The Family Guns

When I turned 13 years old my Dad gave me a .22 caliber rifle. It was a beautiful gun, a Remington long rifle semi-automatic. I could load 15 cartridges into the magazine and plink away. My Dad used the occasion to teach me firearm safety and how to properly hold, aim and shoot a rifle. We went out shooting at tin cans and "rabbit hunting" in the rural desert areas east of LA several times, although I never saw, much less shot at, a rabbit. I felt like a "man" owning my own gun, and I eagerly assumed the responsibility of possessing and handling a firearm. It definitely was a milestone in my life.

There is a story behind every family gun in my cabinet. These stories turn the guns into talismans that connect me to the past in an important and satisfying way. I'm not sure I can describe that feeling adequately. However, perhaps by telling the stories I can keep the legacy of these family guns alive for my children to enjoy and experience.

I believe my Dad acquired the .22 Remington long rifle semi-automatic back before I was born. If I was around I was probably less than 3 or 4 years old. He owned and operated a Chevron Service Station on University avenue in San Diego at the time, and that's where it all started ...

Eli actually did shoot some
 ground squirrels

A customer came in with a flat on his car. The flat was unrepairable. The guy had no money and offered Dad the rifle for security to replace the tire. Dad agreed, and scrounged up the best used tire he had.  He carried new ones but he decided to go with a used one that had some life left in it.  He mounted it on the man's car, the rifle changed hands, and the guy drove off...never to return with payment. 

Now I could make up lots of reasons for this, but that is a lot of the charm to the story. Why didn't the guy come back? The gun was in excellent condition, and was worth far more than the used tire. My dad loved to tell this story, I think in part because he really was helping this guy out, albeit at little financial risk to himself,  and he really ended up smelling like a rose!

When my nephew Eli Wilbanks was 13, I passed this rifle and it's story on to him. Now it will be his turn to pass it along someday.

Two triggers for two barrels. The front
trigger fires the left barrel, the rear 
trigger the right.

So, when big brother Don turned 13 (two years before me) Dad gave him a Montgomery Wards Hercules double barreled 20 gage shotgun. This was the gun that Dad received from his Dad (Grandad Wilbanks) when he was 13. The Hercules was made by Iver Johnson for Montgomery Wards. Production probably started just before 1920 and went until the early 1940s. The "Hercules" name was dropped around 1936 and it became known as the Iver Johnson Hammerless.

I ended up in possession of this beauty when I started hunting Quail in 1976. I asked Don if I could use it since I didn't own a shotgun, and in return I refinished the wooden forearm and stock. The steel parts have not been retouched and have the original finish. As a boy, Dad used to hunt quail (bobwhite quail) with it in Oklahoma over his dog "Jack" (no relation to my van). I believe Jack was an English Pointer. And I heard some great stories about his steady point. This gun still belongs to my big brother Don, I am just keeping it safe and in the family for him.

I refinished the forearm and stock, and put on a new recoil pad.
 

I got the bug to be a Forester when I was living in LA and going to West LA College. It took a while, but six years and three colleges later I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Natural Resource Management and enough Forestry credits to qualify under the Civil Service rules as a "Forester". At my graduation in June of 1976, my parents presented me with another "Family Gun" in commemoration of my accomplishment.

It is a 30-30 Winchester Model 1894 lever action Rifle. The 30-30 is chambered in .30-30 Winchester Center Fire (.30 WCF) caliber. The name comes from the 30-caliber bullet and 30 grains of smokeless powder used in the original loading. Winchester first marketed the .30-30 caliber in 1895 as an option for its Model 1894 lever-action rifle, which was designed by John Browning and produced from 1894–2006 and again from 2011–present. 

The saddle ring is for securing the rifle in a saddle scabbard so it doesn't come out with hard riding, or if the horse decides to buck!

This particular gun was manufactured sometime during the 1920's according to the serial number. My dad's Uncle Moody (Granddad's baby brother) gave it to him in the early 1950's when he lived in San Diego. Uncle Moody was a surveyor for Cal Trans, then the California Department of Transportation.  He came across the gun while doing a survey, reportedly in an old gravel pit. It was in pretty bad shape, but Dad had it cleaned up and killed a deer with it. He actually had the head mounted, and it knocked around the house for years. 

He named the deer "Throckmorton".  I think he pretty much lost his appetite for deer hunting after that, but the gun stayed in the closet. I remember firing it as a kid out in the desert. It was incredibly loud, and kicked like a mule. I think it may have scared John so bad the he hid behind the truck!

Dad took the gun to a local gunsmith prior to my graduation and had him totally restore and re-blue the metal parts and mechanisms. He personally refinished the wooden stock and forearm then added a commemorative plaque on the stock.

I was flabbergasted when I saw the gun! It is a real beauty. Interesting features are the steel saddle ring (missing on some of the more recent guns), the steel butt plate (today they are usually rubber to absorb the kick from firing), and an inscription on the barrel that proclaims it is made of  "nickel steel especially for smokeless powder." Today "smokeless powder" is the norm and the old "black powder" is a rarity pretty much restricted to hobbyists.  I have never shot anything with the gun, but it is probably my most prized of all.

The A5 is also called a "Humpback"
because of the distinctive shape of
the receiver

I have posted several times about my Grandad Wilbanks. One of my guns is passed down from him through my Dad. It is a 16 gauge Browning Model A5    (Auto-5) automatic shotgun. It was manufactured in Belgium and was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun ever produced. When my Dad gave me this gun, it could not shoot ammunition made in the USA. It could only function properly with a slightly shorter European shell. I had a gunsmith correct this problem, and the gun shoots great now. It was nicknamed the "Sweet Sixteen" because it's light weight facilitates the swinging of the gun to follow and lead the target bird. It is said that "you can swing it like your high school sweet heart!" Grandad probably purchased the gun in the late 1930's. it's a fantastic upland game bird gun.

I also refinished the wood on this gun. Grandad used it for bobwhite quail in Oklahoma. He shortened the barrel to widen the shot pattern and down birds from close range (over a pointer).

I own another "Humpback" A5. It is a beautifully engraved 12 Gauge gun that my brother in-law Buck gave me. His Dad Fenn passed it down to him. Buck told me that his Dad got the gun in trade. It has a 30 inch barrel, full choke, and shoots 3 inch magnum shotgun shells. It is designed for bringing down large birds from long range, a perfect gun for ducks and geese. I have never shot the gun.

Grandpa Fenn's A5 is beautifully engraved

I remember one time Buck mistakenly grabbed this gun instead of the regular A5 with a shorter barrel and more open choke. We were hunting Chukar partridge, basically a large quail, out in Nevada. He was wondering why his gun felt so heavy as we hiked up the steep rocky slopes to the ridges where the Chukar hang out. A bunch got up and Buck nailed two birds out of the group (a "double"). Both birds just evaporated in a cloud of feathers! He looked more closely at the gun and realized his mistake. After that he had to let the birds get further out before he shot so he would have something left of them to eat.

There should be no mistaking that 30 inch barrel!

Not long after Kim and I were married, I really got into hunting Chukar with my in-laws. Fenn was getting older, into his mid sixties, and he and Buck took me under their wing and taught me how to hunt these very wily birds. I think it was the Christmas after my first hunt with a borrowed gun that Fenn gave me a 12 gauge Remington 1100 semi-automatic shotgun. It was a beautiful gun and I was thrilled. It has a large enough chamber that it can fire either 2 3/4 inch or 3 inch magnum shells. So I purchased a 30 inch barrel with a full choke to switch it into a waterfowling piece when hunting ducks and geese. I have used the gun primarily to shoot Chukar however, and in fact gave it a nickname as the result of one successful day.

We were in extreme Northern Nevada, near the Oregon border one fall. Buck and I were hunting over a very fresh light snow that allowed us to actually track the birds. I followed one group for nearly an hour, and came out on top of a high ridge. All of a sudden the area around me erupted in wingbeats. I shot at four birds and hit three! I was absolutely exultant. From then on I called my trusty 1100 "Chukar Slayer"!

"Chukar Slayer" was my first new shotgun. It is a beauty. Notice the large chunk out of the forearm. That was caused when I fell in a rockpile during a particularly tough day hunting.

The Sierraville district employees pitched 
in and gifted me this beautiful Browning
Silver Hunter for my retirement.

When I announced my retirement from the Forest Service in late 2007, a couple of people told me that the District employees wanted to purchase a shotgun for me to commemorate my service. I was amazed and flattered that they would suggest such a generous gift. They wanted me to pick something out that I would like. I opted for a 12 gauge browning "Silver Hunter". It is a beautiful gun, designed for carrying in the field for upland game birds. It is a modern version of the original "A5".

I did use the gun on many hunting trips after I left the Forest service. My German Shorthair, Remmy, liked it too. Our favorite spot was the northeastern Sierra Valley south of Chilcoot. It is definitely the best shotgun I own. Maybe someday in the future it will have some of the same allure as my older more historic family heirlooms.

My Silver Hunter has a few battle scars. The scratches on the stock bear witness to the  rocky and treacherous terrain that is the bane of all Chukar hunters. However, the gun gave more than it got.

From 1990 to 1996 we lived "down river", in Somes Bar. It was my first assignment as a District Ranger. Sometimes being the decision maker on a Ranger District can be an unpopular position. Especially in situations where the law and/or Forest Service policy conflict with the desires of the local people. It can be very tricky to balance local versus overall public interests when making decisions. Sometime you just can't do it.

I purchased this Springfield Armory Model
1911 A-1 in Yreka California.

At the Ukonom District there was a large population of Indians whose ancestors had lived there literally "forever". There was no reservation, and the land use policies of the Forest Service were in direct conflict with the wants and desires of these native people. Hard as I tried, conflict between the Forest Service (personified by me) and the Karuk tribal members developed. At one point I was informed that one local Indian man had said he was "going to shoot" me. After consulting with my law enforcement officer I decided to acquire a CCW (Carry a Concealed Weapon) permit and buy a handgun for self (and family) defense.

I bought a .45 caliber Springfield Armory 1911 A1 semi-automatic pistol at a store in Yreka. It was used and had been previously owned by a California Highway Patrolman. The gun was originally designed in competition for a US military contract in 1911. It was the standard sidearm for the US Armed Forces from 1911 all the way through World War II and into the 1990's. My Grandad was issued one, and carried it all through Europe during the war. It is an awesome gun, powerful and heavy. I am currently permitted to carry it concealed in Plumas County. It's not really the greatest gun to conceal due to it's size and weight, but I absolutely love it!

I kept this baby in the back of
Ol' Jack for years. 

The winter of 1976, when I got laid off from my temporary job as a timber marker and cruiser in California Hotsprings, Kim and I had all of our possessions (except our little calico cat, Persnickety) in storage at both of our folks homes. Aren't parents wonderful? We drove up to Lake Tahoe and stayed at the Barkley home for a bit, and then left the cat under the tender loving care of my mother-in-law. We headed out for an adventure that would last several months in "Ol Jack", my faithful VW bus.

Before we left, Kim's Grandfather, Carl T. Byrd, found out about our proposed travel and exploration plans and decided that we needed some protection. He pulled me aside and gave me his old Harrington and Richardson (H&R) 922 revolver. As the model number suggests, it is a nine shot revolver in .22 caliber. It is a very cool old gun. They were manufactured to be inexpensive and affordable. It is basically a small varmint gun or target shooting gun. It's not really made for self defense, although I would rather take one to a knife fight any day. The serial number suggests the gun was made in 1949. At one point the gun became quite corroded. Some moisture must have gotten into the old plastic case in which Grandpa Byrd gave it to me. I bought a gun bluing kit and cleaned it up. It is in good shape now, but you can see where it got pretty deeply etched in a few spots.

Smith & Wesson Masterpiece
.22 caliber revolver

The last gun I want to talk about is a BEAUTIFUL and pristine Smith & Wesson  H 22 Long Rifle CTG .22 caliber Model 17. It was made in about 1959, and it is known as the "Masterpiece". Apparently it is an extremely accurate and easy to handle revolver. I got this gun from my Aunt Lucille. She purchased it in 1960 as a gift to her husband, Uncle Frank. She said that she asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and this was it. She is not sure if he ever fired it, but she's certain that if he did, he didn't shoot it much. She wanted me to have it. I told her that I loved the gun, and that the next owner would be her namesake: Lucille Marcelle. This really pleased her.

I hope the stories behind my Family Guns make them more than just useful and interesting tools. I want them to connect my descendants with me, and also with our other family ancestors.

That's All!