Great Grandpa Albert c.1919We all know those stories. The family history stories that involve firearms, most people have them. Jay G has his families police revolver, some families have the firearms from WWII. My family story is a bit older than that.
Rumours surround this mythical rifle. It was bought by my Great Grandfather from a stage coach driver on the last stage into Salt Lake City. It was one of those right place/right time deal. The last coach pulled into town and he was there when the stage coach driver decided he didnt need it anymore. It was a Browning High Wall single shot rifle with a bull barrel. He didnt know what caliber it was, but a 32/40 Ballard fit. It shot well, even if it did blow out the cases. Later it was determined that it was actually 30/40 Krag. There are two generations of hunting stories with this rifle. From Deer to Bears and even a Moose.
Only one problem. Nobody had ever even seen it; It dropped off the radar about 50 years ago. Nobody was surprised my Great Grandfather had 12 kids (at least I know he had 12 boys, there may be more...). Luckily, it turned up last weekend, my Great-Uncle Ron had it up in Idaho. Later this month it will be passed onto my Father, and then to me. I will have pictures up when I get them, and I have alot of research to do, at this point all we know is that it's a real Browning from the late 19th or early 20th century(probably touched by JMB himself!). But it is a tangible way to touch my family history, lending a new life to all these old stories. I only hope that a century from now one of my rifles (I even have one picked out!) will illicit such excitement.
