aarondhgraham
Member
I hate Gunbroker.com,,,
Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word,,,
But they have a listing that is exactly what I've wanted for years.
Way back in time when dinosaurs ruled the earth,,,
My great-uncle Bantie used to take me for a week in the summers.
One of the highlights of the week there was shooting Bantie's pistols,,,
He had a pair of .22 single-shots cased like dueling pistols,,,
They were old fashion looking with break-open action,,,
I don't know for sure but I think they were Stevens.
Bantie and my aunt Lou lived out in the boonies in West Virginia,,,
When Bantie would come home from work we would go out back and shoot them.
He would take that six-pack of Schlitz he always seemed to have,,,
We would sit on this big log while he drank a beer,,,
Then toss the steel can for me to shoot at,,,
If I was lucky I got a sip or two.
Now don't get all freaky about kids, guns, and alcohol not mixing,,,
This was in the mid-fifties and things were different,,,
He never shot me and I never shot him.
Aunt Lou would sit on the porch and watch the two of us,,,
They never had kids of their own so they really treated us nephews and nieces.
Those few weeks I spent with them are some of my fondest childhood memories,,,
These trips and shooting sessions happened when I was 5 & 6 years old,,,
We moved west to Oklahoma very soon after that,,,
I didn't see uncle Bantie again until I was 24.
It was at my grandparents 50th anniversary/family reunion when I saw him again,,,
He and aunt Lou were in their late 70's by the time of that event,,,
I was in the USAF just returned from a tour in Germany.
I told him how I remembered those evenings on that log with those pistols,,,
And how they comprised one of my fondest childhood memories,,,
He remembered those times and said he still had the guns,,,
When he asked me if I wanted them I almost cried.
So the next day we drove the 3 hours to their home in central Virginia,,,
We rummaged around in the attic until we found the wooden case,,,
I was devastated when we opened it as the pistols were gone.
He said that many years ago one of my hillbilly cousins stole a lot of stuff from him,,,
Bantie said he must have taken those guns and left the box to hide the theft.
Then he asked me if I remembered shooting his German 8mm Mauser,,,
I did remember it because it almost knocked me down,,,
I only fired 2 rounds and decided that was enough.
We climbed down from the attic and started getting ready to return to my grandparents home,,,
Bantie went into his office/den and came out carrying an old canvas rifle case,,,
He handed it to me and said "Would you like this instead?",,,
It was that 8mm Mauser, his WW-II bring-back.
He told me the story of how he picked it up in some no-name French village,,,
It was always his plan to sporterize it but he never had it done,,,
I'm glad as it was a true K-98 German Mauser.
I never saw uncle Bantie again,,,
He passed away a few years after that,,,
I still have the Mauser in it's original configuration,,,
And fondly remember him and shooting Schlitz cans from that old log.
The reason I'm writing about this is,,,
I've always wanted to put together a pair of single-shots like his,,,
And now there is not just one but a pair of them in very nice shape on Gunbroker.
Man but that auction offering brought those memories flooding back to me,,,
I'm going to make my best bid on the pair and hope for the best,,,
I know they aren't Bantie's pistols but they are close enough.
Wish me luck.
Aarond
.
Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word,,,
But they have a listing that is exactly what I've wanted for years.
Way back in time when dinosaurs ruled the earth,,,
My great-uncle Bantie used to take me for a week in the summers.
One of the highlights of the week there was shooting Bantie's pistols,,,
He had a pair of .22 single-shots cased like dueling pistols,,,
They were old fashion looking with break-open action,,,
I don't know for sure but I think they were Stevens.
Bantie and my aunt Lou lived out in the boonies in West Virginia,,,
When Bantie would come home from work we would go out back and shoot them.
He would take that six-pack of Schlitz he always seemed to have,,,
We would sit on this big log while he drank a beer,,,
Then toss the steel can for me to shoot at,,,
If I was lucky I got a sip or two.
Now don't get all freaky about kids, guns, and alcohol not mixing,,,
This was in the mid-fifties and things were different,,,
He never shot me and I never shot him.
Aunt Lou would sit on the porch and watch the two of us,,,
They never had kids of their own so they really treated us nephews and nieces.
Those few weeks I spent with them are some of my fondest childhood memories,,,
These trips and shooting sessions happened when I was 5 & 6 years old,,,
We moved west to Oklahoma very soon after that,,,
I didn't see uncle Bantie again until I was 24.
It was at my grandparents 50th anniversary/family reunion when I saw him again,,,
He and aunt Lou were in their late 70's by the time of that event,,,
I was in the USAF just returned from a tour in Germany.
I told him how I remembered those evenings on that log with those pistols,,,
And how they comprised one of my fondest childhood memories,,,
He remembered those times and said he still had the guns,,,
When he asked me if I wanted them I almost cried.
So the next day we drove the 3 hours to their home in central Virginia,,,
We rummaged around in the attic until we found the wooden case,,,
I was devastated when we opened it as the pistols were gone.
He said that many years ago one of my hillbilly cousins stole a lot of stuff from him,,,
Bantie said he must have taken those guns and left the box to hide the theft.
Then he asked me if I remembered shooting his German 8mm Mauser,,,
I did remember it because it almost knocked me down,,,
I only fired 2 rounds and decided that was enough.
We climbed down from the attic and started getting ready to return to my grandparents home,,,
Bantie went into his office/den and came out carrying an old canvas rifle case,,,
He handed it to me and said "Would you like this instead?",,,
It was that 8mm Mauser, his WW-II bring-back.
He told me the story of how he picked it up in some no-name French village,,,
It was always his plan to sporterize it but he never had it done,,,
I'm glad as it was a true K-98 German Mauser.
I never saw uncle Bantie again,,,
He passed away a few years after that,,,
I still have the Mauser in it's original configuration,,,
And fondly remember him and shooting Schlitz cans from that old log.
The reason I'm writing about this is,,,
I've always wanted to put together a pair of single-shots like his,,,
And now there is not just one but a pair of them in very nice shape on Gunbroker.
Man but that auction offering brought those memories flooding back to me,,,
I'm going to make my best bid on the pair and hope for the best,,,
I know they aren't Bantie's pistols but they are close enough.
Wish me luck.
Aarond
.
