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The Nazis confiscated my great grandfather’s gun, the rifle he used in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Thieves stole my father’s shotgun, which was never replaced. So I don’t have any family firearm heirlooms. My most “important” gun is a Grizzly Customs 1894 Marlin lever gun with a stock fashioned from American old-growth hardwood (circa 1000–1500 AD). It speaks to me in ways that no modern gun can. Hopefully, one of my daughters will cherish it as much as I do, beginning a family tradition uninterrupted by genocide (not to be Debbie Downer). What’s your most important gun?

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133 COMMENTS

  1. A full-size Kimber 1911.

    Well, it *was* mine until the first time my wife shot it. It’s now hers, and it’s what brought us both, really, into the shooting sports in a more serious way.

    It’s not her only gun, but it comes to the range pretty much every time we go, regardless of whatever else we bring.

    • My dad’s Winchester Model 62 pump .22 rifle. He bought it around 1937+/- and it is now mine. It will be passed on to my son if the Obama regime does not confiscate it first. My dad bought it when he was just 12-13 years old. It was not one of the gallery guns, as it fires LR, L, and S .22s.

      • Similar story here. I have my late fathers 1946 Remington Model 510 bought brand new when he was 15. Priceless to me.

        • Dads first gun – a Hoban #45 bolt action .22 s/l/lr single-shot from the early ’40s. $14.95 at the time. Nothing special about its design or collectability, but It was dads first ‘real’ gun. He is in his 80’s now and the sight of it triggers stories of rabbit and squirrel hunts. It will be passed on to one of my boys when I’m gone.

  2. I don’t have any “heirloom” quality guns that I am overly concerned about. Some have been passed down, but not from a sentimental perspective. When I get my colt series 70 refinished and add some nice grips it might be worthy of that title. For now, it is a glock 17. I just like shooting it the most.

    • This. I don’t fire as many rounds through it as some of my “fun” guns, but since I carry it pretty close to whenever I legally can, in a sense I use it far, far more often than the ones that spend most of their time sitting in a safe at home.

    • Exactly.

      Photographers like to say “The best camera you have is the one you have with you…”

      All the bells and whistles amount to nothing if you left it at home or can’t easily take it with you.

      At home, my best gun may be my rifle. On the street, my EDC pistol. Elsewhere, a shotgun.

  3. I think this is worth dividing up into two (or perhaps more) methods for judging importance:

    Most important politically: My black rifles and associated high capacity clip-azines.

    Most important personally: My Sig P226, I love shooting it. It would be the last to go if I had to sell (or pass down) my collection.

    • Politically, my AR is definitely important politically. It is also my anti-tyranny/ISIS/Chinese/Russian invasion rifle. That said, I much prefer shooting handguns and manually operated rifles to my AR. Just a personal preference. And if they come around confiscating guns, my glock 17 will be the last to go.

      I prefer Bill Jordan’s story about he last gun he would keep, “a smith & Wesson model 19, and a box of cartridges.”

  4. Realistically , probably would choose my simple wood stock Mini 14 over the rest for practicality . Man , these are hard questions today . I can’t wait to read all the comments on this one . I really like my CMR . I love all my 22 magnums . My ARs are all about the same in the love category , each have a different quality . That BN 36 has finally been broken in and would give everything a run . If I laid everyone of my pistols and revolvers out on a table I’d be unable to pick one . I think I would choose ??????????? CLOCKS TICKING ?????????? ooh , I can’t do it , I just can’t . This is just terrible . I’ll see other peoples choices first and come back .

  5. I know how you feel about Heirlooms, my Grandmother sold my Grandfather’s Shotgun which now she really kicks herself for doing so as she’s seen how into guns I am. All of my guns are important to me, I would not trade them for anything considering my first AR-15 was from my other Grandfather.

  6. My grandfather’s M&P .45 revolver. My father carried it in WWII and I CC’d it into Gulf I. I also have Grandpa’s Colt General Officers Model in .32 but the big revolver is the most cherished.

    • And had you used it in the gulf, the other guy might be thinking, “what the heck was I just shot with?” Cool gun, just not too common on a modern battlefield.

      • Uh, probably not… the other fellow having the opportunity to “contemplate his wounds” post impact does not happen often with a .45 — just saying…

  7. Historically important to me? My Great-Great grandfather’s breach loading 12 ga single shot. It’s ugly as sin with a sawed off barrel barely 20″ long now (no choke), a sawed down stock that was relengthened with a piece of 2 x 4 and some nails when the “kid” grew bigger a hundred years ago, a replacement firing pin that punches holes right thru the primers, and black cloth tape holding the fore end on. No name on this side opening breech loader, but it’s priceless to me.

    Or maybe the engraved Beretta over & under trap gun my dad gave me last year, because it’s definitely the prettiest gun in the rack, and more importantly, because it was my dad’s.

    Or maybe the first gen. Glock model 17 I sometimes carry because I’m going to one of “those” kind of places.

    It kinda depends on what your definition of important is.

      • When you buy your next gun, get a “Spouse receipt”! Have the dealer write on a separate piece of paper, an amount of say, 1/4 of what you really paid.

        • The “25% Receipt” would not do any good in my Domestic Situation. I am allowed to purchase ANY firearm I wish — so long as DW gets an “equivalent” (same make, model, vintage…) in the same or better configuration (newer, better finish, longer barrel, larger caliber…). So, it does not matter what the “receipt” says, any firearm purchase I make costs at least 2X as much as it would cost most people.

          Further, if I do not make the equivalent purchase for her in a “reasonable time-frame” — meaning “before she gets tired of waiting” — then “my” gun becomes hers… To date, she has accumulated a nice firearms collection; and, due to having procrastinated a few times (I am a slow learner) it is a somewhat larger collection than mine. But my woes do not end there…

          Beyond the bruised ego of having the inferior weapons cache, any “good deals” I find have to include two firearms or they ain’t so good; ammo expense is also doubled — assuming I want to shoot; but the truly painful part is the total lack of sympathy I get from my gun buddies! Most of my friends lament that their spouses are just not “into” firearms and are constantly telling me how “lucky” I am! If they only knew… 🙁

    • @Larry Perkins
      “But my woes do not end there…”
      Im sorry but you also will be getting no sympathy from me. I would love to have to buy one for me and a similar one for the wife (that I don’t have). Unless the money is not there so gun buying happens half as often, that sounds like an awesome problem.

  8. I agree with Matt G; mine have seperate (but equal) political, SHTF, and personal importance.

    Political- Evil Black Rifle in .308, along with a bunch of evil normal-capacity magazines.
    SHTF- SKS
    Personal- Model 1906 Winchester, which hit 100 years of age as of 2011. This is the one which will be cherished & kept in the family.

  9. No Heirlooms here, but my favorite is my first- a Taurus full-size 1911. Bought used, and a little roughed up, but it operates flawlessly and without hiccups. First one I’ll grab in any home defense crisis. This in spite of some other 1911s that sit alongside it (a stock Colt 1911 and a Ruger 1911 that I have a preference for).

  10. Mossberg Bolt Action 410 shotgun. A gift from my father. A lot of fond memories carrying that shotgun through my grandma’s back 40.

  11. William R Potter, one of my ancestors served in the union army in the 1880s as an Indian fighter and scout. When he mustered out he received his mule and shotgun to keep. We don’t have the mule anymore but I still have the shotgun. The serial # is entered on the discharge papers. It is well used and really of no value to anyone outside of the family. He is also my name sake. Beyond that my EDC if something goes wrong.

  12. TL;DR version: My full sized Witness 10mm. A stock steel framed model. No special mods or finish work.

    My life has been a series of booms and busts. So there’s at least 4 times when I’ve slowly built up a sizable collection only to end up having to sell it all to make bills. That includes a few items that I really really RREEAAALLLLYY hated to give up. Even now I’m still recovering from my most recent bust. So I’ve just not got a lot arms to spare. But I’ll probably end up going with my Witness 10mm. First handgun I bought on my own from a dealer was a Witness 10mm. I managed to get another one not too long back. And I fully intend to never let it go again.

    • I have had similar troubles and am now back up to two firearms, neither of which has any sentimental value to me. They’re just tools, unfortunately.

  13. A Remington 512x .22 my dad gave me when I was 13. Only thing I have that he gave me when he was alive. All other stuff I have of his I got after he died in 1986. Both my adult kids know that it means to me. Markings on it show it was manufactured May 1964. Still shoots great, nothing has ever gone wrong with it. Awesome rifle.

  14. My Dad’s Remington 1100, 3″ Magnum. My mom bought it for him right after I was born in 71. He just came back from TDY in Sardinia (missed my birth because of it). He took a lot of ducks when we were stationed at Minot and Maron AB, Spain. I have yet to hunt with it, but I have shot a lot of clays. Still a great gun after 44 years and one of his two grandkids will inherit it.

  15. I know it’s simple but prolly my Glock 19, it was my first handgun and my 21st birthday gift so it’s sentimental. Aside from that it’s gotta be my unfired Pre Ban Colt Sporter, being an original Colt AR and never fired until I bought it this year is really cool to me, and being from CT, Colt will always be a special brand for me.

    • I also have my grandfather’s Browning Auto5. By my, admittedly sketchy, math it is about to turn 100 years old next year.

  16. Most important to me is my Glock 27 every day carry.

    Number 2 is a Sako Finn bear in .270. First firearm I bought for myself, back in the late 60s. I was 14. Worked the summer on a ranch irrigating and stacking hay bales. Bought the Sako because the action and trigger were smoother than a Weatherby. This is my “meat-getter”.

  17. I guess a toss up between the 30/30 Marlin I was given as my deer rifle at 16, and the old Remington .22 bolt action that my dad recently passed to me, it is one of the very few things from his “real” father (who was killed in the Korean War). I would have loved to have acquired his step-father’s M1 carbine, but that went to an uncle, not my dad. My step-grandfather earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart with that weapon in the Ardennes in ’44.

    And the Mosin that I bought last year, manufactured the same year my dad was born, will likely be one I’m proud to hand down.

  18. I have a three barrel drilling gun (two 16 gauge over something 7mm) that my grandfather brought back from Germany after WWII.

    Unfortunately it spent much of it’s post war life in a pillow case in the closet or being dry-fired by my Dad when he was a kid, so it’s not in perfect shape. Still a work of art, though.

  19. My Ruger SR-556E with Aimpoint PRO. If I had to grab one gun I own to put something attempting to do bodily harm to me it takes the cake.

    For sentimental value I can’t really pick one. When my grandfather moved to Florida last year he surprised me by giving me his Ruger Single Six, which was the first gun I ever fired when I was five.
    He also gave me an old Marlin Model 60 which was the first rifle I shot. He’s still alive and kicking but I treasure thos guns he gave me.
    I also have Marlin 336 that belonged to my cousin that was killed in a USAF plane collision that is very dear to me as well.

  20. S&W .357 686 7 shot. My first revolver. It was my wifes bday and I said let’s buy you something shiny. Took her to gun store to buy her a gun. Salesman saw right through me. This ain’t for her is it? Nope. Bought the Smith. Took her to the jewelry store later that day.

    She finally decided to get her own gun. Bought a Walther P22. I put a laser sight on it and she can make quarter size shot groups at 7 yds. “Just keep shooting until they fall down or run away”

  21. The most “important” gun I own is the H&R .410 shotgun I used to save my life about 30 years ago. If I had not been armed that night, I would have been dead. All my other guns are very important as well, of course, but that one has a special place in my life, even though it has been many years since I fired it.

    Need to get it out and do exactly that.

  22. M60, Full auto machine gun, swiped from the back of a military humvee, buried and sealed in an underground container with earthing above enclosure top embedded with heat exchanger coils to conceal the installation from overhead infrared/FLIR imaging.

    … Just kidding.

  23. That’s really hard to say, there are my grandfather’s, and great grandfather’s Browning A5s, my first shotgun my other grandfather’s Savage Stevens .410, my birds eye maple FN mauser 25-06…Do I have to pick just 1?

  24. I’m a collector, and so I think I’d have to say my Webley Mark VI. It’s one of the few I’ve seen for sale that hasn’t been ground down for .45, and it and the .455 ammunition I’ve been able to scrounge up are definitely my proudest acquisitions.

    Either it or my No. 1 Mk. 3 turns 100 next year. (The other is in 2019, IIRC.) Still excellent shooters both. The Webley in particular looks like it could have been made in the last ten years.

  25. My first AR-15 I bought after I saved enough money to get into guns. I named her Matilda and tricked her out with a Troy quad rail, FDE Magpul furniture and a Trijicon ACOG. It was a great feeling to be a first-time firearms owner as a young twenty-something and have a gun that I customized and could call my own.

  26. My ’08 9mm Luger. It’s the most accurate pistol I’ve ever shot or held in my hand. Just wish it had better sights.

    • I had one of those and a BCA Blackhawk Nimrod 6″ in .475 Linebaugh. Had to sell them both after losing my shorts and job during the .com bust. That really sucked. BCA does very nice work.

  27. family Heirloom would be my late grandfather’s Winchester 30-30 lever action. I loved that man and that gun represents him and my memories of him.

    my personal favorite gun would be my 1943 Russian made Mosin Nagant. Knowing I hold something made for one of, if not the most historically significant war in human history makes me feel something no other gun I own can. It makes me feel special.

    God willing I’ll pass all my arms down to the next generation and someone will love them as much as I have through the years.

  28. Don’t expect the guns you are attached too to hold any sentimental value with your progeny. My grandfather collected coins. When he passed, I had absolutely zero sentimental or emotional attachment towards them. I sold them and bought a LCR. One nickel I got $50 for. Will my kids hold onto my guns? Might. But if the rent is due and the baby needs diapers, they would hawk them too.

  29. Boating accident……. But my just like with my children I didn’t have a favorite, I loved them all.

  30. I have no guns handed down to me by family, and my wife and I have no kids, so for me it’s my (technically, it’s my trust’s, w/me as grantor).300 BLK SBR, with Silencerco 7.62 Saker suppressor, built on a CMT forged lower, with a laser rendering of my favorite Doberman on the right side of the magwell. Every part selected and hand assembled by me personally. No one else but me would probably give a damn, and I don’t give a damn if no one else gives a damn. It’s what I wanted to build, for me, in memory of my best friend. Last range trip, an experienced shooter (though not with suppressors, obviously) told his wife/g’friend that I was shooting a .22LR AR clone, and when I showed him the round I was really shooting, his eyes got big as saucers.

    • I am sorry to hear that you have no heirs William B. I would be proud to be your heir and accept that rifle in the future! Should that take place, I promise to love your rifle, clean it every time I shoot it, and polish it at least twice a year. Oh, and I also promise to feed it the best food (ammunition) available!

  31. If I have to pick one (damn that is tough) maybe my 1891 Argentine for a couple of reasons. It was my first 30 cal. rifle (well actually 7.65×53) I purchased, from a local swap meet for 50 bucks.You can do that in AZ. Somebody had sportified the stock but all the metal was still nicely blue and the bore had little wear. Several years later I bought a full stock and handguard and all the little parts (spent a lot more than I did for the rifle) and did a fair job restoring so I feel close after that much time an effort. Now it’s not the most expensive firearm I own but it is an old world beauty and one hell of a shooter but for how much longer I dont know but it will look real good on a wall eventually.

  32. To me, “important” is different than “significant.”

    I don’t own any significant guns. Not yet.

    But, the most important gun I own is the one that is with me.

  33. The Kahr P9 is what I usually carry so I guess its the most important. Certainly not my favorite. I shoot my M&P9 the most. If thinks get real ugly, I suppose my AR or 12ga would be the most useful. Despite my love for my 308 heavy barrel, it hard to see it ever being more that a cool toy, 600+ yds is probably murder.

  34. What is the most important gun that I own?

    That is basically impossible to answer. It would depend on the scenario … or even that it has to be important for every possible scenario.

    A rifle in .22 LR is extremely important for a multitude of applications such as training, plinking, hunting, self-defense, and even multiple survival situations.

    And yet a long gun (in any caliber) can be a liability if society collapses. Plenty of “opportunists” would be all too happy to “relieve” you of an openly visible long gun … and their tactics may include killing you in the process. For this reason a highly concealable and extremely reliable (with minimal/no maintenance) handgun could be invaluable if society collapses. Of course it could be invaluable even when society is playing nice.

    Thus, the most interesting question is which handgun fits the bill above? We could ponder and debate that question for years.

  35. a 4″ S&W 686 dash 4 (pre-lock, pre-mim).

    They just don’t make ’em like that anymore. I hope it stays in the family for a long time. It aint exactly worth a fortune, but it is to me. And good luck trying to find one for sale (unless you get someone who has no clue what they have – which does happen).

  36. Well yes that’s true. I mean the Argentine would make a bad home defense gun and it wouldn’t be my first choice for survival gun either but I guess important has a couple of different meanings.

  37. personally my Sig P220, that one goes in the ground with me. as far as heirlooms, my dad’s model 10. i dont even like revolvers that much but that one is his favorite. Hopefully i dont get it for many many many years.

  38. A muzzleloader that my grandfather gave me just before he died. His grandfather brought it over when he emigrated to the U.S. The date stamped on the side plate is 1860 along with a crown stamp from the Tower of London.

  39. Larry Perkins . Did you have to buy a separate safe for the Miss or do you let her share yours . I wouldn’t recommend anyone lie to their spouse or be unfaithful but you should really consider getting your own safe with a really secret combination , like 30 R 06 L 30 R or something that she would never guess and sneak those really pricey guns in when she isn’t looking , she don’t need a tricked out 50 cal. or that new big bore Ruger . I think you should reconsider your strategy on this and if SHTF she won’t care , you can open her up and say take your pick . Peace out .

  40. I have the opposite problem of Farago. I suddenly inherited hundreds of guns all at once and can’t bring myself to sell any since they were all cherished, even though storage and insurance is a headache.

    • I refuse to recognize this as a problem. If you can’t bring yourself to sell them, just let me keep them.

  41. My most important gun is a Carcano rifle, 6,5×52. Built in Terni in 1931, it was owned all the way until 1996 by my Grandpa, who left it to me.
    It has the barrel marked with crossed rifles over a target (selected for accuracy), progressive rifling, a silver plate with my Grandpa’s name and another copper plate with the inscription telling it was a gift from the War Ministry for winning a target shooting competition in 1932.
    Only 4 people have shot it: Grandpa, my father, my megaloved wife and me. Soon I’ll have my kids shooting it. When I take it from the safe, I always feel a deep commotion!
    Love that rifle!

  42. My most important gun is the first 1911 I bought. An old, & I mean old, frankenstein pieced together work of art that I traded a beat up High Standard HD Military for. That trade was the late 80s and I have improved upon “Frank” ever since. It is completely reliable as it has suffered one stove pipe and two FTF since I’ve had it. It literally loves to eat Winchester Win1911 hollow points. My second most important is a Marlin Glenfield 30S (just another name for a 336). Completely refinished and aftermarket parts here and there. Not done with it yet but it is handy enough to be a good all around shooter and will live in my truck with “Frank” once completed.

  43. Welcome to the dark side . We welcome you and your entire family to the lower class uneducated knuckle dragging side of humankind . The world of the brainless , where only the dimwitted dwell . All the stupid people are here , come and lay in the slime with us . We welcome you all . The more the happier we all are with our fire breathing dragons and powder burning projectiles . The educated masses should fear us because we only want to destroy . We are the 21st century zombies .

      • What is a Huffington post ? Do I get there from here ? Still leaning towards my Mini14 . Just wish it accepted regular AR magazines . Hopefully I won’t ever need more than 300 rounds in the Ruger before reloads . IRONY

  44. None of my guns are clear stand-outs for sentimental value, so the nod goes to my carry weapon. It’s the one I’m most likely to use for that most important of reasons. Since I really, really, really like 1911s, and it is my onliest one, that is another reason I find it “important.”

  45. The one that is the most important to me personally is the one with the most tax stamps attached to it. 9″ AAC SBR upper chambered in 300 BLK with a SilencerCo 7.62 Saker suppressor on it.

    That one is the most important because of the huge outlay of cash putting it together not to mention the “extra” responsibility of having multiple class III items being toted on one $30 sling.

  46. Well, I was an idiot and sold some really nice guns. The Marlin 336C I shot my first deer with, before TFG screwed up Marlin, went for $160. A Winchester 1300 12 gauge with walnut stock went for about the same price. Ditto for an old Browning pump 12 gauge. I sold the beautiful target grey Ruger .454 Casull revolver for about $480 on consignment. All were guns that could have been passed on. Mea Culpa.

    A few years ago Dyspeptic saved me from selling a Winchester 70 Ultimate Classic stainless .30-06.

    I guess the curent most important toss up is between my G27 / G19 / G23 / Smith 340 PD EDC,s Sig 226 Tac Ops HD handgun, ARs, Mossy 930, Rem 870, and Savage .338 Lapua “long range self defense” rifle.

  47. It’s a toss up. I couldn’t part with my grandpa’s Ithaca 37 (so used it ain’t been blue for 50 years) or my dad’s 1911A1. Too many memories with those guns.

    By the way, I absolutely LOVE that stock on your Marlin!!!

  48. I think my wedding present is technically 2 guns but since it was one gift from my very generous wife here they are: 1942 Mauser P08 Luger partnered with a S&W E Series Stainless 1911. Both guns will outlive me and were chosen not just for their beauty and functionality but also for their ability to fulfill the role of family heirloom. We absolutely love them both.

    • I would love an E, for that function. I want a 1911 to pass to future generations. My little girl is building a nice collection of hunting guns, but I want a stainless wood grip, work of art to pass down.

  49. The M1 Garand I built myself in a CMP advanced maintenance class in Alabama. Will treasure that rifle always.

    Two old guns: my wife’s great-grandfather’s Mossberg 42B 22LR – restored it to perfect function and it’s a sweet shooter. I did the same for a Czech training rifle in 22LR built circa 1950; cleaned it up significantly, but kept the original finish, just improved it a bit. It’s actually a BRNO #1 and is my primary small bore silhouette rifle. Fits me perfectly and is a phenomenal shooter.

  50. My 1950’s Beligian-made Browning Auto-5 Light 12, because it was Grandpa’s.

    All my other guns are replaceable.

  51. My most cherished gun was my late grandfather’s Lefever Nitro Special double barrel shotgun in 12 gauge, manufactured in the early 1920s according to serial number research. I say “was” because I have already passed it on to my oldest son, who has as much appreciation for it as I ever did; he’s that kind of man. My current most cherished is an AR-15 I built from scratch. Every piece was ordered on-line, purchased at a local gun store, or received as a gift over the course of a year and assembled by yours truly. It’s unique, it works, and it’s mine.

  52. I just inherited my Mom’s Colt Official Police 38 Special CTG. We lived in the country in SE MO just across the river from Cairo, IL. In the mid-late 60’s my Dad got it for her when all the race riots began and strange cars would drive slowly by our house, or stop just down the gravel road and sit there for sometimes half an hour, then move on. Our nearest neighbor was over 1/2 mile away and Dad wanted Mom to have something to protect herself and us kids if the need ever arose. I’ll be shooting it for the first time this coming weekend, and when it’s my time to head off this mortal coil, I’ll be passing it on to the most deserving family member of the next generation.

  53. It isn’t often I feel a “jealous pang”, but responses to this question brings one forth. Not having anyone to pass anything down to, I’m just hoping that whomever goes through my safe is in no way connected to any type of fed organization. I wouldn’t care if the neighborhood kids, or the local B&E expert, came through the doors and ransacked the house after my demise, but please, Lord, don’t let it be anyone who isn’t Freedom oriented.
    But to answer the question given, my most prized are the Marlin lever gun and Ruger revolver in the same chambering. I have “better” and much more “modern” weapons, but there’s nothing I consider important about them beyond what they represent to my freedom.

    • I don’t have any godparents; ) In all seriousness, I am very happy to have a daughter that enjoys hunting. She doesn’t like to target shoot guns, but she likes to target shoot bows and slingshots. I recently taught her to field strip and clean a hi power clone. She is my only heir, unless I adopt in the future, but I will be proud to hand down all my firearms to her. JSW have you considered willing your firearms to a local club that teaches kids how to shoot? They would probably sell the firearms too big for kids to use, and purchase ammo and educational material.

  54. I have an old Sears/Hi Standard semi auto 22lr rifle that has been in the family at least since I was a child. I have my current carry gun, a Kahr P9, that’s important, but I’ve never had to draw it or use it. I have a couple of handguns I used in shooting competitions that remind me of distant friends, so those are important. The rest are cool for other reasons, but hold no sentimental value. Most are going to my son, a few will go to friends & family, if they survive me.

  55. Marlin 39a. My first gun that I purchased at age 15 with money I had saved cutting grass. That was 42 years ago and I can still remember going to the hardware store with Dad who made the purchase for me with my pocket full of cash. He then proceeded to purchase 1000 rounds of 22LR, cleaning kit, leather sling and case. I think he was proud that I had managed this on my own. That Christmas at age 16, he gave me an 870LW 20ga, 3″. Still have both with thousands of rounds through each. To this day, there is nothing more fun than a bag of empty aluminum cans and that 22. I feel like a little kid……
    That 870 now has an 18″ barrel and is hidden but handy as a HD weapon loaded with #3. I just change the barrel for dove season. Sure I have 12ga, 357’s, 9mm’s, 380’s etc. But that old favorite is a perfect weight, length, power and the familiarity.

  56. My most important gun is junk, really. It’s a cheap Belgian copy of a French pinfire revolver in 41 caliber that my ancestor Sgt. George Washington Abbott carried in the civil war. When new it wasn’t much, and now it’s nothing but a paperweight, but I wouldn’t trade a farm down-east for it. Wash carried it thru 18 major engagements with the 9th Maine Infantry Regiment, including Cold Harbor and Charleston Harbor; his only son, George N., served in the Federal Navy and died of wounds received in battle. They are buried side by side in the cemetery in Hancock, Maine.

  57. I’m not sure what my favorite piece is. Maybe my old S&W Model 14? My .357 Marlin 1894C? I’m quite fond of my newer Walther PPQ. I dunno.

    But, I can easily see why this writer of this piece picked the rifle he picked as his favorite. It’s a spectacular beauty.

  58. Good question.

    The most significant gun was the one I didn’t have when the human predator tried to mug me.

    The predator showed me what happens when we, or our government, denies us the most important right.

    Ever since, the most significant weapon is the one I have available at the moment.

  59. As many have said, the one that is loaded and handy.

    That being said, my CZ-75 Shadow. It is an extension of my pointing hand. The Shadow knows.

  60. 1900’s (decade) Winchester 1890 takedown in .22 Long. The barrel is so corroded the bullets start tumbling before they pass the muzzle, I’m considering relining it. It’s the only relic left from my Great-Grandfather’s foxfarm that failed in the depression.

    • Mine is similar. My grandparents were collectors. Of pretty much everything. Antique cars,bikes, coins,purses. You name it. When they passed away it took us 2 years just to go through everything they had stashed away. Much of which the family didn’t know they had.

      Hidden away in the attic we found an extremely nice Winchester 1890 in .22wrf. It had been scoped with 4x from what appears to have been a WWII era Springfield.. I really know nothing about it. My mother vaguely remembers it from her childhood and that is all we know. She is nearly 70 so it has been in our family at least that long.

  61. My late Uncle R.G.’s Smith & Wesson Model 10 M&P. He started as an Army Air Corps pilot in the closing days of WWII and then flew combat missions as a USAF pilot in the Korean War. For a year he flew an A26 Invader on nighttime interdiction missions into North Korea. Had 16 M2 .50’s (8 in nose, 4 under/in each wing). Would fly a sector, expend all ammo on whatever he found (trains, trucks, camps, whatever) then fly south. He was concerned about being shot down, and having a reliable pistol. He didn’t like the issued M1911A1’s, felt they weren’t reliable enough. So before he shipped out he bought the M10 M&P (different era, one could so that) because a revolver wouldn’t jam on him. Then while prepping in Japan, he found an old, wizened Japanese gunsmith (I sh*t you not) who engraved the whole thing with silver inlay scrollwork. I have pics if you doubt me. He wore it in a shoulder holster on every night mission north (have the holster, too). He maintained it well over the years, and shot it regularly, but it’s in great shape. I have it because I was the crazy military nephew (started in Ranger BN, then went SF) who understood how he felt when he would say, “The best smell in the world was when I’d fire the 8 fifties in the nose and all the gunsmoke streamed back through the cockpit while in flight….” In a SHTF scenario, I’d grab the “keep me alive RIGHT NOW” guns, then tuck R.G.’s pistol in my belt.

    • Article and photos ASAP, and your on your way to winning a box of shotgun shells, I want the Henry!

  62. My father’s 1911 Remington RAnd he carried in his brief time in the Pacific.

    It was all he left me, everything else pissed away to people who didn’t give a crap. Actually, I wasn’t supposed to get the 1911 either, but the vultures couldn’t find anyone willing to “bell the cat.”

    2 days after my father died his gun kept me alive on a night when I thought I was done for…sort of my father’s last gift to me.

    The piece is haunted. I would die before giving it up.

    Michael B

  63. AirForce Condor SS. Doesn’t depend on an ammo supply. Delivers slightly above .22lr performance out of the box. Handles all small game. Can be modified to 200+ FPE, taking small hog, coyote, and even deer. Silenced. No Form 4. No 4473. No NICS. No FFL. No worries. I almost don’t care about other guns…

  64. From a political perspective, my CZ-858 rifle. Once non-restricted, then suddenly and quietly prohibited by an RCMP policy change. Now in legal limbo with thousands of others while the Canadian government sorts out whether they are going to allow the RCMP to confiscate and destroy it, or return it to its original classification.

    That said, the only gun I don’t think I’d ever sell is my Ruger GP-100. It just feels like something that will never wear out. So there’s that.

  65. what level of inquiry is being asked? a specific instance; weapon I have with me at TEOTWAWKI vs weapon in EDC vs Hunting birds vs Hunting large Game!,sentimentality my first pistol,rifle and or shotgun bought!

    • If someone knocked on your door and ask . I am going to take all your firearms away but one . Which one of your guns do you want to keep ? Think , most sentimental , fastest firing , most accurate , most dependable , best for survival i.e. hunting or defense , what do you have the most ammo for , which one is now or will be the easiest to get ammo for if SHTF , best round for all around everything , remember you now only have one gun . This is the way I took the question . I may be wrong .

  66. 1874 Sharps Shilo with walnut Monte Carlo stock, folding vernier sights, and heavy octagon barrel in 45-70. My own buffalo gun!

  67. I have no heirloom guns, although my father recently offered me his S&W .460 XVR.

    I love my FAL, but the last I’d ever trade is my Kimber SIS. I wish I could find a 5″ model. I’ve shot far more expensive guns, and numerous other Kimbers, but the sights on that SIS work for me.

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