Nice old rifles I have known.

H4831

H4831

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There were sure some nice old rifles around when I was a kid, which is more than a few years ago. I remember an older man showing me his hunting rifle. He carefully unwrapped this beautiful Winchester, looking like it just came from the factory and told me it was a 38-56. "Just a bit more power than a .38-55," he told me, and I never forgot his little description of it.
A school chum hunted with his Dad's 45-90. Another fellow had a .33 Winchester that looked like it had never been shot.
Going to the bottom of the ladder, another school friend hunted deer with a .25-20. I told him it was too small for deer, but he emphatically told me it easily killed deer. It was a really nice looking rifle, but I forget if it was Winchester, or Marlin.
A very elderly lady once loaned me a great looking old Winchester, to go after a bear with. I don't know what model the rifle was, but it was 44-40. Even at my tender age, I thought the cartridges were sure short for bear hunting!
While still a teenager and not having a rifle of my own, I also borrowed from neighbors, once a 32 Special and another time a 94, 30-30. With the 30-30 I was really proud on returning the rifle, to give the fellow a fresh roast of moose meat!
I have told on another thread how I hunted with a 45-70, Springfield Trapdoor when I was a teenager. I still have that rifle and it is still in pristine condition.
 
Here's a general picture of it, along with the Winchester boxes, mostly full of factory loaded 405 grain jacketed bullets another neighbor gave me in the 1940s.
If you want more detailed pictures of the rifle, I can take them.
P1020241-3.jpg
 
:)Nice Bruce. Very nice. In 45-70 I have a Marlin 1895GS but as close as I can come to what you've posted is a Pedersoli Sharps that I have the loan of for an unlimited period of time:D. I've been 'trying' to purchase it but no luck, ;)so far. A while back, as you may recall, I had a Pedersoli Remington Rollingblock but I do like this Sharps copy a little better.
 
My cousin, whos partner you were once involved in a air search for, offered me a choice of his firearms when he had decided to part with them. My choice was an old Marlin 1894 in 44-40. He questioned the reason for my choice. I explained, when he and my Dad were Moose hunting close to the cabin on Bowron Lakes, my cousin & I used to sneak the old Marlin out for a few shots. It was the 1st centerfire rifle I ever shot and I believe, some of that old ammo in an 'Old Chum' tobacco tin, were black powder rounds.

Marlin189444-402-1.jpg
 
Johnn Peterson said:
My cousin, whos partner you were once involved in a air search for, offered me a choice of his firearms when he had decided to part with them. My choice was an old Marlin 1894 in 44-40. He questioned the reason for my choice. I explained, when he and my Dad were Moose hunting close to the cabin on Bowron Lakes, my cousin & I used to sneak the old Marlin out for a few shots. It was the 1st centerfire rifle I ever shot and I believe, some of that old ammo in an 'Old Chum' tobacco tin, were black powder rounds.

Marlin189444-402-1.jpg
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Very interesting, Johnn. Sure nice to have a fine old rifle, with some personal history connected with it.
As you know, it was a sad ending to the air search. But did I ever tell you the aircraft the partner of your cousin was flying, is still there, untouched after all these years, in the swampy area at the foot of the wilderness mountain where it hit?
I found out about four years ago that a hunter on horseback came accross it and it was just as the RCAF had left it, after they removed the bodies.
A side note is that it was a heavy overcast, rainy day, the hunter was thoroughly lost and couldn't possibly find it again.
 
Nice to see the moose guarding it there Johnn, but I almost think there is one missing..., unless the third moosie is shooting the camera so to speak. :)
 
I too have the Trapdoor bug. Almost picked up a nice used one at the last Kamloops show and there were several there but I had to leave. Not old but I have a Winchester 1885 Highwall in 45/70 (Davidson Special) that absolutely loves Leverevolution ammo. First shot out of the box was 1/2in from the crosshairs on a target at 100m. The next three were not far from it. Also now own a Browning 1886 Saddle Ring Carbine in 45/70 that came with a huge pile of ammo specifically loaded for this with 405gr cast. Be a very long time before I have to load but I have a bunch of new Win brass for it if I should change my mind. I think my next purchase will be the Trapdoor. Watched a Hickock vid of him shooting both a Trapdoor and the Browning and you can tell hes in love. He does not usually fondle his rifles,,,,
 
kamlooky said:
Nice to see the moose guarding it there Johnn, but I almost think there is one missing..., unless the third moosie is shooting the camera so to speak. :)
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;) Could well be. The other two are there in my den for the Granddaughters to wrestle & play with when the come to visit.

Bigsisterbabysitting.jpg


Sorry Bruce. Got a little side tracked there.
 
I am most envious you know Bruce, I done got born late. As I've mentioned too many times before there were more than a couple guys who were gun nuts living up where our homestead was.

The one when living in Wisconsin had noted in his journal of selling his Sharps 50-70 US and also the 40-65 Winchester before moving up to Alberta. That was 1910ish IIRC. He rode in the train with the cattle to make sure they would all be there when they got to Alberta. Bear in mind that is from Wisconsin he rode all the way!
He father died a year later and since he was not listed as moving cross border due to mode of transportation he got put in the clink when he tried to get home for the funeral.
Some of the locals had to go get him sprung.

At any rate, he had a huge impact on all the boys in the community, teaching them trapping skills, hunting and how to live off the land and respect it. By the stories I am told he must have been quite the fellow.

Thanks for sharing, always appreciate your posts.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
;) Could well be. The other two are there in my den for the Granddaughters to wrestle & play with when the come to visit.

Bigsisterbabysitting.jpg


Sorry Bruce. Got a little side tracked there.
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Hard to argue the grandpa factor here eh Johnn?
Now to figure right or left handed..............:p time will tell.
Couple more of these creatures and your hands will be filled.
Grandpa........can I have that one........no that one is mine.
Oh dear Lord, no wonder you're considering part time back to work?:eek:
Teach them with gun powder and be forever rewarded there after.
Thanks for the photos there grandpa.....gramps.........??????? :)
 
My enjoyment of old Winchester and Marlin leverguns is due to the kind of guns I saw at various farmhouse back doors when I was growing up, and other guns that some of the old farmers spoke fondly of as I listened as a kid. Winchester 30-30's were very common. My best friend's Dad on a farm just four miles from us spoke fondly of the Winchester 38-55 that was more common when he was young, although there were still some around some of the neighbours' farms when I was growing up. They also had an old Marlin 32-20 that I admired as a teenager. My grandfather spoke of the 44-40. As a result, the 32-20, 44-40 and 38-55's seemed like tantalizing exotics to me in my younger days. Since then, I've had the privilege of owning several old 44-40's, a few 38-55's and a couple 32-20's. The very first vintage levergun I was able to acquire was a Winchester Model 1894 full octagon barrel 38-55 made in 1899. I still have it and don't plan to part with it. I've also been able to put venison in the freezer with that fine old rifle. Last week I had it at the range and very much enjoyed shooting it. Here is a photo of my 38-55....

38-55.jpg
 
That's exactly like the .38-55 my Dad used for as long as I could remember, and the first center fire rifle I ever fired.

I remember getting in trouble over it; when my folks were away I got a kick out of shooting at the barn (about 100 yards away) and hearing the bullet hit well after I pulled the trigger. The 'getting in trouble' part came when the old man caught on that his precious box of Dominion cartridges somehow got empty. At $5 a box, they represented a days wages.

He thought the most fun of moose hunting was seeing how close he could sneak up on them. It worked, too, and on at least two occasions I saw him drop a cow & a calf with two shots from maybe 25 or 30 yards tops. Cows and calves were the staple; bulls were considered a poor second best. Of course, moose were so plentiful that you would normally pick and choose pretty carefully before you decided which ones you wanted to eat.

The first time I shot one through the chest with my new HVA .30-06 I caught s**t for wrecking two perfectly good ribs! "Yumpin' Yeezus, why didn't you break her neck like I taught you? Shoot behind da yawbone yoint, ***dammit!":D As far as he was concerned, a .30-06 was a horrible meat wrecking rifle and I was constantly reminded to be careful about bullet placement. He also insisted that I use 220 grain bullets, because "at least dey don't go so damn fast!".

I also remember being really upset some years later when I came home from the bush and learned he'd sold his .38-55 to some American he'd been guiding, for $40. It was his turn to be in trouble!

I ended up buying him an almost new 99F .300 Savage in the early '60s that he never did use as far as I can recall. I think selling the .38-55 meant he was done hunting, somehow. I still have that Savage, and most of the original box of Dominions that came with it. In all fairness he did buy me a brand new HVA Model 3000 in .30-06 (also in the early '60s) that I've had ever since, and shot a whole bunch of moose with...nicest wood I've ever seen on a factory rifle. $135 from the Marshall Wells Hardware. A whole truck load of wheat, in those days. I'll have to post a picture of it in the 'HVA' thread some time.
 
I've told the story here before about the old trapper giving my dad a 1892 in 44-40.
When I moved out of home and into an apartment, I left most of my hunting/fishing stuff at the house. One day I was up there visiting and the young kid down the street
was over visiting the old man. Dad had out of my closet this particular rifle and the young kid was in great admiration. I told dad.......NO........he can't have it. But you never use it he says. I will one day. I took it with me when I left along with the rest of
my collection. The old boy used to give stuff away. My pellet gun, my old Cooey, our snowmobile, my rattle snake skin. Whole bunch of stuff.
Anyways, here is a photo of the one that almost WAS.
Lookylike the 92 is in good hands too. ;)

 
I often wonder what happened to a Rolling Block rifle my dad had when I was young. It was chambered in 25-20 Single Shot, a different round than that which fit the Winchester and Marlin lever actions. It was in great shape, too.
 
Eagleye said:
I often wonder what happened to a Rolling Block rifle my dad had when I was young. It was chambered in 25-20 Single Shot, a different round than that which fit the Winchester and Marlin lever actions. It was in great shape, too.
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I have the odd 25-20 cartridge you are talking about. Longer and hardly any shoulder.
When I lived in the city that you do now, I had some type of fibreglass long bow. A fellow liked my bow and said he would trade me an old rifle for it. So I still have the rifle he traded me for the bow.
A rolling block in really nice condition, chambered for the 43 Egyptian. The bore is like a new rifle.
I know, someone will say, ---useless without pictures---, so here it is.
P1020233-2.jpg
 
What really grinds my gears is that I don't have the rifle my stepfather gave me. When I was 14 my stepfather bailed on me and left me a No.4 Enfield, a burlwood clock, and a Husqvarna 2100 chainsaw. I used to take that rifle and chainsaw to work with me every day when I was shakeblocking, had to leave them both in the truck because i was only a trimmer really didn't need either. The bucker would pack a 44magnum revolver in case we saw deer or bear, and I didn't want those extra pounds on my back when I was already carrying the gas/oil/ropes/water/wedges etc on a 90 minute uphill trek every morning.

One day I went for supper with a friend after work, came home and some bastards broke in and stole my clock and rifle. Man was I mad, I found out who they were but the police wouldn't give me back the rifle because I was too young for a PAL. Good thing one of my co-workers had a Parker-Hale 303 to give me as a replacement, so I had that kicking around for a good 10 years until I decided to register it. I think I'll probably take it hunting this year just for nostalgia.

On the bright side, buddy who broke in to my house is doing a life sentence for other crimes, so he got caught.
 
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