Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hunts with special guns

Dads guns were surplus Krags and Springfields, a Marlin 30-30, an Inland 30 carbine, Mossberg .22. etc etc etc. Got rid of them one by one in my 30's. Not sentimental at all.

I found what works for me.

I inherited all of my fathers guns.....all five of them. By far his favorite was a Winchester M-92 in .25-20 WCF.

I put it in an airline approved case along with my own .300 H&H and took it to Africa where it took an eastern cape Duiker and a springbok. Upon returning I gave it to his brother's grandson to keep it in the family.

My father never dreamed that his favorite gun would make such a trip.

“Special” guns for “special” folks I guess.

Dad only owned one rifle. A model 88 Winchester in .308. A 1955 model. He bought it and a .300 Savage for me the same day. About all we did with it was add a Williams peep and get a trigger job.

He wasn't much of a hunter but loved going with me. I never used it much, nor did he. I killed a few deer, one elk and a huge porcupine right after I got out of the Marines as I lacked a rifle of my own.

He was in his late 80's when he gave it to me. It had been neglected and misused by some borrowers. I fixed a cracked stock, bedded it and cleaned it up. I also replaced a chancey scope with a 2-7 Leupold. I'm not sure how it happened but a 1 1/2 to 2 inch rifle went to a 3/4 in rifle with the same handload we came up with for it 40 years before. I still never used it much as I prefer the '06 and bolt guns for most use.

Time has passed and my oldest boy has it now. He is keeping it for my grandson who is left handed. The same grandson gets my 39M and a 1917 1899 Savage TD in .250-3000. It should give him a fair start. I'm pretty sure dad likes that. Especially since all four of us have the same names.

That's cool ......... I shot my first deer with my grandfather's rifle. He would have liked that as I was the only grandchild that hunted.

i might have to create a trust for the suppressed pocket M21, if my stepdaughter ends up liking it. She's still in asia, cause the virus has everything locked down. My wife was supposed to get her citizenship many months ago, The girl is 10 and to her, guns are strictly for cops, military and criminals. So she is very hesitant about the whole idea of shooting. The little .22 pocket auto has been converted to SA-only, so it will probably fit her hand just fine. The lack of blast will probably endear it to her next year.

i might have to create a trust for the suppressed pocket M21, if my stepdaughter ends up liking it. She's still in asia, cause the virus has everything locked down. My wife was supposed to get her citizenship many months ago, The girl is 10 and to her, guns are strictly for cops, military and criminals. So she is very hesitant about the whole idea of shooting. The little .22 pocket auto has been converted to SA-only, so it will probably fit her hand just fine. The lack of blast will probably endear it to her next year. It's 9" OAL and 15 ozs, groups 2" at 25m, quite amazing for a pocket 22 with just 3" of barrel. The Smith 2214 is even more accurate, but it's bulky and the safety is a nightmare to manipulate when in a hurry

I last shot my great-grandfather's 35 WSL in the early '70's.
Can't seem to find ammo - and VERY recently received the dies and shell holder.
SOON !!!
Shot my first deer with a Marlin 30-30 my grandfather traded from some "Russian trappers"
Shot some ducks and geese with the same great-grandfather's Remington - clone of the Browning auto (Model 11, maybe?)
Have a 32-20 Bisley (and have shot) from "The Warden"s grandfather.
BTW - the ggf's 35 WSL carries a 2 digit serial number.

I have a rifle and a shotgun that was my Dad's, (Model 12 12 ga and a Rem M760 in 30-06), a rifle that was my uncle's (pre-64 M94 in 32 Win Spl) and a rifle that was my late hunting buddy's (Win. M70 Classic Supergrade in 300 Win Mag.).

My Dad passed away at age 92 last year and I used his 760 (1954 vintage) to take a 6pt whitetail 4 months after his passing. The Model 12 (1928 vintage) was the gun I used to take my first bird on the wing. It was my waterfowl gun up until the requirement for steel shot. I had it converted to a trap gun and use if from time to time to break some clays. I hope to shoot a round of trap with it when that shotgun is 100 yr old. .

kaywoodie,
What is the top break pistol setting center behind the rifles?? I don't recognize it.

drover

Drover,

That is one of them Italian Scofields in .45 Colt ctg. It isnt mine. Belongs to the ranch owner. The Model 81 and the 94 on the right belong to archaeologist son. .300 Sav. and 30-30

The others are mine.

Model 12 Win. 12 ga. My quail gun.
Krag sporter
1895 Win. In .35 WCF ctg. My fav elk rifle.
1895 Win SRC in .30 US Army. Killed a nice nilgai on this ranch with this SRC last Nov.
Revolver on right side is my Colt Army Special in .32 WCF ctg.

All of these firearms are special to me. As a kid growing up I couldn’t afford such and only dreamed of owning such pieces. I am thankful that I have been able to make some special memories with them.

Thanks for the reply. I thought maybe it was a Schofield but it must be an effect of the light and shadows that gives the topstrap latch an odd look which made me think that it was a variation of some sort.

Nice stuff - it's good to have special pieces like that.

drover

I only have one rifle that was passed down to me. An NRA Centennial Winchester 94 in 30-30. My Uncle Hank left it to me when he passed in March. It was presented to him when he left his job as Ag teacher to be a principal at a local vocational school. I put a Wiliams peep sight on it and I've been shooting it. In fact I had it out today. I found it's very accurate and has a pretty decent trigger too. Weather permitting I'd like to take it out for the opening day of rifle season this year. I really miss Uncle Hank and I will always cherish this rifle.

my fall turkey gun is a win model 1912 12 gauge made in 1918 that my grandad owned since probably close to new. it was his only 12 gauge shotgun for many decades and he was a serious hunter. i just took it out sporting clays and shot a 25 which i know kind of sucks but it was my first time shooting clays in ages and the 2nd bird was tough for me for some reason.

I'll be taking out my Dad's Winchester Model 94 .30-30 for this year's deer hunt in upstate PA. It was the only centerfire rifle he ever owned and I inherited it when he passed in 2010. This will be its first hunting trip in about 20 years. He'd put a side mount scope on it, which I removed and replaced with a Lyman peep sight and a Redfield Sourdough front sight blade. I'm really hoping to take a deer with it.

Have showed this pic before but it's my Grandfathers 30Govt06 that he won in a big buck contest.

Great stories and pics! Love reading the stories!

A few years ago I decided to use Dads old 721 Remington 30-06 he made the stock for. He dragged that rifle all over North America chasing Deer, Moose, Bear, Caribou, etc.
I got the opportunity to shoot a nice Wisconsin Whitetail with Dads gun. After the deer went down, I looked at that rifle in my hands and felt an emotional wave wash through me. I shed a few tears and climbed out of the treestand.
Quite a day......
https://imgur.com/KOnTFkv

My father in law was the best man I ever knew. A WW 2 veteran that logged 51 mission in the ball turret of a B-17 over Germany. A humble small man that had one job only and that was to take care of his family. I never knew him to ever buy anything for himself till his house was paid for and his kids married and on their own. A dry land farmer on the eastern plains of Colorado as a kid, he had little to no possessions. In 1929 his dad, a great man himself, bought a new Remington 29 A 22 rifle. My F-I-L received it when he was 10 years old and was the only 22 he ever owned. With it while on the farm and later on the ranch it fed his family with rabbits, pheasants and more than one deer. When he passed my wife inherited it and it will soon be his great grand sons will inherit it. I took a few cottontails and a coyote with the little Remington. Little finish is left on it but it is the most prized gun in the safe.

A good friend gave me one of his Savage model 29 22's about 2 weeks ago. He passed away 2 days ago due to cancer. It's going to go on a walk in the woods with me this weekend. Watch out squirrels!