Ever fell in love with a gun a second time?

[bangswitch]

I'm like Hugh Hefner and his Playmates, with my guns. There's the "Barbi Benton", the one I love forever and every day, and then all the others, but I go skinny dipping in the Grotto with them all regularly.

 

[hps1]

I was about 9 when I first saw it. A beautiful Parker 16ga my grandpa used to bird hunt with. I loved the gun the first time I ever saw it.

Later on as i grew up, my grandpa would slowly give a gun to all grandkids. He called me one day, I think I was 16. I went to his house, we talked for awhile, some old war stories he had, he was a nose gunner in a B-24. He told me to wait there for a minute. He later came out holding that Parker, and I fell in love with it all over again. He handed it to me and said to take care of her. It was a gift from his uncle.

The gun has a dear place in my heart. And to this day, the smoothest shouldering shotgun I own.

While I'm primarily a rifleman I share your love affair with this particular old shotgun with which I shot my first duck some 76 or 77 years ago at tender age of 7 or 8. It too, points like a dream; never owned another that is such a natural!

It is an old Remington 12 ga., which belonged to my father. The duck, I must shamefully admit, was a redhead mallard sitting on a pond....hey, I was only 7 or so?? Anyway, my pet beagle mix was along with us that day and, having had absolutely no training, jumped in the cold water, brought the duck in and placed it at my father's feet. What a lifetime memory that morning was!

More on the shotgun. Dad and I used that old gun for a number of years until we realized it has damascus barrels so it lingered in the safe for a few years until a friend of my dad gave me this old reloading tool when I was in my teens.

Under the expert mentoring of a dear gunsmith friend, RIP Werth, using these tools, a powder, identified as "Bulk Smokeless" at the time (later Pyrodex??), I was able to load damascus safe shells and enjoyed a few more years of shooting the old Remington. The final nail in the coffin came when paper shells were discontinued and I assumed plastic hulls could not be roll crimped. I just now discovered that plastic can, indeed be roll crimped, unfortunately, its too late, now.

Recent research on the old Remington reveals the secret behind the natural fit of the gun. As it turns out, Remington bought out the patents of the old Parkers at some point in time and manufactured them under Remington name.

No 2nd love affair here, even though it has been retired over half of my lifetime, never did fall out of love with this one on many levels.

Regards,
hps

 

[DaStray]

Yep,
I`ve got a Ruger MKII that I`ve had for decades and every now and then take it out and wipe it down with oil. Bluing is worn in some spots but that`s fine by me.

It`s got the standard sights on it, non-adjustable, but the fascinating thing about it is that once you put the sights on the target and pull the trigger, a hole magically appears right there every time! I only wish all my guns worked like that

Hmmm, methinks a range trip is forthcoming...

 

[MTNSTRYDER]

The Blackhawk in my avatar it also has a 45acp cylinder. I stopped carrying it a few years ago in favor of more modern stuff.This morning I was cleaning out my sock drawer and it leaped into my hand. I may carry it more often still my favorite handgun.