My Mothers father was a carpenter/farmer and had a Winchester 73 that had had the octagon barrel cut to about 17/18". It was a 32-20 and he said it was particularly good on turkeys. My other Grandfather was a railroad paymaster and he had a FACTORY L.C. Smith 12 gauge double barrel pistol. I remember it had a sawhandle grip. Have no idea what happened to it but I know he still had it in the war years. He moved after the war and I never saw it again. Neither one ever owned a handgun. I can't remember that my father EVER owned a gun of any type. He had an accident of some sort as a teenager and a friend was killed and as a result he just never owned a gun. However he was an excellant shot with anything which I credit with his service with the Marines in Nicarauga. His favorite weapon was a Thompson Sub-Machinegun. I watched him shoot one once at the National Guard Armory and he really was good. When we hunted squirrels he just used one of my Ruger 22 pistols that he particularly liked.
