Early 2009-2010, dang, don't remember know. Dad passed Christmas Eve 2010 though.
When we were down in Utah for our regular January visit dad said I may as well take those guns as he knew my brother wouldn't want them. Most of dads guns had been hanging above the basement fire place for many years. Since I was young. Probably mid '60s. These were some real old guns. There was a Winchester M66 dated to 1871. A Win M 86 in .40-82 dated 1890. A Frontier Bull Dog, probably Belgian made. An M71(?) German Mauser of some kind, A Burgess 12ga shotgun. A late 1800s pat. date 1866 Remington rolling block. A colt Cap & Ball pocket pistol. Dad's dear rifle, a FULLY sporterized Model of 1917 Enfield, scoped with a Lyman Alaskan 4X. And a Colt woodsman 2nd model with box and papers. Some of dads target's he'd shot included. And finally a S&W pre model 15 .38 special that grand dad, dads step father, used when he was in law enforcement in the Los Angeles area in the earl '50s, including the holster and belt. Presumably, Dad had bought these OLD guns when he got out of the Navy in '47 and went into a gun shop biz with his brother and was going to work on them.
The only guns really worth keeping, in my mind, I kept. The deer rifle, Colt, S&W and for some reason I've still got the Remington rolling Block. The old Winchesters were pretty beat up. Dad had sanded and blued over the original case coloring and changed the stock on the M86. The pocket pistol was a mix master of old/new parts. The m66 had been beat on pretty good but was all original. Over the years I've turned those guns into new guns. Or new to me guns anyway. Th ONE gun of those I really, really wish I'd kept was the old Mauser. NOW I'm into stuff like that. None of the other guns I sold were in shooting shape. I'll bet that old Mauser could have had a little cleaning. I could have bought a box of shells. And taken it to the range and hit a 10" gong at 100 yards! Knowing what I know now!
Sorry for the long story. That's also pretty much the story of how I came to be at the point I am now within the firearms community. Getting deeper and deeper! I feel I've got a lot of catching up to do.
When we were down in Utah for our regular January visit dad said I may as well take those guns as he knew my brother wouldn't want them. Most of dads guns had been hanging above the basement fire place for many years. Since I was young. Probably mid '60s. These were some real old guns. There was a Winchester M66 dated to 1871. A Win M 86 in .40-82 dated 1890. A Frontier Bull Dog, probably Belgian made. An M71(?) German Mauser of some kind, A Burgess 12ga shotgun. A late 1800s pat. date 1866 Remington rolling block. A colt Cap & Ball pocket pistol. Dad's dear rifle, a FULLY sporterized Model of 1917 Enfield, scoped with a Lyman Alaskan 4X. And a Colt woodsman 2nd model with box and papers. Some of dads target's he'd shot included. And finally a S&W pre model 15 .38 special that grand dad, dads step father, used when he was in law enforcement in the Los Angeles area in the earl '50s, including the holster and belt. Presumably, Dad had bought these OLD guns when he got out of the Navy in '47 and went into a gun shop biz with his brother and was going to work on them.
The only guns really worth keeping, in my mind, I kept. The deer rifle, Colt, S&W and for some reason I've still got the Remington rolling Block. The old Winchesters were pretty beat up. Dad had sanded and blued over the original case coloring and changed the stock on the M86. The pocket pistol was a mix master of old/new parts. The m66 had been beat on pretty good but was all original. Over the years I've turned those guns into new guns. Or new to me guns anyway. Th ONE gun of those I really, really wish I'd kept was the old Mauser. NOW I'm into stuff like that. None of the other guns I sold were in shooting shape. I'll bet that old Mauser could have had a little cleaning. I could have bought a box of shells. And taken it to the range and hit a 10" gong at 100 yards! Knowing what I know now!
Sorry for the long story. That's also pretty much the story of how I came to be at the point I am now within the firearms community. Getting deeper and deeper! I feel I've got a lot of catching up to do.
