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My dad was a hunter and fisherman and had just enough guns to get things done for each animal and season. He only had one pistol, a Ruger Standard 22 lr. He bought a lot of his firearms in the 1950's. Dad was a regular at the lone bar in town. A town of less than 400 people in a very rural area with logging and farming as the two main industries while I was growing up. One day in the 80's some guy that was down on his luck walked into that bar and had a late 50's Blackhawk for sale for $100. My dad, always with lots of cash on hand, scooped it up to help the guy out. He brought the gun home and put it in a drawer as he did not shoot pistols much. He had no need for them as a rifle and shotgun put the food on the table.
In the late 80's my little brother borrowed the pistol to go pig hunting with it as a back up gun. That pig hunt turned into a wild one with a boar charging the group after being shot twice. My brother drew down on the charging boar and planted one round in the skull before it fell dead a few feet from him.
Fast forward to after dad died and we had to divvy up his guns. Dad wanted us to play cards to pick each gun. Top hand got first pick and so on. I told my brothers I only wanted one gun.....the revolver. My little brother wanted it too. First poker hand was dealt and I won the first pick so I got the revolver. At the end of the game we all had 1/3 of the guns and I traded all the rest of mine back to my brothers except for the revolver.
I chose the revolver for a few reasons even though I had never shot it. One, it was the only gun that we could not trace where it came from. If it was going to end up "hot" I wanted it as I had the means to take care of the issue if it were stolen. Two, it was a connection to my dad through that bar.
I took the gun to work and had my Lieutenant run it for me. It came back clean much to my delight. When I went to shoot this gun for the first time I thought it may be broken as the trigger seemed way too light for a pistol. I took the gun to a Smith and they checked it out very thoroughly for me. When he checked the trigger pull his eyes widened and a smile came across his face. He fussed with the gun a bit more before setting it on the counter and telling me that he would never set up a gun like this for a customer......but he would for himself. It's 100% safe but has a trigger pull in ounces not pounds.
This gun started me off loving Ruger revolvers. I enjoy watching others shoot this gun as much as I like shooting it. Gun people seem to glow when they fire it for the first time even after I warn them about the trigger. Full house 158g loads are the main diet in the gun and my wife will be doubled over laughing after every cylinder full she loves to shoot it so much.
I would love to meet the old cowboy that sold this to my dad and hear more of this old guns story. It is well worn with honest holster and carry wear from many long days on someone's hip.
I still have two of my dad's other guns, the Ruger Standard and his 721 30-06, in my safe as I hold them for my older brother. That 721 dad bought new in the 50's and was his meat stick. That one rifle fed our family for many years.....anyway, for this revolver the story is of how it came to be and it is kind of special to me in a way that would take ten more pages to explain.....
In the late 80's my little brother borrowed the pistol to go pig hunting with it as a back up gun. That pig hunt turned into a wild one with a boar charging the group after being shot twice. My brother drew down on the charging boar and planted one round in the skull before it fell dead a few feet from him.
Fast forward to after dad died and we had to divvy up his guns. Dad wanted us to play cards to pick each gun. Top hand got first pick and so on. I told my brothers I only wanted one gun.....the revolver. My little brother wanted it too. First poker hand was dealt and I won the first pick so I got the revolver. At the end of the game we all had 1/3 of the guns and I traded all the rest of mine back to my brothers except for the revolver.
I chose the revolver for a few reasons even though I had never shot it. One, it was the only gun that we could not trace where it came from. If it was going to end up "hot" I wanted it as I had the means to take care of the issue if it were stolen. Two, it was a connection to my dad through that bar.
I took the gun to work and had my Lieutenant run it for me. It came back clean much to my delight. When I went to shoot this gun for the first time I thought it may be broken as the trigger seemed way too light for a pistol. I took the gun to a Smith and they checked it out very thoroughly for me. When he checked the trigger pull his eyes widened and a smile came across his face. He fussed with the gun a bit more before setting it on the counter and telling me that he would never set up a gun like this for a customer......but he would for himself. It's 100% safe but has a trigger pull in ounces not pounds.
This gun started me off loving Ruger revolvers. I enjoy watching others shoot this gun as much as I like shooting it. Gun people seem to glow when they fire it for the first time even after I warn them about the trigger. Full house 158g loads are the main diet in the gun and my wife will be doubled over laughing after every cylinder full she loves to shoot it so much.
I would love to meet the old cowboy that sold this to my dad and hear more of this old guns story. It is well worn with honest holster and carry wear from many long days on someone's hip.
I still have two of my dad's other guns, the Ruger Standard and his 721 30-06, in my safe as I hold them for my older brother. That 721 dad bought new in the 50's and was his meat stick. That one rifle fed our family for many years.....anyway, for this revolver the story is of how it came to be and it is kind of special to me in a way that would take ten more pages to explain.....
