Backpacker33
Member
What makes an "heirloom?"
Anything that will have sentimental value for me has to have some meaningful connection.
I have the rifle my great-great-grandfather carried in the Great Rebellion (otherwise called the War Between the States). It is one of only two things my dad inherited from his father’s estate. I played with it as a child, literally dragging it around the neighborhood before I was strong enough to carry it.
It has the bayonet and there are four, small identical marks on the stock that family tradition (no proof) says are for men killed. It also has initials on it that a historian said are probably of the company commander, something that was apparently common at the time.
My g-g grandfather returned to his home in Michigan and one of my cousins has a photo of him as a town marshal, holding the rifle across his lap. Everything on it except the screw and nut that hold on the hammer, was there when I got it. A local Civil War reenactor said it otherwise all looks original and could be fired. .58 caliber, long, rifled barrel, caplock conversion of the older flintlock, marked “Harpers Ferry.” It will remain in the family.
Another sentimental rifle has a personal history. I returned from Vietnam in 1971, a very angry man. I was stationed at the USAF Academy and headed for trouble when some retired military guys recognized a fighter pilot about to pickle the load, and took me under their wings. They taught me backpacking and camping in the mountains, and took me hunting. One of them had a rifle I thought stunningly beautiful, a Winchester 100 in .308. It was tougher to shoot than military M-14s because it was so much lighter, but I loved it. The owner was a retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant and machinist, who always said he started with the Air Force “before they had airplanes.” I was in my 20s, and they were all “real old guys” in their 50s and early 60s. Got my one and only elk with them.
A few years ago one of his sons called me to say he had died. He asked to stop by the house and I welcomed the visit. When I opened the door, he stood there holding the 100 with a Tasco scope I knew his dad had never used. Turned out his dad had said it was to go to me when he died.
I can’t imagine parting with it, but none of my children is interested in it, so when I move on I’m sure it’ll be sold. I have no issues with that.
I carried a number of guns for my employers and bought a few of them, as well as same m/m on my own. I like them, and a few had thrilling moments with me. My children, which includes one professional military and one LEO, have no interest in the “antiques” I’ve kept, so I know they’ll go when I do. Again, no issues.
I bought each kid a Ruger 10/22 when they turned 10 years of age. As they moved out on their own, one of the first things they wanted from the safe was “their” own 10/22. They knew the serial numbers. I expect those will endure as their heirlooms. But their children? Who knows?
The LEO recently distinguished himself using a gun make I have never owned. You can read the news account of the arrest he made at the link below. He was the first LEO to respond. I told him not to get a big head over it; the dog got more and better press. I wonder if the gun he used will ever be an heirloom . . ..
http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/81147587.html
-Backpacker
Anything that will have sentimental value for me has to have some meaningful connection.
I have the rifle my great-great-grandfather carried in the Great Rebellion (otherwise called the War Between the States). It is one of only two things my dad inherited from his father’s estate. I played with it as a child, literally dragging it around the neighborhood before I was strong enough to carry it.
It has the bayonet and there are four, small identical marks on the stock that family tradition (no proof) says are for men killed. It also has initials on it that a historian said are probably of the company commander, something that was apparently common at the time.
My g-g grandfather returned to his home in Michigan and one of my cousins has a photo of him as a town marshal, holding the rifle across his lap. Everything on it except the screw and nut that hold on the hammer, was there when I got it. A local Civil War reenactor said it otherwise all looks original and could be fired. .58 caliber, long, rifled barrel, caplock conversion of the older flintlock, marked “Harpers Ferry.” It will remain in the family.
Another sentimental rifle has a personal history. I returned from Vietnam in 1971, a very angry man. I was stationed at the USAF Academy and headed for trouble when some retired military guys recognized a fighter pilot about to pickle the load, and took me under their wings. They taught me backpacking and camping in the mountains, and took me hunting. One of them had a rifle I thought stunningly beautiful, a Winchester 100 in .308. It was tougher to shoot than military M-14s because it was so much lighter, but I loved it. The owner was a retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant and machinist, who always said he started with the Air Force “before they had airplanes.” I was in my 20s, and they were all “real old guys” in their 50s and early 60s. Got my one and only elk with them.
A few years ago one of his sons called me to say he had died. He asked to stop by the house and I welcomed the visit. When I opened the door, he stood there holding the 100 with a Tasco scope I knew his dad had never used. Turned out his dad had said it was to go to me when he died.
I can’t imagine parting with it, but none of my children is interested in it, so when I move on I’m sure it’ll be sold. I have no issues with that.
I carried a number of guns for my employers and bought a few of them, as well as same m/m on my own. I like them, and a few had thrilling moments with me. My children, which includes one professional military and one LEO, have no interest in the “antiques” I’ve kept, so I know they’ll go when I do. Again, no issues.
I bought each kid a Ruger 10/22 when they turned 10 years of age. As they moved out on their own, one of the first things they wanted from the safe was “their” own 10/22. They knew the serial numbers. I expect those will endure as their heirlooms. But their children? Who knows?
The LEO recently distinguished himself using a gun make I have never owned. You can read the news account of the arrest he made at the link below. He was the first LEO to respond. I told him not to get a big head over it; the dog got more and better press. I wonder if the gun he used will ever be an heirloom . . ..
http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/81147587.html
-Backpacker
~~~
