Would you take a family heirloom (rifle) hunting?

[BarBBar]

I had a cousin who lived to be 104. He had some nice antique Winchester saddle guns that were stolen from his home. Someday, your heirs, or their heirs, will sell the rifle after you're dead and turn it into cash.

Read the Arabian Nights story about the man who cried when the huge store of gold he had jealously guarded was stolen from under his house. He was asked "Why are you crying? You never did anything with it anyway."

Your life is your window of time. Would your dad would want you to hunt with it, or just look at it and hold it like a rare coin investment.

I hunt with my grandfather's 7X57 Oberndorf Mauser with set trigger and Cape Buffalo butt plate. Had it glass bedded to make it shoot better. I feel like he goes with me when I hunt with it.

If you are more worried about its value as an asset, keep it in your safe and use your other guns.

[Jmh05]

I'll post a picture of it here in just a sec. I think I'm going to start by shooting it on my range and see how it feels and go from there. I specifically bought a .300win mag for this hunt (keep in mind I haven't rifle hunted in 20yrs for the most part until my aoudad hunt), so I have other options but it has to at least be shot on the range.

Additionally, my uncle said he would give me the matching Finnbear and if I get that other matching 7mm Mag in my hands, I'll use one, safe queen the other.

All of my rifles etc...will be going to my only son, who's just 5 now. Hopefully we have a lot of life to hunt and share these family things.

[diamond10x]

There is no other greater feeling than killing animals with a rifle passed down from family generations before you. When your son gets older and big enough to shoot that rifle, it would be just as memorable and exciting to see him kill a deer with that rifle as it was for you and possibly even more so.

[BrianL]

I would. I might get a synthetic stock just so I wasn't as worried about scratching the original up.

https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/content/resource-center/gunstocks/featherweight-thumbhole-sako-l61r-finnbear-magnum-413951006zz

[meltingfeather]

Definitely. Been hunting plenty of times with my granddad’s Model 99.

[Jmh05]

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Here is the 7mm Mag. Sako Finnbear.

[UncleBubba]

After my great uncle passed I bought his LH 7mm Remington 700 from my great aunt, his sons would have pawned it off. I shed a tear when I killed this big boar with it. His dream was to go elk hunting and one year before his cancer diagnosis him and my dad went and killed an elk with this rifle. It’ll be an heirloom in our family for years to come. Take it hunting!

[jer_james]

Just my opinion - my Grandfather gave me 2 guns. One that I cannot discuss from a certain War that involved the World.

Another that was a Family rabbit shooter from the farm in Ohio. Nothing special, but I shoot one and shadow boxed the other.

I'd go with your gut on decisions like this. Only you know what's best. Either way I don't believe there is a wrong answer!

[bullets13]

If it's mint I'd keep it mint. It's not going to outperform what you can buy today. If it was blemished and well worn in, I'd take it and hunt with it for the experience. Just my opinion.

[Graysonhogs]

I'd take it.

[panhandlehunter]

Never fired and it would stay in the safe. I have 3 guns my grandfather passed down to me that were never fired, and they will remain that way as long as they are mine. I’ve got a few others that he used, and I use them like he would.

[UncleBubba]

If it's mint I'd keep it mint. It's not going to outperform what you can buy today. If it was blemished and well worn in, I'd take it and hunt with it for the experience. Just my opinion.

This right here. Uncle Roger’s was well worn, but if it was mint it’d be a safe queen for sure!

[sbushee]

If it’s unfired I wouldn’t shoot it. I’d just put it up

[Mesquite Archer]

If Grandpa bought it to hunt and shoot but never got a chance I would take it out in his memory and get it done. Of course I would take great care, as I do with all of my guns, to keep it lubed, cleaned and protected in a nice padded case.

[Outback]

What if you wrapped it in camo tape when you took it out? If it got wet, you would need to unwrap it, dry, oil and rewrap. I've used that several times on my Browning shotgun. Works great.