Were your ancestors into guns / target shooting?

[Turbinator]

I have a couple of photos to share:



Photo on the left - my grandfather and his brother, target shooting somewhere in CA.

On the right - my grandfather, shortly before he got busted by a game warden for illegally shooting (and killing) a bird - the fine was $25. The caption in the photo, written on the photograph itself, says "Looking for the $25 bird."

The year was sometime around 1919 or 1920.

Both rifles pictured are still in the family. My dad's got one, and I've got the other. Grandpa and his brother are now gone, but it's nice to see that they enjoyed target shooting just as I do today.

Let's hear about your stories - photos are always a big bonus. I have more to share but I'll give a few people a chance to add to the thread before I post a few more.

Turby

[nick]

Every male (and these days, female) child in my family is supposed to learn how to shoot, among other things.

[Vtec44]

My grandpa was in the military....

[Cokebottle]

No photos, but yup.... father, grandfathers, and I'm sure beyond.
Father was in the USN during WWII serving in the Marshalls... still alive and kicking... well... not kicking MUCH as he's currently having a 2nd knee replacement, but he was up and walking less than 2 weeks after having his 1st knee replaced.
Just turned 87 last month.

[slik556]

On the right - my grandfather, shortly before he got busted by a game warden for illegally shooting (and killing) a bird - the fine was $25. The caption in the photo, written on the photograph itself, says "Looking for the $25 bird."

Are you sure that you grandfather was not fined the $25.00 for flipping the game warden the bird Look like his hand was blotted out for some reason....

[nagorb]

I have a couple of photos to share:



Photo on the left - my grandfather and his brother, target shooting somewhere in CA.

On the right - my grandfather, shortly before he got busted by a game warden for illegally shooting (and killing) a bird - the fine was $25. The caption in the photo, written on the photograph itself, says "Looking for the $25 bird."

The year was sometime around 1919 or 1920.

Both rifles pictured are still in the family. My dad's got one, and I've got the other. Grandpa and his brother are now gone, but it's nice to see that they enjoyed target shooting just as I do today.

Let's hear about your stories - photos are always a big bonus. I have more to share but I'll give a few people a chance to add to the thread before I post a few more.

Turby

That pretty cool. As far as I know I'm the only one in a large catholic family that was ever into guns. My parents are both completely against guns.

[joelukehart]

My father used to hunt pheasant in the midweast when he was younger. I wouldn't say he was into guns, its just that everyone had them. I think it was his uncle who gave him a Browning semi-auto 20 gauge which he just passed down to me.

[Crusader]

One of my great grandfather's first purchases when arriving in the U.S. was a Springfield 1878 Trapdoor rifle. I've got the thing in my gun safe. I was really looking forward to finding some BP 45-70 ammo but apparently it's not too popular anymore.

[El Gato]

Dad was a gun nut when he was a kid and later became a Sheriff's Deputy and is still a gun nut...got it from his uncle who got it from his dad and uncle...and so on until you get to the really ancestral (that's a word ain't it) relatives... .say 1850 or so.... what lived in the mountains of what we like to call california and used bows and arrows and tried to shoot what became my great something uncles and grandpa... great great grand daddy ended up marrying one of the indians and then the uncles did and so now I have this darker sort of skin, and flatish face and a thick head of hair and these strange urgings to wear deer skin and eat pinion nuts and chip obsidian....

[Peter W Bush]

My great grandfather carried a Schwarzlose in Syria. For those that don't know, its a blow-forward pistol.

[nagorb]

My great grandfather carried a Schwarzlose in Syria. For those that don't know, its a blow-forward pistol.

What is a blow forward pistol?

[NSR500]

My Ancestors are Filipino and Spaniard; of course I come from a gun family. You don't think Guam and the Philippines welcomed the Spaniards with open arms do you?
I'm pretty handy with anything I can use as a defensive tool.

[Air]

Yup, guns have been a way of life for my family on my dads side, farmers in South Central Missouri...Probably all the way back when the farm was homesteaded in the early 1800's. On my moms side, there is a particular Injun chief that raised hell with whitey...using firearms of course.

[caldude]

Nope, I'm the only shooter in my family. My dad's dad was a cop, but he died before I was born. Otherwise, only my cousins in Oregon who hunt have guns.

[high_revs]

i'm the only one and the first one on the mom and pop side to own one. i dunno if someone on my mom side shoot at least (i think some of my cousins shot at least but not own i think).