Remember when . . .

4

.40cal

New member
I remember when . . . I was about 10yrs old, and I would get so excited when my grandfather would tell me to grab his 22 rifle from his closet and bring it outside so we could take shots at the squirrels.

When he passed away, I inherited it. I sill have that old remington and I still smile and think about those days when ever I shoot it with my son ( now 6yrs old ). I see the same excitment in his eyes.:D

I'm pretty sure most of you have similar moments in your life where one particular gun has left a lasting impression on you for one reason or another. Share that with us!
 
First ever rifle was a Winchester pump-action .22

It was out at my grandparents' farm in Kansas. I'm not sure who it originally belonged to but it was just taking up closet space. I used to go shoot gourds and water filled cans with .22 hollowpoints to see them explode. Fun times.

That was also the gun that taught me how scary an accidental discharge can be. Really hammered home how important gun safety was at a young age and I'm lucky I didn't get a .22 inch hole in my foot.

When I got older I would go rabbit hunting with it. Also would shoot magpies, as my grandmother hated those birds. Got to the point where I didn't bother with birdshot, as the birds got wise to me. I used to stand off at a distance and pick them off fence posts.

I've fired many guns since then, but it still holds a special place in my heart. With my grandmother in a nursing home now and the house winterized as no one lives there, I plan on going up and taking possession of all the firearms in the house soon, as well as maybe some old photos of my Dad as he passed away 3 years ago. I don't care who has a claim to what though, the Winchester will be coming with me.
 
I don't care who has a claim to what though, the Winchester will be coming with me.
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Thats how I felt when my grandpa passed. There were alot of family members that bickered over money and furniture, even the car. I got one old remington with some rust on the barrel and was totally content.
 
That gun would be Lucille,,,

That gun would be Lucille,,,
My Mother's .22 Colt Frontier Scout.

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Pop won this in a poker game back in 1965-66,,,
I couldn't believe it when he gave it to my Mom instead of me,,,
I mean she was a girl for crying out loud and I was a gun craz, eerrr, loving young boy. :confused:

We lived out in the boonies for many years,,,
That gun was the best carrot for good behavior my Mom had.

"You boys be good and get all your work done without me having to hound you and we'll shoot Lucille later this evening"

That always made me and my two younger brothers perk up,,,
I can't imagine how many bricks of .22 short we sent off the back porch.

Back in 1983 I finally talked her into selling it to me,,,
It was promptly stolen from my house,,,
I was absolutely sick at the loss.

Mom passed away back in 1995,,,
I moved back to Oklahoma back in 1966,,,
Imagine my surprise when my Brother-in-law said,,,
"Look what I got from your Moms house when we were cleaning it up".

Huge amounts of family drama ensued,,,
But I eventually got my gun back.

I know it sounds silly,,,
But when I take Lucille out for a dance,,,
I again become that 14 year old back porch gunslinger. :)

Great little gun,,,
Great childhood memories.

Aarond

.
 
I spent a lot of time traipsing around our pastures and those of the neighbors for 4 or 5 miles around when I was a teenager.I didn't have a lot of friends around nearby all the time, so I hunted a lot with my dog following along (not a hunting dog). I mostly carried my brother's Revelation bolt action 22lr. I was very accurate with it. I had some 22s of my own, but none ever felt as good as that one did. Maybe because that was the one I started with. I think either a brother-in-law or sister-in-law stole and sold it, but can't prove anything. I would buy another if I could find one for the right price.
 
While I don't have a cool 'hand me down' story about my first gun, I did find this. My mom has been going through old pictures and found this. This is the first time I ever fired a "real" gun. A family friend and his family have always been into firearms, and invited my father and I up to the mountains to do some shooting and stay in their cabin. I forgot this picture was taken, and it brought back memories. I want to say I was 9 or 10 in this picture. After this trip, I finally convinced my parents to at least let me get a 'Eagle' bb gun.

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Also, I ALWAYS wanted a bb gun as a little kid. I guess my parents feared for their windows and/or my eyes, so I got this one christmas morning. I think I was 6 or 7? The look on my face says it all, haha. I had it up until the day the string finally wore out and snapped. Sorry if this is a bit OT from the original idea, but it's all I have ;)

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I don't have those memories. I can vagely remember my father having a shotgun (he won it a contest I later found out) so I must only have been 3 or 4 years old. My mother (a NYC girl) made him get rid of it.
My first shooting experience was with my uncle when I was 17. I was hooked. Though to this day, I still have no desire to own an AR. :)
 
My favorite is a Stevens model 59 tube fed bolt action 3" .410 shotgun. Gramps bought it in the mid 40's or so, and he and my uncles and dad used it to shoot squirrels, foxes, rabbits, partridge, crows etc. In the late 70's, early 80's, I used it for squirrels, blue jays, and thrown tin cans. Not a very pretty old gun to many, worn bluing, dings in wood, etc., but to me, I wouldn't take $1,000.00 for it. In a couple more years, my boy will use it too (if the Govt. doesn't come collect it in the name of public safety), as it was passed down to me. On days when I miss my youth and Grandparents, and there are quite a few, I take it out of the case and hold it, as it brings back many happy memories.
I have many guns I inherited from both sides of the family, some worth alot of money, but this old .410 makes me feel warm and rekindles the love and support my Grandparents and Dad gave me as a child. This shotgun brings back memories of cool, crisp, sunny October mornings, adventures in the Maine woods, smiles from my family member's, and huge Dinners prepared by Grammy & Gramps. I have trouble pointing it at a target these days, as my eyes tear up every time it comes to my shoulder.
 
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It was Christmas eve, 1959...sometime in the middle of the night, I had snuck out of bed & was hiding behind the easy chair..I was going to surprise Santa!
I also happened to have dads Stevens 12 ga. double..you see I was going to make sure I had a very merry Christmas that year..I was going to hold up the old elf! Gun wasn't loaded..but I figured HE didn't know that! I must have fallen asleep..& when mom came down to put out the presents, she must have spotted those long twin tubes sticking up in the corner..she gave me a severe talking to..telling me if Santa had found out..he wouldn't ever visit again...Thanks mom for not telling pop! Pretty bold for a six year old. I guess I turned out fairly normal ( no holdup attempts since then).
 
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