Preamble: This seems a bit sad maybe (or long!), that wasn't my intent. Read on until you get to the gun porn.
In 2006 my grandmother passed away. She was a sentimental and very family-oriented person and had set aside a modest amount of cash for my sister and I with specific instructions that it couldn't be used for anything mundane. Meaning, don't put it toward a car you won't own in 5 years, etc. Fair enough. With my interests, I figured what better use than to buy a "tribute gun". She was a petite, classy lady, so seeming fitting at the time, I bought a light weight, classy-looking Benelli Montefeltro shotgun. I think of her every time I see it in the safe. Since then, every time I have lost a significant figure in my life, I've bought a "tribute gun", which fortunately has been only a few (but too many) times. I mentioned to my dad that I had pretty much made this a tradition starting in 2006. He said it had unknowingly started in 1999 when dad took me out of school to buy my first not-borrowed-from-dad deer rifle. We got home late that night and in the middle of the night received a call that my grandfather had passed away from a heart attack. I was a young teen and my grandfather was 100% my best friend.
Last month, we lost our 10 year old Black Lab, Moose. I hate the comparison, I know, but he really was like our four-legged kid. He went everywhere with us, exploring the US on vacations and due to always taking him, pushed my wife and I in to our love for driving-based travel to remote destinations (the hot term these days is "overlanding"). He was a faithful companion, who without question taught me more than I ever taught him. He taught me more about patience, compassion, forgiveness, love, accepting the flaws of others and of yourself. I am forever changed for having had him in my life for 10 years. I miss him dearly.
It never crossed my mind that he wouldn't qualify for a "tribute gun", again, he was family. I started thinking about appropriate tribute guns; something that is a cornerstone of a collection maybe and seemed fitting. I found this pinned and recessed 19-4 on Gunbroker a while back and that was it. I grew up shooting a 6" 19 and had wanted a 4" since I was a kid. A classic American revolver in memory of the classic American dog. I would guess it was shot less than a box of ammo and sat in a safe or closet for 40 years "just in case". Good dogs and good guns both need good leather so I'll probably have Alex at American Classic Gunleather make me something, well, classic.
Moose, you did a good job buddy. Go be free.
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Originally Posted by Adam
