I sold my Dad's Savage 99 more than fifteen years ago and really have no regrets about it. But I will always keep the Winchester Model 94 .30-30 that he gave me the first year I started deer hunting with him in Vt. It was made in '41 and has wonderful patina and nice wood with some burl. It will go to my grandkids for sure.
In 1965 the brand new Stevens 20 gauge Model 77F was my second shotgun but the first one I ever bought myself. It came with an adjustable choke that I hated so much that I hack-sawed the barrel off just behind that monstrosity. I drilled and tapped the barrel and ran a brass machine screw in and filed it to a bead. That shotgun put a lot of pheasants, ducks, bunnies, and a few woodcock on the table and it will put a rifled slug in a 3" circle at 75 yards. I still have that gun and it will stay.
My Ruger No. 1 in .270 with Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5 will always stay.
A lot of my Parkers will also stay but I haven't really given much thought to which ones might go and which ones will stay - I like them all so much I would be hard pressed to have to decide.
|