Posted on 09/29/2008 5:28:31 PM PDT by sig226
Might somebody be kind enough to tell me how to post a photo on this thread. I’ve seen y’all post photos of your shootin’ irons and I’d like to do likewise with mine. I have a VERY lovely 9mm with suppressor attached that is quite yummy.
My favorite “keepsake” rifle is my dad’s old Winchester Model 94, 30-30. According to the serial number, it was made in 1922, has the octagon barrel, and when you get a deer in those open iron sights, he’s yours.
Wouldn’t mind having one of those Marlin 45-70 lever action rifles, though.
I saw in my latest `Guns’ magazine that Marlin makes a .510 (?) `grizzly’ caliber in lever action, and the bullet expands to just over an inch. Not sure from the article what hurts more: being mauled by a bear or firing the thing: the recoil pad appears to be 2” thick!
great read sig! I’m refinishing the stock of an old marlin .22 rifle handed down from my grandfather right now. he bought it in 1924 I believe and it is still in great shape. It was the first .22 I remember firing when I was a kid. marlins firearms will always be among my favorites.
I don’t know about how accurate the marlins are ... but my first rifle was given to me by my dad when I was 10 years old ...over 40 years ago ... it was his favorite gun to plink with ... a weathered old Marlin 39. I learned to shoot with it .. it had a 4x scope that I later removed.
I could buy a box of 50 .22 lr for 22 cents at our local dimestore (they sold ammo back then) For a buck on a Saturday I could shoot to my hearts content. And perhaps it ws the accuracy of that model 39, I consider myself an excellent shot today because of it. I used to entertain friends by shooting walnuts out of a squirrels mouth. Yeah ... eaten a ton of squirrel over the years as well.
It’s still my favorite gun in my collection.
I've killed a mountain of deer with the .25-06 and its a fine rife, but there's something that just makes me smile when I look down the open sights of my .444.
A drawback is that I have to be careful with the .444 to only shoot them in the neck. The last deer I shot with it was all be decapitated. Up close, I think its as impressive as the .348 Winchester (one of my Dad's guns).
When I was in my youth in the late 50's, .22 ammo was nearly as expensive as it is today. This was also at the local grocery store.
Shorts were 55 Cents, longs were .65 and long rifle was .75. I could still get long rifle ammo for around 80 cents a box at some of the big box discount stores only a few years ago. I have noticed it has gone up recently. I think .22 shorts are more expensive than LR now, and I think you would have a hard time finding .22 longs.
LOL! I joined that club learning to shoot centerfires on an early hunting trip with an old 30.06 quite a few years ago and I still remember “wearing the half moon” proudly to elementary school to show off to the guys after I got back AND passing the very spent ought six case that got me into the club around the classroom for all of ‘em to see. things were sure different then, I think young guys are getting a few days off now just for sketching a cartridge in class.
I bought 7 or 8 boxes of .22LR in the old western super X yellow box and old remington HiSPEED kleanbore .22lr in the red and green box at a gun show last month. all were from the 40’-the 60’s and only 2 bucks per 50 round box.
I can't keep track of all these proprietary cartridges the gun companies are coming out with these days.
I have a 1970’s era 336 35 Rem and an early 80’s era 444. Pretty much covers it for woods cartridges. The 444 is a fun gun to reload for however a 265-275 is the heaviest I'd go with it for bullet weight. Fun to play with lead bullets in it too. I've shortened the brass .1 to be able to seat and chamber certain lead bullets to get in under the throat length to chamber them. A friend had his throat cut deeper in his to be able to chamber and shoot .410 shells. Marshall Stanton over at Beartooth has done that also. He's a wild 444 booster and regularly hunts elk with his.
The “half moon club”, I did not recognize the club, but I recognize the symptom of those who must be members! With my 444 I got whacked in the eyebrow the first shot. Shook it off and held it off where the sight picture was small, but I could see cross hairs and target. I got it dialed in and even with poor shooting form I could keep it to 1-1/2 to 2 inches at 100 yards. That is without working up handloads or finding out what it likes.
I have a single six .22/.22mag....great fun!
I have also two Ruger 10/22’s...
Never a jam in 15 years and real tack drivers. My favorite squirrel stoppers.
I bought my first 10/22 in 1974. It jammed a lot. A few years later I tried a new mag and that cured it. I think they worked out the problems a long time ago but new guns do tend to have more than older models.
I’ve never owned a Marlin rifle. Shot plenty of friends’ rimfires. Never a jam and plenty accurate...
However, I owned a Marlin “Super Goose” at one time.
Anybody else make THAT mistake????
;-0
It’s all about workmanship....
The old guys knew how to make them, one at a time.....
My house rifle is an1895 in 45/70. Great rifle that will handle any man or beast you happen to run across. I was introduced to the the 45/70 in an 1886
Winchester. The frst hi power I had ever shot. All the levers I had ever shot were 1892 in .38WCF and .44WCF. The 45/70 certainly woke this chubby 14 year old child up.
barbra ann
I have had several Marlin lever guns in various calibers and a Marlin 60 semi-auto .22LR, but for whatever reason I just keep trading them off or selling them. One of these days I'm gonna pick up a .38/.357 lever and keep it. But they are getting hard to find anymore, and them that have them don't want to part with them.
We called it the Weatherby Smile. :)
One afternoon we had this eccentric old guy come in and plunk down about 12 grand on a variety of firearms. Said he was going to sail around the world with his family and some friends acting as crew. Wanted the firepower for "sharks" and "pirates." He knew the truth even way back then. Lots of folks still don't think it's any more real beyond Johnny Depp. If they took a look at the current situation off the Horn of Africa right now they'd wise up. ANYWAY, the old guy bought several calibers in handguns but he also bought a Weatherby 458 magnum and an H&H 375 magnum. Called them his engine room guns. We got a pretty cool commission on the sales and we were pretty happy. Then he insisted that the sales folks who'd made the sale ALSO "test fire" each of the guns. Just to make sure they were all in proper working condition. We were all over that. He bought a box of ammo for each handgun and we sizzled through them.
Then came the rifles and nobody wanted to shoot them. We got down to doing the old fist game up the barrel, hand on top of the muzzle loses. My buddy wound up firing the 375 and I got to shoot the 458. IIRC, they were both scoped which now that I think of it, didn't make much sense given the use for which he made the purchase. Anyway, my buddy touched off a single round from the 375 and when he turned back to us, he had blood running down his face and the tell tale half moon cut over his eye. He handed the gun to the old guy with a short: Seems to be workin' just fine! Then he splits from the range for some first aid and some good natured ribbing from the rest of the staff.
By this time I knew what I had to do. Pull that bad boy as tight as I could into my shoulder pocket and keep my eye the heck away from that scope! I pulled the trigger and LAWDY! Blinding muzzle flash, kicks like Tennessee White Lightnin' and sounds like the "CRACK of DOOM." I thought I'd busted my shoulder. I was dang sure not going to let anybody in that store have any idea I was hurtin.' I could imagine the ribbing the other guy was getting (he was, too) so I gritted my teeth and worked the bolt. Touched off another round and then another. Stood up, held the now empty gun out to the old guy in front of my somewhat amazed fellow range officers, and said Nice little piece. Doesn't even kick too much. When I got home I iced my shoulder and whimpered every time I had to even move that arm. I called out sick for the next three days. LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.