Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Sentimental Guns

I agree wholeheartedly Ethan.
I had the 1911 my granddad carried through WWI until my brother and his, at that time, wife got ahold of it. They must have burned up the road getting to the dealer they sold it to $125.

"Sentimental Guns"

Yes. I'm in love with everything I own, or I don't own it for long. I'm not being sarcastic. I love my guns. Or I sell them.

My uncle's Marlin 336 .32 Special.

When he passed I got it and his Woolrich. Still have and use both.

When I go, they'll go to my son or a grandchild maybe.

Hunter Arms Fulton 16ga Double that was my Grandpas, it currently stockless though

I've got fifty, or so, rifles, pistols and shotguns. I'm going to keep five. All others have to go. I'm very fond of my Remingtons, Winchesters and Colt. Now the gut wrenching begins.

I've got the side by side BP shotgun that came across the plaines to Oregon in a covered wagon with my Great Great Grandfather in the 1800's

It's stock is cracked, it's missing one hammer and it's rusted bad.

But, it will hange over my fireplace 'till I pass it on to my Daughter.

Virgil B.

I have always felt guns are a lot like land--its for buyin not fer sellin.

Twice I have had to liquidate my gun collection--once by divorce--vindictive bitch--once for financial reasons.

For 8 years the only gun I owned was a 94 Winchester .30-30--earned my livin with that gun. When the long-gun registry came in here in Canada I took that gun south. gotta nephew kills deer with it every year.

Guns just seem to pile up here, but I've never had any that were real expensive--workin guns.

I've bought several and have given several away--been 20 years since I sold one. Gave away 3 good rifles this past moose season--all to young hunters who needed one. 2 boys and a young woman seemend really happy about that--but I realize now that I didn't do it for them--I done it for me.

I've got 2 leverguns back home that have been in my family for decades. The 1st one is my very first rifle my dad bought me for my 13th birthday, a Sears Ted Williams imitation model 94 in 30-30. The 2nd is my dads Marlin 336c in 30-30. A very popular caliber for deer in Maine.

All told I have around 30 rifles, pistols, and shotguns. I don't really have anything right now I don't care about, but still I could probably let go of half of them without too awful much hand-wringing.

But there are a few, those few that every gun person owns, that cannot be bought or sold, only taken by force or given freely. This subject has been on my mind lately, since my father passed away this last summer.

The first is Dad's 1956 Belguim Browning Light Twelve. It was the only shotgun he ever owned, and will be the only one I hunt with the rest of my years. I know it was the only gun he would have never let go, no matter what, and is for me as well.

Second is my Pre-64 M-70 featherweight in 30-06. It was my grandfathers. He passed when I was 18 and it came to me as my first big game rifle. It is my "go to" rifle when the chips are down, and things get serious.

Next is Dad's Savage 110 FP in 25-06. Dad was a serious coyote caller, and this rifle killed more than most. According to the detailed log he kep, it accounted for over 250 coyotes, half a dozen bobcats, and a dozen deer. It is absolutely consistent, and will shoot into 1" or so all day long at 200 yds. Some things Dad owned, but this was HIS.

There are others, a 7x57 that I have pretty much build myself, a Dan Wesson switch barrel .357, my 40-XB in .220 Swift, and a 1913 mfg Winchester 1894 from my father in law. Those would be pretty difficult as well.

Oh yeah, and my little CZ-527 in .223. I shoot that thing as much as everything else combined.

The two that stand out for me are a 1939 L.C. Smith 20 Guage Field Grade shot gun made by Hunter Arms in Fulton, NY. It was my Grandfather's gun.

A Ruger 10/22 that was the first thing of any real value that I bought with my own money at age 13. Thousands of rounds out the first barrel and many a rodent dispatched. I carried that thing everywhere and it has sentimental value far beyond it's monetary worth.

i am fortunate to have some family heirlooms that will never go away as long as i live. first is my dads rem 141 35 pump that he bought sometime in the 50's and used his whole hunting life. the 2nd is his dads win 1912 nickle steel 12 gauge that my grandad bought in the 30's and used his whole hunting life. both well worn but functional as the day they left the factory. i instructed both of my boys to not let those go, ever. i have others that i have personally collected and made lots of memories with and have never tired of. rem 760 pumps, ruger bolts, marlin shorties, etc. while i am attached to most of my guns at this point, i could see myself weaning down the battery in later life, preferably through gifts to grandkids, but possibly by selling them if times get tight. either way, the 35 and the model 12 ain't going anywhere.

As a kid, my Dad had a sporterized Springfield with a rough bore that I started hunting with. At the time, he carried his Dad's sporterized Enfield because he thought it was too heavy for me. He always complained about the Springfield not shooting very well because of the bore condition, and praised the Enfield as a great rifle with a mint bore. I dunno - I managed to shoot my first two deer with the Springfield and had no issues getting the job done with a single shot each. I always hoped I would get that Springfield, but he got rid of it at some point later in life that I wasn't aware of. It kind of ticked me off at the time because I would have happily bought it from him. I've wanted a Springfield ever since, but have passed on every one I've come across. I guess they don't really push my buttons like the one I remember...

16ga SxS, hardware store gun, purchased about 90 years ago by my maternal grandfather. A name I've never heard of. Years after Grampa died, it came to me. I had a 'smith push out a dent in one of the barrels. I took a needle file to rid the front trigger of a burr that caused both barrels to discharge at the same time.

Killed a squirrel with it when I was 16.

It's a godawful shotgun, but it has sentimental value and so it abides with me.

1906 Essex single barreled 16 gauge, was my paternal grandfather's, took my first quail with it, the ejector doesn't work, so you have to use a pocket knife to extract the spent hull.

learned to make that first shot count with that old sodbuster looking firearm


1912 crackshot, another family heirloom


my lil winchester 250 lever action, my first rifle of my own, took a lot of game with that lil sucker back on the farm, looking forward to cradling it again


rem 700 bdl, 7 mag, first centerfire I bought for myself, figured it'd be the only rifle I ever needed! lmao


nula 7mm-08, not much history in it, couple of moose is all, but it'd be like kicking a super model out of bed!


Rem 700, .338 lots of miles on it, used it when I was guiding it, never let me down,

hoping I'm not jinxing myself, but those 3 rifles every time the trigger has been pulled what I was shooting at ended up expiring.


got a few other faves, but nada that couldn't be replaced or holds the same sentimental value

The only one I have that would never be sold is an old Glenfield .30-30 Mom and Dad got me for my 13th birthday. Very little money value but all the sentimental value in the world.

Dad had a sweet sixteen loaned to him when he started bird hunting. That was about all there was to hunt at the time.

He always talked about that gun. The fellow died, and all dad could afford to pay the widow was for his Model 12 in 12. I have that gun still and hunt with it at times. I often think of redoing it, but then think nah, I like it just like it is.

Then we made a bit of money and Dad and I both bought A5s in 12 gauge. I still have both. ( dad died in 2005).

Fast forward to some fine friends we made and allowed me to hunt with his sweet sixteen.... shot a few grouse and such in AK with it. And one day it arrives, at a dealer, for me to pickup, with a plate on the stock in memory of my father. Got a lot of allergies that day..

Other than that, parents on either side didn't hunt much and had few guns so not much thats sentimental from that aspect.

I did buy a converted civil war musket from a fellow employee. It came down through their family, but they were not gun folks. It is kind of eery to hunt with it. In a few ways, but cool in others.

I have a rifle right now, a good friends best friend that died. I take pride it getting it back in the field to hunt.

So I do have some that mean certain things to me in many ways.

HAJ;
I'm sorry to read that you're still not finding work sir, that's tough on a man on several levels and I can say that with the conviction of experience.

As far as your initial query goes though, I don't currently have any firearms that I'd not part with tomorrow if the need arose. They are stuff to me - certainly fun stuff to fool with - but stuff nonetheless.

The one firearm that had some meaning to me was a gift for my late father so he'd have a hunting rifle. It was a near perfect 96 Swede that I saved up to get from Century Arms in Montreal and I spent countless hours modifying it to make it lighter and more handy for him to be able to use.

You see HAJ, he'd given me his Model 100 in .308 when I was 18 as he'd quit hunting for health reasons.

When my wife and I moved to BC, Dad's health improved a bit and he asked if we could go hunting together and I jumped at the chance.

The first season together he borrowed my good wife's 788 .308 carbine and spoke very highly of how well the little rifle felt for him.

Anyway here's a photo of the 96 the day I gave it to Dad.


In the next decade or so he and I would usually get a week hunting together - making memories I'll treasure as long as I have thought and draw breath.

One year before season he came to me with the rifle in a soft case and said he'd like to return it to me as he just wasn't up for the rough roads and long hours anymore. His wish, he said, was that maybe I could see if one of the grand kids might be able to put it to use.

Those who know me and have seen my family hunting photos will already recognize that rifle, as it was our own eldest daughter who spied the now 110 year old rifle in the safe and asked about it.

In short order it became very much her's and her connection to her Granddad who'd recently passed. Here she is with her biggest mulie and the Swede - note the trickle of red on it's neck HAJ - she can shoot the thing and then some.


This year's mulie - sorry no rifle in the photo - but anyway it died across a fairly wide valley to a single 130gr TSX that tore the aorta off the top of his heart and then exited out the joint of the scapula and leg bone that attaches to it.


That's the story of the only rifle or firearm for that matter that has much sentimental attachment to any of us as far as I'm aware.

Hopefully you enjoyed the story a bit HAJ as I know family means a lot to you.

Speaking of which, you and yours remain in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Dwayne

My BSA 458 Win that my Grandfather left to me. It has quite a few African animals on it's list of kills, including all of the Big Five. Magnaported with a Weaver K4 scope and original canvas sling. Wouldn't part with it for anything.

Really only have two sentimental guns. No avid hunters or shooters in the family to make a gun really mean anything to anyone.
I have a Marlin M'94 25-20 that was my Grandfathers Uncles rifle. Made in 1906 it was used for years at butchering time and little else. When I got it the bore looked like the inside of a sewer pipe, the front sight was half of a penny and it had white paint on it from hanging over the door while they were painting the trim. With the bore sleeved and Williams 5D receiver sight it does pretty well with cast bullets. Great small game rifle if my eyes are up to it.
The second rifle is a Savage M99R 250-3000 my family got me for my 50th birthday. By coincidence, it was made in 1953, the same year I was born. I've taken several deer with it and it will stay till time to pass it on to my Son.