Firearms with a story

[4095fanatic]

Figured this was a better fit here as opposed to the water cooler, mods feel free to move with my apologies if it should go there instead.

What inspired this was I was at a gentleman's house today (he called 911 for a lift assist, e.g. needed help getting off the floor). After helping him in to his living room, I noticed an SKS hanging on the wall. I complimented him on it (I guessed at it being a Chi-com Type 56) and he nodded his head, then gazed off for a second as if he was back in Vietnam for that moment. His eyes refocused on me, and he softly said "The fellow I took it from... didn't need it any more." I thanked him for his service to his country and left, feeling good about being able to help a veteran and privileged to have heard his story.

Just wondering what other cool stories y'all have out there regarding C&R firearms.

 

[metalman3006]

The only cool gun story I have is for a gun I do not own yet. My wife's grandfather was a waist gunner over the pacific in WWII. He brought home is revolver and left it in the attic of his old home in Pasadena when he moved to the shore. My BIL found out he left it and went back years later and ask the new home owners if he could retrieve something from the attic. They let him and he pulled out the 38 and the holster from the insulation. It was given to my wife's uncle who is not a gun guy and his son does not want anything to do with guns. it is supposed to be given to me to pass on down the line. The only pic I have right now. He is on the left and has passed on some 6 years now.

 

[Alphabrew]

I showed a picture of my Chinese Laminate SKS to a Vietnam vet (who was awarded a Purple Heart), and his reaction was startling. He immediately perked up and said "they used those in the Vietnam war!" From his reaction, I knew he'd been on the wrong side of them before.

 

[somd_mustangs]

One of the most interesting guns I have is a Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer that was captured from a North Korean officer at beginning of the war, and carried by a USMC company commander thru all the major battles up to and including the Chosin Reservoir.

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=147680

 

[KH195]

Like metalman I don't have this one personally but it's in my family and it might come to me someday. My grandparents have my great-grandfathers Colt 1911 from his service in WWI. It was with him in Europe where he fought and was WIA by mustard gas twice. He died well before I was born but the gun has always been kept in a box with his Purple Heart, a German Iron Cross, and a single WWI .45 round on which he scratched "FOR THE KAISER" onto the side. Apparently he never talked about the war at all after he returned...always wonder if the Iron Cross had something to do with that....

 

[Smitch521]

I have a Czechoslovakian Cz 38 that my grandfather picked up during WWII. It really is an interesting pistol. I only wish I knew more of the details of the story.

 

[campns]

There are two that i can tell about.

An great uncle carried his Ithaca M1911-A1 with him onto the shores of Normandy and he carried it until he came home after VE day. He wouldn't talk about much of his experience as he was one of the lucky ones that drew short straws and got sent into the pacific theater. Where he had accquired a Papa Nambu on an officer that he came across, he grabbed the holster as well where you can plainly see that the holster saved his life, there are three shots from the Nambu that were hastily fired as the officer tried to pull it out and shoot my great uncle.

they are both nice pieces of history and i hope one day to cherrish both handguns, oh and by the way neither has been cleaned since he came home, I would take them and coat them with gun oil to keep them from rusting away. Last time i saw them they were still in great condition with great patina.

 

[Machodoc]

Remember that this occurred in the late 1800s ...

After retiring from the DC police force, and returning home to farm, my g-grandfather, who lived in SOMD, awakened late one Saturday night to the sound of someone inside his house. His wife was beside him, and the kids were asleep. He got up, taking his Winchester carbine with him, and went downstairs to investigate, startling a robber who had broken into his house. The guy turned to flee just as he fired a shot. The fellow fell dead through the open doorway with a bottle of whiskey in each hand.

He went to fetch the constable, who ruled on the spot that it was a justified shooting, and the body was taken to a funeral parlor. The deceased was well-known in the community as a scoundrel, and had prior arrests and had served jail time for larceny and breaking and entering.

The next day, g-grandpa hitched up his buggy and rode into the neighborhood where the recently departed had lived. He waited until church let out, then stood up in the buggy, pulled out his pocket knife, and carved a notch in the fore-stock of the rifle. He said, "There's room for plenty more, if anyone else wants to break into my house!", then drove away.

Nobody ever broke in again.

I've still got that rifle.

 

[Sirex]

My dad got a Walther Model 4 in .32ACP from my grandfather which was brought back from WW2 if I recall. My dad hated the gun for years saying it was a jamomatic, even after taking it to the gunsmith who replaced the recoil spring. He brought it to the range one time and I bought a box of .32 so I could shoot it as well. Yep, he loaded it and it jammed up, FTEs. I looked at his ammo, which was at least 40 yrs old. Then we ran a complete 50 rd box of my ammo thru without issue. Put the old ammo back in, jammed. Bad, old ammo. All that time and it was the ammo, LOL. Nice pistol. Small, but neat.

 

[rouchna]

Remember that this occurred in the late 1800s ...

After retiring from the DC police force, and returning home to farm, my g-grandfather, who lived in SOMD, awakened late one Saturday night to the sound of someone inside his house. His wife was beside him, and the kids were asleep. He got up, taking his Winchester carbine with him, and went downstairs to investigate, startling a robber who had broken into his house. The guy turned to flee just as he fired a shot. The fellow fell dead through the open doorway with a bottle of whiskey in each hand.

He went to fetch the constable, who ruled on the spot that it was a justified shooting, and the body was taken to a funeral parlor. The deceased was well-known in the community as a scoundrel, and had prior arrests and had served jail time for larceny and breaking and entering.

The next day, g-grandpa hitched up his buggy and rode into the neighborhood where the recently departed had lived. He waited until church let out, then stood up in the buggy, pulled out his pocket knife, and carved a notch in the fore-stock of the rifle. He said, "There's room for plenty more, if anyone else wants to break into my house!", then drove away.

Nobody ever broke in again.

I've still got that rifle.

This belongs in the "Badass" thread. That is awesome

 

[toolness1]

I have told this before around here but enjoy sharing it whenever it's appropriate.

My dad has a Nazi Walther PPK that my Grandfather picked up in Germany during WWII. A homeless kid had picked it up off a dead German (supposedly) and was going around asking our troops for food. My Grandfather traded him a candy bar for the PPK. Besides a small crack in the grip, it's in amazing condition. No holster, just one magazine and the rounds that were in it at the time. It shoots great, but we don't shoot it too much. I bought my dad a CZ50 so he can have a .32 to shoot and keep round count through the PPK as low as possible (just in case...)

We did some research on it and I want to say it was the kind issued to some type of political officer or something like that. It's pretty obvious it didn't leave the holster much.

I'll try to verify that and get a pic up soon.

 

[Biggfoot44]

A good friend's father had a Red 9 Mauser he took from an SS Ofc who no longer needed it during the Battle of the Bulge.

Know of two different 9mm's that were stolen , used in murders , and then returned, one a number matching Luger , the other a not quite yet C&R by now Belgan BHP. Had an opportunity to purchase a 6in M19 that had been used in suicide , but didn't have the $ at the time ( a good price for a standard M19, I was just broke at the time.)

 

[toolness1]

A good friend's father had a Red 9 Mauser he took from an SS Ofc who no longer needed it during the Battle of the Bulge.

Know of two different 9mm's that were stolen , used in murders , and then returned, one a number matching Luger , the other a not quite yet C&R by now Belgan BHP. Had an opportunity to purchase a 6in M19 that had been used in suicide , but didn't have the $ at the time ( a good price for a standard M19, I was just broke at the time.)

Wow, surprised they ever got those firearms returned. I had a Model 10 S&W .38 stolen and used in an attempted robbery of a gas station (gun was unloaded when he tried this)

It took me 4 years to get the gun back, and I never would have gotten it had I not called them every few months and bugged them about it.

"it's evidence in an ongoing case"

The kid who stole it moved to California (this was in MO) and I knew they would never find him, so they finally agreed to photograph it for the evidence and give it back. What a pain that was.....

 

[JHE1956]

I recently picked up a Beretta 71 (.22LR) that was imported from Israel. Made in 73 so not technically a C&R yet, but I like to speculate that it has an interesting story. It's threaded for a suppressor and isn't marked like a commercial gun, which makes me think it was a Government procurement. I like to imagine that it was a MOSSAD weapon. Will never know for sure but is interesting to think about.

 

[ADR]

I own a revolver my grandmother shot a man with in the early 30's. Legal/clean shot and he lived but his underwear didn't.

 

[Biggfoot44]

It was a different era in '70s and early '80s .

 

[noahhh]

I have two that my uncle brought home from Europe after the War- a CZ 27 .32 that he liberated from a railroad boxcar full of crates of guns of all types, and a Walther PP .32 he found in the pocket of a German soldier who had surrendered to he and his buddies in the Huertgen Forest. Uncle John kept the pistol and ordered one of his guys to escort the German back to safekeeping. I guess the guy didn't want the detail because evidently they were just out of sight when a shot rang out, and he came walking back, alone...

John's unit had taken a hellacious lot of casualties and he wasn't in the mood to make an issue of it. He didn't talk much of his experiences in general, but he opened up to my dad for a while after he came home in '46 after being overseas for four years (1st Inf Div).

That Walther (1940 mfg. date) is crazy accurate and has the best trigger pull of any pocket auto I ever fired. Can't say as much for the CZ-27. I wish the Luger he snagged in North Africa hadn't "disappeared" in the mails when he sent it home.

 

[Scharfshutzek98]

Great stories! The only family bring back that I have is a Type 38 Mukden Arisaka that my grandfather brought back from the pacific in WW2. He was a torpedo man on a destroyer so I assume that he grabbed it during the occupation. It is not the most valuable rifle, but it is the most important one I own.

 

[chooks9]

A friend of the family who's father was a Marine in the Pacific gave my dad an early war Arisaka Type 99 that was a bring back from the war. It has EVERYTHING, the Dust cover, monopod, aircraft sights, sling, and bayonet. The family had forgotten about it and some of the metal had developed a very slight patina of rust over the years, but the bore and action are still fine.

 

[aquashooter]

My mother was a scientist during WWII working on the proximity fusing mechanisms for the Manhattan Project. She didn't get to bring one home. They were used in Japan.