New to me Remington 878 Automaster

[Guest Aces&8s]

My dad has been wanting a rifle that he can use for deer hunting, as well as to have handy for coyotes and wild hogs. He has some back problems and arthritis, and my .30-06 and Mosin-Nagant were just a bit much for him to shoot a lot. Well, last week I had the opportunity to trade for a 30-30, and so I gave it to him to use, and he absolutely loves it.

I went over to give him a couple of boxes of ammo, and to sight his rifle in for him, and he said he wanted to give me something for the rifle. I told him he didn't need to do that, as it was a gift, and I was just happy to be able to get him a nice gun that he liked, but he insisted on giving me something. So we go inside his house, and he hands me his old Remington 878 Automaster 12 gauge. The bluing is still in pretty good condition, and aside from a few dings, the wood is really nice. It is only a three-shot, 2 3/4" chamber, but it is very accurate, and the action is very smooth. I tried to take a couple of pics with my cell phone, but they did not turn out too good:

Now, I know that these guns aren't exactly collector's items, but to me, this gun is priceless. Just like my great-granddad's old single shot 20 gauge and my dad's Ruger Single Six, this is one of the guns that I have grown up with, and there are a lot of memories attached to it. And I may only get this gun out once in a blue moon and shoot it, for fear of something irreplaceable breaking, but when I do shoot it, or even just get it out and clean and oil it, all of those memories will be there waiting for me. And I suppose that is what it means to be an heirloom.