favorite memories of old guns?

[john warren]

the string on a good .22 reminded me of some really great old guns i've had over the years.
what are some that you will always remember fondly?

i started out with my grandfathers old bolt action .22 don;t remember what it was, but it got me threw the 50's with a grin on my face.
first gun i got of my very own was the venerable savage over under in a .22 magnum/20 ga. man that gun fed us a lot of rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, even a few deer. i could go just about anywhere with it and come back with something to eat.
my next gun, and one i still have was the first i bought with my own money, a remington 514 singleshot .22 it was slightly scratched and cost me $17. still shoots real well.
my last favorite gun, i still have and cherish. its the gun i grab when i go for squirrel 9 times out of ten. my grandfathers browning pump 20.ga from before wwII. think might just use it for deer this year. with a slug its real effective. and so light even an old codger like me can carry it all day.

[Whit1]

J.C. Higgins (American Standard) 12 ga. pump shotgun w/poly choke and ventilated rib.

My parents gave it to me as a graduation from high school present in 1962. I've taken a lot of game with it over the years and it is a sweet shotgun that pulls up and points with ease as I swing on game.

I don't do much wing shooting anymore, but on one occasion several years ago after I hadn't bird hunted in a couple of years our oldest son and I went out one evening for a stroll through the woods taking our shotguns with us. I grouse flushed in front of me. I pulled up, swung on the bird, fired, followed through and the pat dropped from his mad escape attempt about 25 yds. in front of us.

My son, Kevin, asked, "When was the last time you killed a grouse?" It's been a few years and yet you can still drop a flying bird."

Wingshooting is like riding a bicycle. Once the process is mastered you never forget it.

[tedshunter]

My Fathers 12 Ga. Mossberg Bolt Action.Early 1960's.I don't hunt with it much anymore because I don't want to beat it up anymore than I already have.But it is still in very good shape considering the age of the gun.

[micooner]

Inherited gramp's 16 ga stevens side by side and shooting my first pat near the families cabin north of gladwin with it,,textbook shot on the edge of a cutover over the neighbor's spaniel and my german shorthair..

[ibthetrout]

J.C. Higgins (American Standard) 12 ga. pump shotgun w/poly choke and ventilated rib.

I have the exact same gun as Whit. Dare I say that mine is in much better shape. It was my grandfathers gun. My dad didn't hunt with it much as he liked the Belgium made Browning 12 ga smei-auto. I prefer pumps myself and the JC Higgins is always my goto gun. The ported poly choke is a great thing. Adjust it in for rabbits and out for pheasant. Now if the weather is not looking to good then I bring out ole rusty! Ole rusty was my brother in laws home protection shot gun and was covered in rust and white house paint when I inherited it. It's a 12 ga Stevens pump and shoots purty good for what it is. That one gets majorly abused and still shoots great! there's something to be said for that one beater gun you have. I have some others I'll post about later if I have time.

[doublell]

16 ga. Lefever side by side purchased from a neighboor when I was 14 or 15. Have no idea how old it is. Don't use it anymore, action is loose. I do remember very vividly the first pheasant I shot with it. Where the neighborhood men who taught me to hunt were standing, how they put me in the "A" position for a potential shot at the time. I can still see that bird flush how I lead him, fired and swung thru the shot. I can also see the smiles on those men's faces as I picked up that bird. I will always be thankful for their guidance and friendship. RIP Roy and Earl.

[ESOX]

Old Remington Nylon 66. Has tens of thousands of rounds through it. Got it around 1971 (?). Barrel is shot out, it might hit a paper plate at 50 yards. It still cycles flawlessly, but is retired.
An old bolt action .410 I forget if it is a JC Higgins or Ted Wiliams. It is still hanging around but hasn't been shot in a few decades.

1948 Fox 12ga SxS. My Dad bought it new. It is still my go to scattergun.

[Big Nic]

Easy one for me , my old 870 wingmaster. First gun I ever bought and seemed like it would be forever till i got it out of lay-away.

That Remmy has harvested everything from Woodcock to Geese ( and everything in between ) for me.

It still does duty as my #1 deer gun ( its fitted with a cantilever
fully rifled barrell and a 2 x 7 leupold , shoots lightfield blues into 2" groups @ 100 yards from the bench ).

But in years past it has been not only a firearm but a boat paddle ( broken duck boat motor ) , an ice spud ( used the butt stock to chip my way thru the ice to a downed Drake mallard ) , a crutch / cane ( twisted knee in the grouse woods ) and i won't even admit to ther time I thought it could double as a hammer ( don't ask ) .

I have a cabinet full of guns now at almost 50 years old , but no amount of money could replace that old friend. Funny how what is most valubale to us is not nessecarily what costs the most.

[Whit1]

I have the exact same gun as Whit. Dare I say that mine is in much better shape. It was my grandfathers gun. My dad didn't hunt with it much as he liked the Belgium made Browning 12 ga smei-auto. I prefer pumps myself and the JC Higgins is always my goto gun. The ported poly choke is a great thing. Adjust it in for rabbits and out for pheasant. Now if the weather is not looking to good then I bring out ole rusty! Ole rusty was my brother in laws home protection shot gun and was covered in rust and white house paint when I inherited it. It's a 12 ga Stevens pump and shoots purty good for what it is. That one gets majorly abused and still shoots great! there's something to be said for that one beater gun you have. I have some others I'll post about later if I have time.

Have we talked about this before in here.........having the same shotgun? If not then there is another member in here who also has that gun.

[Whit1]

Easy one for me , my old 870 wingmaster. First gun I ever bought and seemed like it would be forever till i got it out of lay-away.

That Remmy has harvested everything from Woodcock to Geese ( and everything in between ) for me.



A couple of years ago a friend of mine showed me this model that had been sitting in a small, metal garden shed in his yard. The gun was moderatly rusted and in need of cleaning, but the action was still smooth.

I had the gun cleaned, the rust removed and re-blued. It looks GREAT and feels even better. It is in 16 GA, but I've never shot it let alone used it hunting...........yet!

I love the look of the ribbed forearm and have always wanted a pump gun with that feature.

What a great feeling/swinging shotgun.

[MITROUTTRACKER]

JC higgins modle 20-12ga sears ,roebuckand co 383,2005http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/crosscobra/Picture032.jpgmy most prized firearm.... if the house burns down this is the gun i grab before i jump out the window.....WESTERNFIELD MODEL M150C .410 GAUGE 3"this was my grandpa's .410 when he was a kidhttp://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/crosscobra/410002jpg.jpg

[Zero1]

Always wanted my father 12 ga browning belgium , finally i bought a 1959 browning 3" mag 32" full choke , what a blast, kills them dead.:D

[ibthetrout]

Whit,

We have talked about our guns, but that was some time ago. Do you remember the pheasant outing we went on when it rained all morning? I brought mine just to show you, but I did not hunt with it that day due to the rain. Ole rusty got the nod that day. Our guns are identicle, with the exception that yours has more miles on it!

One of my other favorite guns is an older ithica .410 break barrel single shot. this one gets hunted a lot even still. It was the gun i used a lot as a kid. If I am going to rabbit hunt the 18 acres behind my house that is usually the gun I grab, for the quick hunt.

[Whit1]

Whit,

We have talked about our guns, but that was some time ago. Do you remember the pheasant outing we went on when it rained all morning? I brought mine just to show you, but I did not hunt with it that day due to the rain. Ole rusty got the nod that day. Our guns are identicle, with the exception that yours has more miles on it!

One of my other favorite guns is an older ithica .410 break barrel single shot. this one gets hunted a lot even still. It was the gun i used a lot as a kid. If I am going to rabbit hunt the 18 acres behind my house that is usually the gun I grab, for the quick hunt.


Ahh yes, the Monsoon Hunt! :lol:

I was wondering if that was you with the same J.C. Higgins shotgun. Please excuse my lack of memory, but after seven years in here a lot of names have drifted under the bridge of these graying hairs.........:lol:

[lumpy]

Without question , the Benelli SL123 12 ga. autoloader I sold for $300.00:mad::mad::mad: years ago when I was younger and thought I would not have the time to enjoy it.

Hellooo I got time now !!!!!:rant:

Oh well ,

[bigrackmack]

A Old Remington (targetmaster)? 22 semi.....that was my grandfathers, and my dads, and then handed down to me.....A little story about giving back....I think it was about 2 years ago I seen a guy at the Mason gun show that redoes guns.....So I asked him about prices and such.....Well to make a long story short, I took that Old 22 to him to get redone,,,,He did a great job...painted grain in the stock and for grip were it was just plain walnut....it came out beautiful.....this gun had cracks in it, little nails, tape around the grip, and even chunks of wood missing.......I took that gun hunting one last time on Christmas eve day... We do Christmas on Christmas eve......The look I my dads face when he opened the gun up I will never forget.....I thought he was gonna cry.....He now has plans for my sisters buy Sean to use it......Mack

[Perferator]

My dad bought me a Steven's Boys Rifle (?) single shot .22 for my 13th birthday. Used and abused that thing but basically learned what it was like to hunt for dimes and quarters for a box of 50ct Peters Long Rifles.

In my senior year my dad brought home a Nylon66. He knew I loved them. It was for us to share....a house rifle. 8yrs ago I inherited it. Still shoots as good as the day it was new in '74.

[rlrm777]

Just found out today that the 'rifle' left behind when my FIL passed on is actually a Mossberg WesternField 410 M150c. Came across this forum by accident.

Does anyone know if this piece has a rifled barrel? My knowledge of weapons is limited, but I understand that rifled barrels are not good for firing slugs.

Any info you would like to share would be appreciated.

[ESOX]

but I understand that rifled barrels are not good for firing slugs. Rifled barrels are intended for firing slugs. The spin imparted on the slug by the rifling stabilizes the slug in flight. I doubt that gun has a rifled barrel, but have someone who knows about guns take a peek to be sure.

[rlrm777]

Thanks...
Now I noticed that I mis read. It says Rifled slugs shouldn't be shot thru rifled barrels. But I will have someone check.
Think it's possible to find a manual for this rifle anywhere?

[archywiseman]

That gun for me would be my dad's 16 ga Ithaca 37. I took my first deer and grouse with that gun. Unfortunately, I no longer have it as my brother won the coin toss when we were settling our parents' estate. Close behind it would be my savage 220 single shot 20 ga which was my first gun and I did take my first rabbit with that gun.

Arch

[bowhuntr81]

Hands down, my two favorite guns were both handed down to me by my grandfather, who is still with us (and I pray will be for several more years)

My first shotgun was given to me by my grandfather; a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12ga. pump, 2 3/4" Full Choke, 28" barrel. I first started hunting in 2000 for small game with a friend of mine and when grand-dad caught wind of it, "well...your gonna have to have a gun."

If you will indulge me for a few moments. I remember coming home and my grandparents being here. He told me the above quote and then handed me the stock and receiver part of the gun, with a grin and a laugh he says "well , here's part but you'll need a barrel." Knowing my grand-dad I took him at his word and thought "what the?!" and then grandma stepped in and said "DON! give him the rest of the shotgun!"

They stayed for supper and grand-dad showed me how the firearm worked. AWESOME memory.

In 2003 when I was going on my first trip up north to deer camp with a couple best friends, grand-dad again says "well if you're going up there you can use a rifle and should. Swing by the house and I have an old .30-06 you can borrow." I was ELATED! So I made the trip over to seem him about 3 weeks before firearm season. When I got there I could hardly expect what he woudl hand me. A 1903A3 Springfield Rifle in practically mint condition. He bought it years after WWII just for deer hunting up north with his buddies. It had been on 20 years or more since grand-dad made a trip to the woods and he figured someone might as well get use out of his "old deer gun."

Loving histoy and firearms I was pumped to get my hands on this firearm and learn everything I could about it, and I did! It was bittersweet when I gave it back to my grand-dad who said, "it was years before I quit hunting that I shot a deer, but the last one I shot went down like a bag a bricks, next time eh?"

Fastforward 5 years to July 9, 2008. I got a call from my parents saying that my grandparents couldn't reach me but asked if I could stop by. Grand-dad had something he wanted to give me. I wondered...then thought, nah I don't want to presume. Then when I walked in the room and there stood grand-dad with his rifle at the "present" like he would have done back in the 40's when he was in the army, I lost my breath.

I am now the owner of a 1903A3 Smith-Corona .30-06 Springfield Rifle and am in the process of restoring it back to 100% original. My grand-dad said he could give it to anyoe of his sons, my uncles, but chances are they wouldn't use it. Being the closest and one of the only hunters/shooters in the family he said he'd rather it go to me, especially while he is still around and can see me enjoy it. "Rather give it to you now than have you wait til I croak to get it." My uncle and grandparets oldest son watched on very approvingly. Grand-dad recently heard that I am restoring it and was pleased and peach to hear that I was so excited to have it and that it really meant something than "just another gun."

I've never been hunting with anyone in my family except my brother one time in the archery deer woods. But everytime I take that rifle or shotgun into the field...grand-dad will always be with me.

Sorry for the long post. Here's a pic of me shotting clays with the 870, and another the day he gave me the rifle.

http://a95.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/102/l_345c9494739a8253c009e3371707bebe.jpg

http://a544.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/107/l_0e5d50c68e4eaf805f1c0c365175546f.jpg

[N M Mechanical]

My great grandpa's 20 SxS ithca by skb I take it out a few times a year and sporting clays pulls up very nice


http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=127&pictureid=3210

[Whit1]

Hands down, my two favorite guns were both handed down to me by my grandfather, who is still with us (and I pray will be for several more years)



Great story!