Ordinary Old Guns That Are Special

Inland M-1 carbine, Browning Auto-5 12 gauge, Remington 870 20 gauge, Remington 550-1 .22 LR semiauto rifle. All belonged to my father.

Glenfield model 30a- Dads fathers gun
Marlin Glenfield 60- dad father gave it to me
Wards single shot 22- dads mothers gun as a kid, fed her whole family during the depression.
RG31, grandma carried the little 32long snubby in a cigarette pouch.
Sears single shot 22- moms fathers gun gifted to him as a kid by his grandfather
Marlin 795, wife’s first gun, first gun I gave away
S&W safety hammerless 1896 production, my first basket case gun that I got working
S&W 30-1 first gun my wife bought for me
Not old, but fitting this trend is a RockIsland/Armscorp m14y that I bought for my girls right before we finalized the adoption. I need to buy a couple more and put them away because we adopted the 2 and now #3 is on its way the normal way.

and since there are no pics yet in this thread we will go right to the m14y and a milestone day for my kiddos. They always go to the top of the post for some reason.

Marlin 39 from childhood.


Garand from the DCM when I was in the Army.


Dan Wesson 15 that was my first center fire pistol.


Dad's 1903 .32 Hammerless Colt.


An old Navy Arms .44. I went on temporary duty back to Ft Bragg to role-play as a Guerrilla Chief for the Special Forces Qualification Course. On a whim, I stopped in to Cumberland Knife & Gun and bought a black powder kit. This was back in the day when they were VERY rough so I had to lay in a pile of files and abrasives. Then, I took the whole mess out to Pisgah National Forest and finished, assembled and test fired while I played at making the students miserable.
Then, I cleaned and polished it up and gave it to my Dad that Christmas. He was seriously jazzed by it and it came back to me upon his death.


Todd.

An old well worn Model 42 Winchester. My mom bought it for my dad for their first Christmas after they were married. It has a million miles on it, if only it could talk! I have a few others, but this one is special!

My Ruger 22/45. Birthday gift from my dad.
Currently in his posession, a Stevens 5100 16ga.

His oldest-to-him hunting gun--he bought it used in the late 70s or early 80s, and it was built pre-war--it put meat on the table through times when he just wanted to get out to nature to times when they could barely pay to heat the house. Once we moved and he later split from my mom, it went into a Florida storage unit without climate control for eight years until he moved once again.
It was little more than driftwood and rust when I caught sight of it, and literal minutes from getting tossed in a dumpster. Now thanks to Numrich, some fortune, and kindness and knowledge and barrels from members here, it's nicer than he'd ever seen it.
A rare time where he's been clearly and thoroughly proud of me.

My deceased father-in-law's early 1960s Remington 700 ADL in 7mm Remington Magnum. Dad got me into hunting and shooting, and I miss him.

One of my Dad's best friends gave me an old U.S. Springfield Model 1898 Krag Jorgensen rifle. It was a local veteran's group parade rifle that had been bright chromed plated (think '52 Buick chrome), and had a heavy coating of varnish on all of the wood furniture. Took me awhile but I finally got it restored to looking like it did back at the turn of the last century.

bannockburn said:

One of my Dad's best friends gave me an old U.S. Springfield Model 1898 Krag Jorgensen rifle. It was a local veteran's group parade rifle that had been bright chromed plated (think '52 Buick chrome), and had a heavy coating of varnish on all of the wood furniture. Took me awhile but I finally got it restored to looking like it did back at the turn of the last century.

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Looking at that Krag makes me want to throw up. Not because there is anything wrong with it. It is due to an experience at a Woolworth store 39 years ago. They had an end cap filled with Krags coated in cosmoline excellent condition for $35 each. I begged for my parents to get me one. My Mom hated guns so it never happened.

94045 said:

Early 70's Remington Model 1100 12 ga
Dad's

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Yeah, me too. Except my Model 1100, 12 ga is probably a late '63 or early '64 model; Mom and Dad bought it for my 16th birthday in April, 1964.
I also had the matching pair of Colt Frontier Scouts and the beautiful, hand-carved leather holster set Dad had built for them in 1958. However, a while back I passed the guns and holster set to my oldest nephew. I'm getting on in years, and wanted those guns and holster set to go to someone I knew would appreciate them - Dad's oldest Grandson.
Also, talk about "ordinary" guns - my very "ordinary" Model 94 is kinda special to me. Probably a lot of you folks could tell me what year it was built, but offhand, I can't remember. The year I bought it (new) was the year Winchester went to angle eject on their Model 94s. So I went to a local gun shop and bought the last, new, top eject Model 94 they had in stock.
I shot one deer with it, and our oldest daughter killed her first deer with it, but mostly it has just sat in the safe over the years.

bannockburn said:

One of my Dad's best friends gave me an old U.S. Springfield Model 1898 Krag Jorgensen rifle. It was a local veteran's group parade rifle that had been bright chromed plated (think '52 Buick chrome), and had a heavy coating of varnish on all of the wood furniture. Took me awhile but I finally got it restored to looking like it did back at the turn of the last century.

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Great job!

94045 said:

Has anyone got some relatively ordinary old guns that are special to them?

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Well, now, that's hard to answer. Entirely depends on what you mean by "got". Is that "have in your possession" or "at one time had in your possession"?

I had two. My first gun I ever bought, a Colt Python, and my father's Official Police service 38 that had his badge number engraved on it.
Sadly an orc burgling our house relieved me of both. Wish I'd gotten that safe sooner.

Erma .22 Luger- my Dad bought it for me to cheer me up when I was 13 and really sick (needed surgery). Ya, its made of Zamac, and jams constantly, but its pretty special to me. Thanks Dad.


INA Tiger .38 4"- first gun I ever bought for Dad, couple years back. Its a rather cheap, ho-hum Brazilian Saturdaynight Special, but was mechanically sound. I refinished it and made him a nice display box for it. He seemed happy with it.


Smith and Wesson M&P (pre M10) .38- Grandpa HATED guns after he got back from WW2. He was a very gentle man who saw more than his share of bloodshed fighting the Japanese on Okinawa and Leyte. He didnt like talking about the war at all, and if asked specifics about the guns he carried and used, would just say "I dont remember." However, in the late '80s he saw his rust-belt neighborhood turning for the worse and decided he needed something for his nightstand. My Dad and I helped him pick out a rough but serviceable S&W. I dont think he ever shot it, but it was Grandpas gun, he was an American hero, and I am proud to have it.

My parents gave me a mint late 1970s 12 gauge Remington 1100 30" mod barrel as a gift when I graduated pharmacy school. Shooting clays and bird hunting are 2 of my most favorite things. I will never let that one go.

I have a few that are quite special. The first is my maternal grandfather's M37 Winchester. Its just a simple single shot 16 gauge, with no finish left on the metal and very little on the wood. But it has accounted for un-numbered meals for us through the years. I shot my first quail with it, and my first deer. It still does yeoman service around the house as the "back door gun" protecting the chicken house from critters. Its all the more special now, since we lost the old man in May of this year. The second also belonged to my grandfather. A New Haven 251c automatic 22. I never got to use it until I was a teen, since pap thought the shotgun was "safer" for a kid to use! But, I've killed many, many squirrels and rabbits with it. Another favorite came from a cousin, who I hold in high regard. An old 1897 Winchester 12 gauge, with 30" full choke barrel. It was built in 1914, and I used it to take one of the few gobblers I've killed, and I used an old paper-hulled #6 Winchester shell to do it! While all the aforementioned guns hold a special place in my heart, I saved the best for last: Dad's M700 '06. Old meat-on-the-table, as I call her. It's a plain, press checkered ADL sporting a Williams peep sight. Mother bought it for Dad on their first wedding anniversary, several years ago. When my wife and I moved to the farm right after we married, Dad decreed that my old 30-30 wouldn't shoot across my hayfields, and gave me the old girl. I was admonished strongly to take good care of her, and never sell her off. So far, I've done just that and she's never failed to put meat on the ground for me. I'm still using up his stock of old Remington 180grn round-nosed core-lokt ammo, but I'm coming to the end of it now.

Mac

I have a couple.
Dad's old Browning Double Auto circa 1968. The red anodized receiver has long since faded to brown. He bought it used from an employee that despised it for a short song. Dad killed many, many, many limits of ducks, geese and pheasants with it. Said he'd never shot a better pheasant gun and he doubted a better one was ever made. Dad's been gone for 14 years, but the memories afield that gun brings back will last at least another lifetime.

My first high power rifle purchase: Remington 788 carbine in .308. Bought it for $112 brand new at a gunshow when I was in college - talked the seller into giving me a box of ammo with it. Boy did he squeal like a pig stuck under a gate! But he really wanted to move that gun. It still shoots as good as ever.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Erma .22 Luger- my Dad bought it for me to cheer me up when I was 13 and really sick (needed surgery). Ya, its made of Zamac, and jams constantly, but its pretty special to me. Thanks Dad.

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I had a friend in the Army who had owned a Steoger .22 *Luger* as a kid. Even as he prattled on about what a P.O.S. it was, he would endlessly prowl gun shows looking to replace that pistol for the memories attached.
Finally found one and as with most, it was shot-out and so - COMPLETELY unreliable. We take it with us out shooting and after noting this craptackular paperweight can't EVER run 4 rounds successfully he pronounces the purchase a resounding success.

Oh, the power of nostalgia!

Todd.

I learned how to shoot with my dad's Remington Mod 34, tube feed, .22LR, bolt action. Capable of .22 short up to LR. He also had a Ranger 20 ga double barrel that I learned to hunt rabbits and birds with. I scored my first deer using that shotgun. He had purchased both of those firearms in the 1930's. I still have both of them.

1923 Regulation Police. I bought it with a little bit of money that I inherited from the sale of my grandfather's house after he passed. The patent date for the square butt conversion date is June 5th, 1917. That happens to be the day he was born.

He gave me a Nylon 66 I value very much.
Also, my Henry 357 Lever Action. Not old, but a gift from my dad.

My grandfather's Winchester Model 12 12 ga he bought in 1924
My Dad's Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 ga he bought in the late 50s
Walther PP my Dad took off a German officer at the end of WW2
Remington 512 my grand-dad left me in his will when I was 12
Italian BP 1851 Navy I bought when I was 13
S&W Model 19 4" Nickel I bought when I was 21

An Iver Johnson .38 s&w hammerless that was apparently carried as a throw-down gun by my many-times-great-uncle, a cop in the San Francisco area about a century ago. It eventually passed into the hands of my grandmother, who had succeeded in getting away with killing off most of her inlaws.
Needless to say, she was not someone that should be trusted with a firearm, even after the lithium treatments, so Dad filed down the firing pin.
That little Safety Hammerless is in my safe today, firing pin still filed down.
I'll probably never repair it.
Too much family history involved.

My Grandpa's Remington Model 17. Circa 1922. It has taken scores of game in it's 90 plus years.

My grandpa's Remington 12ga and his Remington .22 short that he used on his trapline in Wisconsin in the 1930's...





And my other Grandpa's S&W M17 that he carried in WWII while a tanker in North Africa and Italy. We call it the "Fury" gun since it was represented in the movie by Brad Pitt's character...