My great granny in early 1900s. Down in the holler shopping fer supper.

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My gun collecting started with my grandfather giving me three guns. First was a 32 S&W DA that he used to shoot raccoons in the barn and rats in the chicken coop. The second was a double-barrel 12 ga "Machine Made" hammer-gun in terrible shape that not even my grandfather would shoot. Lastly, I got his pheasant gun as well, which was called a "Zulu" 12 ga French Musket conversion. Interesting that it was purchased by his father, my great-grandfather, from the neighbor for $1.00. My grandfather used it to hunt pheasants with nitro ammo, usually Super-X and it never blew up. He also had a Model 8 35 Remington, but I was not interested in "modern" guns back then and did not take it, which was a big mistake looking at today's market. The two shotguns are now actually hanging on the wall, passed down to the next generation, but I am keeping the little Smith & Wesson for now.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Family gun, mine is a 12Ga Ranger O/U, made by Marlin and sold by Sears back pre WW2. It was my Grandfather's but also used by all 4 of his sons, they lived on a sugar plantation near Lahaina, on Maui, Hawaii. Back then hunting for food was popular in Hawaii's valleys, goats, pig, pheasant and other birds, especially during the depression. It has had a rough time, even dropped by one of the boys on a sugar cane train rail track which put a small dent in a barrel. My Dad, then I, inherited it. I have shot it around the yard at varmints even a got couple of ducks with it, but it was so worn out and loose the last time I shot it both barrels went off at the same time so I put it in the gun closet for good times past.
Steve W

Jimmyj. I beleive the P-35 was Serpico's choice as well.

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Old paratrooper in NC

Speaking of old ballparks: This is the Warren AZ ballpark. Warren is actually a suburb of Bisbee, located southeast of the main town. This is the ballpark where a militant union threatening the copper mines was rounded up by the county sheriff in 1917, put in cattle cars and deported to a distant New Mexico desert. It also has the distinction of being the oldest continually-operating ballpark in the United States! The original grandstand has been renovated in recent years - it used to be wooden and painted green, as I recall as a kid.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I grew up in a family of LEOs and store keepers. My grandfather traded staples(coffee, flour, sugar, etc.) to local residents for guns, well made knives, axes, etc. I had two uncles and a father that were WWII vets and brought home a lot. I have several guns acquired thru the family. My grandfathers H&R "Sportsman" and a Model 37 Winchester. My neice has my dad's Victory model from his Navy aircrew days. My brother has his Model 63 Winchester. I have a 32 Hand ejector that my father's uncle carried as the County Sheriff. His auto disappeared right before his death but I have the holster. I remember it as an early Colt Commander. Going back even further, my father's great, great uncle served as the County Sheriff during the 1870s, & 1880s. He had a Single Action Army at one time that went to the other side of the family. I have a top break H&R 32 short barrel. I think he got it later in life but it may have been his BUG during his last term in office.

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SWCA 3417 HF 642 NRA-TC

Well, this has been very educational. My mother came from one of the oldest cities on the East Coast, Perth Amboy, NJ and my dad grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. If either of them ever had an outhouse I never heard about it.

My dad bought us a row house in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn for $15,000.00.* (IIRC) It was 2.5 stories because the basement was not totally subterranean; there were windows. At 1805 square feet with one bathroom (yes, yes, hot and cold running water, too!) - on the top floor - so we always had to vie for its use - the HORROR! - you had to wait to use it!

And if you waited too long you had to sprint up a flight of stairs!





Dad got tired of that so he built another bathroom in the basement that alleviated much of the torment. Again, I know this is hard to believe for mid-20th century living, but it had hot and cold running water, too.

But here's the thing - from 1st grade through high school, that's PS 222, JHS 278 (Marine Park JHS), and James Madison High School, we had to walk to school! Can you imagine? Sometimes it rained, or worse! Who does that to their children?

I know there was a school bus but, well, there were rules about distance and the 4 blocks, 3 blocks, and 8 blocks we were tortured to walk didn't qualify for a ride. Seriously ridiculous! And there were sometimes juvenile delinquents on those streets. HORRORS!

Wait......those were my friends. Never mind.

But even worse, the walks to school were on flat, paved streets with sidewalks - you know you can trip stepping on and off a sidewalk? Who allowed such misery to exist?

Y'all had nice dirt roads - so much easier!

Anyway, thank goodness Dad had a rifle. You never knew when wild dogs or cats might show up. You had to be ready for anything!

Dad's rifle made it to Texas - at least there's some success here!




*

I put an asterisk next to that 15K price tag for a reason. Here's the present Zillow "zestimate" on the value of that little home:

Zestimate
$745,378


The times, they are a'changin'!!!

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Come and take it!!

I described our living situation earlier, but didn't say anything about "family guns".

Dad had two guns growing up. A 16 ga Winchester Model 97 take-down that was first purchased by my great-grandfather, and a Winchester 1906 that he had been given at age eight.

That '06 was the first firearm that I ever shot, at age eight on my grandfather's land just before we went to England. Those two guns were stored behind the door at my grandfather's house until we returned four years later.

I used that '06 to shoot quite a few West Texas jackrabbits and other targets of opportunity. I would shoot quail and dove with the '97 prior to getting my own shotgun.

Dad's first handgun was a Charter Arms undercover, which he purchased and carried daily in his real estate work after retiring from the military. He still has it, and it is presently his only handgun, at age 87. I take him to the range from time to time, where we run some rounds through the revolver, and also let him relive his youth by shooting my Garand and M1 Carbine.

In my 20's, Dad wanted me to have one of the two guns that I had grown up with. I had the choice of the '97 or the '06. Foolishly, Dad had the '97 refinished, and that didn't appeal to me. Besides, the '06 was my first love, so I chose that. It still has a place of honor in my safe, and gets a range trip from time to time.

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Only a cold warrior

My great uncle passed in 2009. He was almost 99. He left me 3 guns. A first year Marlin M39, a 1927 generation SAA Colt 45 in an HH Heiser holster, and a 1904 Savage single shot rifle.

The significance of the 1904 Savage was that it was given to him for being a good boy when he had his tonsils out on the kitchen table.

My mother, now 91 says that Savage rifle put a lot of meat in the pot during the years of the depression.

Almost time to pass these things along. I did however give the Marlin to #2 son as a college graduation gift. I find myself passing things on now as i like to see the next generation of ownership enjoy things while I am still around to watch the enjoyment

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I was born in 1967. The first house I remember was my paps old house four rooms no indoor plumbing. When I was about five daddy bought a small piece of land, and had Jim Walter Homes build a shell home. We lived there a few years before we had indoor plumbing hauled water from paps in a milk can. If daddy had any guns at this time I do not remember them. About the time we were able to get a few conveniences Carter became president, and daddy spent the next few years moving from job to job due to layoffs. Sometime during this time he got an old Savage Hammerless single shot 12ga the forearm was held on with a hose clamp, and you had to use a ramrod to knock the empty out. This is the first gun I ever hunted with, and Squirrel were plentiful in the woods behind the house. There were no deer, as the depression era had wiped them out. Fast forward to 1989 I had been married for three years daddy had been diagnosed with lung cancer this same year a van ran though the kitchen of the house twisting it on the foundation when they were cleaning it out daddy sent the old shotgun home with me, and told me to keep it. I have since repaired the ejector, and forearm. It gets used once a year to shoot mistletoe.

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Randy