I had a REM 870 that was almost indestructible. It would get full of silt, grass, feathers, and I would unload it and dunk it repeatedly in the ocean. Cycle it maybe half a dozen times in the process. Then get back to killing with it.

Meh, tools.

The gun with the most stories isn't mine, although I now own one of the same model. My dad bought a Remington 760 pump in 270 used, when he was 12 years old. No telling how many deer and bear he killed with that gun, but it was a lot. Even though I got a new Savage 110 in 270 when I was a kid (ten or eleven) I never liked it that well and would grab my dad's old pump whenever I got the opportunity. My first deer was killed with a muzzleloader, but my first bear and elk both fell to that old pump. I had it for quite a few years and it knocked over plenty of deer, elk and bear while in my hands, before my dad ended up taking it back. I had replaced it as a bear gun with Marlin 45/70 Guide Gun (another gun with a lot of stories) and had a custom long range rifle built, but if I had an elk or deer running (especially through the timber) that old pump was the gun I wanted in my hands. Took my first mule deer with it, and my first whitetail (grew up hunting blacktails) I worked up some handloads for it that had never heard that pumps aren't supposed to be as accurate as bolt guns. With hand loaded Grand Slams that was a 1/2 MOA rifle, after being used and abused for twice my lifetime. Finally after my dad had taken it back it wore out the part (can't remember what it is called) that locks the action closed and it won't lock the action most of the time, which means (luckily) that it won't fire. Dad took it to a gunsmith who had problems finding parts for it and failed to fix it, so he bought a new rifle. I really should get it from him and see about getting it fixed. But I found an identical rifle to it probably ten or fifteen years ago now that I bought off a friend. It doesn't get used that much but I've let a couple hunters shoot bear with it, and killed at least one with it myself. And if I'm going to be hunting the timber that is the gun I usually grab. It's knocked over my last couple mule deer and put a bull elk down for me last week. Even though it is the same gun, down to the aluminum buttplate, it just isn't quite the same as my dad's old 270. Even after changing springs and tuning the trigger just isn't the same. And while it is plenty accurate enough for hunting, I can barely get a load (again Grand Slams, those 270s love them) to shoot half as accurate as that old wore out one of my dads. But I can still put a lot of lead in the air, fast out of one of them old pumps.

I’ve got 2 that stand out. My mom bought me a very well used Remington 788 22-250 on a farm auction. It looked rough to put it nicely. I refinished the stock after about 3 years and eventually re blued the auction and barrel and put a Ramline stock on it. I call her Blacky. It’s killed countless critters from prairie dogs, fox, coyotes to antelope and deer it will be one of the last guns to leave my possession. My 2 oldest kids got their first deer and antelope with it also.

The second I’ll talk about is a Remington 721 in 264 Win Mag. This rifle was bought new in 1963 by my Great Uncle John. He lived in Fairfax MN and own a service station and Snapper mower business. He bought it to antelope and mule deer hunt in Wyoming. Being from MN he was a shotgun hunter so he was needing a rifle to hunt out West. I don’t know the number of critter he killed with that rifle but he talked about shooting crows, red fox, deer and a couple moose in Canada. He had an old buddy that loaded ammo for it. It will shoot anything from 100-160 grain bullets with fantastic accuracy. He gave me the rifle as a wedding present before he passed away. I’ve shoot a bunch of deer, antelope and a couple cow elk with it. That old rifle will definitely be one for my kids or grandkids someday. I sure miss that guy!

Hmmmmm

I have a Marlin 36 lever 30/30 that I shot my first whitetail buck with. My grandmother bought it for me on my 12th birthday. I'm left handed and had real trouble with the hammer safety on it. So my dad's friend put a left sided thumb cocker on it and had no trouble with it afterwards. I think I killed 20 deer with it before I got my next deer rifle.

It is a 7x57 sitting on a VZ24 Mauser 98 action. I built the gun myself. I've killed well over 200 deer with it in multiple states. It is a tack driver. I still use it to this day on occasion.

I also have my dad's bolt action 16 gauge. It has a 3 round magazine. I remember the first time getting checked by a warden while carrying it. He checked that gun over. He was in awe as he had never seen one before. That gun was really inaccurate, even on a bench.

Then the other one is my dad's 30.06 in pump. It's topped with a Leupold 4-12 power scope. My dad could make that gun sing. It had a slight flaw in it that you could pull the trigger once and hold it in, then just pump and it would keep firing. He could empty that gun in less than 3 seconds. But he killed a lot of deer with it.

Had many deer rifles but the one I wish I had back was a very early Rem 700 Classic back when they made them in several calibers. Mine was a 30-06. Bought it from a fellow who was moving to Dallas to take over the Cowboys punting duties from Danny White. He never made the team that I know of. Anyway, that 700 was a very good rifle. After about 20 years, it wouldn't group anymore and it was turned over to a gunsmith for blueprinting and rechambering to 280 Ackley. The Shilen heavy barrel was 26" and with the McMillian stock I expect the rifle weighed over 10 lbs. Worst mistake I ever made. Sold it to a friend for a small profit. Was a pain to carry and too long to move around in a deer stand. The 56mm scope (Leupold LPS) wouldn't go in a scabbard when I took it elk hunting.

I guess mine would have to be my 30 inch Remington 870 12 gauge I bought when I was 12 (1969). I have many memories of hunting doves, ducks, sage hen and jackrabbits (on an annual FFA hunt - don't see that these days). I put a bulge in the barrel shooting a friends reloads on one of those FFA rabbit hunts. My uncle rolled the bulge back out in his machine shop. Through the years it has killed all the small game Utah offers, many called coyotes, turkeys, 8 Rocky Mountain Sheep from a helicopter (terminating a diseased herd), 3 cougars from a helicopter (sheep reintroduction area) and several does. It's covered with old faded camouflaged tape and ain't much to look at. I have other shotguns but I still grab that one more often than not. It's comfortable - like hunting with an old friend. Sometimes it seems like I just have to carry it and it jumps into action and gets it done when the time comes.

Mine is a Remington model 31 20 gauge shotgun.

For anyone not familiar with that model, it's basically Remington's model of the Winchester model 12.

It was my Grandfather's gun. When I got old enough to legally hunt, he leant it to me. I shot my first pheasant, and first deer with it. Bunch of other stuff too.

I imagine at one point it was pretty. But I never knew it that way... it was always pretty ugly lol.

The stock is gouged up... and the forearm is completely split in two and glued back together lol.

It was my constant companion when I was between the ages of 12-16, and then a still regular companion between 16-24.

Then, I was fixing to move out of state. I asked if I could take it with me and my grandfather said no. He said he was gonna leave it to his son. I was heartbroken, but had no recourse, so I moved away without it.

About 10 years later.... around Christmas... I received a long box in the mail. Just dropped off on the porch by the mail lady lol. Opened it up, and broken down in 2 pieces, there was my gun!!!!

I called my grandfather right away. Apparently he'd had a bit of a falling out with his son and decided to give it me. Just stuck it in a box and took it to the post office lol.

He passed away a few years later.

It's still my most used gun. And my most prized possession.

My favorite is not mine but my Father’s. My Father was not much of an outdoorsman, but occasionally he would enjoy shooting his H&R 900 .22. Imagine if you will, you’re 9 years old seeing cans being put off to the side instead of in the garbage through the week. Saturday morning comes, you accompany Dad to the hardware store and witness him purchasing ammo. You drive out to the family farm and he brings out a pistol, shows you how to break it down, load it and how it fires. Points to cans lined up on a fence rail and gives you the gun. The Saturday morning Lone Ranger cartoon that I am missing at this moment is playing through my mind. No, it’s not a Colt in my hand but a western is playing through my mind none the less. I pull the hammer back, take aim and POP! What a feeling! Shot 100rds through it that morning and repeated many Saturday mornings over the years. It’s not the actual gun but here is a picture of that model.




Mr. Jack, thank you for starting this thread. I think I’ll call Dad and see what he’s doing this coming Saturday.

Hobbie - You're more than welcome. My pleasure.
Jack

My "gun with a story" is now in a museum... in Greenville, OH. In the Annie Oakley section.

It is a Charles Lancaster (London, UK), 12 ga, SBS double with a very short stock. It came to me after being handed down through my mother's family. Her grandfather was great friends with Annie Oakley (and her husband Frank Butler) after Annie retired from Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She was living in the Oranges in NJ, but shot trap every time she got a chance. In that group of shooters, she normally WON. One weekend, my great grandfather beat Annie at a round of trap.

Annie was so upset that she took the shotgun into NYC and sold it at Von Lengerke & Detmold, the pre-cursor to Abecrombie & Fitch (when A&F actually sold guns and sporting equipment, before it morphed into selling yuppie clothes!) Our family and the VonL family were very close (still are, 6 generations later.) Whatever VonL was on the front counter that day got ahold of my great grandfather and suggested that it might be fun to bust Annie's chops by acquiring the shotgun. My GGF did just that. This was in 1926.

Years later I was having the shotgun appraised for insurance purposes. By a very knowledgeable former director of the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum at Cody, WY. Here is what I learned: The gun is the very first custom-made long gun ever owned by Annie Oakley. The appraisal was very impressive.

I own a firearm that is worth a lot more than my home!!! Not that I would sell it. It remains safe in the museum in OH.

Pete

That's awesome story pete. I always thought it be cool if guns could tell a story for themselves what it would be before you came to own them, or what knowledge and hunting stories that weren't handed down.

I bought a Win. Model 70 in .243 back in 1972 when I was 17, it is showing signs of use, because it has been used. Granddaughter killed her first deer last year with it and she will get it someday. The Model 12 I have now is not the one I used as a boy, it was my dads gun and they were robbed back in 1974. Why my Model 70 stayed on the rack and all our shotguns went away puzzles me still. I have the same field model 12 now painted green and black, it has killed a ton of turkeys but not the one I had as a boy.

Gulo You did not just hit a home run with this topic You hit 2 grand slams in the same inning .Many people joined in to add to your interesting post And many of them had something to say It is obviously a subject that many
people feel very passionate about And no offense intended you would be somewhere near to the top of that list Based on how you document the history and accomplishments of your 25.06 it is without a doubt it more than a tool used to complete a job I consider you to be a scientist above and beyond any other title you may have also earned during you time on this universe . Adventurer ,polit hunter, trapper writer photographer and the list goes on As a Scientist you only look at facts Because those facts are the foundation for the collusions that you base your base your information on Again no offense intended but it is apparent your facts on your 25.06 may be quite correct they cause you to be caught up just how pleasing they are to you In reading the many posts there are alot of us that have the same out look on our favorite hunting guns It would be easy to collect the many words and in now time at all you would have a good amount of thought and insight about the subject t that could be a book about how we hunters feel about are favorite hunting guns And those words would be even more proof that hunters and trappers are not a group of drunk slobs that just want to kill something And in fact are some of the most insightful and deep thinkers that live in a world that sees things in a unique way that makes all the sense in the world to them t really like this thread and the many great replies

My dads pair of 1911 .45’s he carried in ww2 found a movie projector took the guts out and shipped them home lol

700 BDL k-6 weaver. Bought it for 203 bucks when I was 13 in 1976. Killed enough ground hogs and deer to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool

My favorite gun is actually a model made by a gun company as opposed to a certain caliber I was born into this world destined to be a left hander AS most left handers know buying al eft handed bolt action rifle was no easy feat back in the days before about the late1970's Now more left handed bolt actions are for sale After some looking I ended up getting a Ruger M 77 in 25.06 It was the model that had the iron sights and 24 inch barrel I killed my first two deer and a bunch of groundhogs with it But it was not a tree stand gun nor a gun that was much fun to carry So I kept it and got another M77 .This one was in 280 It was a good fit as far as shooting it but still a right hand bolt But I started killing deer on a yearly basis Along the way I got a Ruger #1 IN 220 Swift It was a joy to shoot Than a friend looking for something else sold me a M77 IN .264 mag And it added another fun gun to shoot to my unintended collection I found a M77 in 257 Roberts at a public auction that appeared to have never been shot And it followed me home I had a dealer get me a 22 caliber with a wood stock and stainless steel barrel and action I got a scope that matched the color of the barrel and it as pretty to see and charming to shoot About that time I had some cash that needed to be turned into something more hands on as far practical value It turned out that a Ruger Hawkeye IN THE6.5 CREEDMORE that was much the same in appearance as the.22caliber filled l the job quite well And for any number of reasons I got that caliber in a Ruger American rifle also I was thinking that the Hawkeye would go to the range and the American would become a hunting gun Also I inherited a M 77 from a brother in 308 ultralight Another great gun to carry and hunt with and the last deer I ever killed was with his gun
i I took pride in mentoring new young hunters And in that mix of guns there where 3 o 4 young hunters that killed a number of deer with a couple of hose guns And for my part I spend 40 plus years hunting with a right hand bolt action gun YEA i missed more than I care to admit But there where a few years that I did not get one And there was never a year that I did not get one because I did not shoot my gun enough times That right handed bolt did it's part when I did my part Sadly the years went faster than I did id and father time and put an end to the hunting times So the guns are gone also But he hunting times are worth a million bucks Thanks tor all that took time to add to it t

I neglected to mention,my .25-06 is a model 77 Ruger also. It's a right-handed bolt with a left-handed shooter, too.

Jack

Yep my first stock lasted about 6 years. Lots of duct tape and epoxy on it. The ones subsequent to that one didn't live quite as long.
The stock currently on the rifle has been there probably 20 years now. Remington sent me a letter with that stock saying it was the last one they had in stock. That may or may not be true but I doubt I'll be replacing it again.

Well I can't quite match that lofty tale but it did remind me that my old model 70 Winchester is in the museum at Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska. Probably not worth quite as much as Annie's shotty.

My dad used to do that. Now I do it.