Old rimfire boxes
- Thread starter rimfiremac
- Start date
Willy Tincup
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Owen Sound
I believe the Aguilla and CIL Imperial boxes are from 60's and 70's, Super Clean from the 50's and the Whiz bang box from the 40's or early 50's.
Willy Tincup
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Owen Sound
Just did some research. The Super Clean box was used from 1950 to 1953. The Whiz bang brand was introduced in 1932. The early ones were in 2 pc boxes but yours is a later 1 pc box. Some of the 1 pc boxes opened as the top lifted up and some with end flaps that opened. The second style Whiz bang boxes are marked with 'Dry lubricated bullets' [yours] instead of 'Graphite lubricated'................................wTc
As a kid in the 60s, the only 22 shells most of us ever bought were either Super Clean or Whiz Bang. Shorts were the cheapest, then long, then long rifle. Mushroom bullets were pricey but available in short and long rifle. We used to file the ends off, thinking we were making more deadly ammo.
Wow, did you dredge up some memories! I remember buying the plastic box Imperials back in the 70's when I got my first .22. I also remember seeing a couple CIL Superclean boxes at my grandparents place and grandpa's old Cooey, the one where you had to pull the firing pin back manually.
Thanks!
Thanks!
My dad has about 6 boxes of those plastic Imperial ones, bought form Zellers of all places I tried shooting some and they were like 50% failure rate. So the rest are just sitting in the dark again like they did for so many years, un opened with Zellers price tag on them.
I tried shooting some and they were like 50% failure rate. So the rest are just sitting in the dark again like they did for so many years, un opened with Zellers price tag on them.One of the plastic boxes I picked up was open and had a mix of Dominion marked shells and Super X shells in it, so I figured I'd give them a whirl. No FTF's and they grouped about 3/4" at 25 yards out of my Savage. Not really on par with the 1/2" I get from Dynapoints, but not too bad for forty year old stock. The couple other boxes I've got are still sealed, so I figure I'll let them age that way for the time being.
It really blows me away to have found these boxes... all have been around longer than I have. Pretty wild stuff. Glad I was able to dust off a few memories out there.
It really blows me away to have found these boxes... all have been around longer than I have. Pretty wild stuff. Glad I was able to dust off a few memories out there.
My memories of of the CIL and the Imperial boxes. My dad used to take me gopher hunting, and I was in charge of reloading the Cooey 64B clips for him. I was so proud that this was my job, and I could easily partition off 10 rounds at at time with the Imperial box so that none would fall between the seats of the truck when my little fingers were fumbling around.
RIP dad - miss you.
Richard (aka Hakx).
RIP dad - miss you.
Richard (aka Hakx).
I hear ya Richard.....I used the Whiz-bangs in the late 50s and early 60s...some times i could only afford shorts, that was when they were cheaper then Long rifles, not like now. I would go out hunting as a kid and when i came home i had to account for every shell used, so as not to waste shots or shells. It made me a better marksman, maybe that's why, even today, I prefer single shots, and only taking shots I know I will make.
I remember buying the Whiz Bang LR hollow points for I think 65 cents in the late 40's, early 50's.... the general store thought I should buy shorts as they were cheaper but I liked the way hollow points whacked those gophers... I was about 10 at that time... I used the super clean long rifle for target shooting...
When I was a kid the Imperial's in the gold box were $1.29 at Home Hardware and I insisted on only having the mushroom bullets, I was sure that it was possible to take on any game with the mushroom bullet. My weapon of choice was a FN single shot .22 which I still own. When CIL stopped making ammo I was sure that I would never be able to kill another ground hog. I keep a couple of boxes for when I take the old FN out.
Regards
Regards
Before moving back to the States, I bought a bunch of the more unusual boxes of CIL Imperial .22rf for my collection. Few years later sold the collection, but the buying dealer wasn't interested in the "newer" stuff, which I had bought off the shelf in the 1980s around Vancouver and Victoria, BC.
All of these have some kind of overprint, almost like a rubber stamp, with a word which indicates what they are. "Mushroom" and "Plated" being the two most commonly found. All are still full of original rounds and I wrapped them in plastic before moving them.
I also kept a large wooden replica of a Dominion .22rf round. It's exact right down to the D headstamp. Made by a high school student in Victoria, BC. Makes a great display piece.
Best regards ~ ~ ~ mauser
All of these have some kind of overprint, almost like a rubber stamp, with a word which indicates what they are. "Mushroom" and "Plated" being the two most commonly found. All are still full of original rounds and I wrapped them in plastic before moving them.
I also kept a large wooden replica of a Dominion .22rf round. It's exact right down to the D headstamp. Made by a high school student in Victoria, BC. Makes a great display piece.
Best regards ~ ~ ~ mauser
