whats your most sentimental firearm?

[criticalbass]

My Mom's Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works .410 single shot. Bought with babysitting money in the 1930s and used to kill a boat load of skunks, rabbits, the occasional quail, miles of snakes, scads of squirrels, etc. It's in the back of my safe,waiting to be picked up by a nephew who has sons who will keep it in the family. Two of my sons have reproduced, but not one boy, or an intersted in firearms girl, in the whole lot. The gun is kind of brown, but locks up tight and ejects shells strongly. Nice wood too.

When my brother and I split up Dad's arsenal, I won the toss and took Mom's .410. He got the Winchester model 06 .22 pump, which I loved almost as much. I was able, about 20 years ago, to find an exact duplicate on consignment at Southwest Shooters (remember them?) for about $125. Now it's worth about $500. Unlike Dad's .22, this one is almost unused--still brown from neglect, but shoots very straight. If I had the original, I would reline the barrel and damn the cost.

About all my other guns are for sale (at real high prices), except for a Webley which belonged to a very old friend.

 

[ber]

I have two S&W chiefs both from grandparents long gone. Also have a SBS war trophy from my father. Single shot Stevens he got off an NVA soldier.

 

[JCW355]

My brother gave me a Ruger Mk ll years ago, maybe 23-24 years ago,I still have it and wont get rid of it. I also still have my first gun, an old 22 semi auto from sears my mom got me when i was a teenager. I wasnt as fortunate as some of you. When my Dad was killed in Vietnam anything valuable was stolen by his thief brother.

 

[scooby13dew]

My old colt 38 special It was my first handgun i ever shot and my dad recently gave it to me. Id like to find someone to restore it.

 

[Shadowrider]

Tough call between my Grampa's like new Sweet 16 or my Dad's S&W Model 19. Probably lean towards the shotty since my Grandmother worked and saved for it for a really long time. She bought it for him as an anniversary present and he was sure proud of it. I only shoot sporting clays with it now, but might hunt some birds too. I treat that one with kid gloves, so no rough field use for it. Also have my Dad's 1st rifle, a Remington 141 (I think) .22LR/Long/Short pump. He got it when he was 9 years old. It's in really good shape but I don't shoot it anymore because if a part breaks I don't think I can find a replacement.

 

[okietom]

I have two. The first gun that Dad bought for my 14th birthday, a single shot Ithaca .22 and my grandpa's Winchester 1887 10 gauge shotgun that he bought during the great depression for $1.50. The box of shells he bought cost $1.25.

I have actually shot the shotgun too. I was around sixteen and discovered it in the dairy barn and cleaned it up and oiled it. Dad went to a retired preacher in town that sold reloads and asked if he had any 10 gauge shells. He had some paper hulls that he shortened from 2 7/8" to about 2 3/4" to get a decent crimp. He sold us 24 of them. I shot them all and killed a rabbit and a quail with it. It is retired now.

I did get some old 2 7/8" 10 gauge shells from Shamburgs. They are Winchester paper hulls loaded with num four shot. Two bucks apiece for collectors items. I have about a dozen of them.

 

[Backstrap]

The Sears .22 rifle my father gave me for a Christmas present 47 years ago last Wednesday. I couldn't count how many thousands of rounds of cheap ammo I put down the barrel of that gun with never a misfire. There are many, many rats and snakes in west Texas country landfills who met their demise at the wrong end of that rifle. It's the gun that got me hooked on guns in the first place; the one on which I learned how to use sights; and the one on which I learned how to clean a gun. It still resides in my gun safe to this day, next to all the other guns who wouldn't be there were it not for that Sears rifle that started it all.

 

[bigchuck83]

There are two, One is on old bolt action .20 Ga. shotgun that will never again be fired due to the bolt coming up missing from my dads house after he died, and the other is his .12 ga pump that was his fathers' gun and sits in a safe at a relatives house. i've put many rounds through those two guns when out hunting with dad.

 

[dennishoddy]

Dennis, is the 1890 chambered in short, long, or long rifle? Although is not technically mine, I have one. My dad's grandfather bought it new and passed it down to his grandson, my Dad. Before he passed away, my dad passed it down to his grandson, my son. Ours is chambered in long, we still shoot it. My son keeps it here at my house. He plans to pass it on to his grandson.
My most sentimental firearm is probably my Springfield model 15. It was my first. My grandfather bought it new for his son who died after being thrown from a horse. My grandpa kept the rifle. When I turned 14 he gave the rifle to me.

It is chambered in long. I was fortunate to pick up 10K rounds of Long from an estate sale a few years back, so ammo/shooting is still going on with the gun.

 

[dennishoddy]

The gun is kind of brown, but locks up tight and ejects shells strongly. Nice wood too.
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The old rust blue process takes on a brown patina that gun collectors desire over the years.

Mine will never go to anybody but family, but FYI.