When I was 11 or 12 my dad bought me a 336 that did not have a letter on the model. We put a nice leather sling on it, and a simmons 1.5 to 4 scope with see thru rings. I killed a doe with it that year.
Later in life I took it with me when I moved out. I had a girlfriend at the time that was nuts. I broke up with her, and she ended up calling the cops to say that I had a loaded rifle in my house and was suicidal. But remember? I broke up with her.
Anyway. The cops came, took my gun, took me for evaluation. I was out in like 3 hours (very pissed I might add). I went to get my gun, and they did not have it. There was no report of a gun being taken.
I could not remember the name of the cop, and I tried and tried to get my gun back. Well later on they said it was destroyed.
So my gun was taken from me. Probably not destroyed, and is being used by some cop for hunting or a present for their kid. Needless to say it has been 17 years for me to go deer hunting, and this year I went. I built an AR-15 this year (finally getting back to the things that made me happy as a kid. I am 32 now). It was the only rifle I had at the time. I killed a deer with it. It did a good job, but the meat was ruined on the front two shoulders (55 grain soft point at 3200fps really does on job on flesh). I never wished I had my 30-30 like I did that day.
When I got home I told my wife that I wish I could have that 30-30 back. She asked me what it looked like. I told her about the gold trigger and side ejection. Well Christmas day I got a security locker for my gun collection I have aquired. When I opened it, there it was. The 30-30 with a gold trigger that I lost all those years ago. It wasn't the same gun (the older one did not have the safety). It was missing the leather sling, scope and mounts, but there was my 30-30 that I had been missing for so long.
I went out to shoot it. It shot 1.5 high at 100 with a 1.5 in hole. 11 shots just jagged out a hole. Great gun. Thanks to the wife.