Pop's or Grandpop's hunting rifle picture thread.

My dad found success opening a chain of sporting goods stores/gun shops in Idaho. He became a relatively well-known professional big game hunter and rubbed shoulders with Elmer Keith, He's owned more hunting rifles than I've owned pairs of underwear.

He gave me one of his rifles about 20 years ago that he had Mel Smart build for moose hunting in Canada. It's a beautiful rifle and I've taken it hunting only once.

It's a completely custom Winchester Model 70 Pre-'64 action, one of Mel's prototype laminate stocks, and all sorts of tasteful work done. Working the action is amazing and it is chambered in .35 Whelen. Pictures don't do it justice...

Enfielder said:

The only Remington semi auto offered in the 40's was the model 81 and it didn't come in 30-06. Maybe .300 Savage?

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He may have bought it later than that since I do remember dad telling me it's a Remington semi-auto in .30-06. I haven't seen it since I was around 12yrs old, and that was in 1980, so no idea what it looked like.

Hunting is not at all important in my family, as historically we have always been farmers. I have a single hunting rifle that has taken a few northern deer, a 336 in 35Rem. The only other "hunting rifle" in my family to my knowledge is my grandfather's Marlin 1936 in 30-30. He showed it to me only one time over 10 years ago. Before that it had been sitting in the back of his closet for close to 40 years. That closet must be something magical. Because we can have at least 2 threads on here at any given time about moisture prevention, and that 1936 didn't have a speck of rust on it. It was bought brand new by his father, my great-grandfather and namesake. It was fired so little by him, my grandfather still has some 30-30 ammo on hand from the 1930's.

Enfielder said:

This IS a shotgun thread if it belonged to your dad or grandad.

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......... O.K.... Here's the 16 ga. Iver Johnson Champion my dad acquired about 1940...... It was his pheasant gun mainly but he took other small game with it. After WWII it didn't see much use until it went to my oldest cousin in the 1950's , then to my second oldest cousin until I finally got it in 1967.... In 1978 I had a local gunsmith who was a real old-school craftsman re-blue it and case harden the receiver and do a few other minor things. So this gun has been in my family since about 1940 and it still looks as good as it did after the 1978 refinishing and case hardening. Some day it's going to a local pheasant hunting preserve and I'm gonna get a picture of it next to a couple freshly taken pheasants.

Neither of my grandparents were hunters. They were both dairy farmers and didn't have time for any of that. All they ever had for guns that I know of were a couple 22's and cheap shotguns. My dads deer rifle is a Remington 760 in 243. My father in law who I'm much closer with and hunt with every year usually carries a 1980s vintage Weatherby Vanguard deluxe with a redfield wide-view scope, which is a fine and accurate rifle. He refers to it as "Baby" and its willed to my wife. His first gun that he took his first 3 deer with was a break action 410 shotgun with slugs.

I inherited two Ithaca M-37's; one from each grandfather.

Dad's Remington 721 in .270 Win. It was his hunting rifle for many years, and he shot his last deer with it when visiting me in Montana.

I also have some of his other guns, including several from two great-uncles and a few other family hand-me-downs.

The Winchester Centennial 66 was a present from Mom to Dad in 1967. She actually put it on layaway at Hap's Sporting Goods in 1966. It took her several months to pay it off, but she had it in time for their 5th anniversary.

The Model 94 in 32 Special came from my great-uncle Ray's house, not sure if he bought it or if he inherited it from my great grandfather. Serial number gives a production date of 1906.

My maternal grandfather ran a pool hall near Camp Lejuene in the 70's and 80's, and he carried an old Saturday Night Special for as long as we can remember. Every once in awhile, when the young Marines got rowdy he'd brandish it a bit and run them off. I only ever saw him shoot it a hand full of times. Most of the time it stayed loaded with rat shot. When he passed away in 2012, his wife, my maternal grandmother, inherited the pistol, and still carries it, much to the family's dismay and terror, haha. Here she is at the range with my stepfather.



Terrifying huh?

Enfielder said:

Nah. She has good finger control from what I see.

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Yeah, we just like to pick on her. She's actually a decent shot.