doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What did your grandfathers and father use?

My father had a "Ranger" doublegun first, but he sent it to his brother in California for protection and subsistance at his gold mine in the north. After he returned from WWII he bought an Ithaca 37 20ga. His father owned a Colt sxs with hammers, but it was lost as colateral for work on the automobile(after 1936.

My mothers father had a Baker R grade(damascus) and an L.C Smith oo. His father had an shot out 1863 Springfield (for a shotgun) and two 36 caliber prcussion rifles. Deer were scarce then.

Kurt

The two guys I remember were my dad and my older 1st. cousin;
pop used a old j.c.higgens bolt action 12 gauge and a crack-shot .22 he got when he was 8 years, my cousin always seem to be using a Model 12 or a parker double. This was about 1950-55. My brother and I both got first shotguns (Steven's bolt 20 gauge) for Christmas in 1956, brother was 12,me 11.

*fur-got, mom had bolt action .410 she would use for rabbit hunting back about then. i've still got the gun in my lockup.

Great thread.

Mom's Dad died at age 47 and if he hunted I am not aware of it. Dad's dad must of hunted and fished ... raised 9 kids on the farm and all the boys and 3 of the girls hunted and fished til the end.

Dad hunted with a 20ga Western Arms Long Range (Ithaca). Deluxe model with ventilated red rubber pad and ivory bead sites. Everybody said it shot close ... meaning a tight pattern. Hunted rabbits with it from his youth and doves thru his last year at age 87 with my son, my Boykin Spaniel and me. He had it reblued right over the pits, and the wood sanded smooth & refinished. Remember them saying the guy that blue it used blued roofing nails that somehow transfered the blue to bbls. Never did understand that one. I know now that the guns didn't get much care back then. End of the season they went in the closet in the basement... they were cleaned at the first of the next season. My brother got his truck and I got his double. You know who won that one.

One Uncle was a trader, but he did keep a stevens 410 around long enough for me to cut my teeth on it. Would love to have it back.
I'm told another uncle had a Parker 20ga ... He worked at a clothing store that has a sister hardware store where he paid on it along. The youngest had a double bbl 12 with wire & tape wrapped around the grip to hold it together. His wife bought him a Browning Light 12 in 1957, and he still has it. It was $125.00 and that was like $10,000 today. It came from the same hardware store on time.

Charlie

Well my grandfather on my mother's side was the real birdhunter in the family, my dad hunted once in awhile but wasn't possessed like some of us. My grandfather had a rib and beavertail put on a model 42 and gave it to my dad who liked a pump gun, and for what its worth when you grow up with you're dad bringing home a fair amount of pheasants with his only shotgun , a .410, its pretty hard to swallow all the crap about a .410 being worthless and all. Grandpa had a 20ga Francotte 30E and a 16ga Merkel 201E both of which he was very effective with, the sideby was no doubt his favorite though. I am very lucky that all three are safely tucked in the safe in the corner but much luckier actually that I was instilled with the want to keep them and make sure they all get there turns at what they were ment to do.

Both Grandfather's were non-hunters. One was a Postal worker, and the other drove a bakery truck. My Dad was also a Postal worker. He had a Remington 1100 that he shot from time to time, mostly impromtu clay targets.

I know he spent a lot of time wondering if I was ever going to grow out of "this gun thing".

Kind regards,

My dad grew up as a city boy, and came to hunting (Ducks) later in life. His gun was a 30" Matt rib Model 31 Remington, I still have the gun. Had Brileys installed in it so now it is a turkey/duck/skeet gun. Many Remingtons followed, as my dad ended up on Remington's Board, but the 31 is still my favorite of all his guns.

My Father used a Ithaca Model 37 that he bought new before the war. Only had one Grandfather, his firearms were a Springfield 1884, Sharps Borchardt, and a Rem. model 12C. Still have all of Gramps guns, Dad wore out the 37 and went to a Berreta BL 3 which I still have.

My Grandpa used a 1903 vintage 12 ga.Parker GH with Damascus barrels. He also had a 1912 vintage 20 ga. Parker Trojan. My dad raised a calf in the summer of 1921, and bought a 12 ga. Parker Trojan that fall. His brother had a 20 ga. Trojan, and in the 1930's picked up a 1908 vintage 28 ga. VH. I'm fortunate to have been able to get all of these guns into my safe. All but the 28 ga. gun have been "rode hard" and put up wet", but with the exception of the GH, are still shootable. I still hunt with the VH and my Dad's Trojan. Wouldn't trade a one of 'em for love nor money. I wish they could talk. -- Ed

Tobin, still in the family.

My Dad was given a Volunteer Firearms 16 gauge when he was 12 years old. I still have it. He shot my Uncle's Model 97 that had been used during the market hunting days for ducks on the Texas Gulf Coast. They had a spread of 4 dozen wooden decoys of which I have 12, various makes. I actually hunted over them as a teenage boy. Sadly, the turn of the century Model 97 was stolen from my dad's house many years ago. Great memories pawned for a few $$$'s by some punk.

Jim