Inherit

Well, apparently there was ANOTHER gun at my father’s house that I NEVER knew about. He gave it to a friend a few years back, but still. I had no idea it existed. Dad had some stuff since before I was born that was effectively hidden for 22 years.

This was some nickel plated pistol. It may have been some top break .32 revolver. It had belonged to my great grandfather. The cylinder release or break action was activated by pulling the trigger guard somehow. And, when younger, my father broke this part off. But I have no idea, for sure, never laying eyes on it myself.

AND there were many more guns in great grandfather’s collection that someone stole/scammed from him while he was in the old folks home. That and a treasure trove of machinist’s tools that he had accumulated in his work repairing Linotype machines. Shame shame. Who knows was firearm and tool legacy I missed out on through a series of events. Ah well.

Along with the pistol, Dad had some ancient ammo and other peripherals that went along with it. Interesting, after a fashion, and would have been nice to inspect, but I’d be hesitant to use pre-war ammo and rubber ear plugs. The plugs would probably stick in my ear, crumbling, and the ammo would be corrosive at a minimum and squibby at worst.

Conjecture about the missing guns, long ago absconded? I’m sure they’d all be pre Depression era stuff. Great Grandpa bought a lot of stock on margin and lost his shirt in the Crash. (My grandfather was still waiting for the promised wedding present of a ’29 Ford Roadster in 1999. It took til the 1950s before the last debt was paid off, and my great grandfather was very proud of that.) At best a Krag and Springfield rifle type. Some odd pistols, too, including a Lemon Squeezer, is my guess. That sort of thing. It’s unlikely he’d have had anything super desirable, like a Colt from the teens or somesuch, but you never know. It’ll torture you, dwelling on the ‘might have beens’ but I try not to let it.

Cool things that did survive from my Great Grandfather’s time? A carbide bicycle lamp, a set of ivory dominoes, and a single machinist chests filled with tools with his initials all over them.