TexasCHLforum.com

Sort of a takeoff of This Old House?
Every gun has a story and I bet most of us have one that we would like to share....I think this section could make for some interesting photos and reading. Just a thought.
Jason

Well, since most everything in my house is packed up right now I can't post any pictures BUT...

I have an old 32 caliber pistol that has been around since before I was born. It's kinda of an ugly little gun and it's plum wore out! I would never attempt to fire the thing. The brand is an "American Bulldog", i guess the neastest thing about it is the haxagon shaped barrell.

My dad gave it to me and although I am not much of a sentimental type when it comes to material items I think I may keep this old thing around for the rest of my life...I should try to find somebody that could get it into working condition.

Before the Internet came around I could never find any information about this gun, and even today there is not a lot of information about it. I have found something that dates it probably to the 1890's-1910 range.

Here is a small article I found...
The American Bulldog is one of a number of low quality, cheap pistols made circa 1880-1910 that earned the name "Saturdry night specials, or suicide specials". (The latter inspired by their apparent accuracy and durability potential. There is some collector interest in these, mainly due to the interesting names they are marked with, and a collection can be quite large without investing a whole lot.

From a post I made on TFL...

I was inquiring about the year my Winchester Model 42 .410 pump was made...turns out it was 1952. Anyway...

My Dad was born in 1938, and I knew he got this as an early teenager. His father bought it for him new at a gun shop in Bay City, Tx that was run by 4 brothers. My Grandfather was going to buy a double-barreled gun, but they somehow convinced him to pay twice as much to get the .410 pump. When I was a teenager (about 1987), my father and I went by that same store and bought some .410 shells for it. There were 2 brothers left by then, and one of them was in the store. My dad told him who he was (small town, and all the old guys knew each other), and that we were shooting the shotgun that was bought there for him more than 30 years prior when he was a kid. The old man cracked a smile that I remember to this day. Dad passed on in 1990, so the old shotgun and I carry on.