I have three Uncles who have a tradition of getting together every year for a "fishing" trip. Due to my work schedules in the past, I was never able to attend until this year.
We were sitting around having a few beers the other night and began talking about my Grandfather who passed away 22 years ago. I was quite close to him when he was alive, and would spend nearly every weekend fishing with him at his house. He was quite a character, and even as an old man, he would play practical jokes on people every chance he got. He was just one of those outgoing types who "never met a stranger".
As the conversation with my Uncles went on, I began to learn quite a few things I never knew about him. Apparently, he used to smuggle liquor across the Detroit River from Canada into the United States during the days of prohibition. He carried a 1903 Colt .32 caliber pistol for protection which he bought for $5 Dollars (a hot gun I'm assuming).
At any rate, my Uncle went into his bedroom and brought out the old gun which we passed around. After a few more beers, we decided it would be fun to fire the thing. We loaded it up and each fired a few rounds from the back porch of my Uncle's yard. He then brought out several other guns which had belonged to my Grandfather, each of which was at least 60 years old.
In the end we fired the following weapons:
Colt 1903 .32 Caliber pistol
Enfield .303 WWI Infantry Rifle (used in combat by my Uncle's father in law. He was a gunner observer on a Jenny).
Remington 35 pump action rifle
A 410 Shotgun Pistol (Can't remember who made it)
Browning 16 Guage Automatic shotgun
A Combination Single shot 410 shotgun/.22 cal rifle (Can't remember who made this one either, but it's a strange gun)
It was a neat feeling firing all of these historic guns. Each of which fired as true as the day it was made. I felt like I was firing a piece of history. We needed a target, so my Uncle's bird feeder was KIA... I'm sure my Grandfather was looking down and laughing his butt off. You had to know him...
