The rest of the collection

Here are the longarms from the collection. From Left to Right: Mossberg Maverick 88 in 12 gauge, Bushmaster AR-15 with Eotech sight in .223, Remington 710 in .30-06, Springfield Armory M-1 Garand in .30-06, Chinese SKS Type 45 Carbine in 7.62x39mm, Norinco Model 97 in 12 gauge, Arisaka based custom hunting rifle in .300 Savage and Sears and Roebuck Model 110 in 20 gauge. I had them out to catalog them, made sure I had all the serial numbers on file and check to ensure each one was in working order.

In putting together my collection, some were chosen because of their usefulness, some were just plain cool, and some just happened to fall into my hands. The Mossberg and AR-15 are excellent survival weapons, I can't recommend them highly enough. The Remington 710 was chosen to have something capable of taking larger game at a distance. The Garand is a piece of history and a cool rifle to shoot. I can't imagine lugging it across Europe or the Pacific though, it must weigh 15 pounds. The SKS is a vet bring back, no import marks, all numbers matching. I try and not shoot it too often, but it is a lot of fun. The Norinco Model 97 was something I have always wanted, and a real Winchester Model 97 was out of my price range. You can slam fire it just like an original (hold the trigger down and work the slide and it will fire each time it chambers a round, just plain brutal!) The Arisaka is a work of art, probably put together in the late fifties or early sixties, and no doubt done by hand. It has a Johnson Automatics barrel, from either a Johnson rifle or a Johnson Light Machine Gun. The stock was hand carved and has black and white bakelite inserts. It has a micrometer peep site instead of a scope, and a funky space ship type muzzle break on it. It is chambered in .300 Savage, which was quite the deer getter back in the day. And last, but not least, the Sears and Roebuck break open 20 gauge single shot, which is my personal favorite. Why, you may ask, with all the cool hardware lined up against the wall, is a old beater 20 gauge one shot my favorite? Well, it belonged to my Grandfather, and it bagged many a squirrel in it's day. It hung on his wall and I looked at it with reverence every time we visited. When he died, it went to live in my Father's closet. When he passed away last year, it came to live with me. one day, hopefully, it will belong to my son. Sentimental value, a family history in firearms, and an investment in my rights.