Someone of fame said the only interesting gun is an accurate gun. I disagree. The story behind a gun, some peculiarity about the gun, lots of things can make them interesting. I have several that fall in the catagory. Will list one now. My Win model 42 (.410 pump shotgun) I've had it since I was a kid and it's the only gun I have that I know the serial number on. It is the same forwards or backwards 34X43.

I hope this thread will generate some stories. I'll post one now and if the interest is there, have several more. My dad was avid quail,duck and goose hunter but never hunted deer until he was almost 40. Back then there weren't deer to speak of in the area, but there are now??? My dad was an electrician and owned his own business and didnt mind bartering if someone had something he wanted. He was going deer hunting and a building contractor my dad did wiring for had a like new Marlin 30-30 he traded some work for. Dad got his first deer with it and by the next year had bartered for a 30-06 (which is another story). The 30-30 became a backup gun if the 30-06 should give trouble. My dad had the 30-30 under his pickup seat for a trip to the lake and neglected to take it out. The gun was stolen out of his pickup. Over a year later I found the gun in a pawn shop. I was a young teen-ager at the time. Didnt really go into the pawn shop to look at guns, but his gun caught my attention. There were three things that made me recognize it. He had a harness leather military type sling on it. He also had a Lyman receiver sight on it. It had a recoil pad that was recognizable. There was a gunsmith in Wichita Falls Texas (where this happened) that used pachmyr recoil pads that had his name embossed on the bottom. Perry Wright Gunsmith Wichita Falls Texas. This was before zip codes or 2 letter state abbreviations. We were able to get the gun back and I now have it. It is old enough to be drawing social security and probably has less than 100 rounds fired in it. Not for sure yet, but I might give it to a nephew that was fond of my dad--my nephews grandpa.

No responses--well I do have a question maybe can get answered. I have not looked at A Blue Book in years--quit buying them--that's another post. My question is what value do they now put on a Win model 41 .410 shotgun? Reason I ask is 11th edition listed top price of $450 then the next year(12th edition) had it up to $1200. Next year $525 and all years I saw after that was below that $1200. I did have an occasion to talk to Steve Fjestad the Blue Book publisher and he told me based on the few (22,145) that were made and the last one in 1934 he didnt think there would be many around but after he published the $1200 figure turns out more around than he thought. That's the only gun I have paid attention to that dropped in value. If someone has a late Blue Book please let me know the listed price and edition number of your book. Thanks.

OK, Carpetman, here's my interesting gun story:

A long-time great friend of mine introduced me to firearm enthusiasm about 25 years ago and we started haunting the gunshows together. During the last day of one show, we were perusing a gunsmith's table when my friend pointed out this BRNO to me. He said that this was a Model 98 Mauser, The Best Bolt-Action Rifle Design Ever and It Was At A Fair Price!!! Even with this hardy endorsement, I only bought the rifle because it was the best centerfire-rifle-suitable-for-deer-hunting that I could afford. Indeed, it was the first centerfire rifle I ever owned. Little did I know all of the classic custom features that this rifle possessed.

As I learned more about rifles and how they are built, I started noticing certain custom touches on my Mauser. It has a sculpted trigger guard, an adjustable trigger, and a lever floorplate release. The action and the barrel are fully bedded and the stock is hand-checkered. The stock also has a buffalo horn fore end tip. The rear sight is a Lyman peep and the hooded front sight is mounted with a barrel-band. The action is smooth and the rifle shoots very well.

To shorten a long story: It took me a long time to realize that this rifle is a one-of-a-kind hand-built firearm. At one point, I traded it to my friend mentioned above - for what, I can't remember. It's true that we often don't know what we have until it's gone and this rifle was no exception. Recently, I was able to trade back for it and it will never leave my hands again. I guess that this is my favorite because, not only was it one of my firsts, but also because of how its unique character was revealed to me a little at a time as I became increasingly more educated about fine firearms. This rifle helped me to discover an appreciation for the art of the rifle in form and in function.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
Someone of fame said the only interesting gun is an accurate gun.

I think Larry Potterfield said it last.

onefunzr2---Larry Potterfield-lol--you must know I'm not a big fan of his. I think he said the only interesting customer is one you can rip off. Wasn't the person I had in mind.

Potterfield quotes Col Townsend Whelen in his many adverts on the Outdoor Channel.

"I'm Larry Potterfield, and that's the way it is" & "I'm Larry Potterfield, thanks for your business" are a couple of more famous quotes.

I am certain it was Harry Pope