OK...since its been really slow here...

Please tell us about your best deal or your favorite firearm...purchased, found, inherited...etc.

A story and a picture would make it even better.

I'm not talking about bragging....I'm sure everyone would love to have an original 1873 Winchester engraved for G. Custer.....lol.

 

I have mentioned it before, I am sure, but my best deal was the 70 series Colt Commander .45. I loaned a guy $60 and held it as collateral. He returned later and said to just keep it as he didn't have a use for it. I checked it through NCIC and it was clean. That was many years ago. Still carry it.

 

I suppose the best deal was via my father who found a shotgun in an Ohio field with the end of the barrel split. He cut the split end off and used it for years before giving it to me about 15 years ago. I took it to the gunsmithing school at our local community college and let them spruce it up. It is probably my most used gun. With a barrel 1" over legal and no choke it is only good for extremely close range snake and groundhog but I truly love that gun.

 

Ok...guess I should list mine.....

AH Fox AE grade 16g that was given to my dad in the 30s? Condition being that it could never be sold..just given or passed on to someone. Why did I not know how special this was when I carried it in the OH fields in the rain and snow for birds and rabbit? Oh..and did I mention it has a factory leg O lamb case (in really bad dry rotted condition unfortunately) , original cleaning rods, and cotton/canvas covers?[IMG][/IMG]


The other is a little harder...should it be the Combat Commander that I picked up for about $235, an hour after the guy brought it in on consignment...or the Norinco Govt model that I have done all the work (except the thumb safety) myself...and will shoot 1" 25 yd groups. Trigger, sights, bushing, barrel, grip safety, mag funnel, feed ramp, ejection port...kinda ugly cause I never got it refinished professionally...

Could even be the Ruger 10/22 that my parents bought me for my 15th? And the sling on it is made from my Dads handmade WWII knotted belt from when he was a TM?

Anyway...thanks to all for your contributions...I'm sure there will be a few more.

 

OK, I can't find out for the life of me why a gun manufacturer wouldn't put his name on the gun. All three pieces have matching serial numbers, but no name. 12 gauge rabbit ear. Granddad gave it to my cousin, who stored it in his wet basement. Uncle retrieved it and gave it to me. More sentimental value than anything else, since there is no identifying marks on it.

 

A very nice looking gun. Engraving and checkering. That's one of the fanciest working guns I've seen in a while.

 

PD...I guess you meant mine? lol

I wish I could take better pics...the engraving looks soo much nicer in person...

I wish I hadn't been so stupid when I was younger. There are a few gouges/scratches in the stock..but as I understand thats ok as long as they are real.

Never been refinished since some linseed oil on the stock in the 30/40's.

Last informal estimate I got was $3000.....like that would be enough...

Hope my nephew will treat it the same (USMA 2009 Corps of Engineers...or at least I think thats right...I'm Navy...lol) whe he gets it..my stepson isn't the right kinda kid.

Larry...I like the ext hammers...I'd like to get one like that sometime.....

 

OH, I know PD was talking about yours. Mine is very plain, almost too plain since it bears no markings. I have the same problem....who gets the arsenal. My son isn't a "gun" person...too liberal. Bad upbringing, I guess. Probably one of my nephews.
Got the shotgun along with my grandfather's Winchester 1906 .22 pump saddle gun.

 

Best gun I never owned was my grandfather's Parker double barrel 12 ga. hammerless.
I used to borrow it to go rabbit hunting and it was a great weapon. Gramps loved rabbit so I would give him the day's bounty. He would clean them and grandma fried them up for him.
While I was away at college, grandpa decided he needed to sell his weapons and did so before letting anyone in the family know. I tried to buy it back from the buyer but he had already traded it to a third party. I loved that shotgun.

 

Mauser .32 auto that was my grandfather's:



The registration:



And concealed carry permit:



Notice on the registration (1925) his occupation is "Supt of Schools" and on the concealed carry (1925) it's "Teacher".

Nowadays it's the kids who carry the weapons, I guess.

 

The gun and the paperwork are both very cool. I had no idea concealed carry permits dated back so far. I thought they were a relativley modern thing.

 

Very nice! Thats some great history...

I do wonder though.....is that lever behind the trigger a de-cocker? And there appears to be a button under the lever?

And whats the doohicky out near the muzzle? Takedown mechanism of some sort?



EDIT: OK found my answers...its a Model 1914. http://www.mauserguns.com/gungalleryModel1914.asp

Looks like the left grip has been modified..prob for access to the controls? It's still a great item...

 

I bought my first firearm in the early 60's with money I made mowing yards and delivering newspapers. Paid $11 for a new bolt action 22. A new sporting goods store came to town and it was one of their grand opening specials. It's a short rifle and doesn't weigh much but it always shot good. It probably doesn't weigh as much as a 357. I've been offered $100 for it [and it's not worth that] but I've kept it this long and don't intend to get rid of it

Funny thing though, being a minor I had no problems buying the gun but couldn't buy ammo for it until I turned 16

 

Well...I should add this....I bought my first (as in..I paid for it and signed the papers) in Idaho Falls when I was out there for Nuke training. Ruger standard .22....boy I had fun with that out there. But sold it 20 yrs later...it really didn't have any sentimental value to me. I'm much happier with my 22/45 and my Gov Target model

Uhhh...did I mention my ID had a "mistake" in the DOB block. (in the interest of full disclosure..)

Don't rag me...jeez...I was young!

 

As a kid I remember dynamite on the shelves of the seed/farm supply store. Not even behind the counter. Stump and groundhog removal was handled differently back then.

 

Ya, we sure do live in a different day and time

I've carried a pocket knife since I was old enough to open one. To me it's more of a tool than a weapon. Once or twice I've had to go back to the truck at the court house to keep them from throwing my knife away

Supposedly I commit a felony every time I go to the school house [no weapons allowed on school property]......ssshhhhhhhh don't tell nobody

 

Vic, you used some highly technical gunsmithing terms there, but I'll see if I can answer your questions.

The doohickey behind the trigger is the safety; "down" is safe. The button below it releases it.

The grip is a one piece wraparound in the back.

The hardware at the muzzle is for disassembly. To disassemble you lock the slide to the rear, then depress the small button. The other piece rotates up and then a rod slides out. The barrel can then be lifted free and the slide then comes off forward.

Thanks for the nice link. Beer 4U2

 

Hmmmm

I may have to do a little more research TG....I swear I saw something about being able to remove the trigger assy w/o disassembly...kind of an odd feature..but way ahead of its time.....

 

Marksr, I'm sure glad I'm not the only one wearing out the pavement between the courthouse and my truck! I don't even think of having the pocketknife clipped to my pocket!
Went through Denver airport after a visit with the daughter, standing in line at Check Point Charlie when a guard walked up, asked where we were headed. Told him ATL, and he just looked down and said "you aren't gonna make it". Darn! He let me get out of line, go upstairs, mail it to myself and come back through a "back door" to get back in line. Nice guy!!

 

So now you'll have the Feds after you for mailing a dangerous weapon!

 

Okay, picked this one up at an auction in 1992.
1913 Erfurt P08 Luger 9mm, all matching numbers. Cost me $440 back then. I didn't realize I should have also bid on the original holster, it went for $200.

It's a real good shooter, but I haven't fired it in years.
I'll try and get some pics posted.

fred

 

My favorite gun is a Mod.20 Higgins made by High Standard. Not an expensive gun. I bought it from a guy that came in where I worked needing some money,I gave him $40 for it. Three of us used it when we started trap shooting. I have refinished the wood three times cause it just wore off. At one time I owned 143 guns and if I needed to get the job done I grabbed the Higgins. The last time I had it out there were three of us quail hunting, we got 14 birds of which I killed 10. Its lovingly cared for by my son at this time.