Useless advice for you whippersnappers from an old fool

[dverna]

Today I was down in the dumps. Starting thinking about my youth.

Googled names of people I had gone to school with...half had passed on. Old loves gone but never forgotten.

Cars I wish I had kept....

But then I thought about the guns I had sold and traded off. All the guns of my youth are gone except for the .22 my dad gave me. Wish I still had my first CF rifle....M700 HB in .222 and my first CF handgun.... Colt Officers Target in .38 Spl.

Do not sell your first real guns unless you are starving. You can likely never enjoy your first woman again, but guns are timeless. My .223’s are not the same as that old M700 with the K-12. In some ways the .223’s are better but still not as good...doesn’t makes sense until you get old.

It is an awaking when almost half the people you went to school with are gone.

[Armorer77]

Ain't that the truth .

[Joe504]

It's tough, but you need to make sure you find ways to enjoy what you have.



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[BigAlofPa.]

I still have my 20 ga mossberg 500 with select choke my father bought me. He got it the day i was taking my hunter safety course. We went dove hunting that day. That gun is priceless to me. I still hunt with it today.

[trails4u]

I still own every gun I've ever owned..... I've sold, traded, bartered a lot of stuff over the years, but never a gun. On the winning end of a few, mostly lost my ass to make ends meet. Done without some things at times. But for me and mine, they are the last resort. Most because they're good, some because they're sentimental, and a few because they're so bad the story is worth more than ever letting them go. :)

[Harter66]

I grew up with "i wish I had just one of those ......" .

Today I haul a lot of junk around . Some day it'll just be junk . But for today it's Dad's 67 Win , and an old 95 Mauser I didn't do anything with yet .

Yeah not much passion for the junk I've hauled around my whole life .

[GhostHawk]

I have sold a few, but only a very few. And only ones that had insurmountable issues.

Still have my first air rifle, Sheridan Blue Streak, it still shoots great.
Still have my first .22lr, Ruger 10/22. Its clean and in the safe. If .22lr ammo comes down again it will come out.
Still have my first shotgun a Mossberg bolt action .410. Real love hate relationship with that gun until I learned its limitations and learned to work within them.

[rancher1913]

a boy never forgets the first girl he kissed or the first tractor he ever drove. I am in the have never sold a gun group.

[BNE]

I’ve only sold one so far. It was an AK I got for cheap, shot one magazine through it and immediately didn’t like it.
Had it for less than a month.... does that still count?

Good advice to hang to some of those first guns for sure.

BNE

[trails4u]

I’ve only sold one so far. It was an AK I got for cheap, shot one magazine through it and immediately didn’t like it.
Had it for less than a month.... does that still count?

Good advice to hang to some of those first guns for sure.

BNE

I don't think it counts..... Like a blind date you REALLY weren't interested in!

[Texas by God]

I have keepers but I have bought, sold and traded hundreds of guns. That way you get to try more different guns.

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[WestKentucky]

I sold a bunch but my only “first” that I let go of was my first revolver. I kick myself regularly. It was a fine gun in every way and I shot it with nuclear hand loads about a grain over max load for years. It finally got really loose and was getting out of time. I figured that a junk Taurus from the pawn shop was good so a Ruger gp100 would be better. Got 2 back to back lemons in the gp100 brand new. Both had terrible barrels. Visible chatter that looked like they were chiseled rather than rifled. I still miss that gun and would gladly buy it back or another like it but they are stoopid expensive for what they really are. Same money would buy a used 686, but that old Taurus 689 blued with walnut grips, 6” ribbed barrel was the one. I need to replace it but it’s hard to justify spending the money on. One of these days...

[Scrounge]

I sold a bunch but my only “first” that I let go of was my first revolver. I kick myself regularly. It was a fine gun in every way and I shot it with nuclear hand loads about a grain over max load for years. It finally got really loose and was getting out of time. I figured that a junk Taurus from the pawn shop was good so a Ruger gp100 would be better. Got 2 back to back lemons in the gp100 brand new. Both had terrible barrels. Visible chatter that looked like they were chiseled rather than rifled. I still miss that gun and would gladly buy it back or another like it but they are stoopid expensive for what they really are. Same money would buy a used 686, but that old Taurus 689 blued with walnut grips, 6” ribbed barrel was the one. I need to replace it but it’s hard to justify spending the money on. One of these days...

Ex got my first revolver, an Iver Johnson break-top in .38 S&W, 6" barrel, then lost it by leaving it in her car. I've owned a lot of guns, traded or sold a bunch of them. Had some I kept, but lost those to a thief about 30 years ago. Fortunately, the ones I'd really loved I gave back to my Dad. After I got settled here, he gave me back the .22LR Stevens Favorite that was the rifle I learned to shoot with, though my lower middle brother got the 12ga. New Era Gun Works goose gun.

[rbuck351]

I have traded or sold 5 or 6 over the years but only one that I liked and none with any sentimental value. I had one disappear from dads house while a cousin was staying there. It was my first shotgun , a sxs Continental 410, and I would really like that one back.

[fatelk]

I've sold off a lot of guns over the years too, but the first girl I ever held hands with was (is) a real keeper. I'd give up all my guns (in a heartbeat) before parting with her. :)

I hear what you're saying though, about hanging onto your first gun. I think I was 15 when my dad took me down to a gun shop to buy a Remington 572 .22 pump. I sold it a few years later when I was into bigger and better. I didn't particularly care for it as a rifle, but If I happened across it again today, I'd pay triple what it's worth, mostly because I miss my dad, and it would remind me of him.

[dverna]

I've sold off a lot of guns over the years too, but the first girl I ever held hands with was (is) a real keeper. I'd give up all my guns (in a heartbeat) before parting with her. :)

I hear what you're saying though, about hanging onto your first gun. I think I was 15 when my dad took me down to a gun shop to buy a Remington 572 .22 pump. I sold it a few years later when I was into bigger and better. I didn't particularly care for it as a rifle, but If I happened across it again today, I'd pay triple what it's worth, mostly because I miss my dad, and it would remind me of him.

My dad passed 42 years ago....still a big hole that will never be filled. The rifle he gave me is priceless.

[VariableRecall]

I'm not planning on selling anything that I've got. I'd rather pass it on to my kids or entrust them to a friend to make sure they don't get slagged or sold. Even something as butt-stock-ugly as my Hi-Point still has a place in my heart.

[GhostHawk]

Variable your not alone with Hi-points. I have 3 carbines and the 9mm pistol and they are all dependable as you could ask for.

And fun!

[Three44s]

I let my 3” SP101 get away in part of a trade that yielded a SRH in 480 Ruger along with some Contender barrels. I got to missing it and low and behold another drifted my way for a below market price later on.

Snagged it!

Also my 9 1/2” SRH got away in that same arraignment but I know right where that on is and if the current owner wanted to let it go, and my britches were on fire to rekindle my relationship with it, I would likely have first dibs on that one.

The most missed gun was my Smith 4506 5” SS in 45 Act. If I had known that you can eliminate the pesky magazine safety I would have simply bought my first 44 Mag revolver instead of trading the Smith Auto ......

I am still leaning towards a 1911 platform though .....

Three44s

[gwpercle]

Here is some good advice from my father , given to me when I was still in high school .

" Son , don't ever sell a gun you like ... even if it's just a little ... when they're gone , they're gone and you seldom ever get them back . "
I have several nice old guns because of that advice ...see the 1970 S&W model 58 in my avatar ... and a 1971 Ruger

Blackhawk , a 1911 AMT Hardballer , and many more I inherited ... all kept because my old man gave good advice and I was smart enough to listen to him .


Some things like old friends and loves slip away but you can keep other things ...

... Keep your firearms ...




Gary

[bedbugbilly]

dverna - I hear what you're saying , , , , I think as we all get older we go through the same thing , , , or will if you haven't already. Lost schoolmates . . . . some regrets as we look back . . . things we wished we had kept or experiences we wish we could go through again and feel the thrill of them and the magic of youth.

This past year, the wife and I lost seven good friends within about five weeks - two from Covid and the others from other causes - three of them were my Lodge buddies and I'm still trying to wrap my head around that. A week ago, my wife and I ordered our headstone - something I wanted to get done - I'm fine in doing that as I didn't want it to fall on my wife to do alone if I go first or somebody else as we don't have kids. Things like that do make a person reflect on a lot of things.

If it is one thing I have learned all these years it is to live my life with no regrets, focus on the good memories of things past and those we knew and loved and to look forward to the next day and the pleasures that God will provide . . . live the Golden Rule . . . . let those you love know it and the rest will take care of itself according to God;s plan for each of us. Smile, laugh often and enjoy what we have and can still do . . . .

[dverna]

I have sold a lot of "useless" guns over the years so I am not suggesting keeping every gun you every had. But some are special. You can buy another most of time but it is not the same as the one you originally owned.

Over 90% of the guns I have are "tools" or "toys". A very few are companions to be cherished...I lost many of those years ago and regret their absence. I would rather sell my K-80 trap combo (5 figure gun) than the beat up 55+ year old .22 my dad gave me. I walked the woods and fields for hours with that gun and our dog. Worked at the local grocery store stocking shelves and bagging to buy my first scope...a little Weaver V7 for it. Did my first bedding job on it. It will still shoot 1" groups at 50 yards too. As I type this, it is sitting near the front door in case the squirrels stage a peaceful protest or a coyote struts down the drive. The 10/22 might be a better tool, but the old Anschutz is a treasure.

When we are young we (well at least, when I was young) get into different shooting sports and when money is tight it is easy to sell stuff off to fund the next "toy". It is OK to sell toys but try to hold onto the treasures if you can. Keep the gun(s) your family gave you, the first gun you bought with your own money, your first deer rifle, and the gun you won your first competition with. There may be others in that mix but those are the ones important to me....now...decades later...YMMV.

[Char-Gar]

When I turned 60, I woke up and started turning some of my excess guns into the guns of my youth that I dearly missed. It worked and I am happy I did so.

[Butzbach]

Sometimes the babies need new shoes.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

If you're truly a gun nut there's more to it than just utility (which is important). There's the personally known/involved history of that particular gun (memory/sentiment). If you're also a gunsmith there is an appreciation of this or that model gun based on the form, function, and quality of manufacture. If you're a collector there is this or that feature or rarity that endears certain guns. If you are all of those things, you can end up with quite a few of them. Kind of like an art gallery, they continue to acquire, but seldom sell any of their paintings.

DG

[jsizemore]

2 old high school friends went to dinner after the funeral of one of their classmates. At dinner one got quiet.

The friend asked him what's up.

The quiet fella said " We don't have many classmates left and I'm worried that nobody will be at my funeral".

The friend said "Don't worry, I plan on being there".

[shooterg]

Have my first .22(JC Higgins stamped Marlin), first shotgun(no name 20 ga. single), first CF rifle(Ruger 77 .243 with low 4 didgit serial), and first revolver(Ruger Super Single Six) . The .22 and .243 were bought back for waaay more than value years after I follishly traded 'em off on a Dana 4.88 rear setup for a Roadrunner . All of the purchased first guns were 50% paid for by my Mom, who matched me dollar for dollar on birthdays. Still hate the fact I never recovered my first double barrel 20 ga. - tracked it down but the last owner loaned it to a "friend" that moved away w/o returning it ! Had the .22 Springfield 15Y Pops used on a trapline before WWII(he paid Sears $2.98 for it !), my brother "lost" it. You can't pick up pieces like these w/o a lot of memories coming back - of course, we only remember all the shots we made and never the misses !

[Kraschenbirn]

Like others, I'm not terribly sentimental and I've traded and sold through the years but looking into the big safe in my office/man cave there are four pieces that aren't going anywhere: the OM .357 Blackhawk that was the first NEW handgun I ever owned, the M12 Winchester purchased by my father in 1937 and traded to me in the early 1960s, the parkerized Remington-Rand 1911 that followed me home from southeast Asia in 1968, and the .243 M700 that I bought for myself in 1972 as a reward for my college graduation. The remainder of the guns in that safe...and the two smaller ones in my workshop...are, to me, simply guns to be used in the enjoyment of a lifelong avocation.

Bill

[NEKVT]

I don't think it counts..... Like a blind date you REALLY weren't interested in!

The first blind date I had in high school was my last.......we just hit 47 years!

I still have most of my guns. One I regret not keeping was my first CF handgun a Ruger BH 6.5" 357. I once knocked down 9 of 10 turkey silhouettes at 150m with it while standing. Missed the last one just over the top but by that time the whole place was watching.

[WRideout]

The only gun I really regret losing was an old-style Savage 99 in 300 Sav. It had the safety on the lever. I traded it for a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol, which wasn't a bad deal at the time. Shortly after that, Savage quit making the 99. Used ones are worth a mint.

Wayne

[imashooter2]

Solid advice.

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/Grampa_Paul_Dale_22_1960.jpg
http://imashooter2.com/pictures/H+R-760.jpg

[JM7.7x58]

When I moved from California to Washington state my Surfboard Shaper, (the equivalent of a Custom Gunsmith in that trade) gave me the same advice. He looked me in the eye and told me about all the men in their 50’s and 60’s who would come to him with old photos of boards they had surfed in their youth that they wanted recreated. That would be like trying to duplicate the exact dimensions of a custom rifle stock from an old photo. It might look right from across the room but it wouldn’t feel exactly the same.
He told me to save them. They can’t be replaced, they are hand made and unique. Some of these boards I have spent thousands of hours paddling, riding, and sitting on. I might only surf a few times a year now. But, Someday I might spend three months a year in Costa Rica after I retire, if I do I’ll take a few of them with me.

I can’t see selling any of my guns that I’ve had for twenty to thirty-five years, or any that I inherited. Now modern plastic handguns I’m just not that attached to. Those can come and go.

[reddog81]

I've gotten rid of a number of guns I didn't like. There's no reason to hold onto a gun you won't ever shoot and no longer want to own. I'm at the point where I'll need to buy another safe in order to increase the number of guns I own. It's worked out for me to sell one or two for each new one I buy. I don't regret getting rid of any of them and the guns I've replaced them with are guns I actually want to own.

[fivegunner]

Yes Sir; been there done that, I never thought I would get old!

[myg30]

The one thing we do have and will never trade or loose is our fond memories ! Either it’s a car, gun, the first red head girlfriend, something you did with your dad or mom, sister or brother. We always have those great memories.
Went that time in life comes, and if we lost those memories, I’m pretty sure we won’t know it and we are preparing for our new life with the Lord. The only thing that’s important then, our new life with him.

Most of us have been in a near death situation at some time or another and that’s when we realize we are still here for a reason. For me, that’s when all those great fond memories of the past came to me again as real as the time it happened.
Why are we here still but lost so many loved ones ? Some day day we will get the answers.

God Bless, stay healthy and be safe and enjoy those memories.

Mike

[Markopolo]

wow.....

I still have my first gun... a bolt action 12g from sears I got for Christmas when I turned 11... well, my son has it.. LOL . I do have a 30-30 my dad gave me. i love old guns... even rusty ones banged up ones.!!!!

[MrWolf]

I have never sold any of my guns. My Father on the other hand sold my first one. Whole nother story.

[BamaNapper]

Not selling that first gun is good advice. Guns that we start out with tend to be timeless. And there is indeed something special when you can go out hunting with a gun that you first carried through the woods more than 50 years earlier. When I have it out I spend more time remembering past years than I spend watching for critters to shoot.

Mine is a little 1906 Winchester 22 pump. I'm the third generation in my family to carry it.

[Char-Gar]

In my old age replacement of guns I seriously regretted passing on, I was content to replace only three handguns.

1. I kicked myself for selling my 1911A1 Rem-Rand. I refused to pay the price for a true replacement, so I came as close as I could.
bought a minty Colt made early 50's replacement "hard" slide with all the internal parts. I bought from the same guy also a minty 1994 Colt parkerized frame, again with all the internals. I had a Colt barrel in my parts bin and a mainspring housing (flat) with the lanyard ring. New springs, a good mag and it all went together like it has just been taken down for cleaning. The finish on the slide and frame both Colt made 45 years apart matched. I installed a set of King Hardball sights I had laying around the shop and all it good. It is a tight, accurate pistol that is a worthy successor to my old Rem-Rand.

2. From the same guy, I bought a minty mid-70s Colt Gold Cup frame with all the internals. I found a same vintage 22 LR Colt conversion unit at Bud's and now I have a replacement for my long gone Colt Ace.

3. I have long regretted trading off my mid-60s vintage Smith and Wesson Model 19 (Combat Magnum). The first one I shot came out of Bill Jordon's holster one day on the Rio Grande River. I managed to snag a minty 1966 Model 19 and put on a pair of Bear Hug Skelton grips made by Deacon himself. All is now good on that front as well.

I did manage to hang onto some long guns from the early days.

[Geezer in NH]

My academy class 1978 of 29 guys. 4 of us left.

Know how you feel.

[Gator 45/70]

As a family tradition the oldest son got the old mans guns when he passed on.
After a short debate my other brothers decided that since the oldest son had a problem with his dwellings burning down and in the process he burns up his own guns both times,
1 house to a cigarette 2nd house to a electric heater.
I sent the collection north where it will stay, Outside of hurricane country. Outside of the favorite sons reach, lol

[David2011]

Fortunately I still have my first, a Marlin .22 lr semiauto rifle and 3 of my first 4 handguns. Finally found a replacement for the first mistake, a Ruger Single Six convertible at over 3 times what I paid for the first one. It was the bicentennial model with “Made in the 200th year of American liberty” on the barrel so the replacement had to be a bicentennial as well, just because. Sold a Super Blackhawk because I didn’t have reloading equipment or a place for it. The guys that had been letting me reload on theirs were construction workers and moved away. Wish I had it now but I like the Blackhawk in .45 Colt as well or better. The last regret was a loaded Springfield Armory 1911. I had others and someone that I knew needed something after Katrina. I had just gotten it broken in and it was shooting great. Wish I had it even though I have several 1911s.

[444ttd]

i still have my first rifle, a used winchester m94(1972) that was a 30-30, but now it is 35/30-30(JES Reboring). i can't tell you how many deer fell to the thruty-thruty. i put her in the safe for about 25+/- years, then i had the money a couple of years ago and it was time to bring her out to send it to JES. when i got her back, i was overwhelmed by the memories we had. i took her out deer hunting and she was heck on deer.....again!!!!!!!

in the '90s, i was like a kid in the candy store. savage, remmy, h&r, ruger.....i had them all and i sold them to buy more rifles. then my divorce came and with it came the lawyer bills. i sold most of guns, i only kept a few. the semi custom 98 mauser in a douglas 7x57, rem m7 in 7-08, rem m760 in 308, mossberg m500 in 12ga, marlin m25 in 22 and the thruty-thruty. the 98 mauser is my oldest son's rifle, the m7 is still in the safe, the 760 is gone, the mossberg is my son's and the 22 i still have(my first rimfire).

i slowly started to build my "collection" to what it is now. everything i have is a wood and blued steel rifles. the majority of the rifles are old sporterized milsurps, but i have couple of rifles that are newer.

i sold alot of guns, but i can cry over two. they are the savage m340 in 222 rem and a ruger super redhawk(7.5" barrel) in 44 mag. i bought the 222 used from a local gun shop. but it was a keeper, i could do under 1/2" groups at 100 yards everyday and twicet on sunday. i figure that i did around 7000-8000 shots over 3 years. i don't know what the exact round count of the 222 being used. i scrubbed her out with shooters choice(about every 200-250 rounds) and i shot the barrel out. i should have kept the action and redo the barrel....but no!!!!!!!! theres a rem 223 just calling me to shoot it. (i did and it was a piece of bleep):mad:

the 44 was sold because i had to pay lawyer. i luved that revolver. i could point and shoot like you couldn't believe. i took her out deer hunting and she did deliver. the shot that i remember most was a doe at about 125+/-yards and she was shot behind the shoulder and the lungs were smashed and then it out behind the other shoulder. it was like a switch turned off on her. bang and dead. the 200gr hornady xtp with a warm load of win296 has killed many deer fer me. i should have found a way to pay the lawyer.........

did the marriage thing once, i won't do it again. unless she's old and RICH!!!!!! then i'll have a change of heart, when she puts me into her will.

[Idaho45guy]

I sold my first firearm. A Browning BLR Grade II .22lr lever-action. Killed hundreds and hundreds of jack rabbits and squirrels with it. Sold it in my 20's for $150. Stupid.

Sold my first .22 Pistol, a Ruger Single-Six with adjustable sights and the .22 Magnum cylinder. Sold it in my 20's as well. Stupid.

But, I still have my first hunting rifle given to me by my dad at age 13. A Winchester Model 70 XTR Featherweight in .257 Roberts.

Shot my first elk with it that year...

282842

And I still have it...

282843

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got lots of guns. Had LOTS of guns. I look at it a bit differently. Ive enjoyed every gun i own. Do i regret selling some of them? Sure i do. But ive sold guns to get guns. Ive enjoyed those guns too. Im am not a wealthy man. If i didnt sell those guns i couldnt have bought new ones that ive had alot of fun with. My tastes change. One year i may love shooting single actions. two years later im into custom Linebaugh clements ect single actions, two years later maybe its ar15s two years later maybe glocks two years later maybe double actions and it goes on and on. Ive had some real cool guns and shot the snot out of them. Whats a crime to me is seeing a gun i want and not being able to afford it while theres a gun in one of my safes that i havent shot in years. I have maybe 10-20 guns i wouldnt sell. But for the most part at the right offer there all for sale or trade. Ive even got two guns ive actually bought 3 times. Got bored and years later wanted it back so bought it. Got bored sold it and a few years later bought it back or one just like it. I think of the experience and memories of the fun ive had playing with new guns. The challenge of working up the best possible load for it. Trying many different cast bullets in it and finding the magic combo. What happens then? Maybe I shoot a couple deer and then it gets stuffed in the safe and im more interested in a new challenge.

I dont pine of the memories i relish the memories. I made new memories just yesterday with 3 new rifles. A weatherby vanguard in 6.5-300 another weatherby in 7mag and a new model 70 280 featherweight at the range on the final day of fine tuning loads when every group i shot was moa or better. Heck ive owned a half a dozen different 7mags through the years and this is the forth 280 ive owned. One other was another 70 featherweight. This new 280 and 7 mag are the best shooting ones in that chambering ive owned. It like life is a road. You have to enjoy the trip. Experience new things. Heck how many here have all the cars theyve ever owned or dont wish they had one of them back. How many have every boat theyve ever owned every atv motorcycle, tool ect. Right now ive got guns that are fun to shoot. Good example for me are 9mms. Ive got probably a dozen various 9s. In these shortage times my stash of primers and lead lets me actually go out and shoot WHENEVER i want. I dont have to worry about finding 22 shells because i can shoot 9s as cheaply. I consider guns toys or tools. Not a living thing i get attachment to. There money in the bank. If i need something or some problem comes up I can sell a half a dozen and not have to worry about it. If you pine for your old 44 mag save some money and go buy one just like it. There not living things like your wife or kids or even your dog. One super blackhawk is the same as then next. There tools no differnt then my hammers. I have a favorite hammer too. I dont take it to bed with me though.

I guess maybe i can see it if you have a dozen guns and dont see how you could buy 2 or 3 more in the near future. I remember in my 20s saying id never sell a gun when i owned maybe 10 and money was tight. But probably a 100 or more guns have come and gone since then. If i look back on those 10 i had in the 20s 3 are still here. A 1022 ruger and a 4 in n frame 629 and a 700 classic 6mm which was my first bolt action deer rifle. Even grandpas and dads guns have gone to my nieces and nephews.

[robg]

as we get older and wiser we start to wish we hadn't got rid of things we were given or had as kids.you dont know what you've got till its gone.

[redhawk0]

I still have all my guns except for 2. I'm still kicking myself over the selling of my first deer rifle a 1977 Savage 99C in 308Win....the second gun...good riddance...it was a Ruger M944 in 40S&W....With that gun I couldn't hit a barn if I was standing inside it.

I have all my others including my first shotgun a 1976 Mossburg 500AT 12 Gauge. I just got my very first Turkey with that gun last Friday. It's killed many game animals...but I never got into Turkey hunting until last year (I'm now 57). I'm hooked for the remainder now...haha

redhawk

[remy3424]

I am happy that many are not sentimental about guns, I have bought way over half of mine used. I have sold few and traded several. If I am lucky enough to see my sunset coming, I will do my best to send them all to new homes (sell or give-away)...along with my "3 times what a normal person would need for reloading" equipment and excessive supply of components. With a little luck and God willing, maybe the components will get used up. Getting older makes your (my) stuff, seem as such.

It must be a personality trait, guessing most that have the "never sell a gun" mentality are also the ones that would spend thousands of dollars for medical care for a pet companion dog. (a thread here awhile back), Most who posted would do about anything for a pet dog...ones that don't even hunt....I am not "that guy" either....I don't have (need) a pet for a companion, but we are all a little different.

[Lloyd Smale]

i dont love guns there tools. I love my dog!

[dverna]

i dont love guns there tools. I love my dog!

That is almost sad in a way. I do not love that old .22 but I love the father who gave it to me and the memories it brings back. It was big deal for me when I got that gun. My dad was not a hunter or shooter. Yet he respected my desire to hunt and shoot. Certainty, those memories would be there without the gun sitting by the front door, but it would seem disrespectful for me to send it down the road.

I cannot recall my dad giving me birthday or Christmas presents...he was not wired that way. Maybe that's what makes the Anschutz so very special.

[Lloyd Smale]

I had grandpas three guns. Yup they meant something to me but they would have been sold if my dog needed medical care and i wouldnt have been able to pay for it and i had nothing else to sell. But i gave them all to my nephews last year. I didnt use them and i wanted then in the family before i died. I wouldnt have sold them to a stranger but LOVE? I loved grandpa not his guns. Memories are there even though the guns arent in the safe anymore and it to me is cool there actually being used instead of collecting dust. Dad had a double barrel 16 winchester that was his fathers. He tried to give it to me a few times and i said no. Partly because it meant alot to him and because we are only 23 years apart and i told him to give it to one of his grandsons that had sons of his own that would insure it got passed down. So last year he did that at the same time. But i sure dont get sentimental about the guns i myself bought at a gun shop. Like i said with that train of thought id still have my first car, first boat, first harley, heck my first wife!!

[Scrounge]

I had grandpas three guns. Yup they meant something to me but they would have been sold if my dog needed medical care and i wouldnt have been able to pay for it and i had nothing else to sell. But i gave them all to my nephews last year. I didnt use them and i wanted then in the family before i died. I wouldnt have sold them to a stranger but LOVE? I loved grandpa not his guns. Memories are there even though the guns arent in the safe anymore and it to me is cool there actually being used instead of collecting dust. Dad had a double barrel 16 winchester that was his fathers. He tried to give it to me a few times and i said no. Partly because it meant alot to him and because we are only 23 years apart and i told him to give it to one of his grandsons that had sons of his own that would insure it got passed down. So last year he did that at the same time. But i sure dont get sentimental about the guns i myself bought at a gun shop. Like i said with that train of thought id still have my first car, first boat, first harley, heck my first wife!!

When my great grandma was developing dementia, or whatever it was, asking her about an object would get the stories about the family members she didn't remember when we were just talking to her. That and the right odors. I'm getting old enough now that I don't remember the objects, odors, or the stories myself, anymore. I last saw her in 1974, when she was about 84 or 85. Was born in 1889. About the only story she told that I do remember is that her parents were run out of Vienna, Missouri, in the 1850's because they were abolitionists. The folks who ran them out were their own family. That got a little reinforcement when I got married the first time. Just before we got married, my now ex was talking to my grandma and found out that we were distant cousins, related through my great grandma. Ex had visited the family in Vienna, from NYC, where she lived, only a few years before we got married. I don't believe I'm ever going to a family reunion again.

Bill