MachIVshooter
Member
My Grandfather passed a couple weeks back. Before condolances, it was really a blessing for him, having spent most of the last 3 years in the hospital and senility was starting to rear its ugly head. I will miss him and wish he had been around a bit longer so I could have heard more stories (especially from his days as a RADAR technician during WWII). But having lived to 87, married 58 years, raising his own 2 children and watching both grandchildren reach adulthood, he lived a pretty full life. Born 1918 in Swink, CO., he graduated from CU and worked for General Electric as an engineer from 1942 to 1981, when he retired. Too bad newer generations don't have the same career and marriage commitment, isn't it? But he was ready to go, and we've had some time to get used to the idea. May he rest in peace.
Anyway, I inherited a few firearms, including this older Llama. I don't know exactly how old, but I am assuming at least 30-35 years (pre micro-max). Anyway, it is almost LNIB, and has really nice blueing and finely checkered walnut grips. Basically, it is a very accurately rendered miniature series 70 1911, sans the external extractor. It has been shot very little and was never completely broken down for cleaning. The cosmoline still present had turned to varnish and I spent a good three hours cleaning every part. I haven't gone out to play with it yet, but I am hoping that it is as satisfactory as my .45 cal. Llama's have been. I know a lot of folks have nothing good to say about them, but the three .45's I have owned have been good to me.
The other guns were a Winchester model 90 pump .22, a Winchester model 97 pump 16 gauge and an Iver-Johnson single shot .410. All are in pretty good shape, once I cleaned off 30+ years worth of dust and grime. Fortunately, here in Colorado rust is not much of an issue and all were rust-free. There is also a .35 cal (?) caplock rifle that belonged to my great grandfather, but it is way past being shootable. I will clean it up as best I can and hang it in the den. I don't know if there is any way to accurately figure it's age, but I will surmise that it is probably circa 1850 or so. The lockwork is a bit more crude than the civil-war era Springfields. I can no longer tell if it has a rifled barrel.
But it is nice to actually have some heirloom guns, being that when my dad died in 1993, my other grandfather sold all but one .22 (along with virtually everything else) that had belonged to him. The .25-06, .30-06, 20 ga., .357 and half-dozen other .22's went in the estate sale.
Honestly, who in their right mind would take the pathetic dividends offered by dealers/hoc shops for guns over their value as heirlooms?
IMO, guns are the masculin version of jewelery; to be passed from generation to generation.
OK, I'm done.
Anyway, I inherited a few firearms, including this older Llama. I don't know exactly how old, but I am assuming at least 30-35 years (pre micro-max). Anyway, it is almost LNIB, and has really nice blueing and finely checkered walnut grips. Basically, it is a very accurately rendered miniature series 70 1911, sans the external extractor. It has been shot very little and was never completely broken down for cleaning. The cosmoline still present had turned to varnish and I spent a good three hours cleaning every part. I haven't gone out to play with it yet, but I am hoping that it is as satisfactory as my .45 cal. Llama's have been. I know a lot of folks have nothing good to say about them, but the three .45's I have owned have been good to me.
The other guns were a Winchester model 90 pump .22, a Winchester model 97 pump 16 gauge and an Iver-Johnson single shot .410. All are in pretty good shape, once I cleaned off 30+ years worth of dust and grime. Fortunately, here in Colorado rust is not much of an issue and all were rust-free. There is also a .35 cal (?) caplock rifle that belonged to my great grandfather, but it is way past being shootable. I will clean it up as best I can and hang it in the den. I don't know if there is any way to accurately figure it's age, but I will surmise that it is probably circa 1850 or so. The lockwork is a bit more crude than the civil-war era Springfields. I can no longer tell if it has a rifled barrel.
But it is nice to actually have some heirloom guns, being that when my dad died in 1993, my other grandfather sold all but one .22 (along with virtually everything else) that had belonged to him. The .25-06, .30-06, 20 ga., .357 and half-dozen other .22's went in the estate sale.
Honestly, who in their right mind would take the pathetic dividends offered by dealers/hoc shops for guns over their value as heirlooms?
IMO, guns are the masculin version of jewelery; to be passed from generation to generation. OK, I'm done.
