WB
Found this old picture of my 16 yr. old collection
Thursday, March 18, 2021, 09:59

I was 16 yrs. old actually when I took this photo of my "guns". All were stolen with the exception of the little Beretta .25 and the Remington 550 upper far left. They even took my BB gun, the Crossman 454 CO2 far left.

I still have the Remington 550. It was my father's from the early 1950's. He sold GRIT newspapers and bought a "Whizzer" motorbike. After he slid it under a parked car he traded it, dinged up, for the Remington .22, a fair squirrel dog, and $7 cash. A considerable amount in 1950. It was one of the first rifles I ever shot, with some assistance.

Representing the essence of the trade; The old dog is gone, probably the bike too. But the old gun is still around.

I spent many hours running the woods with the three .22 handguns on my hip. The Ruger Std. MkI was late 1950's as it had the 9-shot mag with button on the off side, and black grips with the black eagle on only one side. The FIE gold plated revolver that was very Peacemaker'ish to my glee, and the little mid-60's Ruger Bearcat that was my favorite. The High Standard "Longhorn" made the most sense to me. A 9-shot DA that had some style. It shot good but the DA pull was about 20 lbs. My mother claimed it as hers and I only got to use it. They also stole her .410 Mossberg bolt gun, Dad's M17 S&W 8-3/8" (we got him a replacement), and a vintage Crossman pump pellet pistol. I found that I still had the leather holster for the Bearcat I carried so many miles. I've had the holster for 50 years myself. My S&W 63 fits well enough and I hope my SP-101 .22 and .32 fits also. I'll try it this evening.

Other guns represented are my 552 Speedmaster my Grandfather gave me and his Stevens 5100 16 double. Dad's Sweet 16 Browning I used a bunch. It kicked me silly! I have found a Stevens 5100 that is almost identical to the one missing, complete with a couple cases of coveted Purple Federals.

Some good memories. I see God had a plan with it all.