February 3rd I lost my Dad, age 66, to renal cell cancer. He'd been fighting it for about 2 years... had a kidney and part of a lung removed. Immuno treatments didn't touch the tumors and really took a toll on his body. Chemo started in November but was also ineffective. In January he decided to stop treatments and he passed about 3 weeks after that decision.

Dad and I were very close. He was a great dad, extremely supportive and affirming, and a righteous man of God. He had a radical conversion at age 17 and went on to preach the Gospel for 45 years. He was passionate about the outdoors, especially deer hunting. He was also an avid bird hunter and many of our greatest memories are from the dove field.

I miss him terribly and know that certain days this fall are going to be really hard. I both look forward to them and also dread them. I moved his safes and guns to my house this week and took some photos as I have always done for my own guns. They're mine now but they'll always be his. Anyways, I thought I would share some photos with you all. In my opinion, you can get a good idea the kind of guy he was by his guns. He loved quality and craftsmanship but his guns were tools and they were hunted.

First up is the one that started it all for me. This is the first real gun I ever shot, about 6 years old. Dad bought it when he was 16, around 1970. His story was that he walked into the Western Auto in Lincolnton, Georgia to pick it up after ordering it and when he came out of the back with it, it was a plain barrel. Dad had ordered a vented rib model. So the man went back to the back and brought this one out. Interestingly enough, the date code on the barrel is CF which actually dates it to 1959. I have recently wondered if the man just went to the back and grabbed a VR barrel from his stock and put it on the gun.

Sorry for your loss but you have some great memories and mementos of your Dad.

Nice tribute. And a great picture of your dad. Dove hunting with a 1100 and a shake from Dairy Queen.

My condolences Doc

Great pics and story

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
My condolences Doc

Great pics and story

Thanks bud.

Next up is a more recent addition but an older gun. This is Dad's Sweet 16. This is a 1957 gun that was originally a Full choked gun but someone cut the barrel down to about 24". The Cylinder choke made it a great quail gun. Despite the fact that double guns are thought of as the traditional quail gun, in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, semi autos like the A5 (if you could afford one) and Remington 11 were the most common guns.





This gun was my Papa's before it was Dad's. His Dad was an avid turkey hunter and he bought this gun sometime in the early 90s. He passed in 1997 after killing a pile of turkeys and crows with this gun. Dad was very sentimental and he would always look at the discoloration on the grip from the sweat and oils from Papa's hand. He always got a lot out of putting his hand where his Dad's had been.



Here's us in SoDak a few years ago. He has that 11-87.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YellowJacket,

Nice, keep them coming

Is the second one (Papa's gun) a Remington?

Yes sir, that's an 11-87 Special Purpose.

Here's a Beretta Mato in 30-06. When Galyans went out of business (sold to Dicks, RIP) they liquidated these guns and sold them for around $500, I think. This one rotated in and became his main deer rifle for a few years and I believe he killed both of these with it. Really nice rifle, the action is based on Dakota's model 97, shilen triggers, Lothar walther barrels, and HS stocks.

Sorry to hear about your dad. Time seems to go so quickly in life and 66 seems young to me.

Having a memento like that, is a great thing to have and have handed down. I have a couple of guns from my dad,some we-my mother and I, gave to her grandchildren of age and it holds a deep meaning/feeling to them/us.

Here's a sexy stainless 686, no dash. Not a big story on this one but Dad didn't have many handguns. He carried a compact Walther PPS some but got rid of it and just kept this baby in the truck. I have a bunch of .38spcl. wadcutters that are really fun to shoot in this one.

And some love for the lever guns. A JM stamped 336 in 30-30. We had a lot of Marlin 30-30s in the family... a lot of deer killed by them. It's actually the only time I've ever had an unintended discharge... lowering the hammer on my grandpa's rifle. I was outside with the gun pointed in a safe direction but it scared the crap out of me. I was probably 15. This one has a hammer tab to give me gripping surface to avoid just such a thing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YellowJacket,

Sorry to hear about your Dad. He had good taste in firearms. That 686 is gorgeous.

Sorry for your loss,your dad and I had the same taste in guns had most of the same and I have gave them to my kids while I am still here.

Sorry for your loss YellowJacket. My Dad was a hunter his whole life also. I sold some of his guns before he died, wish I had kept them. Here is all I have left and hope you don't mind that I post.

Not at all! Love that Browning 22... I have one, as well. And looks like a Remington 11 above that?

Thanks everyone for your condolences. 45Cal, Dad and I had an open-safe policy. Anything he had was mine and anything I had was his. I remember the first time he actually let me borrow a gun, his Remington 1100 in the first post, for a rabbit hunt. I was in college, but that was a proud moment for me.

Here's a 1966 Browning Light Twelve... and you won't find many nicer. It is interesting because this one has a flat knob even though those weren't standard until 1967. I love Auto 5's but recently traded my Light Twelve for a .410 Remington 1100 (good trade on my end.) I knew I could use Dad's Light Twelve any time, but I was hoping it wouldn't officially be mine for a much longer time. Alas...





And an early 80's Citori in 20 ga. This was a good friend of ours' gun and Dad got it for cheaper than a Citori should cost but the friend wouldn't take a cent more. Last dove opener Dad took this Citori to the field because he was pretty weak and didn't want to shoot a 12 ga. 5 minutes into it, he was complaining about not being able to hit anything with that little 20 ga, and not having a 3rd shot. So I traded him my Sweet 16 and I shot this Citori all day. That was our last truly great day.

To YellowJacket the Belgium Browning 22 auto rifle made in 1962 was the first gun I ever shot. Just a beautiful gun. The gun above is a Remington M11 made in 1937 in 16 gauge. My Dad and Grandpa just thought the 16ga was perfect for birds. I sure liked the quail they killed.

Very sorry for your loss. Two weeks ago I took my neighbor and his 15 y/o son on there first bird hunt. We had a mixture of quail, chukar, and pheasant. My neighbor hunted with his granddad’s 16 gauge SxS which he recently inherited and happened to be the first gun he’d ever shot at granddad’s farm. It was a special day and I’m glad to have been a part of it. My dad didn’t hunt or shoot until a few years ago. My 22 y/o son has been hunting with me since he was 12 and shooting with me since he was 7. I hope someday he feels the fondness for the memories like you do, for the time we spent together.

Those are nice to have. We got my father-in-law's guns, and one is an Auto 5 similar to yours. My FIL used his for skeet though, and it has a big old ugly Poly-choke on it. The thing actually works, though.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Those are nice to have. We got my father-in-law's guns, and one is an Auto 5 similar to yours. My FIL used his for skeet though, and it has a big old ugly Poly-choke on it. The thing actually works, though.

Yes they absolutely do work but they are not pleasant to look at.

Here are my A5s.

Here are a couple of workhorses.

First is Dad's X-Bolt in .270 Win. I think this is the newest of these guns... another one that rotated in and became his primary deer rifle. Neither of us had ever been a huge fan of Browning rifles but he fell in love with this gun. Maybe it was the caliber... I already have a couple of 270s and mentioned to Dad that this one might go to my brother in law (he knew he was sick and didn't mind talking about what he wanted if he died) but he was adamant that he wanted me to have this gun in particular. So I'll try to kill a deer with it this fall.


And this is his Super Black Eagle II. He shot doves with this a few times but I took it to Mississippi one year and crushed diving ducks at a catfish farm for a few days.