[ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby outside portland, oregon. A family wrote that their strange inheritance would blow me away an extraordinary cache of historic firearms and civil war cannons thats lock, stock, and smoking barrels. My names brian marek. My father was a worldclass gunsmith who spent his life forging centuriesold military weapons. Its all shaped by hand. Into an arsenal coveted by collectors. My brothers and i found our inheritance highly explosive, in more ways than one. Hey, guys, im jamie. I meet brian, along with his brother tim. Tim, how are you . Nice to meet you. Lets go. The brothers walk me right over and give me a small taste of their strange inheritance, these civil war cannons. These are beauties. This particular one is a 7 8th scale of a 6pounder. This ones a fullsize scale of a 3inch ordnance rifle. Theyre fun to shoot, and theyre handmade by our dad. The brothers tell me these are just two of the hundreds of historic military weapons built, refurbished, or collected by their father rudy marek. Dad was a collector and he was a craftsman and he was so passionate. Rudys story begins in 1928 in a small farm town outside portland, says his middle son dean. Was there early fascination with guns . Oh, yeah. All capitals on that one for dad. When rudys 11, hes inspired to make his first firearm after watching a pirate movie. In this home video, rudy tells the tale. And i made a pirate pistol, just like i thought it looked in it was a crude gun. You put a firecracker in and stick the fuse out the side, light the fuse and hold it. The only trouble was, i made it out of mas curtain rod. As a teen, rudy fixes up busted guns when hes not building them from scratch. When it comes to gunsmithing, hes a prodigy. Anything i could imagine, i could build, just like that. And he has some imagination. When i was a little boy, i could envision having a collection of every gun of major importance in the history of the united states. In 1951, rudy weds gloria anderson. It isnt a shotgun marriage, but you could call it a shotgun honeymoon. They were going to gun shows, just right out of the gate. Doesnt sound particularly romantic for a young bride. I dont think it was for mom, [ laughs ], romantic, no. Rudy then joins the Portland Police force. But that was not his passion at all. His passion was when he got home, he could go to the shop. This is a percussion pistol, 1952, when mom was in the hospital with me as a newborn. Rudys notebooks from those days indicate the lengths to which he goes to make his replicas authentic. I photographed it at the smithsonian, went home and built the thing. Have gun, will travel. This is a copy of Daniel Boones rifle, as close as i could get from pictures, paintings. Davy, Davy Crockett this is a Davy Crockett rifle that he took to the alamo. I had to have a copy of it, naturally. Heres his copy of the pistol Wild Bill Hickok was packing when he was killed in a deadwood, south dakota saloon in 1876. How exact is it . Its an exact copy. Heres another marekmade gun, a swivelbreach rifle popular in colonial times. It has two barrels, two firing mechanisms, and one hammer. So, you would fire the first side, and then you just roll it around. Are you kidding me . And then you could fire your second round. Just like that . Chhchh this gun was would be the time of george washington. As his handmade arsenal grows, so does rudys reputation. He earns the nickname, mr. Frightening, because his handcrafted replicas are so good, its scary. That was a small load. If you put a big load in there, itll knock you on your fanny. Just a sample of hand engraving that i did on a block. But gunsmithing isnt rudys only talent. He also engraves firearms. Theres a clear, new cut, and you can make a border. Check out the work he does on his smith wesson service revolver. What about the design on this rifle . Soon enough, rudy is getting hired to do custom engraving from none other than the colt firearms company. My works went all over the world. He was really proud. That was a lot of prestige. With the extra cash from his side gig, rudys now able to amass an impressive arsenal of superrare antique originals, some dating back four centuries. This is a wheellock, which was made in 1631. Harpers ferry, designed by Thomas Jefferson for the lois and clark expedition. 0. 303 world war i trench rifle. Rudy looks to add to his artillery when this bronze civil war 12pounder, called the napoleon, goes on sale. The napoleon gun won the war for the union army. Hayes otoupalik is a militaria dealer and collector. He tells me more about that napoleon cannon. It was found in the 1950s in the path of union army at gettysburg. Its a classic, musthave weapon in a civil war collection. So, rudy must have it, even if the 12 grand asking price is a stretch. He had to refinance the home, i think oh, my. To my mothers dismay. There was, you know, tension in the home, so i heard a fair amount of things that maybe i wish i wouldnt have heard. Rudy just covers his ears, claims his prize, and painstakingly refurbishes the cannon using blueprints from the smithsonian. But will he listen to the warning shot fired by the missus . My wife told me, if i build one more cannon, shed divorce me. Heres a strange inheritance quiz question. The answer when we return. Do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk all around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun we needed somebody to lean on all we need is someone to lean on hour 36 in the stakeout. As soon as the homeowners arrive, well inform them that Liberty Mutual customizes home insurance, so theyll only pay for what they need. Your turn to keep watch, limu. Wake me up if you see anything. [ snoring ] [ loud squawking and siren blaring ] only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. You may have gingivitis. When you brush, and the clock could be ticking towards bad breath, receding gums, and possibly. Tooth loss. Help turn back the clock on gingivitis with parodontax. Leave bleeding gums behind. Parodontax. Everything your trip needs, for everyone you love. Expedia. Now you can, with shipsticks. Com no more lugging your clubs through the airport or risk having your clubs lost or damaged by the airlines. Sending your own clubs ahead with shipsticks. Com makes it fast easy to get to your golf destination. With just a few clicks or a phone call, well pick up and deliver your clubs ontime, guaranteed, for as low as 39. 99. Shipsticks. Com saves you time and money. Make it simple. Make it ship sticks. Its a. The gatling gun made in 1862 was a handcranked, sixbarrel weapon. It could fire more than 700 rounds a minute. Portland, Oregon Police officer rudy marek is a worldclass gunsmith and engraver with a big target to make or acquire a firearm from every major event in American History. Goldmounted dueling pistol of the type that killed hamilton. This is the general custer carbine. The troopers carried this at battle of the little bighorn. This is the same size gun that killed abraham lincoln. Its nearly fullsize. He even builds field artillery. These cannons were lined up at gettysburg, sometimes 50to100 at a time. His cannons become so wellknown that theyre used as props in the 1965 Jimmy Stewart film shenandoah. Rudys enough of a star himself, he even receives fan mail from military buffs, like a 17yearold hayes otoupalik, the weapons collector we met earlier. He recalls writing rudy back in 1966, that his dream is to acquire a collection of artillery, too. Rudy inspired me as a young boy. You want to be rudy. [ laughs ] am i right . I liked those cannons, yeah. Especially rudys original napoleon cannon from the civil war. Hayes finally meets rudy in 1971 at a gun show. Did you bring up, im the kid who wants the cannon . Oh, yeah, i brought it up to him. I made him aware that i would like to have the cannon one day. The two men hit it off, and become friends. He was a mentor. He took a fuse that was already lit, and he he made the fire burn a little bigger for me. I bet. Unfortunately, all that time alone with his guns is time away from rudys own family. How many hours are we talking about, that he spent with this obsession . Innumerable. He would go to the shop, and we wouldnt see him until the next day. My skills come in i do things freehand. A mind like ive got works 24 hours a day, and you cant create fast enough the things that come up into it. When did he go to your Little League games . He very rarely attended our Little League games. I never felt like he didnt love me, but he just wasnt interested in what i was doing. Rudys wife gloria feels even more neglected. In 1971, my beloved wife divorced me, and i was devastated by it. What do you think drove her it was a lot of loneliness, im sure. They never stopped loving each other. Its just that he was hard to live with. But rudy never stops adding to his stockpile. Ah im right at home in my element here, by george. He even fixes up an army bulldozer, and several world war ii military vehicles. That is a 1944 weapons carrier. And this is charlie. Shes a cckw gmc 10wheel drive. This was the main workhorse of world war ii at the battle of the bulge. Then, just before he turned 70, rudys diagnosed with cancer advanced lymphoma. I remember him saying that that the doctor said he had six weeks to live, from that point. [ laughs ] okay, hi. With the little time left, the brothers create a video to document their fathers life story. Okay, hi. Im rudy marek. From this, back when i was about 10 or 11 years old is 60 years of gunmaking history. He was letting go, just understanding that, my time has come. Im over 70 years now, and praise be to god, that from the time i was a little boy, all my dreams that i dreamt about when i was little, have been fulfilled. Six weeks come and go, along with several more months, time with their father the boys treasure more than any other. This was a changed man, from this workaholic, to a softhearted, i want to spend time with my boys. Does it bring yall closer together . Yes, absolutely. My mom and tim and dean and i, just like old times. That was just an amazing blessing. He would give me the biggest bear hug, and say, i am so proud of you, brian. I am so proud of you boys. Finally, at the end of a long portland winter, rudy dies at the age of 70. At his funeral, he goes out with a bang. Did you fire a cannon that day . Yeah, we rolled it out there, and fired it off three times. I cried pretty much the whole time. Rudy leaves his entire arsenal to his three sons. Did you know what the collection was worth when he passed . No, i dont think we did. But they would soon find out. Were you shocked . Oh, yeah, of course. Oh, yeah. Heres another quiz question for you. What weapon did general george s. Patton call, the greatest battle implement ever devised . The sheridan tank, the b17 flying fortress, or the m1 rifle . The answer when we return. May your holidays glow bright and all your dreams take flight. Lease the glc 300 suv for 439 a month with credit toward your first months payment at the mercedesbenz winter event. So, what weapon did general george s. Patton call, the greatest battle implement ever devised . Its the m1. The 0. 30caliber semiautomatic was the standard issue u. S. Service rifle during world war ii. Rudy marek leaves his huge arsenal of antique guns, cannons, and military vehicles to his sons, brian, tim, and dean. Sounds like you had enough for a museum. Yeah, it was pretty overwhelming. And he didnt really give us any specifics as far as what we should do. He just hoped that we would keep the guns within the family. But the three heirs disagree about what to do with their strange inheritance. What was your position . I am the clinger of the three of us. I just wanted to keep as much as i could. All his stuff was cool, and tim and i certainly thought it was all cool, too. But we more so thought, we got to figure out how to get rid of this, what its worth. So, the brothers brings in some respected gun collectors, who tell them that the original historic items rudy collected are worth a load. This 18th century persian flintlock, 2,100, a 1780s blunderbuss, 2,200, while that austrian wheellock rifle dating back to 1630, more than 4 grand. But some of rudys replicas are valued even higher. This 1878 kentucky pistol, the last gun rudy built, 5 grand, a copy of that lois clark model, and that swivelbreach rifle dean showed me, are also priced at 5,000 each. Were you shocked . Oh, yeah, of course. Oh, yeah. Theres more. That 7 8thscale bronze cannon that he made, 13 grand, a pair of his 1861 union army replicas come in at 16 grand, each, while rudys original gettysburg cannon is worth more than 50,000. We began to do some math and add things up. The whole lot may be worth a million bucks or more. Thats a lot of money on the table. But the middle son dean still dont budge. What was your best argument to your brothers . I didnt really have one. Tim kept saying, we cant keep everything. And brian said . He agreed pretty much,. And you said, why bother . I . Well, it was a it was a challenge. In the end, the brothers come to a compromise. They decide to honor dads wishes and keep his guns, the lions share of the collections value within the family, splitting them up amongst themselves. But they send the really big stuff, things like the military vehicles, and dads napoleon cannon, to the auction block. It was probably the best course of action, because my sentimental ideas were pretty unworkable. But dean still intends to do all he can to ensure his dads most treasured weapon finds the right home. A decadesold envelope in rudys drawer may just reveal where that is. And i knew it was important. Who is it . Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. It took over 100 years to perfect this masterpiece of italian design and performance. And about 15 minutes for us to paint one neon green and do this. Blends right into the italian architecture see everything you should never do with an alfa romeo. 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I just happened to come across it, and i knew it was important. Who is it . Hayes otoupalik. Turns out that rudy held onto that piece of fan mail, the one that sparked a lifelong friendship. So, dean invites hayes to attend the auction. Howd you feel about that . I was amazed this guy had kept my letter over the years. Hayes wouldnt miss the big event for the world, which the brothers hold right on rudys property. Were you emotional at the auction . That was one of the hardest days of my life, actually. Hmm. I bet. I remember a few moments of just, oh, i cant stand to see that go. But dean takes comfort after some bigtime sales. This 1942 ford gtb trooper goes for 7,000, while this troop cargo truck and this tactical vehicle bring in 10 grand. Theyve ranked in 67,000, not even counting the marque item, that civil war napoleon cannon. Were you going home without that cannon . No, i was not going home without the cannon. When the hammer drops, hayes is indeed the proud new owner. He scares away all other buyers with a firstandfinal bid of 55 grand. Wow. Thats like keeping it in the family. Its wonderful, because we got the money for it, and we get to go see it whenever we want. Do you fire that cannon . Well, every year at 4th of july, and its a lot of fun to shoot. It makes a big bang. Its a big gun, and its a beautiful cannon. Wow a worldclass gunsmith takes aim at an ambitious goal. I could envision having a collection of every gun of major importance in the history of the united states. His worldclass arsenal. This gun dates 1840. An inspiration for the next generation of collectors and history buffs. Rudy is a oneofakind guy. He might be gone, but hell never be forgotten. Hes in my heart. I think we did just right, and dad would be really happy. Hed be proud, wouldnt he . The way that we worked it all out, yeah. In the years since the auction, dean marek has found a new way to stay connected to his late father. Remember all that gun engraving work that rudy did for big companies, like colt . Well, deans now tracking down those firearms and buying them from collectors around the globe, and guess what . It turns out that rudy originals are prized collectors items, selling for up to 10,000 bucks a pop. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember, you cant take it with you. [ cannon blasts ] monday. The house has acted on a very sad day to practice and inten dd the constitution of the united states. Welcome to the journal editorial report. Donald trump became the third president in American History to be impeached wednesday with the house of representatives moving largely along party lines for power and obstruction of congress, the president appearing at a rally in the swing state of michigan as the house voted suggesting the outcome could help him in 2