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I'm sure most, if not all of us have at least one firearm that is extra special to us for one reason or another.
This is mine, a Colt Combat Government in 45acp. I bought it sometime between 1989 and 1990, don't recall exactly. I was in my early 20's, fresh out of college, newly married and working two jobs. One, turning wrenches M-F at a local car dealership and the other working as a Range Officer at my local outdoor range. It was at the range that I met Tim Oxley, also a Range Officer. He is to blame for my obsession with the 1911 pistol. For several years we worked and had many good times together shooting and discussing tactics when there were no customers. One of the regular customers was Teddy Jacobson. It turned out that Teddy lived just about 1 mile from me and was gunsmithing in his home. I don't think he was known back then but I guess he's pretty popular now. All the work on my Combat Government was done by Teddy over a period of about a year. I believe this gun is the first or one of the first that he ever tried to put a roll mark on (see behind cocking serrations on rt side). The blueing was slightly marred during this process. For this mistake he gave me a pretty good discount on the work he'd performed on that visit, which at the time meant more to me than the blueing.
By 1993 I had a nice collection of about 30 handguns built up. Then, IT happened. The big D. Sizable attorney fees caused me to sell ALL of my collection except my Combat Government. I just could not let it go. For the next few years I spent everything I had paying bills. I knew where every free meal in town was and .29 boxes of mac & cheese were a staple.
In 1996 I was lucky enough to land a job at a start-up computer company in CA and they were willing to train me and pay for my move. I quit my job at the dealership and drove to SoCal with all my worldly possessions, including the Colt, in my Ford pickup (which I also still own).
The company did well, I learned all I could and quickly outgrew them. Solidly back on my feet and ready for anything, my Colt, Ford and myself drove back to TX in 2000 where I started my own business. I got engaged in 2002 and in 2004, the greatest woman I've ever known married me. Not long after we got married she started quizzing me about my former gun hobby, IPSC, reloading, working at the range etc. Why had I not gone back to it? Did I not enjoy it anymore? I confessed that I had really missed those things. I got out my Colt, which she knew I had but had never seen nor expressed any interest. Right then she told me that if I wanted to get back into it then I should start by replacing every gun I had ever sold out of necessity. How did I get so lucky?

I will never part with this pistol. It is the single possession that I have managed to hang onto even in the worst of times. Once a month like religion I take it out, shoot it, clean it and put it away. The trigger is the cleanest I've ever felt and every shot reminds me that regardless of how bad life gets, I will get through it and be better off in the end.

Thank you Gary for this thread. The subject really had my wheels turning last night trying to figure out which of my guns were "special" to me. The answer I came up with is all of them.....but I am sure noone wants to sit and hear the history of them all so I picked three that are the most significant. I hope you enjoy the story.

My S&W 686 was a high school graduation gift from my father. It was the first handgun I ever owned and officially started the addiction. It was a true lemon from the factor and many times the value of this gun were dropped on it before it was trustworthy. I found a really good gunsmith several years ago that make this revolver shoot better than any gun I have ever held. I might be a bit bias .
Upon moving out of my fathers house as a teenager and taking employment as a prison guard, this revolver was under my pillow on the fist night and has comforted me hundreds of times since then. It is my bedside weapon and bridge to my shotgun about 90% of the time.

My Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum saved my life. I hope that this is the only weapon that is ever responsible for doing this!
About nine months ago my wife offered to buy this slightly used gun for me in exchange for giving up dipping snuff. I dipped about two cans a day and never thought I could fight the battle of quitting! The gun shoots like a dream and I have never touched snuff since that day. I would like to have the top strap engraved that this gun saved my life.....Anyone have a suggestion of who could do a good job on that?

My Colt New Frontier was a gift from my father to my grandfather about 25 years ago. When my grandfather took sick and knew that his life was almost over, he returned it to my Dad and asked that he took good care of it. It was given to me about two years ago. I do not shoot the old revolver as much as I should, but I have been known to throw it in the range bag when I really miss my Grandfather. He took out many a Coke and beer can with this old thing.














My special firearms along with my Grandfathers pocket knife. The pictures within the picture are of my Father and I shooting.



My beloved Redhawk...it saved my life


My Grandfathers squirrel and plinking gun!


A special gift from my father

Thank you Jason! All of them are priceless treasures. I especially like that 5 1/2" Redhawk WITHOUT scallops for the Ruger scope rings. They quit making them like that a long time ago. That's definitely worth trading a bad habit and now you'll live longer so you can shoot more.

Great stories. I have 2 that I can't part with for any reason. An old 20 Guage single shot that my grandfather gave me (my first gun) on my 12th birthday and a 300 Savage lever action my dad gave me at Christmas when I was 13. The day after he took me deer hunting for the first time. I think that may have been the best Christmas as a child.

HighVelocity wrote: Not long after we got married she started quizzing me about my former gun hobby, IPSC, reloading, working at the range etc. Why had I not gone back to it? Did I not enjoy it anymore? I confessed that I had really missed those things. I got out my Colt, which she knew I had but had never seen nor expressed any interest. Right then she told me that if I wanted to get back into it then I should start by replacing every gun I had ever sold out of necessity. How did I get so lucky?

HighVelocity:

I don't know anything about your bride, but from just reading your post she sounds like a keeper to me!

Gotta love the one you got when you read some guys other's posts about how their "Fiance, or Girlfriend , significant other (gotta add politically correct jargon), whatever, is giving THEM grief about his love of firearms.

We have been happily (most of the time) married for over 38years. If when I met her my bride (to be) had given me an untimatum regarding whether or not I could own firearms it would have been a "deal breaker" for me..

I don't say poot when she buys "women's crap", and she doesn't say anything when I want a new gun.. A marriage made in heaven.. When she's traveling she always prefers to have her Colt Cobra nicely stashed (but quickly accessable) with her.

Good for your honey, great for you..

Best Wishes,

JP

Pictures included for no other reason than because I wanted to bring them to the conversation.

.......and I think everyone would agree that it is a good enough reason to show the pictures! I love the revolvers!

Gentlemen, thanks for sharing such great stories and terrific pictures of great guns.

Unfortuantely I have no equal story to share, but I'm still young and have plenty of time.

Hello.


I bought this 4" Model 19 for my father in the early 1970's. With his passing it has returned to me. I use it only for the range and for CHL instructor recertification every two years. It, too, is one that will stay with me.

Best.

My wife has asked my before why I have so many guns that I never shoot. I bet you guys can relate. Sorry, I don't have any pics. I've got a Winchester model 94 trapper in 30-30 that was my grandfathers. It lived behind the seat of his welding truck throughout the 60's and 70's when they were building alot of pipeline and oilfield equipment in our area in the middle of nowhere and my grandfather kept it for coyotes and what not. It was the first rifle I ever shot when my grandfather and my dad took me on my first trip. I also have a Colt Peacemaker .22 with an LR and Mag cylinder that belonged to the same grandfather. It's just great because it was his, and how can you go wrong with an old single action .22!? Thanks for reminding me and making me think about that today.

My sentimental guns are two .22 rifles I inherited from my father. One is a Mossberg M42(c)(m), and the other is a Winchester Model 1923 (like a 1906, only smaller).

The Winchester was my grandfather's, and has been used to teach four generations of boys how to shoot. At age 10, I was free to prowl the nearby woods with it, and go down to the local grocery store to buy .22 ammo, at about $0.50 a box. It looks like it's been handled by generations of boys, too. "Well patinated" is how you'd describe the finish if you were selling. "Pitted to hell" is how a buyer would decribe it.

The Mossberg was Dad's "rabbit getter" when he lived in Kansas and Missouri. It had the original Mossberg M4D scope when it came to me, but some internal glass has shattered. I bought a replacement, and also a replacement Weaver rail mount that allows for modern scopes. Somewhere back in the scrapbooks at my mother's, there is a target that Dad shot: 10 rounds, 100 yards, and the group can be covered with a dime. He was the first to say that he couldn't do it again, the rifle couldn't do it again, and the ammo sure couldn't do it again. But, there it is.

Kevin

My only sentimental firearm is the S&W Model 36 that I purchased right after turning 21 from the Powder Horn Gunshop in San Antonio. That was 25 years ago but I can still remember sitting on their front steps waiting for the store to open. It has rarely been to the range and still looks brand new with the original box and all the papers it came with.

It is the square butt version and is a pleasure to shoot. Has always printed low left, but otherwise it is a great pistol to introduce newbies to shooting.

I can't think of a better topic to be my first post on this forum --
Hopefully these two will never leave the family tree.
1. My grandfather's curled hammer 30" barrel 12ga double barrel. No markings and no serial number but we believe it to be from the early 1900's.
2. My father's Springfield 22 rifle purchased in 1946.

This is great. Welcome Hou44.

That 4" 19 looks like new!

I have two with sentimental value:

The first is a Marlin Pappoose, given to me by my grandfather when I was in the 8th grade. I rarely shoot it, but it's in great shape (now about 22 yrs old) and I'm hoping to pass it down to my grandson some day.

The other is a 30.06 Weatherby, left to me by my same grandfather when he passed away. It has a beautiful stock! I could never part with it since it was his.