I finally got a larger gun safe despite not having any single gun of significant monetary value, but have a number of them that have a lot of sentimental value. That plus my grandkids are over here more often than before and it's primarily a safety issue.
My dad at age 88, has recently been careening towards dementia, so in a recent visits, we decided it was a good idea that I go ahead and take the guns he wanted to give me someday. Always hard to say or think "this" is the time.
For the last 30 years we both shoot 20 ga. for upland game, with the exception of pheasants/ducks. We got into reloading and maybe it was just easier to shoot the same shells. Dad always had a couple of birddogs when I was growing up in Tipton, OK. We had some tremendous quail and dove hunting in that area. We raised Brittanies for many years, though now and then you would also find a German Shorthair or English pointer in the pens. It was sad when dad couldn't walk well enought anymore to go, but as life cycles on, most of the great places he had to hunt were sold or inhereted by friends kids who didn't allow hunting or only allowed their friends. Dad's first gun of merit was a 1951 Rem. 870 wingmaster that was lightning fast. I got it after it had a gazillion birds killed with it and it served me well too. Dad then bought a used early model of the Browning A-5 light twenty. I don't think he hit quite as well with it, but held his own. To say Dad was a fair shot would have been an understatement in his prime and I remember him getting a few 4-5 birds on covey rises adn three was common. (When I was about 7, not quite big enough to carry my own gun but big enough to be "retriever", and going after school late in the evening, and he got his limit in two covey rises, only about 15 minutes of actual hunting, and we are walking to the truck. About 20 years ago he spurged when starting retirement and bought a new browing Gold auto that fit's me as sweet as anything I've ever shot. I'm mostly shot a Franchi, but think I'll use the Gold a lot this fall for dove. One of the guns I got back was the 12 guage Rem 1100 I saved up to give him for this 50th birthday (used for pheasants mostly but shot it's share of late season-high flying dove with a modified choke). He had a Winchester 94 lever 30-30 that is very heavy for it's size but I love to shoot it. And a 1972 model Rem. pump 30-06 he took on several trips to Colorado Mule deer hunting. He thought he'd like a pump rifle simply because he was so used to shooting pump shotguns. Its NOT the same though!!! It is just accurate enough to be a good brush gun, and out to about 200 yds. There were a few misc. guns thrown in too collected over the years, but nothing special, nothing particulary expensive, but very servicable firearms. The thing is they all have special meaning to me and come with many memories of us hunting in the field and a lot of fun and great shooting.
My dad at age 88, has recently been careening towards dementia, so in a recent visits, we decided it was a good idea that I go ahead and take the guns he wanted to give me someday. Always hard to say or think "this" is the time.
For the last 30 years we both shoot 20 ga. for upland game, with the exception of pheasants/ducks. We got into reloading and maybe it was just easier to shoot the same shells. Dad always had a couple of birddogs when I was growing up in Tipton, OK. We had some tremendous quail and dove hunting in that area. We raised Brittanies for many years, though now and then you would also find a German Shorthair or English pointer in the pens. It was sad when dad couldn't walk well enought anymore to go, but as life cycles on, most of the great places he had to hunt were sold or inhereted by friends kids who didn't allow hunting or only allowed their friends. Dad's first gun of merit was a 1951 Rem. 870 wingmaster that was lightning fast. I got it after it had a gazillion birds killed with it and it served me well too. Dad then bought a used early model of the Browning A-5 light twenty. I don't think he hit quite as well with it, but held his own. To say Dad was a fair shot would have been an understatement in his prime and I remember him getting a few 4-5 birds on covey rises adn three was common. (When I was about 7, not quite big enough to carry my own gun but big enough to be "retriever", and going after school late in the evening, and he got his limit in two covey rises, only about 15 minutes of actual hunting, and we are walking to the truck. About 20 years ago he spurged when starting retirement and bought a new browing Gold auto that fit's me as sweet as anything I've ever shot. I'm mostly shot a Franchi, but think I'll use the Gold a lot this fall for dove. One of the guns I got back was the 12 guage Rem 1100 I saved up to give him for this 50th birthday (used for pheasants mostly but shot it's share of late season-high flying dove with a modified choke). He had a Winchester 94 lever 30-30 that is very heavy for it's size but I love to shoot it. And a 1972 model Rem. pump 30-06 he took on several trips to Colorado Mule deer hunting. He thought he'd like a pump rifle simply because he was so used to shooting pump shotguns. Its NOT the same though!!! It is just accurate enough to be a good brush gun, and out to about 200 yds. There were a few misc. guns thrown in too collected over the years, but nothing special, nothing particulary expensive, but very servicable firearms. The thing is they all have special meaning to me and come with many memories of us hunting in the field and a lot of fun and great shooting.
