Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The History of your Rifle

The only gun I have that I know the history of in complete is my Sear Ted Williams (Winchester 1300) 12 Ga. I bought it new in fall of ‘80. That gun has been everywhere and shows it. Originally had a Polly choke barrel on it but I swapped that barrel for a Winchester barrel with screw in chokes about 4 yrs later as the original barrel never would pattern to my liking. Ducks, turkeys, pheasant, quail, rabbit, squirrel, coyote have fallen to it over the years. My youngest son shoots it now days when we hunt but we all shoot it when we go to the local meat shoot. The gun I wish I knew the history to is my Win model 97 I picked up a few years ago from someone here on the fire.

Here is an interesting rifle in my pile of stuff. I’ve posted it before but worthy to post again. I know a little of its story.

It is an 1894 Win. crica 1908. It was carried by a USDA tick rider along the Rio Grande River in south Texas from 1910 to about 1946. It has had bunches of "customizing" done to it over the years. And believe it or not still shoots pretty good! I kilt a yearling doe with it last year. It looks like it might have been an original short rifle before all the customizing work. Reported to have been used in at least two shoot outs by original owner! Them was wild times! 25/35 WCF ctg.

"Aftosa Riders"--fortunate to have seen and handled that one. Reminds me of a lot of stories I heard around campfires on the Norias, the the el Sauz and the San Pedro.

Cool rifle K.. Thanks for sharing.. Any more?????

Andrews,

Great idea for a thread and some great reading on a cold, drizzly day!

Most of my guns are pretty run of the mill, boring stuff...my Ruger Standard Auto has probably killed more critters than most having been used and abused in a butcher shop.

Probably the closest thing to interesting I have is a matched set of muzzleloaders, rifle and pistol, which were made in the early 1950’s by Cliff Jackson of Nedrow NY. They are target mz’s made with one of the first post-war Douglas barrels in .44 caliber. Jackson was best known as the gunsmith who taught Peter Alexander the art of rifle building. Alexander is the author of “The Gunsmith of Grenville County”.

My father had to sell his grandfathers 30-30 during the Great Depression to pay for food and cloths. I finally found it after it had gone through a number of sellers and buyers. Tried my hardest to buy it back for my dad before he passed away. The original buyer who my dad sold it to was for $25. Even though it was a plain old 30-30 to him it meant so much to my father. After making offers to buy it for $100, $200,$300......etc. up to $1500 he would not sell it. I was told that he was a very hateful man that he had plenty of money and did not give a hoot about others. Very very sad to hold on to something that ment so little to him but so much to my father.

This one is stamped "Browning Bros Ogden U.T.

Does it need to be a long gun? There was a pistol that played a role in my being here on this ball of mud.

Okay, but we are talking firearms and this is a family site.

I guess that I will show another. My best friend also gave me an I W Meffert shotgun-rifle. One set of barrels for the shotgun and the other to use as a rifle. Trigger is adjustable as are the peep sight. The lever and butt were horn. Cartridges were kept in the lower part of the butt stock.


This shows the cover over the cartridges in the butt.


This shows the fold down adjustable peep.


I gave this to Henry Chappell a couple years ago. Henry is a novelist, writes for some of the outdoor sports mags, Texas Highways, Texas Game Warden mag, and does the writing on Wyman Meinzer's great Texas Ranch books of his photography.
Henry is the "Quail" hunter. He likes to Quail hunt with his dog.
http://www.wymanmeinzer.com/
To continue the I W Meffert story, Thom was given this by an elderly lady neighbor. Her husband was a Doctor that bailed out over Germany during WW11. He was taken in by villagers and was protected by them. He became the village Doc. When liberated they gave him the Meffert.

Funny you should ask. This 94 SRC circa 1910-12 came out of the same area as the preceding 94. But due to its condition I believe it spent most of it’s life on this side of the Rio Bravo. 🤣

All I know is it was a cowboy gun from the times of Pancho Villa. ( Also appears someone decided to reblue it prolly 50 years ago).

That's just dang sweet! Cool story, and very nice weapon.

Both of these original Sharps came to Bozeman from the same shipment in 1877. They were ordered by Walter Cooper and came to Bozeman in 1877 to his armory that is under construction in this picture of Bozeman's main street in 1872. What is the chance all these years later to get 2 rifles from the same shipment...

Wish I knew more on this one. Bought it from my Buddy's gunshop.



I'm told it was one that was converted to trap door. It is rifled and chambered in 50-70.
I gave it and my Mod 36 Winchester in 9mm shotgun to one of my Grandsons.

The ivory sights and barrel stamp are other reminders of these gun's history...

I have a great story on the subject. A good friend of mine saved and worked to earn a 20 gauge when he was a boy. I forget the make and model. Anyway, he was working a gun show a couple years ago and comes across a shotgun like he had as a boy. He asked the owner if he could remove the buttplate. Inside he found a piece of paper with his name on it that he put there many years ago. Charley is in his mid 70s, so the gun would be over 60 years old. Needless to say, Charley bought the gun.

Shrap, what calibers?

6.5 creedmoor......

Both were rebarreled to the Creedmoor of the day, 40-90 Sharps Bottleneck...

Damn nice Sharps, Shrap!!! Damn nice!