Family Guns

[mortdooley]

 The men in my family never spent any more money on firearms then they needed to starting in the 1890s and ending in the 1950s.  My maternal grandfather owned an Eastern Arms single shot 12gauge and a Colt Woodsman made in the 1930s he got cheap second hand. My paternal grandfather had an American Gun Company 12gauge Double, an American Arms 32 double action only revolver and a worn beyond use 7 shot 22 revolver that my mother placed in the trash to keep me from hurting myself with it (I was raised by Liberals but overcame it). None of these guns ever saw a proper cleaning and the only lubricant was Singer Sewing  Machine oil. I once found a percussion double barrel muzzle loading shotgun in a corner of my Grandfathers garage very much destroyed by neglect  My own dad has only owned the 32 and a Sears 410 bolt action shotgun and used a bent clothes hanger for a cleaning rod. We value our firearms but they considered them tools and nothing more and when a guns usefulness ended they were left to rust. So does anyone else have a old family firearm story?

[tombogan03884]

Not yet, but I keep stopping at yard sales with high hopes  

About your Dad's 410, it is probably a Mossberg, Before the GCA - 68 Chains like Western Auto, and Sears would pay the gun manufacturers for the right to sell their product under the chains brand name  .
Check out "House brands" on Google.
(The Numrich catalog has many pages listing Store Brand arms and who actually made them. I through mine out though as it was 6 years old  )

[twyacht]

Keeping with the "sad theme", my Father, never a gun guy, bought an Ithaca 12g pump action from his buddy who joined the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Dept, back in 1970. It was old than, but worked, sat in a closet for my entire childhood, uncleaned, unused, and uncovered.

In 1979, he decided, after we moved to western Broward County, to give it a go with some work "buddies".... It cycled, fired, and something "blew out" of the ejection port along with the spent round.

He gave it away, and it was gone.

My Grandfather, a WWII Vet. brought back some items. 2 Gov't issued 1911's, a BAR, and a Mauser. The Mauser, and his old Wards Western Field bolt action .410, went to my Aunts house, as he later sporterized the Mauser, and he kept the 1911's and BAR.

Well, his apt. was broken into, and the 1911's and BAR are, tragically, GONE.

On the upside, I still have the .410, in perfect working order, and a Mauser that (even being sporterized), still shoots better than me.

I do know friends, that have had family members neglect "the ol' rifle in the closet" and regretted it.

It's a shame to let a firearm, of any make or caliber, die a death through neglect.

Thankfully, my "guns" won't meet the same fate. My son has it engraved in his brain, to take care, maintain, oil & lube, protect, and keep his future ever-growing collection.

Even that damned 7 ft. long Moisin for $99.00

[tbug]

Passed mine down to the next generation 3 mod 50 winni shotguns, 1 1898 springfeild 30/40 Kraig ,1 single shot 22 ,1 series70 1911 ,1 browning Hi Power 9mm, 1 38 Chiefs sp., 1 38 md. 10 ,1 1958 Marlin 39a gold trigger Mountie ,1mod.37 youth 410 singleshot. Every time I gave one away I bought two more. Most fun ever.