In my humble library, ever growing, resides a three-ring binder entitled “Gun Stories.”

I cannot count the amount of times I’ve either been given or handed for inspection some old gun where, shortly thereafter, the person handing it to me said something to the effect of “I sure wish this old gun could talk.” The stories of each scratch, ding and adventure earned are as important as the firearm itself. Without these, it’s just another gun.

The Colt Peacemaker revolver that Pat Garrett is purported to have used to kill the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid in 1881 recently sold at auction for $6 million. Popular as vintage Colt Peacemaker sixguns are to collectors, without the story and proper provenance, it’s just another gun.

When I was about 19, a gun mentor of mine showed me a Smith & Wesson top-break revolver. It was a .44 caliber and had belonged to the first sheriff of Prineville. Along with it he had a handful of vintage black powder cartridges. My great uncle George Carr had a similar weapon — chambered in .44 Russian — that he had taken off of an enemy soldier in the Pacific theater during the Second World War. The journey it traveled to end up in family hands nearly circles the entire globe. What stories these guns could tell!

A close childhood friend of mine has a Springfield 1896 carbine in .30 U.S. Army caliber. That .30-40 Krag, as it’s more commonly known, has been in his family for five generations. When his son is old enough to be given its charge, that will make the sixth generation. With it, his grandfather took an excellent wall-hanging bull elk near Cokeville, Wyoming, back in the 1970s. That’s only one of the many stories that should be preserved for future generations.

Lastly, in my collection resides a Winchester Model 1892 carbine. Serial number research places it as having been made in 1892 or 1893, having left the factory chambered for .32-20 WCF. My great-grandfather, who became its eventual owner, was born in 1898, five years later. For whatever reason, likely because the .32-20 was tough to procure ammunition for, Great Grampa Earl had it rebarreled to .357 Magnum. Its picture adorned my previous article regarding the .357 carbine. This gun is a hoot to shoot and has quickly became one of my favorites. Besides that, it’s the oldest family heirloom firearm to the best of my knowledge.

The aforementioned binder has an entry for every firearm in my collection. Photos and appropriate documentation of serial number and condition also accompany each firearm entry. Ideally, the binder should be kept as up-to-date as possible, and if a gun is ever sold or gifted to a loved one, its detailed stories would be passed along with it.

Too much of our history is lost to the mysterious sands of time. Keeping records of our most prized possessions should be an important labor of love to pass along with those items. My binder does just that. That way, when my time comes, I will pass on but my stories will live on.

Do you write down the stories of your favorite guns? Write to us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com and check us out on Facebook!