What's in a name

[Longhunter]

I name my guns and even some of my knives. It seems to make them more than just tools, I feel closer to them when I personalize them with a name. To give a gun or knife a name gives it character and a sense of belonging to YOU

William James said in 1890, "A mans self is the sum total of all that he can call his"

"More than mere tools our possessions become extensions of the self. We use them to signal to ourselves and others, who we want to be and where we want to belong, and long after we are gone they become our legacy. Some might even say our essence lives on in what once we made or owned"

Your Psychology lesson for today. 

[Longhunter]

By definition a name is a word by which you are known. It announces a distinctive character unlike others of the same kind. Identifying and separating as being special. To me a name personalizes  my gun and gives me a feeling of "closeness" to it.

Even Daniel Boon named his rifle, "Tick-Licker" If it was good enough for Ol' Daniel it's good enough for me. 

[Roaddog]

I too have named all my guns by personality or by deeds.Some of my knives I have named but no all of them.They are much  more than tools to me.

[Winter Hawk]

Well, my Hodge-Podge rifle started out as a kit from Deer Creek when the old folks still had it.  Then I got a new Colerain barrel put on by Captchee.  I didn't like the trigger guard so got another from Track of the Wolf.  Now I have a patch box coming from Ted Cash which I will fashion to resemble one from an 1803 Harper's Ferry.  The end result is a "hodge-podge" collection of parts, hence the name.

-Kees-

[Hank in WV]

No point for me to name anything. I can't remember names for 30 seconds.

[Two Steps]

  Preach it Hank!  That's why I stayed I the Army...everybody wore a name tag on their shirt!
Couple of my MLs have names...but they don't pay attention to them...
Al

[Ohio Joe]

That's why I stayed I the Army...everybody wore a name tag on their shirt!

Al,,, when I was in the Army every morning when I got ready to go to my duty station I'd look in the mirror just to make sure I was squared away, and just prayed that no one would notice they had spelled my name backward on everyone one of my fatigue shirts and field jacket... They even did it to my name tag for my Dress Green's and Khaki's... I don't know how anyone didn't notice that??? It stood out like a sore thumb... 

[Uncle Russ]

A few of my own guns have had names over the years, but I can't say 'em here.

Those that have somehow managed to hang around have all been reworked to the point they hardly resemble their family heritage, and are referred to mostly by caliber, or "that thing".
When things go really south on some project, my sons, or one of the sons of my sons, are right there to grab it up and add their own brand of destruction...sometimes things actually work out, even those that don't make really unique Tomato Stakes.

Names are interesting things, with some names being more popular than others.
Among those are, "Old Thunder" for the really big-bores, and "Grace" when a particular Flint Lock with fine lines appears on the scene.

My own latest tinkering produced what I originally wanted to call "Wind River Tacks", outta respect for the Sioux Indian , but my oldest grandson insists that since it is just a bit too flashy for a 1838 style Plains Rifle, once owned by some brave Sioux Indian, both myself and the rifle would be better served by naming it Stormy Daniels, or some other well know hooker....bling and flash are synonymous with such things,  according to the wisdom of my 25 year old grandson.

Leave the naming to the kids, right or wrong they'll end up naming that rifle gun for ya.

Uncle Russ...

[Ohio Joe]

I only have one rifle with a name (ol'Snuffer) and that's because I did pretty good in some candle shoots many years ago with it.  It was actually several members in our Rondy camp back then that tagged the name on ol'Snuffer... 

[trent/OH]

Several years ago my wife called me and said there was a gun like I shoot at a neighborhood yard sale. I expected a T/C or CVA but found instead a custom made, left hand, 40 caliber longrifle. I gave the seller every dollar he asked, all 100 of them! That's right, a custom rifle for $100!
The patchbox isn't swirly or floral or anything like that. Instead, it a woman. (To open the patchbox, you have to lift her skirt!!!)
I offered to name my rifle after my wife, but she declined the magnanimous offer, as did my daughter. Womenfolk. Go figure them out. So I wound up naming my obscenely inexpensive rifle after the patchbox........The Brassy Lady!

[Uncle Russ]

...................................I offered to name my rifle after my wife, but she declined the magnanimous offer, as did my daughter. Womenfolk. Go figure them out. So I wound up naming my obscenely inexpensive rifle after the patchbox........The Brassy Lady!

That's cool, appropriate, with a bit of history as to why it happened that way.

It seems that every one, everybody in the whole wide world....except me, finds an occasional treasure at a flea market or yard sale.
Since that has NEVER happened to me, and after experiencing a few more birthdays than many others, I feel my time is coming real soon! 
Any day now I expect to run across this beautiful flinter at a yard sale for 100 bucks, maybe even a bit more but that's okay!
Now, if that should come to pass, I already have a name picked out.....it's going to be called, "My Bucket Gun".

 

Uncle Russ...

[Bigsmoke]

I had kind of forgotten about this until Mrs. Smoke reminded me today.
Back in the late 1970's, a friend of mine and I went in halves on an 18' tipi.  It had been set up for 3 or 4 years but still in serviceable if weathered condition.  It had really taken a set and I'll be darned if I could get it back into how it wanted to be set up.  As a result, every time I pitched that darn thing, it came out with some very noticeable, pronounced wrinkles.  Hence we took to calling it Ol' Washboard.
The year we got it, we took it to the club RDV and my partner-in-tipi's dog had pups in the tent.  I was amazed at how many people could get into there, to look at the pups.
We kept it for a few years until some guy expressed a desire for it and presto, it was his.
I think it changed hands a few more times.  The last time I saw it was at our club RDV a few years later and the canvas had gotten so thin by then, I was amazed that it was able to be set without ripping apart.  And yes, it was still Ol' Washboard.

John