You guys remember I just bought my Daughter her 1st .22, a Marlin 15YS for her 7th birthday...

I was at the store and decided to wait the extra 15 minutes to get my prescription, then, because traffic was bad, I went up a different road...and here is the story.

If I hadn't waited and gone that way, I would've missed a chance encounter with my late Dad's best friend.  He lives in the neighborhood and we rarely see each other.
My Dad died in 1975 at 49 years of age.  I was only 19 then.  
Anyway, Rusty was crossing the street when I drove by, so I honked and pulled over.
He said to park and come inside for a minute as he had something for me.
I had no idea what it was.  I'd asked once about the only two guns I knew my Dad had.  A .22 and a .30-30.
Well, he motions for me to sit down and drags this rifle case out saying the .30-30 was inside.
It was NOT the .30-30.
It was a J.C. Higgins bolt-action .22S,L,LR with the 3/4" J.C. Higgins 4x scope and the military style leather sling!!!
WAS I EVER SURPRISED!
I'm 46 years old and I just got my Dad's .22 rifle.  He's been gone all these years and finally, here's the gun I've always wanted.
Rusty said the rifle was shipped down from Alaska, and the .30-30 is up there, too.  He'll check into it for me and see if the guys up there can send it down.  I don't know what model it is, but, hey!, I'm ecstatic about getting this .22.
Research indicates it's a Sears 103.229, which according to my ancient Gun Parts Co. catalog is a Marlin model 81.
My wife about screamed when I walked in with another rifle case, until I told her what happened.
I told my Daughter that after I clean it all up, we'll go to the range together and both shoot the .22 rifles our Fathers gave us.
That is a Life Experience I will treasure forever.
Hope you enjoyed the story!

I'm happy for you. Seems like one hell of a day. Like brouhaha said. Let us know how it shoots [:D]

COOOOOL!!  It just doesn't get any better then that!

[:)] *sniff* [>(] [:)]

Happy for ya, I got my  Dads .22 and will never part with it.

I agree with garmetless.


sniff.


Very cool story.

Congrats

TXLEWIS

Damn, (as he wipes away tears) that is a good story...!

That's a great story!!  I'm glad for ya.

Man that's great!  I'm really happy for ya!
My most cherished rifle is also a .22 my dad gave me.

That's a cool story. My dad sold all his guns to finance his bamboo fly rods-something equally as meaningful.

Great story!, I just hope You'll do something equally as nice for Rusty! After all, He's the one who has made this all possible!!!!

Congratulations and enjoy Your legacy.

Tall Shadow

Bus, you will have to bring that .22 to the next Granite Falls shoot.

Nice story.

Geez! My relatives are so damned anti-gun, the only thing I'll probably inherit is back taxes.

Indeed he is.  The only gun left from my father's collection is the Winchester .22 that belonged to my great grandfather that he stressed could never be sold, and my mom says that goes to my little brother.  [:(!]  Gone are his M1 Garand that he used in Korea, his .30-30 lever action hunting rifle, the 12 and 20 guage shotguns I used the first time we went dove hunting, and the break open .410 that my father gave me for shooting varmints on our land when I was 12.  It doesn't bother me that my mom sold them, as she didn't have any choice after he died.  She just won't admit to me that she did it or even tell me who she sold them to so I can try and track them down.  I'd love to deer hunt with that .30-30 again.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

there's a tear in my eye after reading that story.

bus, hand that rifle on down the line when the time comes.

You can buy guns and drugs at the same store??????????

Oh, wait......never mind.  [:D]

Great story.

That's a great story. My great uncle introduced me to shooting. They never had kids of their own, so it was like having a 3rd set of grandparents. He died in 1993 and my dad's 1st cousin got all the guns before anyone could say anything. To his credit, he has kept them, but he wasn't even interested in shooting when he was a kid. He had no interest in guns whatsoever. I was really sad about that, but I did get one muzzle loader before he passed on. He specifically gave that one to me.

My dad only had one gun, a Marlin 22lr.  I sometimes think I'd like to have it for sentimental reasons,but I'm the only gun nut in the family.  I have my own meager collection, and the brother who has it, well it's his only gun. I seem to remember this bible story about the man who had a safe full of guns and this man who had only a little pet 22 that belonged to his dad.... or something like that.

Great story! Here's another nice one....

Years after my wife and I got married I was visiting her grandmother one lovely afternoon and we were having a pleasant time just talking and having coffee and cake together.
Before  getting up to leave because it was getting late she gets up and goes rumaging thru a closet saying she has a gift she wants to give me. She pulls out an old beatup gun case and says that this was her husbands and for me to please take it and enjoy it. I told her I really felt uncomfortable taking it and that one of her actual blood grandchildren might want it. She hugs and kisses me and tells me that a real grandchild is the one that visits and spends time with her just because they can. The ones that only come by for money she loves but she is not so stupid that she doesen't realize that they come by only when they want something.
I kiss her and thank her and leave feeling lucky to have a grandma (inlaw) especially since both of mine died when I was very young.
When I get home I have no time to look at the gun so I put it away and forget about it for several months. When I remembered it months later I pulled it out of the gun case and found a long double barelled shotgun full of thick grease all over the place. I brought it to my gunsmith and asked him to clean it up for me and check it over to see if it would be safe to shoot someday.
My gunsmith calls me up a month later to come by and pick up my shotgun and then proceeds to compliment me on the fine specimen of shotgun I brought him. I get to the shop and he hands me over a lovely side by side Winchester model 21 in perfect working order with only a slight rubbing of the blueing behind the handguard.
He tells me what I have a proceeds to offer me $9000 for the shotgun on the spot because he says he has a buyer for it. I thank him profuselly and say that family heirlooms are for the family and not for sale.
I still have coffee and cake with grandma whenever I am in the neighborhood and always thank her for the wonderfull gift!

Great turn and congrats in going as the road led ya. Guns that have history and sentiment are beyond words to me. We have some such gun stories in our family.

1) Last fall when I returned home(Ohio), I had my hunting rifles, a few pistols and an AR in my Pelican. My mom has always been borderline anti. But as I was gonna take a nap at her house, I drug the Pelican inside. She asked what was in it, so I opened it up.  

After their divorce she always denied having my .22 from childhood, but I always knew she had it. Even when I left Ohio for Seattle, she denied it. Well, as she saw my guns one by one, and I told her a thousand here, 2k there, 700 pistol, she was amazed. she got up from the table, I thought she had enough, she went down the hall way and came back with my 22. My Glenfield mag fed 22. I havent seen it in 30 years. My Dad bought it for me when I was 8. I almost* cried.

2) When my Great Grandfather was released from Slavery, the story goes he was given $50.00. He bought 35.00 worth of Land, and a rifle. He had 15 kids by his 1st wife. 10 more by the second wife. My Father has the rifle. I have only seen it twice in my life, many years ago. My Father wont even shoot it. I *Think its a 32-22, but I am really not sure. I know my Dad said some day.......I can only hope it will be a day when we both can still enjoy it....

Enjoy that rifle BusMan....

Good story!My dad really isn't into guns but he encouraged me to learn to shoot safely.The only guns I will inherit from dad are a .410 H&R Topper, and a Ithica .22 mag lever action. When I was 12 dad bought me a 3 screw Ruger Single Six and a .22 Marlin (781?) with a 4x scope. I still have both and will never sell either. When I was in my early twenties, one Christmas morning I found a strange looking package. Inside was an all matching DWM 1916 Luger. Even thouh dad wasn't too much into guns, I was lucky that he encouaged his kids to try different things....

Very touching stories gents, and very enjoyable to read.  

Here's one of my own to share:

 My grandfather has an old 1911 (marked "Property of US Government") that his father (my great-grandfather) carried during WWI.  This pistol also went along with my grandfather to WWII and Korea (his dad would have it no other way).  

I have only seen it three or four times, but I get goosebumps everytime I look at it, just thinking of where that gun has been and all that it has seen.  Not to mention the stories that he still can't bear to finish telling at times.

 The gun is well cared for, and in excellent shape (considering its history).  Grandpa has told me that if I am ever called into battle, that it is mine to take with me.  The USMC has policies about that sort of thing now, but I appreciate his offer nonetheless.  

He has told me that it is mine when he dies, and he knows that it will be passed on to my son someday.  Every time he has showed me that old pistol, he looks very somber, and says something like: "Maybe someday pop's (my great-grandfather) old pistol will send a few more American-hating bastards to hell."  God, I love my grandpa!      
  I think I'm going to call him now.  [^] [marines]