My "Thanks Dad" revolver

[Larry from Bend]

In 1974 my Dad loaned me the down payment on my first house. I was able to repay him in 1976 and did, but being Dad, he tore up my check. I wanted to say "thanks" some way so I bought him a new 1911 Colt, because that's what he carried in WWII. I noticed that he never shot it and when I asked if he liked the Colt he said that "He'd just as soon have a revolver". So I bought him the Model 66-2 in the picture. It was as fancy as I could order at the time: 3 Ts, red ramp front and white outline rear. Dad did fire the 66 many times (he preferred 38 special ammo) and enjoyed it. He passed in 1991 and the 66 came back to me. Excuse the grips, I have the original targets and they are beautifully striped. I was carrying the 66 on horseback for a while and didn't want to scratch them up. These Pachys are quite thin and DO make the 66 easy to carry on the hip. I had an Bianchi 5BHL from a long-sold 6" Model 19, which I cut down to make as compact an outfit as possible. I shot a coyote with the 66 recently, it still works fine!

 

[NFrameFred]

I can relate. My father loved guns but wouldn't spend the money on himself; growing up poor he worked hard all his life to provide for his family, never putting himself first.

So as soon as I was old enough to start earning some money of my own, I made it a point to buy him what I thought he'd like for Christmas, father's day, birthdays, etc.

Gone a few years now, his guns came to me when he passed and those are some I will always keep. Even if I never shoot them again, they give me pleasure remembering the enjoyment they brought him.

I know a lot of men who never had a good relationship with their fathers. I truly feel for them. Dad was my best friend and a better father a boy never had. That's something to truly be thankful for.

 

[model70hunter]

Amen to good fathers. When I went to close on my first house the now ex had cleaned out the savings. To keep me out of jail for justifiable homicide Dad lent me the money, I paid him back as it was from his retirement funds. He also helped my Bro and Sis on their first house. Good dads are like Registered Magnums, only a few and rare. Dad passed 2 years ago last January, mom passed 61 days later. We all miss them. I inherited dads prize rifle a Winchester model 70 pre 64 in 270. When my brother declared he preferred Remingtons and 30-06 I knew where the model 70 was going. Dad usually got his buck opening morning and I would use his 270 to get mine. Dad always wanted to hunt out west and never did. I borrowed it and have bagged deer in WY, CO and KS. Prior to Dads passing I used it, just before Altzhiemers got dad I bagged my biggest buck, you should have seen dads eyes light up when he saw the deer. Every time I use the 270 or the 3 Screw Ruger I remember times with dad. Like now a few tears are welling up. Gotta go.

 

[hiram2005]

My dad.

My dad is sitting in the living room right now, asleep watching TV. He is the same way, won't buy guns for himself, never would. He has a K-22 he bought in 1951, A Marlin Model 39 and an H+R 410. Everything else he has, I bought for him. He always took 'em out and tried 'em squirrel hunting and always got at least one with each gun. That includes the American Derringer 45/410!
He was also the same in that he loaned me the money over the years to buy 2 trucks and 1 car. I would always be making payments to him and then one day he would say that I was done paying for the car and that was my birthday present. Wouldn't even be my birthday.
Now, last month I retired and received part of my annuity from work and I wrote him a check to pay off the pickup truck, which I owed about 4100 on, I gave him a check for 5000. I knew there was other things I owed him for, so I just made it for that amount. He left it lay on the table for three days.I asked him if he was going to take it to the bank. He said to tear it up, he didn't need the money. (Cue the tears dangit)
He's going to be 82 on Veterans Day and he's beginning to slide into Ahlzeimers. Got him an appointment on June 7 with a specialist to see if we can help him out. Gotta get, can't see to type right now.

 

[model70hunter]

My dad is sitting in the living room right now, asleep watching TV. He is the same way, won't buy guns for himself, never would. He has a K-22 he bought in 1951, A Marlin Model 39 and an H+R 410. Everything else he has, I bought for him. He always took 'em out and tried 'em squirrel hunting and always got at least one with each gun. That includes the American Derringer 45/410!
He was also the same in that he loaned me the money over the years to buy 2 trucks and 1 car. I would always be making payments to him and then one day he would say that I was done paying for the car and that was my birthday present. Wouldn't even be my birthday.
Now, last month I retired and received part of my annuity from work and I wrote him a check to pay off the pickup truck, which I owed about 4100 on, I gave him a check for 5000. I knew there was other things I owed him for, so I just made it for that amount. He left it lay on the table for three days.I asked him if he was going to take it to the bank. He said to tear it up, he didn't need the money. (Cue the tears dangit)
He's going to be 82 on Veterans Day and he's beginning to slide into Ahlzeimers. Got him an appointment on June 7 with a specialist to see if we can help him out. Gotta get, can't see to type right now.

Hiram, I feel for you sir. Alzheimer's took my Dad. It is a slow painful process. Your heart gets broken daily. It might help to find a support group close by. If not feel free to PM me any time, I'd consider it an honor to assist. My wife is an RN and has quite a bit of training in dementia and aging, without her it would have been much more difficult for me. My dad developed symptoms but got pretty bad by age 82. He lived until age 86. This part is important, if you ever wanted to tell him some thing do it now.

 

[celticfisherman]

Great story and a beautiful gun!

I bought my dad a Remington 44cal Army a few years ago for Christmas. He always wanted a muzzle loading pistol. Just like those in the movies.

 

[Kapuna]

Thanks for the stories....

Best thread I've read in a while...
Thanks, guys....

 

[cooperduper]

Oh, Alzheimer's... Just put my Pop on hospice care, this week. He has struggled for a couple years and is only 77. I have carried his old Remington 700 30-06 and shot several deer since around 1999. Don't think he ever killed a deer in 20+ years of using it after his dad passed, leaving it to him.

Don't know how I'd cope without my wife, either. She too is an RN and works in hospice care of many with various forms of dementia. She keeps me going in the slow, painful loss of my good old Pop.

 

[03clyde]

Great story, thanks for sharing it.

 

[hiram2005]

Hiram, I feel for you sir. Alzheimer's took my Dad. It is a slow painful process. Your heart gets broken daily. It might help to find a support group close by. If not feel free to PM me any time, I'd consider it an honor to assist. My wife is an RN and has quite a bit of training in dementia and aging, without her it would have been much more difficult for me. My dad developed symptoms but got pretty bad by age 82. He lived until age 86. This part is important, if you ever wanted to tell him some thing do it now.

Thanks M70H,I just came back in here from talking with dad. I"ve been talking with him about some issues and I don't think he is really understanding my point of view on these things. I don't want anyone taking advantage of him monetarily and I'm afraid it is going on. Women, if you know what I mean? And the last part of your message.....I DO know what you mean. My whole life I grew up listening to his stories, some of which are pretty amazing or unbelieveable to some, but I was there on several of these stories and I know they are true. He was always quite a squirrel hunter and hasn't been out for the last 3 years, because he can't hardly walk anymore, at least not in the woods. But, I know he can still outdo me getting squirrels.

He has cataracts and can barely hear but 4 days ago we were out at my range and I was trying out my new PPK and I handed it to him. He fired two shots and hit the target at 7 yards. He always will just fire 2 shots ,says he don't want to waste ammo.

 

[tekarra]

Great stories all. I remember my first shooting experience with Dad as it it was yesterday. Dad, my two brothers and me with his Winchester 52. He passed on some years ago, but the rifle is still a prized possession and always will be.

 

[cooperduper]

Wonderful to hear of so many good dads! Hopefully we who have our own kids can pass on the tradition as well as our dads did. And those who don't have children can find others to hand down time and care to.

Wish I had asked Pop why he chose the 32 Spl in his 94 instead of 30-30. It was the only gun he ever bought, new. In 1960, at Western Auto. Became my rifle until he quit hunting and I got the 700. I have many more rifles, but will never part with these or his Winchester 72a.

 

[Bill Hughes]

I have been reading this string and the tears have been flowing. I am 76 and lost both of my parents about fifty years ago. My wife of 54 years now has advanced Alzheimer's and I can understand the feelings of all of you. Do join a support group if possible. The National Alzheimer's association has local groups. I know as I mentor two of them here in SC. Bill Hughes

 

[roaddog28]

Hi,
Great looking revolver. I have a 66-4 4 inch revolver and is one of the smoothest action revolvers I have ever owned. I also have a model 19-4 along with other k frames, L frame and N frame revolvers. I still go back to the 66-4 as a "go to gun" along with my model 10. You have a treasure sense your dad used and owned it. I was never lucky enough to own my fathers revolvers after he passed. For me if I was as lucky as you I would never sell your 66-2.

Enjoy yours knowing you and your father both did.

regards,
roaddog28

 

[holo]

my story

for me it was my father inlaw who my story is about. on with the story we went to gun shows for many years togther i mostly bought knives " thats all i could afford at the time" being a young married man. my father in law would always pick up some kind of pistol or rifle but most were the copies or off shoots i.e. rossi limia. when he past a few years back my brother in law and i got the guns. about 15 each so i kept his ruger sinlge six and .45 and a couple of others sold off the rest and started my smith and wesson addiction. the smith i will never sell because since i used the money from his guns to buy my smiths its like he bought them for me.

 

[Superflywimpy]

I remember buying my dad his one and only gun

When I was a teen my father bought me a H&R 649 22/22mag at Big 5 sporting goods,back when they sold pistols. He was just like the original posters dad. Always worked and never bought anything for himself. Having worked 2 jobs as a machinist. When he was 5 years from retirement He said he wished he had a gun. So I took him to the sporting goods store and let him pick out what ever he wanted. He settled on a alloy frame Colt agent with wood grips that was parkerized.Talk about a 70 year old man that looked like a kid with a new bike.. Never mind the fact that when I took him out to shoot it that he could not hit a elephant...that was bleeding......in the snow..... if his life depended on it. He passed in 2006 at 86 and I think a son from his last wife got it. No matter it made me happy knowing he had fun with it.

 

[sw282]

si..........

 

[7shooter]

Larry from Bend ... Great story . Glad you could do something that nice for your Dad. This might be wide of the mark but your Dads reluctance to shoot the 1911 may have been due to situations from the war he associated with a 1911. Awhile back a friend of mine who is a double amputee from wounds suffered in Viet Nam asked me to take him shooting so he could shoot one of my 1911s. He is an avid hunter but at that point didn't own any handguns. He seemed a little jumpy when shooting but also seemed to enjoy it. On the way back to town we stopped off at a little road house and after both of us had a few more drinks than I would recommend to others he described a rough situation he was in where he used a 1911. He had wanted to shoot my 1911 so that he could face up to the memory. He had told me about a lot of the things he went through in the war but hadn't been able to talk about the 1911 situation before. Knowing him is one of the reasons I have so much respect for the sacrifices veterans have made to safeguard the rest of us.

 

[jsbethel]

My parents were not gun people. I developed my appreciation for firearms in my late teens through my best friend whose dad was a cop. I suppose the only experience my dad had with firearms was when he was in the Army. When an opportunity came to buy my first pistol - a model 66 - I asked my parents if it was OK because I was still living in their house. My mom said "Absolutely not - no guns in the house". When she left the room, my dad said "Go ahead and get it - I'll take care of your mother". What a guy.
My parents both died young in their early 50's. As bad as that sucks, I can't imagine having to watch them fade away from something like Alzheimers.

 

[amd6547]

Great story.
I have been looking for a set of those pachmayr American Legend grips for my 686 with no luck...seem to be hard to find.