Backup Gun Memories

Packing up for Nebraska's opening day tomorrow. 4 years ago one of my uncles died and I got his guns. I have always used my Winchester 1300 12 ga pump as my backup gun on my hunting trips, but this year my 14 year old son is using it. I got a like new Browning A5 made 1968 and an old Savage 12 ga auto with an aluminum receiver from my uncle that was obviously his main hunting shotgun.

I didn't really want to take the nice A5, so I just packed up the old Savage. It is well used to say the least. I never did hunt with my uncle, but he told me many stories of hunting around Red Oak, and Stanton IA in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Its an odd feeling, even though I never did hunt with him growing up, it feels like he is coming along on this trip.

Old family guns are neat :)
 
Got a 20 gauge my Grandpa gave me when I went off to college. Hunted with it a few years early on and plan on handing it down to my 5 year old son some day. Had a in-service a couple years ago and one of the questions asked was "if your house was on fire and you could save 3 items, what would they be?" This gun was at the top of the list. Killed my first rooster with it and I would like my son to do the same some day.
 
My back up is my grandpas wingmaster he gave me before he died. He bought it new in 1953. Its a 12ga, 30" full choke gun. I some how managed to kill my first quail with that gun and grandpas shot countless roosters with it in Californias pheasant hay day. I feel like I'm walking with grandpa anytime I carry that gun.
 
I have an old Winchester model 94 Canadian centennial grandpa gave dad before he passed last year. I want to go on a special hunt with it one of these years. He had numerous guns and split them with his two sons. Its my favorite out of our whole gun safe and baby it like if its my safe queen! :thumbsup:
 
grandpa's guns

My favorite gun is the Winchester 42 my grandpa gave me its no back up gun. My grandpa is from Red Oak Iowa too.
 
I have a Browning 2 shot automatic that I break out once in a while I think its called a Twelvette..

I like the gun, but the safety is far from it..;)
 
The first real nice shotgun my grandpa ever bought himself was a Heckler and Koch Super Black Eagle (before Benelli bought them) in 1992 which was a only 2 years after I was born. He gave me that shotgun the day I graduated high school and he told me "Son, this gun was built to shoot, so I want you to shoot the hell out of it". So its my main upland and trap gun, I cant bring myself to take it duck hunting. Shot the first bird over my springer this year and I only wish my grandpa couldve been there with me.
 
Packing up for Nebraska's opening day tomorrow. 4 years ago one of my uncles died and I got his guns. I have always used my Winchester 1300 12 ga pump as my backup gun on my hunting trips, but this year my 14 year old son is using it. I got a like new Browning A5 made 1968 and an old Savage 12 ga auto with an aluminum receiver from my uncle that was obviously his main hunting shotgun.

I didn't really want to take the nice A5, so I just packed up the old Savage. It is well used to say the least. I never did hunt with my uncle, but he told me many stories of hunting around Red Oak, and Stanton IA in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Its an odd feeling, even though I never did hunt with him growing up, it feels like he is coming along on this trip.

Old family guns are neat :)

Is that Savage the copy of the A5 browning, like a Model 745???? I think?

A couple years ago my mom called me asking if still had any tomatoes in the garden. I said yeah, and asked why. She said my grandpa wanted some. I went out to the garden, picked a 5 gallon bucket full of ripe tomatoes, then drove the 75 miles to his house and gave them to him.

He then yells down the hallway to my grandma "bring me my shotgun". They then argue back and forth about what case it is in, etc.

She brings out a shotgun, it is the Savage 745 (I think that is the model), that is the copy of the Browning. He'd used one as his quail gun, then their house burned up in the 60's. He was an auctioneer, and 20 years later he took the new Savage as payment for auctioning a job from an old man we both knew. Anyways, he gave me the shotgun as trade for the tomatoes. The stock has been cut down shorter, but I still shoot it once in a while at clays in the backyard. Nice to have.
 
Great to hear of so many of us out in the field with dad/ grandpa/ uncle's gun. Keep the memories with you while you carry it and take good care of the gun so another generation can carry those memories and make some of their own.:cheers:
 
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