Guns with Stories

[HB of CJ]

Not a gun but an edged weapon. We have in our family, (right now my kissing cousin has it) a real deal 1855 or so English Infield, (?) Calvary Saber. Slightly curved. Shorter than expected. Real steel. Some nicks and stains. Enough story has come down through the years to pretty much real deal the sword being used by a Confederate Calvary Officer during the War Of Northern Aggression, A distant family ancestor. The Civil War.

When the whole family can get together either for Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year we traditionally use the saber to carve up the roast beast at the big long diner table. First we say a pray for family not with us. A prayer for those who came before us. And a prayer for the family yet to come in the future. Then a final prayer that the sword will never have to be used again in anger and is honorably retired. The steel would probably agree.

The saber, web gear and scabbard are all in excellent condition. The scabbard gets routinely split opened and cleaned. The edge is very sharp. Cutting sharp. Just holding it gives me the willies!

 

[M_59]

I went on a service call in about 1980 to a place I recognized as my Grandpa used to take me hunting there in the late 60's. I told him about being up there (he was still alive at the time) and he said that he had homesteaded the place in 1932 the barn he built is on the historical barn registry) and when he moved out in 1940 he had left a gun there. He had been given a Winchester 92 that had the barrel shot out on it. He had taken it apart to repair it when life happened and he had then hidden it in a hidey hole in the upstairs floor joists. I told the customer about it and he said he knew right where I was talking about and that he would take a look. He never found it at the time. Flash forward to 2000. He came to work and said that they were tearing the old place down and he thought he would take one more look. He shined a light in the hole and saw something. Reached in there and out came the 92 wrapped in an old flannel shirt. He gave it to me and Grandpa said to go ahead and keep it as he had no use for it. I searched around at the time and finally found a 25/20 barrel and some small parts for it and made it functional again. I thought it was kinda cool as the rifle had been in the floor for 60 years.

 

[johnny bob]

I have several of General Patton's Rifles.

Here is his M1A1.
Notice the P for Patton?

Funny you should mention that: In 1945 while at Ft Ord my dad got a surplus 1903 Springfield action and barrel. It has a 1911 action and a 1/45 barrel. It sat on the heat ducts at dads house until he passed and then I got it. In 1945 my uncle gave dad a scant stock for it but no hand guard. Last week I bought a hand guard from Sarco. Yesterday evening I fit the action to the stock so it now at least in one piece. The scant stock has a "P" on it too. I had never noticed the P before last night. Do you suppose Patton had a 1903? LOL Being a low number action I know it should not be shot. I just wanted it to be sorta complete.

 

[Argonaut]

The earlier post made me curious, there is a 1911 on Gunbroker with shipping papers to a US Army surgeon in 1913. There are plenty of guns with verifiable history mostly because serial numbers have been around for a long time. We still have the shotgun my dad peppered my grandfather with when a pheasant got up between them. Dad was maby 12. And the rifle my grandmother mistakenly picked up to shoot a large hawk that had been harassing the chickens while my dad was at school and grand Dad was at work. They liked Remington pumps of all sorts, Dad had shown grandma the 22 to use on the hawk if he came back around. Grandma picked up the M14 30 Remington by mistake and blew the hawk all over the chicken yard. Those kind of stories are difficult to document because they are seldom written down. But others can be documented. Like the service of my 1858 Remington in the civil war, it is within the range of serial numbers issued to a specific military unit. Like the Custer Colts and countless other weapons. One of my buddies restores old airplanes, he bought a 1930's WACO cabin biplane (that he subsequently restored to an Oshkosh winning classic) as he was researching it with the FAA, he discovered it was the exact plane bought new by his father when he started a small passenger airline company in the California Central Valley. Information is more available now than ever.

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I have a 1972 Belgium made Browning hi-power that my grandpa carried for years.

 

[Member 34319]

Nothing I own has any historical meaning to it. I would love to own a piece of American history! I'm envious of those here who do. If I could, I would love a historical 1911.

I do own two of my father's father's guns. Those mean a lot to me and I am hoping my son will take them in time.

I like to think those two have some historical value to my family and I.

 

[MountainBear]

Sometimes knowing it was Dad's/Grandpa's/Mom's/Grandma's/etc. is enough story in and of itself...

 

[Boboclown]

I have this .308 Galil that was forged in the fires of Mt. Ararat kindled from the wood of Noah's Ark, and was used to slay an entire batallion of invading rock-people looking to pilfer frankensense and mir from the Ark of The Covenant.

View attachment 415572 View attachment 415573

But... Without the bottle opener it cannot slay Goliath.

 

[Stomper]

But... Without the bottle opener it cannot slay Goliath.

Hater

 

[Boboclown]

Hater

Not at all... I'm just trying to suggest something by not suggesting it.

It is all so you can prepare yourself against the nephilim after all.

 

[Stomper]

Not at all... I'm just trying to suggest something by not suggesting it.

It is all so you can prepare yourself against the nephilim after all.

But it has a M9 sharp pokey thing on the end of it, that just SO HAPPENS to have.... a bottle opener slot on the hilt. Problem solved!

 

[Boboclown]

But it has a M9 sharp pokey thing on the end of it, that just SO HAPPENS to have.... a bottle opener slot on the hilt. Problem solved!

But it does not have the bottle opening bipod. That's where the real magic is.

Get the bipod. Slay the nephilim.

 

[Stomper]

But it does not have the bottle opening bipod. That's where the real magic is.

Get the bipod. Slay the nephilim.

But the owner is already a tripod.... cough, cough.

 

[Boboclown]

But the owner is already a tripod.... cough, cough.

That only diminishes the magic and makes the bipod even more necessary.

 

[Stomper]

That only diminishes the magic and makes the bipod even more necessary.

Hater

 

[Mark W.]

I published this story on a OPB Tumbler page collecting stories about Firearms.

"About how my dad got his Winchester Model 1895 into the house"


The day started out with my dad and I going to the Albany gun show this was a summer day in 1968

I would have been 10. We walked in looked at a display of Lugers mounted by the magazine well. Continued around that row of tables and ended up in front of a table with only a couple rifles on it. Dad picked up a rifle and quickly looked it over talking to the man while I looked on and I fidgeted around. As I remember dad paid ($125.00) for the rifle and we soon after left the show. We met up with one of the guys dad worked with named Gary. The three of us went to a burger place and had lunch.

Gary was in an odd sort of way a big influence on me even if he never really knew it. He was the guy who had the reloading equipment dad used and who I was first introduced to something I would do my whole adult life. Reloading. He also helped me break my dads heart a little bit when one day my dad took me to watch Gary and his friends flying control-line model airplanes. While watching about the 3rd flight I turned to dad and asked him if he would by my HO scale train stuff from me so I could buy control-line planes. Dads hobby was HO scale trains and he lost his buddy in the hobby when I took up Control-line model airplanes.

Anyway I remember the topic at lunch came around to HOW was dad going to get the new rifle into the house. Dad said he had a plan. On the way home we stopped by dads apprentice Ernie Clay's place in Salem. They talked for a while and I waited in the car.

Ernie was a big guy who could play any song he heard on the radio once on his guitars but couldn't read music. He once saw me all interested in how he could light a match with one hand. And he leaned into me (I was sitting between him and my dad in a pickup) and with his huge sheet metal worker hand in a fist right in front of my face told me if he ever caught me smoking it would bust me right in the FACE. Then dad said he would do the other side. I never took up smoking I contribute it directly to FEAR of that big guys fist.

When we got home I was told not to say anything about the new rifle. Dad then told mom we were invited to Ernie and Donna's place for dinner and to listen to the new Bill Cosby album. So long about 5pm we left for Ernie's.

When we got there the Mom and Donna worked on dinner (something like Hot dogs and burgers) The parents ate at the table while all us kids (there were us 3 boys and Ernie and Donna's 3 girls plus my new born little sister) ate a smaller table maybe a card table.

After dinner we all went into listen to the new album. As soon as the album started Ernie says to Dad, Hey Dave you want to see the new rifle I got today? He then went to a small cabinet in the Kitchen and pulls out the Model 1895 Dads had just bought!!! Dad looked at me when I started to get up off the floor with a look that told me to stay put and stay quiet.

Well as soon as Donna caught wind of this "new" rifle she went off screaming and yelling about how they didn't have money for no stupid gun. Well this went on for a few min. Mom who was busy with my little sister was being quiet she had no dog in the fight. Ernie and Donna were famous for their fights we all thought it was a hobby since every time we were all together they would have one.

As things got louder and louder I hear Ernie scream at Donna, FINE I'll get rid of it! And he turns to dad and says, Dave give me the $20.00 I paid for this and you can have it….Now I guess Donna knew nothing of guns so she must have had no idea of it's value. MOM who was married to a guy who was a bit of a Winchester collector and who was very interested in antiques and such knew any Winchester had to be worth WAY more then $20.00 so she keeps quiet. Dad hands Ernie a $20.00 bill and Donna tops yelling. Mom is quiet cause she figures Dad just made a hell of a deal on a rifle.

We finished up listening to Bill Cosby talk about Rubber Baby Buggy tires and such and headed home. The next the next day dad took me shooting I got a whole box of .22 shells to shoot in his Model 55 Winchester Semi auto single shot (look it up) And the story comes to an end.

Well many years later I learned that that Monday at lunch Ernie returned dads 20.

I kept my mouth shut and in 2003 as my dad was dying from Methotelioma (an asbestos caused cancer) I was paid back for that silence all those year back. When out of Dads rifles I got that beautiful Winchester Model 1895 in 30-40 Krag with the Lyman receiver sight and the deluxe burl walnut stock and the 28" barrel made in 1905. Easily the cherry in Dads little collection.


And thats how the 1895 got into the house.

—Mark Wahlster

 

[coyotecaller]

I published this story on a OPB Tumbler page collecting stories about Firearms.

"About how my dad got his Winchester Model 1895 into the house"


The day started out with my dad and I going to the Albany gun show this was a summer day in 1968

I would have been 10. We walked in looked at a display of Lugers mounted by the magazine well. Continued around that row of tables and ended up in front of a table with only a couple rifles on it. Dad picked up a rifle and quickly looked it over talking to the man while I looked on and I fidgeted around. As I remember dad paid ($125.00) for the rifle and we soon after left the show. We met up with one of the guys dad worked with named Gary. The three of us went to a burger place and had lunch.

Gary was in an odd sort of way a big influence on me even if he never really knew it. He was the guy who had the reloading equipment dad used and who I was first introduced to something I would do my whole adult life. Reloading. He also helped me break my dads heart a little bit when one day my dad took me to watch Gary and his friends flying control-line model airplanes. While watching about the 3rd flight I turned to dad and asked him if he would by my HO scale train stuff from me so I could buy control-line planes. Dads hobby was HO scale trains and he lost his buddy in the hobby when I took up Control-line model airplanes.

Anyway I remember the topic at lunch came around to HOW was dad going to get the new rifle into the house. Dad said he had a plan. On the way home we stopped by dads apprentice Ernie Clay's place in Salem. They talked for a while and I waited in the car.

Ernie was a big guy who could play any song he heard on the radio once on his guitars but couldn't read music. He once saw me all interested in how he could light a match with one hand. And he leaned into me (I was sitting between him and my dad in a pickup) and with his huge sheet metal worker hand in a fist right in front of my face told me if he ever caught me smoking it would bust me right in the FACE. Then dad said he would do the other side. I never took up smoking I contribute it directly to FEAR of that big guys fist.

When we got home I was told not to say anything about the new rifle. Dad then told mom we were invited to Ernie and Donna's place for dinner and to listen to the new Bill Cosby album. So long about 5pm we left for Ernie's.

When we got there the Mom and Donna worked on dinner (something like Hot dogs and burgers) The parents ate at the table while all us kids (there were us 3 boys and Ernie and Donna's 3 girls plus my new born little sister) ate a smaller table maybe a card table.

After dinner we all went into listen to the new album. As soon as the album started Ernie says to Dad, Hey Dave you want to see the new rifle I got today? He then went to a small cabinet in the Kitchen and pulls out the Model 1895 Dads had just bought!!! Dad looked at me when I started to get up off the floor with a look that told me to stay put and stay quiet.

Well as soon as Donna caught wind of this "new" rifle she went off screaming and yelling about how they didn't have money for no stupid gun. Well this went on for a few min. Mom who was busy with my little sister was being quiet she had no dog in the fight. Ernie and Donna were famous for their fights we all thought it was a hobby since every time we were all together they would have one.

As things got louder and louder I hear Ernie scream at Donna, FINE I'll get rid of it! And he turns to dad and says, Dave give me the $20.00 I paid for this and you can have it….Now I guess Donna knew nothing of guns so she must have had no idea of it's value. MOM who was married to a guy who was a bit of a Winchester collector and who was very interested in antiques and such knew any Winchester had to be worth WAY more then $20.00 so she keeps quiet. Dad hands Ernie a $20.00 bill and Donna tops yelling. Mom is quiet cause she figures Dad just made a hell of a deal on a rifle.

We finished up listening to Bill Cosby talk about Rubber Baby Buggy tires and such and headed home. The next the next day dad took me shooting I got a whole box of .22 shells to shoot in his Model 55 Winchester Semi auto single shot (look it up) And the story comes to an end.

Well many years later I learned that that Monday at lunch Ernie returned dads 20.

I kept my mouth shut and in 2003 as my dad was dying from Methotelioma (an asbestos caused cancer) I was paid back for that silence all those year back. When out of Dads rifles I got that beautiful Winchester Model 1895 in 30-40 Krag with the Lyman receiver sight and the deluxe burl walnut stock and the 28" barrel made in 1905. Easily the cherry in Dads little collection.


And thats how the 1895 got into the house.

—Mark Wahlster

Very good story Mark. I enjoyed that, thanks for sharing. Often the memories are what makes that gun special.

 

[ron]

I bought a Winchester 1917 US Enfield 30/06. A friend pointed out that the corrosion and stain
on the bayonet was from blood?No story came with it but creepy?

 

[Dornai]

I have my great uncle's 1911A1 he carried in WWII. It has plenty of stories and history attached to it. And I believe every single one.

Hey, me too. Well it's my great grandfather's 1911A1. Got his K-Bar, too.

 

[ovb]

A while back I was looking at guns in a pawn shop in Roseburg.....scruffy looking guy came in and wanted to pawn a 1911 45 auto it was rough looking...the dealer looked up the number and said it was made in 1942 and then showed us it had 3 notch's carved into the grip the dealer asked for info about the gun and the guy said that it used to be his uncles and he carried it in WW2...no story on the notch's....