[Cush]

Well I just got back from my weekly trip to the range, and this time a very special piece of my collection came with me. My Dad's Springfield model 15 came out of the safe for the 1st time in a few years. This was the gun that my Dad cut his teeth on before moving onto the only other rifle he ever hunted with, a pre million serialed 1894. Anyway, this was the gun I carried when I turned ten, following my Dad around the Maine deer woods. Whenever we came along a partridge or varying hare he would move aside and let me take the shot. I remember one cold November day when a nice rabbit crossed our paths and my Dad asked if I wanted to take it, but my fingers were too cold to pull the striker back. I handed the .22 to him as the rabbit hopped away. We never fired a shot, but it is one of my fondest memories. This summer my 7 year old will learn to shoot this gun, and one day it will be his.

This old Springfield isn't worth much in monetary value, but I wouldn't sell it for all the tea in China. Notice the stickers on the stock? My father put those on when he was a boy. He would have been 72 this fall. I've thought about trying to get them off, but could never bring my self to do it.

The target in the picture was from tonight's range session. This gun can shoot one jagged hole at 20 yards. The flier was my fault. If you look closely at the picture under the stock, that is my Dad. I knew his picture was on my reloading bench, but didn't know it was in the picture until I previewed it.

 

[onenut58]

I call that simple mental value
I wouldnt sell one of my dads guns for any price either.My dad died two years ago at age 72.I can totaly relate to the value you have in that gun.
I hope you instill the same values in your boy your dad did in you and he cherishes that gun like you do.

 

[xtimberman]

Great story and photograph!

Many of us get very nostalgic about certain firearms, but isn't it ironic that gun-haters think of them all strictly as weapons of mass destruction? The concept of a firearm conjuring up fond memories of fine friends, long-departed relatives, and wonderful times-gone by would be absurd to their sensibilities..... :|

xtm

 

[Hunter]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing!!

 

[Jim]

Nice rifle
Nice to keep the guns in the family. To me those are my favorites.

 

[jimg11]

My Dad never hunted but he did have a .22 LR Ranger single shot that he had gotten from his father. My mother had received a Winchester .22 long 1900 from her mother while she was growing up on the farm. Dad felt that he should teach us 5 boys how to shoot and used those 2 guns to teach us to safely handle firearms. I now own mother's 1900 single shot Winchester rifle and one of my brothers has the Ranger. Not very valuable by the world's standards but very valuable to me and my brother.

Here is mother's 1900 Winchester with the book Winchester 22 Single Shot Rifle by Herbert G, Houze

 

[Swgunner]

I think we all have our special memories of our first guns. When I was 6 or 7, can't remember back that far, I got my 1st gun for Christmas. The week prior, the basement had been declared off limits. All week, after work, my dad would go to the the basement and all we heard was sawing and hammering. Christmas morning there was a long thin box behind the tree, sort of like the movie "A Christmas Story". Of course, I was made to open that one last. It contained a shiny new Winchester 121 single shot. So what about the basement? We all descended to the basement to find that my dad had built a backstop bullet trap! Needless to say he and I spent many hours learning to shoot at the grand distance of 36 feet.
I think if I had all the .22's that we expended there, I'd be rich-monetarily. I am rich with those memories.

Dave

 

[mm6mm6]

My first gun was a Stevens Favorite .22 that my dad bought for me. I still have it.

In 2005, when our daughter was just five years old, I bought her a Marlin 15YN single shot .22 bolt action that is scaled down to kid's size. The above picture was taken last year. She's grown into it so that it's just perfect in size for her. She never misses either! I had a brass oval plaque engraved with "To My Daughter Lauren, 2002, Love Dad" and secured it to the stock.

 

[rimfired]

invpn
I'm partial to the old Stevens and Remington single shots.

 

[xtimberman]

rimfired,

Wonderful collection of Boys' Rifles! Is the 3rd one down a Stevens-Maynard?

xtm

 

[Quarter Cherokee]

I still have my first .22 rifle, a Winchester Model 62A that I bought from a friend with my paper route money. It's a little worse for wear, but it was that way when I bought it. Neither love nor money could part us.

 

[rimfired]

rimfired,

Wonderful collection of Boys' Rifles! Is the 3rd one down a Stevens-Maynard?

xtm

XT, no it's a "Marksman". Top two are "Favorites". And then one of each variant of the #4, knob take down, lever takedown and solid frame Remingtons. Little bolt parlor gun is Belgian.

 

[MOONDAWG]

My first rifle was a single shot bolt action H&R .22; reading this thread has brought back fond memories of that great gun.

Thanks to all for sharing... ihjf

 

[Jack D]

Very interesting thread.

My old .22 was purchased by my grandfather in the late '30's from a man on the street that needed a bottle or sandwich....or something. He paid the man a dollar for it (so the story goes). They lived on a small farm with cherry trees and that rifle was used to keep the birds away from the cherries (among other things). We lived just down the road from grampa and my uncles' and brother and I spent many years shooting that .22. Over the years the stock was broken many times. New ones were made from 2x4's and stained with blackberry juice. I made at least two myself of 2x4's and stained just that way as a young boy. Over the years, it was passed down to my uncles and then to me and now to one of my sons and grandson. It is in my possession right now....storing it for my grandson. While I owned it, I had the bolt nickle plated, a Weaver B4 scope fitted and I made another new stock from teak. I reblued it with a cold blue, first polishing w/fine emory cloth to bare metal, then heating with a torch to warm it...applying cold blue with steel wool pad and working it... several coats...until I got a nice uniform black finish. That was well over 25-30 years ago and it still looks good.

Heres is a picture of that .22 today. A Winchester Model 60A, single shot bolt action. Still with the Old Weaver B4, hand made trigger guard and hand made teak stock. The stock has no finish...just bare wood. It has a waxy feel and naturally turns dark with age.

 

[Leighton]

Well its not a "boys rifle", but my first which I still have is a Remington 581LH. It was made in the same year I got it 1967 when I was eight years old. I would hate to guess the number of squirrels, pigeons, crows, and other varmints dispatched with this rifle. Nor the number of rounds that have gone through the barrel. This rifle has traveled the world with me while I was in the US Army, and has competed in .22 matches. She will one day go to my son who has already taken a liking to her. As to the pigeons, where I lived as a small boy we had a yearly pigeon shoot on the courthouse square. Every year there was a comeption held to see who could keep all their shots inside an inch at 50yds. Who ever could was allowed to shoot pigeons off the roof of the Lawrenceville Ga. Courthouse. You were only allowed to shoot .22shorts, and others would surround the outer square to dispatch the flyers with shotguns. This was done once a year on a Saturday, all businesses would be closed on that day, windows and doors on the courthouse would be shuttered, and the time limit would be one hour, with a limit of ten shooters. By the time I was twelve, they had stopped this, and I only got the chance to do it once. The only other shooting tradition to continue around there was the yearly turkey shoots with shotgun or .22. Never won, but always had a great time. Of course till all the county was almost turned into concrete there were the Dove shoots, and lots of land to hunt quail. I do miss those days!