I just got in from a dove hunt with my FILs model 12 16 gauge. It
Was the only thing I got from his estate after his death in January.
I couldn’t hit shat with it, but it was pretty special.

Anybody else got any stories or pics of “sentimental gun shooting”?

What choke? It normally takes a few trips to get on with a gun. Put only one shell in the chamber. Swing through and touch off as it hits the head. Keep up the swing through the shot.

If its a full choke, well, you're screwed.

My 16 ga model 12 shoots high, way high. I can’t hit a dang thing with it unless it’s holding still.

My 16 ga model 12 shoots high, way high. I can’t hit a dang thing with it unless it’s holding still. Worst shooting gun I’ve ever owned.

all my hunts are with "special' guns. The tremendously re-worked M21 Beretta .22lr pocket gun for small game, the pocket 9mmm for deer and hogs, the shorty AR in 223 for anything bigger (head shots only, 100m or less only, and if beyond 50m, only from a braced firing position.

Dad gave me his beautiful old 12 gauge Browning. I do a fair bit of upland game hunting. He hadn't used it in 25 years or more.

Honestly, I was astounded. I knew he had the gun, but as he's aged, he's sold some shotguns, rifles and handguns that I didn't think he'd ever sell. Those decisions are of course completely up to him. When he gave me the old Browning... Wow... It's not a gun I'd have selected for myself. Too gaudy for me. But it's Dad's gun. And dang, it shoots great and knocks down pheasant, chukar & quail. Ya, this is another family gun that I hunt with.





Hunting with family guns is pretty cool for me.

Regards, Guy

Not a hunt but this gun was bought new by my Great Granddad. Here it is being fired for the fist time in over 70 years.

Shot my first deer with my dad's 32 Winchester Special. My mom shot her first deer with it. My dad shot his first deer with it.

I used to hunt a lot with an Ithaca 37 16ga my Grandad gave me for plowing for him one summer. It was a beater with a busted stock, no bluing, and a vented Polychoke when he gave it to me. When I went to gunsmith school I found a stock, polished and blued it, and sawed the doinker off and threaded it for choke tubes. A couple years ago my dad had rotator cuff surgery and borrowed it to use as a lefty since it was a bottom ejector. He took a shine to it and has been using it ever since. I’m sure I’ll get it back one day but I’m in no hurry.

I have a Ruger Single Six that was a great Uncle’s. I acquired it in a trade about a year after his passing when I was 13. It’s been a great companion and I’ve shot an amazing amount of critters from rats to wild pigs. The most memorable being a coyote I rolled on a dead run with a heart shot at 73 paces. I think I was as surprised as the coyote!

I have a worn square butt 2” model 36 S&W in my front pocket as I sit on the creek bank right now. I carry it often and have shot quite a bit of small game and pests with it. A very good friend bought it out from under me when we worked together at the gun shop and it pissed me off. I was less pissed when he gave it to me for my birthday a little while later. Sadly he’s gone on now.

Killed a few Sitka Blacktails and fox with a cherry Savage 99EG in 300 that my wife gave me for our first anniversary. It’s a neat old rifle that means a lot to me, I may even take it to Colorado for my 3rd season mule deer hunt this year.

I know all guns are special and all hunts are special.

I was was looking for sentimental stories about guns handed down
from previous generations.

Thanks Jag for the input. This gun has a “poly-choke” I was testing
The whole time. Never got it figured out.

Very cool

Good luck with convincing me that isn't cool as heck.

I only have one gun passed down from in the family, but it's my favorite knocking around and small game rifle by far. Marlin '94 25-20 made in 1906. It has a barrel liner installed, a Williams 5-D receiver sight, and shoots my cast 260283 bullets very well.

I also have a pair of handguns the family has given me, a Sig Sauer 1911 Stainless Target 45, and a Ruger Flattop Stainless 45 Convertible. If the rabbits ever make a comeback I'll take the Ruger after them and maybe after a deer this fall.

Every firearm I own is one I bought, working some filthy, hot sweaty job.

About every time I was in a 1ft high crawlspace with frogs and dead rats, laying in raw sewage, dragging a drill through water, drilling for termites... I would tell myself I’m buying a new rifle after I break it off deep in these people.

Another one in particular, was reflashing a church steeple on a 12/12 roof. Red wasps going Stuka dive bombing on me, lady pastor standing with her hands on her fat hips from the parking lot 40ft below, telling me I have domain over those wasps. Them Presbyterians bought me a savage 10mL smokeless and some zeiss class that day.

Typical weekend hunt

On Wednesday I'll be taking my great Grandad's 35 wsl to Wyoming to try and kill a goat or mulie with it. My backup is a fluted savage 308, but hopefully I can kill something with the wsl. He ordered it from Winchester, I want to do more research on it. It would be cool to have some paperwork on it.

A limit of doves with Dad's 1913 vintage Winchester 1911 SL (cylinder bore) from a few years ago.

Retired this spring and then the hail took out my roof, instead of hiring it done I did it myself. I wrapped up early one day ahead of rain and went to town to pay the bills and hit the LGS I frequent. The owner was buying a estate collection , one of the guns was an original Sharps 74 Business rifle in 45-70 a couple or so days later he offered it to me and I bought it. When I hold it and remember the insurance company paid me to buy it I get a warm fuzzy and yeah it has a date with a deer this fall
Mb

Hubba Hubba!

What's the lineup there?

I sorta knew a guy who drew a really good moose tag in MT.

He killed the bull with a special Winchester Lever Action or maybe not.

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!

Killed a deer with the .44 Henry my FIL left me the fall after he died. We had been planning to hunt together, but he never made it. Hope it made him happy that his gun got to go, anyway.

Like old 44 rimfire Henry?

Old Family .30-40 Krag



Great Gramp's 1941 Win 70 in .270 Win

His Ithica 37 16 gauge:

Old .300 Sav that's been in the family for a while,:

Sav 1899G in .250-3000
A few more heirlooms:


Sav 1899H in .22 Hi-Power



Somewhere I have some pics of a 26" wide mule deer taken with a Sav 1899A in .303 Savage that was also Great Grandpa's (whom I never met).

Those pics are great, Tinman!!!!! Great guns too!!

A few years ago, I discovered up at my wife's cabin in PA, a very dusty old shotgun that had seen better days. CCH was all gone, stock finish was rubbed and a few dents and the charging lever was bent. It turned out to be a 1926 manufacture, Ithaca New Improved double (NIB). The gun was tight however, so off it went to Diamond Gunsmithing in Ithaca, NY for a full restoration. The gun probably hadn't been used for fifty years. So when I got it back, I took it hunting with Hatari and Pugs in Georgia. A little too much gun for quail, especially choked M/F, but I had fun with this old gun:

Two of them, special to me anyway. One being my grandfathers old savage side by side with the Damascus barrels. I devised a pyrodex load using a regular wad I found. Seemed like I couldn't miss with that old shotgun. Second being my dad's old 1905 S+W 32-20. You had to hold low left with that gun, by the time you get to 30 yards you are holding in the dirt with a woodchuck. I killed a good number of woodchucks with that gun, missed a good bit more. When the beans would get up too high for rifle work I started hunting, stalking, on foot. I carried both the 32-20 and a scoped Security Six.

As a side, don't accidentally fire one of those BP loads in your 1100, messy. I went out and accidentally pocketed the Pyrodex loads. I had to use the gun as a single shot. I got into the bunnies and fired 9 times. What a mess to clean up.

My grandfather’s M94 30-30. He used to hunt the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in late 40s and 50s with it. He taught me about the outdoors. It’s my most cherished firearm.

The only firearm I inherited was my Grandfathers Parker Shotgun. It is one heck of a shotgun. Two sets of barrels with correct serial numbers, ejectors and a leather leg of mutton gun case. 26" IC/mod and 30" mod/full. A hunters gun. When I got it, my dove hunting opportunities had pretty much dried up. I took it to a couple of local skeet shoots and did well with it. When my son graduated from College, I passed it on to him so that I could watch him enjoy it.

My grail rifle growing up was a Marlin 39 Carbine. My Dad didn't like the idea of a 22LR for some reason and I never got it when I was young. When I had sons that were grown and gone, I found three of the 39 Carbines over a period of years, bought them and gave each son one. They probably didn't appreciate what being able to give those rifles to them meant to me, but I hope that they will be able to pass them on to their sons one day. If I run across another 39 Carbine one day, I'm going to get it and keep it for myself...When I get it, we are going to have a family squirrel hunt and the only allowed rifle will be a Marlin 39 Carbine. Can't wait!

That's the way it was for me. My dad saw that dangerous for one mile and considered that we live in flat country, unlike the mountains he was raised in. I traded into a 22 at 14 years old. So dad said I could only shoot shorts and since it was a JC Higgins M31 and a semi auto he thought it would only shoot shorts single shot. I never told him it would cycle shorts. The thing is I killed as many squirrel with those shorts as I would have with LR's.

My extra special old gun would be the Savage 99 in 30-30 that my grandpa carried while doing posse duty chasing Pancho Villa.
It has taken a few deer since.

Same reasoning used by my dad. He was Navy and I guess all he could think about was where are those bullets going to land. My brother and I both got Marlin 336's in 44 Magnum. We had red about barking squirrels and dang if it didn't work. We could kill a squirrel and it wouldn't have a mark on it.. I think most of the time the bullet stayed in the limb. That wa our story anyway... never got any complaints from the neighbors. I was 18 before I got a 22lr.

Before my dad went into the Navy in 1943 his two firearms were a Mod 67 Winchester single shot 22 and an Iver Johnson Champion 16 ga. single barrel break open shotgun. They both reside in my safe now. The 22 was used on all kinds of small game but primarily as a woodchuck gun back when all the local farmers were at war with 'chucks. Out to about 50 yds. just about any head shot will anchor them in their tracks. I was helping a friend cull woodchucks in the early 1990's and just had to recreate the old fashioned rimfire 'chuck hunting experience that was once so common before we all began popping them at 200 yds. with a high power, centerfire, scoped rifle. On his old 16 ga. shotgun; I got the barrels re-blued, receiver re-casehardened, and some other work done on it over 40 years ago. My next project for that is a pheasant, as it probably hasn't taken a pheasant since about 1939- 1942, or shortly after WW2. Never had time for that project but now that I'm retired it's on my projects list and I know of a nice pheasant hunting preserve which is about the only way I can even find a pheasant these days.

Thanks guy with a Woodie....I enjoyed getting those pictures. Good times...

Yeah T, cool pics, wish I had the opportunities to hunt as much as you do. Please explain to some of the folks here how you manage to kill stuff with old guns/cartridges with little tiny scopes that don't have a 50mm objective lens.

I guess I could say anytime I hunt with the 870 Wingmaster is a hunt with a special gun as it was given to me by the family of my best friend and getting in trouble compadre when he passed. Only knew him since we were in 4th grade. Still have the family phone number memorized I called it so much. I got a nice turkey in AZ with it, and numerous quail and some pheasants too. Oh, lets not forget my first two (and so far only two) ducks.

Another successful hunt with a special gun would be the javelina I got a few years back with my first relatively expensive custom gun, a Hamilton Bowen revolver in .256 WinMag (with a 25-20 cyl also). I hope to get another some day, perhaps with the 25-20 cyl installed.



I like the way that pig looks in this pic too :