Memorial of the best pistolero I know, my father

[osteodoc08]

With great sorrow and a heavy heart, I am asking about the 460 Smith.

My Father passed in his sleep, unexpectedly at the age of 57. He is the greatest revolver shooter I've ever met. He taught me to shoot, hunt, fish, everything outdoors and how to be father. He will be greatly missed.

We had many activities planned. Over the last several years he had really gotten into bullet casting. I can't tell you how many hundreds of pounds of converted wheel weights we've sent down range together. He was going to teach me the art of casting. We've reloaded together since I was my oldest sons age of 6. We had just started to show him and I actually recorded a short video for my father teaching my oldest, Nathan, to size and lube. In the background I can hear him say "We'll have to get you out to shoot those". Little did we expect him to pass so soon.

He originally taught me to shoot a wheel gun with his Model 57 Smith
He bought back in the 70's when he was of age. We shot it so much we had to
Send it back to Smith more than once for a rebuild. It is in semi retirement now. The 41 is still my favorite wheel gun caliber. We had also spent a lot of time with the 45 LC, especially "Ruger Only" loads. His next goal was to pick up a 460 Smith since it follows the spectrum 45LC-454 Casull-460 Smith. Unfortunately his untimely passing didn't allow us to venture out to that caliber.

I am thinking of honoring him in metal form with a Smith 460. It was something we were to venture out into together. I will continue this journey in his honor along with our love for the outdoors. My 2 sons ages 3,6 and my daughter age 6 all love the outdoors. It's a shame he won't have the opportunity to meet his unborn grandson at 22 weeks currently.

I'm just not sure of the different models and barrel lengths, etc. we never got around to that, however, anecdotally we both Prefer the 4-6" lengths.

I intend to self teach the art of bullet casting. Getting the 460 as planned and meeting up with a family friend in Ohio later this year for deer season.

I'm going to miss you Dad. I love you.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Sorry for your loss, I to lost my father at a rather young age (50). But to answer your question the .460 magnum is a handful . Like its smaller cousin the .454 casull its operating at pressures normally reserved for rifles. S&W claims its the highest velocity cartridge in the world. The versatility of this gun to me rivals the .357 mag, being able to chamber .460 mag,454 casull,45 COLT, and .45 schofeild

 

[armsmaster270]

May your dad rest in peace.

My dad taught me the art of pistol/revolver shooting to. You may see his memorial page at.

https://sites.google.com/a/armsmaster.net/www/dad-ale.nichols

 

[hedrok]

So sorry for your loss. I know it's a deep wound that will not...and should not...ever heal completely.
I miss my dad every day. I miss sharing with him the success he taught me to have and teach to my children and for them to teach to theirs.
Mostly, I miss the opportunity to say how much I love, appreciate and respect him.
The tears always do flow as I write this...but over time, they've become tears of pride in using the lessons he taught me instead of tears of sadness and loss.
I sincerely hope you find the same someday.

 

[CPLofMARINES]

I am so sorry for the loss of your Father. He taught you to
Shoot, hunt, fish and everything outdoors. So did my Dad
And Grandpa too. I can't tell you much about a .460 but I
Know for sure, and I mean this, whatever you decide, your
Dad will love it. You take what your Dad taught you and
Pass that down to your children, and your Father will live
Forever.

SEMPER FI

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I am sorry for your loss, but I see your Dad taught you a lot of good things. My Dad was a WWII Vet and passed on about 8 years ago. He used to take us fishing, hunting and camping. He was a great Dad in my eyes.

 

[osteodoc08]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've been piddling around my gun area in th basement thinking about him. I just cleaned up a new to me 686-6 that we were supposed to put through its paces. Gonna head to my mothers house tomorrow and load some 357 Mag on his Dillon using my so called "pimp brass". He referred to my nickle plated brass that way. I mostly used it to keep our brass separate when we hit the range together which had becoming more frequent. It wouldn't be unusual to run through 350-500 revolver rounds in a session between the two of us.

 

[41 Mag]

Like you, I lost Pop at an early age. He was a heck of a fellow, being brought up i a family of 10 kid through the latter part of the depression and losing his dad to some whacked out fellow who shot him.

Growing up they REALLY hunted for food having a small farm which is still in the family today. Growing up under him was both wonderful and well not. When young and out to the farm, I learned really early that when you shot, you had better bring something to the house. In his mind plinking was simply a waste of ammo purchased to put food on the table. He was quick with discipline and had a temper, but he was also just as quick with a "ya done good son" and a pat on the back.

We shot at targets but not in the sense that some do, where they shoot round after round to have fun. Our target practice was to zero the rifle or sight in a revolver and then go hunting. We fished out lake out at the farm but he really loved to fish offshore and I having damage from an inner ear infection when young simply couldn't do so. None the less we spent many hours wetting hooks here and there and he always found time to get us out of a little work to do so.

I started hunting with him at age 2 due to his shift work, he would have to haul me to the lease with him if he wanted to hunt. I remember him killing a big doe and me shooting it with my stick after. He said there no way I could remember that, until I described the insides of the cabin, and the other folks who were there when we came back. I got my first deer sitting on his knee in a box stand at 6 using a M1 Carbine, and after that it was on. I shot my limit on the lease we had every year until I was 12 when we moved back to hunting the farm.

My pop was truly a marksman and when his rifle barked you knew there would be cleaning to be done. I have seen him pick off a called blackbird that come in huge flocks from ranges further than most have any business shooting. using an 03A3 that he sporterized himself, and surplus pull down ammo, and with a handgun witnessed him take more than one running cotton tail from the hip drawn Colt Army 38SPL he liked and carried while surveying all over Louisiana and S.Texas.

I might never be as good as him, but in my time, I hope I have made him proud. I have brought up my daughter who was his sidekick till his passing, to hunt fish and shoot as good as I can or even better. My oldest of 3 grandsons has also become quite the hunter and marksman and he also started out dropping his first hog at age 3 using reduced loads in a Ruger .308.

You will find that times will be hard when working with and around the things you all shared, some things you will miss him dearly. Honestly I feel this is only being selfish, as I myself came to this conclusion. I have since found that these things are very uplifting, and things we both shared and enjoyed together. As such I find myself talking to him in my thoughts, and even giggling when thinking about his small short coming of being weak stomached. I rejoice in the wonderful things he shared with me, and his finding time to have helped me get to the water or woods when he knew we needed to be working on something around the house or farm. He would actually load up the fishing stuff while I would be working on the yard or something, then holler he needed some help and off we would slip to the lake or bay for a couple of hours.

Yes I thank you for sharing your experience as it has welled up in my eyes now with the memories of times we shared. Fathers like ours will last in our hearts and the hearts of our kids for ever.

 

[w1mnk]

Very sorry for your loss ...

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities"

I had a Dad and I am a Dad. My Dad was a retired Navy officer, electrical engineer, and the smartest, kindest, person I ever knew. Cherish the memories, live his dream. Our Dads will always be with us. RIP LtCmdr E.T. Maguire US Navy, 1911-1982.

 

[Gladius]

Dang... likewise... my dad passed on to me a love of the revolver, and I thought he was the greatest revolver shot ever. He outshot me, using his little Model 60, 2 inch barrel and fixed sights (while I was using either his 19 or 66 with 4-inch barrel), proving that it's not the tool, it's the craftsman. He was a veteran of WWII and a veteran deputy sheriff, as well as being a life-long shooter. He passed away a few years ago at the age of 82 -- a good old age, but still too young for me...

 

[Hondo 60]

osteodoc08 - Sorry for your loss!

My dad passed away in 2004, at the young age of 69.
I still miss him greatly.

It sounds like he was quite the "Dad".