herb my Great grand fathers best friend died his wife gave it back to my GG I was prolly 7 or 8, thought it was the finest thing I ever did see, it's mine now take it out for rabbits or birds every few years but it just has that..... I guess what the French would call a certain I don't know what. It connects me to my mothers people back a heck of a long way, when my daughter holds it or shoots it I can hear GG say , "ya done good" "ya done just fine"

[Reverend Recoil]

My special firearm is my AR15 competition service rifle. Like a million others it’s not much to look at but it’s my rifle and I used it to earn the coveted Distinguished Rifleman Badge #2276.

[308Jeff]

The single shot 12ga that my grandfather gave me for Christmas when I was 14. Gave my cousin one as well that year, and we went out in the desert later that day and did some shooting.

It wasn't long after that that he came down with Alzheimers, so both the moment and the shotgun will always be treasured.

I later inherited his Mini-14. Neither one of those will ever leave my possession, except to be passed down.

[Scharfschuetze]

My special firearm is my AR15 competition service rifle. Like a million others it’s not much to look at but it’s my rifle and I used it to earn the coveted Distinguished Rifleman Badge #2276.

Sadly the rifles I used to go Distinguished were Army M14 NM rifles, so I'll never see one of them again. They were sure fine companions every shooting season.

The Marlin 1893 below has been in our family for 4 generations and came to Colorado on a wagon. It's now my son's rifle and it still shoots wonderfully. And my old Model 65 from my LE career. I type this today thanks to this revolver.

[waarp8nt]

Ruger Single Six 3 screw that belonged to my dad, he carried it on many hunting and camping trips. He gave it to me one year for Christmas a few years before he passed away.

[bob208]

Remington 514 I got for Christmas learned to shoot with it got my boy scout marksmanship badge with it. still have it. my savage 20 ga. double I got for Christmas. got a lot of squirrels and rabbits with it still have it. my ruger old model Blackhawk in .357 4 5/8 barrel. that got me into reloading. still have it.

[dverna]

Kreighoff Trap Special. Used it to earn runner up at the 2013 MI State Singles championship with over 225 straight. The most expensive gun I have ever owned. The gun will shoot.

Don Verna

[Alabama358]

Yep a double barrel .410 made in Spain, Nice wood nickle receiver deep blue barrels front sling swivel is part of the barrel, hammers 2 triggers ! My Great Great grandfather brought it home after the First World War , his 5 sons all learned to shoot small game and pests with it! My Great Grandfather as a foolish young man sold it to his best friend , tried for years and years to buy it back, when Herb my Great grand fathers best friend died his wife gave it back to my GG I was prolly 7 or 8, thought it was the finest thing I ever did see, it's mine now take it out for rabbits or birds every few years but it just has that..... I guess what the French would call a certain I don't know what. It connects me to my mothers people back a heck of a long way, when my daughter holds it or shoots it I can hear GG say , "ya done good" "ya done just fine"

Thank God it made it back in to your family where it belongs. Happy Days!

[M-Tecs]

Sadly the rifles I used to go Distinguished were Army M14 NM rifles, .

Same for me, but you never know. About 15 years ago I was at the Impact Fireams and indoor range in Utah. They had a select fire M14 for rent. That was the only time I got to rock and roll with an M14.

[fatelk]

My grandfather's Government Model. I remember him strapping it around my waist in a holster on an old canvass belt when I went hunting with him very young. It would thump against my knee as I walked (unloaded I'm sure, don't think he would have let a five year old carry a loaded gun). He said he let me shoot it when I was five, but I don't remember that. He's been gone for many years now.

[retread]

My brother gave me his (used to me-new to him) Colt Frontier Buntline Scout in 1960 when he bought a new Ruger Single six. I carried that 22 everywhere I went for years. It would be on my hip when out of town and under the seat of my car or truck when in town. Back then every truck in the high school parking lot would have a rack over the back window with a rifle, shotgun or both and most likely a pistol under the seat. On top of that nobody locked their trucks. Boy, how times have changed. Oh, and the keys were most likely in the ignition.

187514

[koehlerrk]

Got a few special ones... yeah, I know I'm lucky.

First is the Ithaca 37 Deerslayer special edition my wife got me for my 29th birthday. Beautiful shotgun, grey laminated stock, and all hand fitted and polished internals. She's from the last batch made before Ithaca Gun shut down and later left Kings Ferry NY. You'll see why this is important in a moment.

Next one is an old Ithaca Model 66 12ga single shot. This belonged to my wife's grandfather. He gave it to me before he passed. The farm he grew up on butts up to the back of the farm I grew up on. We often talked about hunting the same hills... just 50 years apart.

Next up would be the old Ithaca 37 that I grew up using. It was bought by my grandfather when he moved from NJ up to the farm just after WWII. He used it to hunt them hills, and when my dad got big enough, he used it. Grandpa got sick of his son stealing his shotgun, so he bought my dad his own Ithaca 37. Two years ago, my dad, at 72, decided he had too many guns for him to use, and started thinning the herd. I was given Grandpas Ithaca, my brother got Dads.

The last one to join the safe is one that, well, I don't know its history, but its a replacement for one that I do. My wife's other Grandpa had an Ithaca 37 in 20ga that he adored. Sadly, that one was lost in a house fire about 12 years ago. My wife had fond memories of shooting it with her Grandpa. It took a few years, but last fall I found one just like it. She cried when I handed it to her.

So, five old Ithaca shotguns. Four made in Ithaca NY, one from Kings Ferry. All from one extended family. Yeah, I've been blessed.

[square butte]

I have the S & W 1917 my grandfather was carrying the day he was shot down over the Meuse-Argone in WWI. He took a machine gun bullet in his right hip that traveled the length of his thigh and came out at his knee. In his hip pocket was a military flat cap. I have the cap with the bullet hole in it. That bullet passed between the legs of his rear gunner. The plane was so shot up it never flew again. My Grandfather remained friends with his gunner the rest of his life. That gun is my most prized. I know of no other group of folks I could tell this story to and have them appreciate it almost as much as I do.

[Idaho45guy]

Grandpa's S&W .45 ACP revolver that he carried in WWII while part of the 452nd tank unit. He carved the grips out of the windscreen of a downed German plane. There is a replica of it in the movie "Fury"...

187520

[opos]

My Winchester 22lr model 62A is in my safe...it was my 11th birthday present from my Dad...we went downtown in Denver and I got to pick out my first rifle...it's still in outstanding condition and get's shot now and then just to have memories...I'm going to turn 80 this year, God willing so it's been around a long time....so have I

[Green Frog]

Many of my guns have special stories... the Winchester low wall musket Dad's uncle rescued on its way to the smelter and I inherited about 50 years later for example; I had an old local gunsmith take the action and rebarrel it (Shilen barrel) and restock it with a piece of walnut from a tree on the farm where Mom grew up. It's a real family affair!

Then there is the old WW I vintage GI 1911 my Dad picked up in a trade and "swapped" to me. I caught a guy stealing my range box from my apartment and took it away from him, then made a citizen's arrest on him (with the gun empty) when I retrieved it. Many years later another gunsmith friend made a second upper for it and set it up to shoot Bullseye, but it still can go "back to original."

A relative newcomer is my S&W Model 60-4. What makes it special is the gun itself, a stainless, adjustable sighted Chief Special, AND the fact that a dear friend knew how badly I wanted one and found this one for me! It stays by my bed with some classic FBI +P loads for "things that go bump in the night."

Of course there is the police trade-in Model 66 I bought over 25 years ago and used for a variety of duties including having it rebarreled to 6" to shoot PPC matches. After that phase of my life passed, it became the basis for my "dream custom," the 327 FM "Model 616" I've written here about. That one definitely qualifies as "special."

And there are others. Yep, if a gun stays around here very long it has its own story. It may be in the safe waiting for our next adventure, or it may be a fairly recent arrival waiting its opportunity to become my "new best friend" but in their own way each is special.

Froggie

[Lloyd Smale]

187526I guess if pinned down my 4 5/8s stainless super. Its a gun I kind of customized myself. stainless gun that I fit an aluminum grip frame and ejector housing too and then bead blasted. the neighbor used his mill to scallop the recoil shield and loading gate. Its got a bowen target rear and a clements front post blade and a belt mountain pin and an action job. Grips a micartas that have scrimshawed bust of elmer keith on one side and my old lab Elmer on the other. Its more of a working gun then something fancy. Its killed deer, bear, pigs and even a 1000 lb cow buffalo. Its the gun I'm usually in the woods with. Light and compact enough to ride in a belt hoster all day and packs enough punch for about anything it the country. I sometimes even stick a few 44 shot shells in my pocket in case I run into a squirrel, rabbit or grouse I want to take home. It would no doubt be the last handgun to leave my safe if I had to sell all my guns and the only thing that might trump it if I had to sell them all is my 700 3006.

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, where do I begin. The first one that comes to mind is my Marlin 1894C .357 carbine. 1980 model with plain stock and forend, micro groove rifling, and 18" barrel. Bone stock other than Lyman 66 receiver sight, slot blank, and fine bead front sight. It was the first gun I ever filled out the yellow form on at the age of 19 back in 1998. She had no evidence of use other than a little barrel fouling and cost me only $250.00. The guy that owned the shop said there hadn't been much interest in it because it wasn't a .30-30 or .44. For several years it was my only centerfire other than a hard kicking .30'06 bolt action. The carbine was, and is, deadly accurate and fun to shoot with regular lead .38 Specials which could be bought for $6.99 a box back then. It was just like shooting a .22 but with almost 4X bullet weight.

I bet I have put around 3-4000 rounds through the 1894 since then, from mild to wild. My current load is a Lee 358-125-RF in .357 brass with enough SR4756 (don't remember the charge right now) for around 1600 fps. More accurate than I can hold and little more recoil and noise than .38 Specials. I have long wanted to try it out on a coyote but they have always wisely made themselves scarce when I have the 1894 with me! For a time JM 1894C's were fetching $1000.00 on GB. While I am glad that she has appreciated in value 400% it would take way more than that for me to part with her.

[aspangler]

Really too many to mention but two come to mind as really special to me.
1. My brother's 1910 Browning in 380. Went to "NAM" and was sent back when they sent his body back. Will never leave the family.

2. My Dan Wesson 357 model 12 W/ 4" barrel. Bought new in 1974 for 79.95. Another that stays in the family.

I also have all the guns that my father had when he past. As well as the 410 that he bought me for my 12th Christmas. That one has accounted for 7 kids first kills so far.
AH! the memories!

[Love Life]

Grandpa's S&W .45 ACP revolver that he carried in WWII while part of the 452nd tank unit. He carved the grips out of the windscreen of a downed German plane. There is a replica of it in the movie "Fury"...

187520

Amazing. If possible, could you post close ups of both sides of the grips?

[Idaho45guy]

Amazing. If possible, could you post close ups of both sides of the grips?

One side is an American flag theme with gold relief and the other is a photo of his dog and the area near Boise where he used to hunt... The movie gun has an American flag on one side and a pinup girl on the other. Brad Pitt is only slightly more handsome that my grandfather...

187536

187537

187538

[Triggernosis]

My special firearm is my AR15 competition service rifle. Like a million others it’s not much to look at but it’s my rifle and I used it to earn the coveted Distinguished Rifleman Badge #2276.
Outstanding, brother!
I'm in the chase for points now myself - 16 down, including the hard leg. Plus 5 first-leathers in the past 3 yrs....:x
I hold no love for the AR15/M16, though. I toted that heavy sumnavitch during Army basic and I still haven't gotten over it.

P.S.: I'm actually surprised at the number of DR's on this site. :D

[Mytmousemalibu]

I have several guns precious to me. The first isn't even a firearm, my old Benjamin .22 air pistol that dad taught me how to shoot with. I still have the first gun I bought with my own money as a young boy, a Remington 522. I have my 1st shotgun, an H&R Topper 12ga, 3", full choke that I got on my 10th or 11th birthday. All most all of my dads guns are in my gun safe. Another that I treasure is dad's 1967 Winchester 94 Canadian Bicentennial in unfired condition.

[Idaho45guy]

Here's a screen shot of the movie pistol...

187539

[Love Life]

One side is an American flag theme with gold relief and the other is a photo of his dog and the area near Boise where he used to hunt... The movie gun has an American flag on one side and a pinup girl on the other. Brad Pitt is only slightly more handsome that my grandfather...

187536

187537

187538

Thank you for the pictures and the history. I love the theater made goodies and have collected theater knives for several years.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I've got lots of guns, many with stories, but I value the one in the photo very highly. Given to me for Christmas when I was 12 years old. Very basic and simple .22 rifle. Single shot Stevens 15-A, accounted for a great variety and quantity of small game.

187541
Click to enlarge.

[Scharfschuetze]

Outstanding, brother!
I'm in the chase for points now myself - 16 down, including the hard leg. Plus 5 first-leathers in the past 3 yrs....:x
I hold no love for the AR15/M16, though. I toted that heavy sumnavitch during Army basic and I still haven't gotten over it.

P.S.: I'm actually surprised at the number of DR's on this site. :D

Hold hard Triggernosis! 10s and Xs this coming spring and summer.

[Triggernosis]

Hold hard Triggernosis! 10s and Xs this coming spring and summer.

I'm gonna try, Scharf. My home range (Butner, NC) is a very hard place to earn points, so I'm gonna have to travel a bit this season to hopefully finish up. Now that optics are allowed, I'm thinking the best offhand shooters will take most of the trophies.

[fecmech]

I have 2 guns that are special to me. The 1st is a Belgian Browning Lt 20ga. A5 that I bought after getting out of A&P school in1966. That was my 1st "good gun" and it still gets much use on the sporting clays field today. Currently somewhere around 100K rds through it. Only repair was a broken firing pin a couple years ago. The second is a 1911 made in 1918 that I bought used in the 70's. It has no collector value as it is a wad gun with a dot sight on it but it's age interests me. I would love to know where it's been.

[johnson1942]

my model 17, S and W .22 target with the big grips. paid about 275 for it many years ago. still almost like new. that will put holes in holes and have taken prairie dogs at 250 yards with it. first shot fired for affect and about 2 or 3 rounds later he is down. at 100 yards it just takes one round. cant believe the price of these guns now on the internet. shoots any .22 ammo you feed it very well. i used to have 12, .22 target handguns. the only one i regret selling and not keeping was the high standard supermatic trophy. that kept up with the smith. i never ever considered selling the smith, never will.

[Rodfac]

Mine is a .308 Sako Forester bought for me by my bride our first Christmas together, December 1970. I was home from SE Asia just 6 days when we were married...still had red clay buried in my cuticles as we took out vows. She found that beautiful rifle in Spokane and gave it to me early so I could get some time in the woods. That's it in my avatar, with a nice kY buck off our farm....297 paces was the shot, (I had plenty of time to get down in a sitting position with a sling from our barn yard, while he ambled across the western paddock.)

I've lost track of the other deer it has killed with me doing the shooting as well as a half dozen kids, relatives, and neighbors. Everyone that's used it wants one just like it...and there are a lot of 'em that ogle my bride with the same fondness!!!

All the best to you all, keep your powder dry and your loved ones close. Rod

[huntrick64]

Winchester "thumb trigger" 22. I got it from my Grandpa when I was a kid and shot it all of the time. He got it from his Grandpa when he was a kid and shot it all of the time. I now have a Grandson now, but he is only 1 year old, so I will have to wait another year before we start him shooting it. If he only knew what was in my safe, he would definitely take up shooting! I'm not taking any of them with me because there will be no BGs in heaven!

[Good Cheer]

Yeah, I had one.
Once upon a time I got a rolling block Model 1884 (inspector stamp 1889) 45-70 in a Louisiana pool hall.
None of the blue had been worn off anywhere. Not even the rubbing surfaces.
When I disassembled it for cleaning there were still 94 year old machine shop shavings inside the lock.

A friend and his son didn't clean it after shooting and totally trashed the (until then pristine) barrel.
It disappeared after that.

[charlie b]

C96 Mauser, built in 1897. Saw action in the Boer War and then WWI. Handed from friend to family.s Still shoots good.

PS I'm another m14 lover. Unfortunately the closest I can come to one is my father-in-law's M1 garand.

[trails4u]

Two current favorites;

First: 1966 vintage Browning T-bolt .22, the very rifle I qualified with for my Rifle and Shotgun merit badge as a young scout. It belonged to my Scoutmaster, an Englishman living in the States for many years on an extended work visa. He ended up moving back to the UK many, many years later and gifted me the rifle when he left the states. He was a cruel SOB on the firing line.....but the lessons stuck, and I'm a better marksman today for his efforts. Let's say there were the requirements of the book, and then there were the Requirements of being a competent marksman, he being judge and jury, of course. I can remember shooting hundreds of targets that summer....prone, standing, kneeling...over and over and over again. Dirty Limey never would let us see our targets, just (rather rudely) let us all know that they weren't bloody good enough! When it was all said and done, I had fired a 15-rd string, using the original peep on the rifle, 5 standing, 5 kneeling, 5 prone for a score of 138/150. In his world....anything outside of the 9-ring was disqualifying. All standards we only came to know after we had achieved them! Those were the days....


Second: My nearly new Tikka T3 Hunter in laminate/stainless. Nothing other that what it is....but it was an amazing gift from my family two years ago during a time we didn't have much to spare. They all deposited their few spare dollars at my LGS for the better part of year to accumulate the funds for me to order my first ever new rifle. I am blessed. (Funny back story on that one...I got the Tikka in 30-06 to replace my old hunting rifle, a 1969 era Rem 742, also given to me by my old Scoutmaster!) It served me well for many a year....but had degraded to the point of shooting a nice 6" pattern at 100yds. :)

Just got a little dust or something in my eyes talking about that one.....

[samari46]

I have one that will never get sold while I'm alive. Belonged to my general Foreman and after changing the watch we got to talking about handguns. In the heart of NYC!!!!!. I had a Saur 38H in 32 auto and he had a 1943 Ithaca and a cigar box full of just about any 45 auto ammo. Well the dirty deal was consumated and pistols changed hands. For about 10-15 years the 45 was hidden and came out in the light when I moved to Louisiana. Shot off the ball ammo in steel plate matches then got a Dillon 550 and the rest is history. My buddy said I didn'tthink you would do as well as you did with that old 45.after all she is nearing her 73rd anniversary. Have spare parts hopefully till I go and take my dirt nap. He also wrote a little book about his wartime experiences. So it was his service pistol that he gave me. And my start shooting steel plates. Frank

[M-Tecs]

I'm in the chase for points now myself - 16 down, including the hard leg. :D

Good luck on the next 14 points. It will be interesting to see how optics changes the game.



P.S.: I'm actually surprised at the number of DR's on this site. :D

We like to shoot and talk about shooting. Since most of us shoot a lot casting is almost a must.

[smokeywolf]

Dad redesigned and built this Garand back in the '50s. It was featured in Gun World magazine in November of '61.
187609

He traded it to a family friend for 3 Winchesters right around the time the magazine came out. Shortly after that, the rifle was stolen from Dad's friend's home. It was recovered by police a few weeks later.
About a year and a half ago, some 55 years after it left the family, I bought it back from the son of the man Dad traded it to.
187610
That's my youngest son shooting it nearly 60 years after his grandfather built it.

[M-Tecs]

Dad redesigned and built this Garand back in the '50s. It was featured in Gun World magazine in November of '61.
187609

He traded it to a family friend for 3 Winchesters right around the time the magazine came out. Shortly after that, the rifle was stolen from Dad's friend's home. It was recovered by police a few weeks later.
About a year and a half ago, some 55 years after it left the family, I bought it back from the son of the man Dad traded it to.
187610
That's my youngest son shooting it nearly 60 years after his grandfather built it.

Thanks for sharing a very cool story.

[marshall623]

Well one that is particularly special is my Graduation present. I was a senior/ 18 and didn't care if I passed or failed in school
My Dad told me that I really needed to pass so he could give me my gift. So to encourage me he opens up a hard side case and inside a brand new Super 14 Contender in 223 with a 4X Burris. He even let me shoot it , we that did the trick . 29 years and many barrels later it is still doing the trick .

[GhostHawk]

They are all special in some way or I would not have bought them.

Yes even my ugly as sin Hipoint 9mm Carbine. It is special because of the smiles it generates at the pistol range. 20 feet, 2" stick on bullseye, game is to remove as much black inside the circle as possible with 10 shots. The Truglow 2.5 moa Red Dot really helps with bullet placement.

I have yet to see anyone hand the gun back without a grin from ear to ear.

[imashooter2]

I've posted this several times in various threads over the years...

A 1917 vintage commercial Colt 1911. It was Grampa's, then Dad's, now mine. Grampa and Dad shot competitive Bullseye with it and there is no telling how many thousands of rounds have been down the pipe. I remember the very first time I was allowed to shoot it. Grampa drove us down a dirt road on the outskirts of Raymond, NH and we put some old cans up on a wooden fence. Grampa had it stoked with his competition loads, an H&G #130 over some tiny charge of Hercules Bullseye. Real softball loads they were, but I was 8 years old and had only shot .22's up to that point. Old slab sides made quite an impression on this kid.

Grampa was the one that soldered on the Patridge front and bobbed the hammer. No doubt killed any collector value, but no matter... It's priceless to me. I have a lot of handguns that I shoot more, but they are just things. This gun is my heritage.

http://www.imashooter2.com/pictures/grampa1911-760.jpg

[kingstrider]

My only sentimental firearm is a Ruger Mk II that I bought new and was the first handgun I ever purchased. Over the years I have shot an untold number of rounds and even had it threaded for a suppressor but it has always been my favorite.

[bedbugbilly]

In over fifty years of shooting and collecting, I think one of my most favored as far as adding to my "herd" was my 1910 Colt Army Special - 38 special - 6" barrel. It was the first real Colt wheelmen that I purchased.

We all know that we need an "excuse" to buy things once in a while. My "excuse" was that the Colt Army Special had a lot in common with my Dad. The Colt Army Special was introduced in 1908 - the same year that my Dad was born (as well as the Model T by Henry Ford - whom my Dad met as a youngster). In 1927, the same year that my Dad graduated from high school, Colt changed the name of the Army Special to the "Official Police" model for marketing purposes. While that may not be enough for some as an "excuse for buying" - it was for me.

Mine was made in 1910 and is is very nice shape with the original grips. I take it out once in a while and put some of my cast reloads through her - it shoots very well and not only do I think of my Dad whenever I look at it, handle it or shoot it - it's kind of fun to have a nice wheelgun that is 107 years old to throw some lead down range with once in a while.

As far as long guns go - my favorite "special" one would be my GEW98 German Mauser that I have. It is a 1905 Danzig - 8mm. The rifle was brought back from France in 1919 by a local World War I veteran that I knew as a youngster. He was my half-brother's grandfather. When war was declared, he enlisted immediately and his "claim to honor" was that he went to France on the same ship that General Pershing was on. His name was LeRoy DuBois and he was assigned to the MTC (Transportation Corps) of the First Army as a Teamster. Somehow, he was able to bring back three Mausers - I have one, my half-brother has one and the third was handed out through the years to another relative and has since been "lost". I have the Vet's uniform and other items as well including the bayonet for this rifle. I shoot my cast reloads out of this rifle and with reduced loads at 50 yards, it is a fine shooter. Every time I shoot it, I think about the Vet that brought it back as well as all of the other World War I veterans that I knew when I was growing up - a lot of many fond memories and the hours I spent talking with them.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

My favorite is my Ruger Super Blackhawk 44. I traded a Springfield Mil Spec 1911 .45 for it.
I'd gotten the 1911 and rarely shot it. Spent too much time tinkering with it.
1911s are like hot rods, the sky is the limit. Which also makes them money pits that could feasibly spend far more time in pieces than on the road or range. I got tired of that.

When I got the 44, it came with six rounds of magnums and a box of specials. The walnut grips were worn to a polish and the screw had been pull through by over tightening, and it was missing the rear sight.

I replaced the sight with a Super Redhawk white outline sight. Filled the chunk missing from the left grip panel with resin and pressed in the metal threaded piece while it was still wet. (grommet? Can't remember what it's called)

It's a big and hefty sucker. The model with the square back trigger guard, I believe it was made in 1980, that's what I seem to recall after I looked it up.

You can tell it's well used and well cared for. The man I got it from said he acquired it through a trade. He seemed a respectable man, so I was comfortable making the deal.

You can also tell the owner who used it and cared for it the most, was a lefty. Their trigger finger wore some of the blue from the frame.

There's another one in my family that's special. A Colt 1911 with a serial number in the high 500's. Manufactured in 1912, second shipment to leave the factory. Belonged to my grandfather. He got it in trade from his brother in law a long time ago. It now belongs to my dad. It's in very excellent condition.
There are several other nice ones in the safe that belonged to my grandad, and they're all special in one way or another, but that one's the real gem.

[Drm50]

I am the keeper of the family firearms. They were given to me because they knew I wouldn't sell
them. The one I prize the most is a 1897 Marlin my old man bought for my 5th birthday, 1955.
My first rifle. $8 of hard earned dollars.187648187648

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Since it seems o.k. to post more than just one, I'm coming back with seconds. The 1911 shown in the photos was confiscated back around 1948-9 because the serial no. had been filed off. It was purchased at a police auction by my father and a new serial number was obtained from the Alameda Sheriff's Office (CA) which was one of only 3 agencies authorized to issue new numbers. Therefore, the new number starts with ASO-. My father had it reblued by a retired gunsmith who still did occasional jobs in his backyard shop. The fellow that did the work was rated as one of the 10 best in the US back when the NRA issued such ratings. When my father picked up the gun I got to go along and met the gunsmith, in his early 80s, and I think that's when I decided that someday I'd like to be a gunsmith also. He was murdered a couple of years later by an escaped convict who had come to his shop to obtain guns. I was given this 1911 around age 15-16 by my father who taught me how to shoot it. It was my first handgun and the one that I learned to shoot with. I always got "hammer bite", so changed out the spur for a Commander-style hammer. Of course I kept the original hammer in the box with the pistol. Looking closely at the second photo you can see where the original serial no. was removed. Lots of memories.....
187653187652
Click to enlarge.

[OutHuntn84]

I've got lots of guns, many with stories, but I value the one in the photo very highly. Given to me for Christmas when I was 12 years old. Very basic and simple .22 rifle. Single shot Stevens 15-A, accounted for a great variety and quantity of small game.

187541
Click to enlarge.

I just rebuilt my old Stevens 15-A. Its been passed down 4 generations now. This is my boy getting his paws on it for the first time on Christmas morning.

187654

[Der Gebirgsjager]

They're the perfect "first rifle". Kids are immature (as are some adults!) and learning is what being a kid is all about. A single shot manually cocked .22 rifle really teaches the necessity for good marksmanship, as the second shot is slow in coming. Also, they can't get into as much trouble or compound a mistake like they can with a repeater. Mine was made without a butt plate, but my brother's version, made a few years later had one, and a differently shaped cocking knob. As a youngster I took many ground and tree squirrels, raccoons, porcupines, rattlesnakes, wild pigeons, red fox, and doubtless one or two other species I've forgotten about. Since I lived way out in the boonies, only got into a large enough town where they sold ammo about once a month, I learned to conserve my ammo and be sure of my shots. I've refinished the stock on mine as is shown in my picture, but it's in great condition for being at least 74 years old. Best wishes to you and your son.

[GhostHawk]

I was 5, my grandmother's brother and his wife had come north to visit a spell. For several years they would come up through Michigan, buy bushells of peaches and cherry's and come up to visit. Big canning party too of course.

So one morning I am sitting down by the dock, sulking. I wanted to fish and I was not allowed on the dock alone. No other adults were up, it was crack of dawn time.

His name I learned latter was Orrin. Big tall drink of water, hair gone mostly white, fast going bald.

He walks up to me and asks "What is the problem boy?"

So I explained. He asked if he would do. Yes I said he would do fine.
Then I explained that the reason they put the rule in was that I hooked a nice fish and walked off the edge of the dock and fell in. He commenced to laughing. Then I said I did not lose either the rod or the fish. He asked me if I knew where the gear is. Yep right here in the boat house.

This was the start of a very wonderful friendship. We did not do a lot of talking. We were fishing, serious business.

20 years later when we were moving grandma dad walks in from the Bedroom with a cased gun.

"Grandma, isn't this Orrin's 16 ga?"

Grandma hemmed, hawwed, stalled, and at last said yes.
Was not that supposed to go to little bill?

Yes. Was waiting till he was old enough.

He's 25 grandma, time he had his inheritance from Orrin.

Turns out to be an early Model Remington 870 Wingmaster in immaculate if somewhat worn condition. Smooth bore, no rib, action like oiled silk.

I have shot it, 16 ga is not easy to find ammo for these days. I have some.

Mostly I take it out once a year, oil and polish it. Dream about a boy who will come.

Grandson is a year short of the age I was when I met Orrin.
He was a solid man, hard working, good to his family, honest, a man to ride the river with.

This ones for you Orrin.

Sorry, tears getting a bit thick, hard to see.

[funnyjim014]

Well I don't have any family herlooms just yet but my dad has my grandpa's old marlin in 35rem. My grandpa and his older brother split the cost back in the 50s, his brother drowned at work less than a year later. The old lever has exactly 10rds thew it. Still have the other half a box. Some day ( hopefully not soon ) I will be it's keeper till my son takes over

[Catshooter]

High Standard HD Military in .22 LR as issued to the USMC during the war. My dad traded a bottle of rum to the Marine who it had been issued to. The Marine hated it.

Wasn't too long after that my dad shot his first Japenese soldier with it. I was born about ten years later.

I think I'll keep it.


Cat

[smokeywolf]

GhostHawk, you started gettin' me choked up too. Sad that there are so many folks out there who will never comprehend how strong the sentimental connection can be to a firearm that's been passed down through the family.

[FergusonTO35]

I also have my grandfather's Belgian Browning A5 20 gauge he bought new in the 1950's and used it every rabbit season until I graduated from college in 2005, when he gave it to me as a gift. The finish has worn pretty thin on it and there are dings all over the stock. It will stay that way because he put them all there in nearly 50 years of hunting with it. I also have his 1970's Remington 742 Woodsmaster .30'06 which I inherited after he died in 2014. Papaw rarely hunted deer and the 742 spent nearly all it's life in his closet so it's in really nice shape. I'm planning to put a receiver sight on and work up some hot .30-30 level cast boolit loads for it.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

GhostHawk, I'm curious. Was Orrin your Grandmother's brother, a neighbor, family friend, or what?

[smokeywolf]

GhostHawk, I'm curious. Was Orrin your Grandmother's brother, a neighbor, family friend, or what?

That's in the first sentence of his post.


I was 5, my grandmother's brother and his wife had come north to visit a spell.

[OutHuntn84]

They're the perfect "first rifle". Kids are immature (as are some adults!) and learning is what being a kid is all about. A single shot manually cocked .22 rifle really teaches the necessity for good marksmanship, as the second shot is slow in coming. Also, they can't get into as much trouble or compound a mistake like they can with a repeater. Mine was made without a butt plate, but my brother's version, made a few years later had one, and a differently shaped cocking knob. As a youngster I took many ground and tree squirrels, raccoons, porcupines, rattlesnakes, wild pigeons, red fox, and doubtless one or two other species I've forgotten about. Since I lived way out in the boonies, only got into a large enough town where they sold ammo about once a month, I learned to conserve my ammo and be sure of my shots. I've refinished the stock on mine as is shown in my picture, but it's in great condition for being at least 74 years old. Best wishes to you and your son.

Hahaha no kidding on the maturity! Poor kid only got off about 5 rounds before me and dad started hounding him for a turn with the old squirrel gun. As far as my dad and I can recall it never did have a rear sight just the original flat head screw that we used as a rear sight. It does have a thin plastic buttplate on it though. Even through my teens when I had a few nice semi auto 22s, it was still my go to squirrel gun.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

As far as my dad and I can recall it never did have a rear sight just the original flat head screw that we used as a rear sight.

I'm pretty sure it came with a sight. Maybe it was just lost early on. Here's just what you need, and all "in stock".
www.gunpartscorp.com
Part No. 103920B Rear sight elevator $3.05
103470A Rear sight, new reproduction $6.45
103660C Rear sight screw, new reproduction (in case you filed on the old one to turn it into a sight)
82550AF Front sight, Lyman, gold bead (in case you filed on the original to make it work with the screw!) :-)

[SteelHorseCowboy]

That's in the first sentence of his post.
Forgive me, I'm a real dumb ****er.

[Skunk1]

Grandpas buck jones 107. BB gun but wouldn't give it up for the world.

[Budzilla 19]

I got a couple I'll leave to my relatives. I have my oldest sons Rem. 870 Super Mag,(RIP Kenneth, I miss you every day!), this will go to his boys, whom I am raising now, Dads old Rem. 3200 trap gun, and his old Remington Sportsman 12 ga. But the most memorable one I have is a Colt Python.38 Special Target gun. (Yes, they actually made a Python in .38!)I bought this thing from an old pawnshop owner in m y hometown a loooooonnnnnngggggg time ago! Said it wasn't a magnum, and no one wanted it!!! Hahahaha!!! Old pistol shooter who had arthritis so bad, he had to quit shooting,sold me a first year production Rem. 870, 85% gun, I might have to keep that one at least for a while! Just my story, probably could add more, but no use. We all got firearms that have sentimental value! I love you guys stories!

[OutHuntn84]

I'm pretty sure it came with a sight. Maybe it was just lost early on. Here's just what you need, and all "in stock".
www.gunpartscorp.com (http://www.gunpartscorp.com)
Part No. 103920B Rear sight elevator $3.05
103470A Rear sight, new reproduction $6.45
103660C Rear sight screw, new reproduction (in case you filed on the old one to turn it into a sight)
82550AF Front sight, Lyman, gold bead (in case you filed on the original to make it work with the screw!) :-)

Haha yup the screw was knotched out with a file to be used as a rear sight! You must be familiar with the art of a southern engineer. I bought a new yet upfor the rear sight when I rebuilt it.

[skeettx]

Savage Model 24
22/410
First gun at age 8
NEAT!!!

[Minerat]

My grandfathers Brno Mod 1 .22 he got in Peru in 1948, my first shotgun a Model 66 Ithaca 12 ga. 30 inch with a full chock, and a Browning A5 my wife gave me for my birthday the first year we were married.

[kmrra]

A lot of good stories here , My most favorite gun is a Ruger #1 in 223 , I bought it in about 77 or 78 , before I got this gun I was a 222 fan but that all went away with the Ruger , I put a fixed 6 power Weaver K-6 on it , sighted it in with reloads and to this day , its my go to gun for varmints and such , , it has never lost it zero and I still shoot the same load in it , all these years later it will still clover leaf 3 shots.and Its the only gun that I have , and I have plenty , That I will never sell, I could not and will not put a price on it .

[Alabama358]

I am the keeper of the family firearms. They were given to me because they knew I wouldn't sell
them. The one I prize the most is a 1897 Marlin my old man bought for my 5th birthday, 1955.
My first rifle. $8 of hard earned dollars.187648187648

That is a thing of beauty!!!

[waco]

My ruger 10-22 my Mom got me for my 12th birthday in 1986
My fathers Marlin 1894 cowboy in .357 I got when he passed away.

[Fishman]

Forgive me, I'm a real dumb ****er.

Steelhorse, if it makes you feel better I didn't make the connection either. There is room for ambiguity in the story, which is well written but not one to be read quickly. I really like this thread!

[murf205]

Mine is a model 12 Remington. My grandfather let me shoot it when I was 5 yrs old and I used to buy him a box of ammo for Christmas. Of course I wound up shooting them, much to his delight, I'm sure(now that I'm a GF myself). He gave it to me on my 12th birthday and you couldn't have made a boy any happier. The woods around my central Alabama home had lots of oaks and hickory's that held a lot of squirrels but I did my best to cure that little problem. Thanks to paper companies cutting the hardwoods and urban sprawl, the oaks and hickory's are gone but the memories of me and my buddies tramping the hills and hollows carrying that little Remington are still vivid in my mind. My GF would be proud of the way I have taken care of and cherished it. I have a son who loves to hunt and a 2 1/2 yr old grandson, so that model 12 will go hunting again long after I'm gone.

[bcr]

Mine is my Browning BL-22. It was my first gun, and I got it when I had just turned 14. It was an epochal moment one day when I was looking at the rack of guns at L. L. Bean with my father and he said "That would be a nice rifle for a boy your age." I had only been vaguely interested in guns before that, and hadn't thought of myself as old enough to own a firearm (I guess I was thirteen at that time). So starting that day it was my singular purpose to save up to buy that rifle. I started reading Elmer Keith and Jeff Cooper and that's pretty much the way it is to this day, exactly 25 years later. Always just saving up for the next gun. A lot of people have learned to shoot with that rifle too. It is astoundingly accurate.

I also have a Smith and Wesson 43-3 that was Elmer Keith's that I bought at his auction a couple years ago. It wasn't one of the more newsworthy items sold that day, but it is special to me because my background with Keith.

My first centerfire rifle was a Browning B-92 in .44 Magnum, and I still think that is one of the most sensible rifles someone could own.

My grandfather hunted all his life with a '94 Winchester in .32 Special that he bought for $36 in the late thirties. Someone confiscated that gun before he died and we've never found out what happened to it. Presumably one of my cousins who never went hunting with him helped themselves to it.

[Alabama358]

I like the diversity of all of the beautiful firearms mentioned but truth be told... I am enjoying the stories behind them even more.

[jimb16]

I have 3.
Savage Model 220 20 ga. with a second barrel in .30-30. it was my father's.
An original Haskell buggy rifle with a Remington barrel made by E. Remington himself! From my wife's uncle.
And lastly a .50 cal Hatfield rifle ; flintlock. First flint that I ever took a deer with. Beautiful tiger Maple stock. I bought this one for myself.

All my other firearms now are ones that I don't think I'll ever part with, but those three guns are the really special ones.

[birch]

I had wanted a real Colt single action army since I was 8 years old.

Well... I finally got up enough (never cheap or a deal) to buy a brand new, never fired or turned Custom shop SAA in 45 colt with a 45acp cylinder. I made it home before I turned the cylinder. I made 6--255 gr RCBS Kieth mould bullets, loaded up 6 and put them all into a 50 cent piect at 10 yards.

There is something special about the Colt SAA. I am honored to own mine! My son already loves it as well. It will not be sold for beer money when I am pushing up daisies.