Sentimental Guns

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When someone gifts me a gun, it becomes special. These were all gifts & will never be sold.
My 1st gun given by Dad when I was 14. Made me take a hunting & firearms safety class first. A used Winchester 55 22LR. He paid $15.
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Colt Woodsman from 1931. Gift from Great Uncle Ray shortly before he passed away.
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Freedom Arms Model 83 in 454 Casull. 50th birthday gift from my wonderful wife.
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STI Trojan in 9mm. 60th birthday gift from same wonderful wife.
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STI Elektra 9mm & Sig STX. Both 30th wedding anniversary gifts from guess who.
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This last one makes me smile. In 2016, just before the election, my wife just walks into the living room & says " I think Hillary is going to win. You better go get another AR right away. So I picked up this CORE M4 piston.
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Sounds like a wonderful woman. Lots of jealous guys I bet reading this post...:D
 
There are very few "gun nuts" in my family. So gifts of that variety are rare. The exception being my brother gave me his first gun, a Ruger 10/22 carbine that I helped him pick out years ago. He got himself a take down model as a replacement. That one is sentimental to a degree. My first gun, Walther P99 and a commemorative Para 1911 are the others that round out my short list.

I am in line to inherit several more but I don't count those eggs yet.
 
#2 You'll forgive my reposting the post from the "Shotgun Picture Thread".

My .22/20ga. Stevens. I've had at least three but this one's the keeper. .22WMR didn't work out for me and the .410 was a little small on some occasions.

This was a great gun for me. I started carrying a Blue Streak air-pump on my trap-lines and popped a few critters not to be cataloged here. Got to be confident in a 1 shot head-shot first. But damn, that's a lot of pumping! Never quiet, that.

Then, I carried our family's Marlin 39 (still have that... again) but it was long and kind of too nice for me beating around and also was finicky with shot rounds.

Later, this came along. A tad heavy for just-in-case but being .22 and 20 ga reaped huge rewards. I was getting something like 3-8 dollars for winter rabbit pelts and more for non-typicals. Someone had caused the release of these beasty, English, Watership Downs monsters that had gone feral and were a real money maker when taken down Minneapolis.

Too, this gave me dog-food and trap baits along with other side benefits.

This was when gas was what... 60-80 cents a gallon? Augmenting muskrat and beaver with those rabbits and other mustelidae was huge. There was also a prize-cattle/goose/boutique melon farmer would pay a fine bounty on-site, cash in hand, day of death and I still got the rabbits - more to me if he kept one or two from time to time for his dogs. One of my lines was about a quarter mile from a corner of his holdings.

My cousin even used it at least one year for his deer tag. We found out later that he might have been breaking the law with the .22 on top.

I can't for the life of me remember where I got the sweet little *Sears* 4x scope. Maybe off of the Marlin? It's not a Ted Williams nor J C Higgins store brand but rather a beautifully marked Sears U.S.A. scope. Weaver perhaps. I can tell you though, sure doesn't let a lot of light in under a Minnesota, low-winter-sun.:D After mounting it, I kind of wished that I had the button-select barrel version but this was still fine if I was careful.

Somewhere, I have a pile of *slings* I used to make by eye-splicing ropes laying around the place. Learned immediately to NOT use hemp.:cuss:This carried real nice on a half-inch cotton rope sling with pretty eye-splices and copper bands on each end. Stretched somethin' fierce the first time it got wet though.

I keep thinking one day to give the old gal a significant restoration just because of the significance to me.... Maybe.

Anyhow, here she is and in her day, she was a getter!
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Todd.
 
I have 2 Marlin/Glenfield 22 rifles from the late 70s/early 80s. One is from my dad the other from my grandfather on my moms side. They have the longer 22” barrels and 17 round magazines. I still shoot both a fair bit and even used one in my first competition.

I also have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 from my grandfather. It was made around the same time frame, 1981 or ‘82 I think. It’s my current project gun. I cleaned it up and just added a Ranger Point peep sight. I have 2 loads for it and hopefully a 3rd soon if I can find more powder. I’d like to do some casting for it too. All the loads have a different point of impact, so a more easily adjustable sight than the factory irons was in order. I can shoot peeps better anyway.
 
Still have pop's old Glenfield 99, 410 single shot, inoperable 22lr revolver, Erma 22lr luger, 916 and winchester 12 gauge shotguns.

Those will never get sold no matter what.
 
More and more of them become Sentimental Guns as you get older. There are many, many contenders...
but in my life there is only one "Bad Bitch" --- U.S. Rifle Caliber .30 M-1 (SA March 1944). Bought from S. Korea-sourced 'blue sky' imports by me in 1991 for about $300 with pay from Basic/AIT @ Ft. Benning in Fall '90----my present to myself for the ordeal. Survived a college rental house fire 2 years later that claimed a great friend and comrade who, as it would happen, had performed the 15 Count Manual of Arms with this weapon---just for me and for fun---only a week before. The police brought the sodden weapon from the house's wreckage about 24hrs after the fire was out when I challenged them if they were going to post a guard over the place---knowing that a weapon was present on my bed to be stolen by looters. They sent a fireman in to retrieve her, and returned her to me on the street. This is My Rifle

I took her to our motel room and stripped her, put her in the shower, and began a long process that culminated in re-parking and hours spent rubbing an original stock with a dot of fire-charring atop by the butt plate. There are many like her, by this one is MINE

When in his hour of darkness my friend's Dad asked me if there was some chance that his son had set the fire to end his life, my explanation of his having access to my M-1 and knowing where I kept ammo was balm enough to sooth his fears. My recounting of his son's performance of the 15 count manual of arms sealed the memory on a positive, soldierly note.

Years later the Springfield Armory (the private concern) in Geneseo, IL would re-barrel and re-gas this rifle....each time when I just showed up on their doorstep without any appointment whatsoever. I don't think they care much to do that, but they did for me over 23 years ago.

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And to the more important point: This is our 17 year-old daughter on the day she first ever shot the rifle that is now her's by title, on lifetime loan to me.
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No inheritances for me, but a number of sentimental arms in my safe.

My Mossberg M-44 is nostalgic for all the cadets it trained in its day. My Saginaw M-1 Carbine for all the history it's been through, ditto for my SC 03A3.

I had similar feelings for my Inland Carbine, and my Sistema Colt, and the 1903 Colt I once owned--they had history, tangible and real.
 
My aunt's second husband died suddenly and left his OTR semi cab full of personal effects. Some friends cleaned it out and boxed it up, and gave it all to my aunt who stacked the cardboard boxes on the garage floor for about ten years. My aunt dropped by and handed me the remains of a 4" Colt Python that had been on the floor in a box.
Long story short, the guys at Colt rebuilt it for me. Tuned, polished, rebarrel, regripped...reblued.....etc.
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It actually looks kinda bad in this pic, but i had been shooting and it need cleaned. You can ask @Rembrandt, its a pretty good looking gun thanks to the guys and gals at Colt.
Too bad they don't do that kind of work any longer....its very smooth.
 

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Good thread. I have two.

The first is the first firearm I ever owned: a Mossberg 500 12 gauge that my wife gave me. Her dad (now deceased) was a great outdoorsman and she got me the Mossberg so that I could hunt with him. That 500 has taken squirrel, rabbit, deer, pheasant ... and lots of clay birds. I'll never part with it.

The second is a 1960s vintage Remington 700 ADL in 7mm Remington Magnum that was my father-in-law's deer rifle. It's not the most accurate rifle I own, but it got the job done for Dad and I am honored to have it and shoot it in his memory.
 
tuckerdog1
Freedom Arms Model 83 in 454 Casull. 50th birthday gift from my wonderful wife.
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STI Trojan in 9mm. 60th birthday gift from same wonderful wife.
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STI Elektra 9mm & Sig STX. Both 30th wedding anniversary gifts from guess who.
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This last one makes me smile. In 2016, just before the election, my wife just walks into the living room & says " I think Hillary is going to win. You better go get another AR right away. So I picked up this CORE M4 piston.
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You sir have one very remarkable and thoughtful wife!
 
My father in law gave us his duty weapon and backup.
Wife carrys the Charter 38 3 in.
The Colt Detective sits in an honored place in the safe
I acquired my Dad's duty and backup; 1950 pre-model 10 and a Colt that dates from about 1929 (I suspect he bought from a cop who retired when he started in 1950); looks like someone may have cut down a 4" Police Positive to make a nice snub
 
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