Al,
Thanks for the information you provided.
And although I appreciate your compassionate words, I would like to clarify that my father is, in fact, still living (though in precipitous decline I am sad to say).
It was my dear step-mother who came across this weapon (and many more!) one day cleaning out some old closets, and called and said "I came across this cache of guns, I don't want them here, you need to come get them!"
So, trying to be brief in my OP, that's why I used the phrase "passed down" instead of "inherited", but without the details I see that was misleading. So, as Paul Harvey used to say, now you have the rest of the story.
And btw, I had no trouble complying with my stepmother's request!
JamesD
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jeremyws1,
I followed your link - GREAT STORY! And picture! Thanks!
JamesD