What's a Firearm you own that brings back a strong memory? Use for hunting or other?

Oddly enough,mine is about my grandfather also. When my grandpa died my mom inherited a long wooden box and the .45 he carried in WW1. When my mom passed away she left that box and the .45 to me. I had never seen the contents of that box but had been told it contained civil war era guns. When I opened the box it contained a note written by my grandpa. It said the the guns were brought back from the civil war by my great grandpa. Inside was a Springfield rifle, a .36 caliber rifle the note said was picked up off a battlefield ,a sword and scabbard and 8 Apache indian arrows my grandpa put in the box when he built it to hold the rifles. That stuff is still in that box. The .45 is in my gun safe and gets shot at least once a year. Whenever I shoot it I think back to my grandfather. He's been gone many years now but his memory lives on in my heart.

I have a Winchester 67 single-shot .22 that was my first gun. At the time, we were living in the far north of Wisconsin. A friend of his owned a gun store and we used to go there a lot. I was about 5 or 6 at the time. My Dad would talk with his friend, and I would wander around looking in the glass cases and at the racks. I still have pretty clear memories of the place. One day I was looking at that Winchester for about the 10th time and my Dad's friend took it down for me to look at. Then he asked me if I wanted it. My Dad tried to pay him for it, but he said it was an honor to give a boy his first rifle. After more than 40 years, I still have the rifle, and every time I look at it, I'm reminded of that day. Over the years I've paid that forward by buying my friend's daughter her first rifle, and soon I will do the same for his son.

I have several favorites, but I won't bore you with them all. The first time I ever shot a rifle I was 22 months old. All I did was pull the trigger (now I squeeze it) as my Dad was holding it. They said I laughed so long and hard I was bouncing on my butt. That was also the Winchester 67A. My Grandfather had bought it for my Dad when he turned 10 years old, my Dad gave it to me when I turned 10 and I gave it to my son when he turned 10. FYI, the years involved were Dad turned 10 in 1939, me 1973 and my son in 2005. We still use the rifle to introduce new shooters to rifles thru Boy Scouts. Makes me proud every time I see a new Scout using the rifle and inside I always say 'Thank You Grampa".

My mom's S&W Model 15 that she bought back in the early 60's. It has the wide hammer and trigger and a gorgeous BLUE from the days when blued S&W revolvers were blue and not black. It still shoots like a quality revolver should.

My sister is the proud owner of mom's Marlin Model 39 that was bought just prior to the S&W. Talk about a SWEET levergun!

I was also here for hurricane Charlie. A freinds house was pretty tore up. I loaded my truck with 10 cases of water I had stored in my garage, and stopped for food. Threw in a 1000 rounds for his rifle, 200 for his handgun. And I headed to his house. Wow, it was tore up. He and his wife had been there for 2 days. I could not find them until then. That night I volunteered to stay, told them you two get some well deserved restful sleep. Myself and your AR will sit here on guard. ( and my .45 I always carry of course ) Sleep well. I was visited by a Red Tail Hawk that flew in the front window at first light in the morning, landed in the kitchen. LOL, was kinda exiting there for a minute.

For myself I would have to say A J.C. Higgins model 20. I had the old one with this big Cutts Compensator on the front. The first screw in choke tubes. Later Model 20s had a smaller sleeker Compensator. After having a 20 gauge single shot Savage, that I could not shoot worth a darn, and kicked like a horse. First day out with the old J.C. I shot two Pheasants i the same flush ( a double on roosters ). Next time out a triple of Quail, a Game Warden was sitting on the road, and saw this. I was 10 years old. He came all the way out in the field and shook my hand. Still remember to this day. I shot that gun well, still have it, and have acquired another, the more modern one. I guess one day I will give them to a new hunter for their first real gun also. Only seems like the right thing to do. My first gun becomes another's first gun. :-) I would like that.

I wouldn't say my best memory is a good one but it makes me laugh every time I think about it.

My first experience with a gun was a youth single shot 410. I was 4 at the time. I was so small my dad had to hold the barrel up with his finger because I was not yet strong enough. He showed me how to aim and my first shot knocked me on my butt. After we burned a few shells dad brought out his little 25 auto. To me that was a big gun. Dad said OK aim like I showed you and shoot.

Well, just like the shot gun, I put that little auto right against my cheek and pulled the trigger. My right eye was swollen shut for a week...lol. Me my brother and my Dad, out on the hunt...Great, Great memories.

My father's Model 36. That's right. A Smith & Wesson. Not a 36-1, or a 36-3. An original Model 36. Bought new. Carried for most of his life as his personal defense weapon. I inherited it when he passed. He put some funky wooden custom grips on it in the 1960's. Apparently his hands were pretty close to mine -- the custom grip fits me perfectly.

When I take it out of the safe, out of the case I keep it in for the annual upkeep, I remember him. And I remember him teaching me to shoot on the concrete "high point" of the spillway behind Whitlow Dam north of Queen Valley, AZ.

Ah, memories.

Great story, Grant!

The gun(s) that bring back memories for me are about my grandfather, too. When he passed, my cousin got his old Fox side-by-side shotgun, and I got his old Remington 41 Targetmaster. Those were the only two guns I recall my grandfather ever owning. Both are in immaculate condition for their age.

Whenever I think about the times I went hunting with my grandfather, it sometimes brings a tear to my eye. Even when I was six years old with a toy wooden gun, and we were "hunting" during the summer- more like just going for a walk, but to my young mind we were grand hunters stalking game. My grandfather was very good at teaching me to be a real man. His example is one that I hope I can emulate over the years, especially once I do finally become a father.

Thanks, Grant, for making me remember, too!

A Winchester 67A that I still own. My dad purchased it when my oldest brother was a youngster, he used it to teach my brother how to shoot. Well 3 more sons later the rifle became mine and I still remember using it to MISS bagging a 3 pound coffee can at about 20 paces. I still remember how great I felt when I finally started hitting the can regularly at longer distances.

a ruger super single. it has a cylinder for .22 long rifle and a cylinder for.22 mag. i always think about going frog hunting with my dad when i was a little kid and plunking for hours on end with him. man, that sucker has had a lot of rounds through it! it was the first handgun i ever shot, and is my favorite to this day. i just wish i could find .22l ammo to go shooting with it!