Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

"Of course, kids, in those days went rabbit hunting after school instead of soccer practice."

Yeah. And from maybe 4th grade up, over half the boys would have pocket knives in school and no one even noticed. And, in those "violent" old days I saw maybe a half dozen fist fights in 12 years of grade school. And all were "fair", no one ever pulled a knife or used anything else for a weapon.

A grandson who graduated from one of the "better" schools in this area told me he had witnessed a half dozen fights in his senior year and most of them involved weapons of some kind, knives and clubs. All this is the "improvement" since social liberal experts came to dominate the "educational" system since the early 60s and corporal punishment was outlawed. In my day, we were reluctant to fight anyone if for no other reason than we KNEW we'd get out azzes busted by the teachers or principle if we were caught fighting on school grounds so we would lose even if we "won!". But pocket knives are tools so they weren't even questioned.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I am one of those crusty oldtimers who can tell, truthfully, that back in the '60s (NINETEEN-sxities, thank you!) I carried my squirrel rifle or shotgun to elementary and middle school on many a Friday. It was stowed in the cloak room during the school day, and at the end of the day I'd reclaim it, board a bus with my farmboy buddy, and head out to the country for a weekend of roaming free in the fields and forests. It hardly seems real to even me anymore. I was a boy in a sportsman's paradise and, oh, how I wish now that I appreciated more how precious it was then!

"Hardware-store" guns ruled the roost in those days. I went in to Western Auto every time I was in town, and the first place I went was the gun rack, every time. Oh, we were suitably impressed if someone had a "real" Marlin or Remington or Winchester -- and most of us were ignorant to the fact that we did, too!

Man, this nostalgia thing can stir up the feelings... :-[

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I love store brand guns. They remind me of the good old days.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Two of my most treasured posessions came from a Western Auto Store that my father owned. One was a Case stag handle hunting knife that I think I bought in 1966. The other was a Revelation .22 auto loader made by Marlin (model 60 clone)for Western Auto. Dad gave it to me for Christmas when I was 15, 47 years ago! I was out shooting it yesterday as a matter of fact. I only put a scope on it this year because my eyes aren't what they once were and its still a tack driver. I had to repair the stock that broke a few years ago when I was in the Navy and it was in the custody of a nephew, but it is still a great looking rifle. I love that rifle.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

My family was thrifty, valued a firearm as a tool. Why pay a few dollars more when "the same gun" could be had for less with a store brand name on it? Consequently almost all of the hierloom guns I have are store brand rather than name brand. My first 22 is a Glenfield, still have it. I do wish that the urge had struck them to splurge from time to time! But I treasure all of them.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

You may find this interesting.

http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/cross_reference.html

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

In 1956 I was in 6th grade at a New York City public school. My teacher, Mr. Zanelli, learned that I was collecting cartridges, mostly found at a club range near my grandfather's property in upstate NY. Mr. Zanelli gave me a loaded .44 Special and a .45 Long Colt cartridge for my collection. I still have, and treasure them. In today's climate, a teacher giving a 12-year-old live ammunition would make headlines thanks to zero tolerance and leftist teachers.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Western Auto was a great store. I have a full brick of Revelation 22 lr. I cant bring myself to shoot them. It brings back so many memories whem I see that box.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

You may find this interesting.

http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/cross_reference.html

That's a great link. Thanks for posting that. I was looking for something like that a while back but never found that site. Thanks!

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Another Western Auto fan. Used to buy my 22 shells at the local WA then peddle my bike out to my friends farm with my trusty Remington in hand. Spend a saturday just plinking and having fun. Those "were" the days my friends!! The time frame? Mid-1940s.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Not a Marlin story but still good memories. Time frame is the early 60's. My Grandfather would drive us into town and go to Sears or Western Auto and buy a box or two of 20 guage birdshot. When we got back home I would stuff my pockets full of those paper shells and take a double barrel 20 guage and stay gone all day. I was eight years old then. Like was mentioned in earlier posts I always carried a pocket knife, it was and still is a tool I use every day. Times have changed so much since then. I can't imagine turning an eight year old loose with a shotgun and much less let him roam the woods all day by himself. Thanks guys for stirring up some good old memories.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I remember my Grandfather coming to get me out of school early to go rabbit hunting in the early 70's. In High school in the late 70's I drove to school every day from Sept to March with a shotgun and a rifle hanging in the gun rack of my truck.No one even thought it was dangerous for a farm boy to have this in his truck.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

And there were no shootings in schools back then. Nowadays, with liberals running the show in schools, and zero tolerance policies in place, school shootings are ever more frequent. It says a lot about how things are run these days.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

henryb,

Target stores are owner by the FRENCH, you really don't want to deal with them !

Hip

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I have a virtually new J C Penney Model 3040 (Marlin 336) in 30-30 made in 1973. Its built like a Glenfield with the pistol grip having the pressed deer and oak leaves, but it has a plain fore end. Both stocks seem to be a little slimmer, than a mid-70s rifle. The metal finish is Marlin, but both sides of the receiver are more finely finished than Marlin's usual finish. Durleigh

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Here’s my Western Auto Revelation Model 200 with Revelation scope.

Here’s how my Revelation shot a few weeks ago with a Sightron 4X scope and 150 gr. handloads.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

In 1956 I was in 6th grade at a New York City public school. My teacher, Mr. Zanelli, learned that I was collecting cartridges, mostly found at a club range near my grandfather's property in upstate NY. Mr. Zanelli gave me a loaded .44 Special and a .45 Long Colt cartridge for my collection. I still have, and treasure them. In today's climate, a teacher giving a 12-year-old live ammunition would make headlines thanks to zero tolerance and leftist teachers.

Ouch, my wife and I both teach. Sadly, you are correct, there are a crapload of leftist teachers.

My wife used to regularly outshoot me (and lots of other men {got the trophies to prove it}) with her .36 Seneca at "hunter class" blackpowder shoots in Berryville Arkansas and at the comps we had at the air force base where we were stationed (unfortunately RA has destroyed that for her).

Let's just include the leftist administrators, media, and lazya$$ parents in that group and we are good to go. Sometimes teachers have to enforce rules that they believe fell out of the back of a bull.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I had a Coast to Coast Marlin 70, shot the heck out of it, until someone offered me a silly price for it.

Still have a Ted Williams 94, shoots and looks great.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

In the early 50s , couldn't afford much. The hardware store across from my Dad's shop would sell us young'ns several .22s from a opened box kept for this reason, so we could go hunting after school or weekends . Like maybe 2 cents per round .
That dosen't happen today that I know of. Course that store is gone now as is my Father shop. Bare ground where Dad's shop was. Those days were not great all the time but then there was a few ...............,,,,,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,Mutt

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I have a Wester Field lever action 22lr that I bought used from a friend way back in the the early 80's and it is a very good shooter. ;D

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

I still have Dads JC Higgens 12ga pump. I think it's A High Standard. My Employers Kids who are in their 20s don't believe me when i tell them about takeing my gun to school so I could go hunting after. I'm from A very small town in Illinois and we had 3 stores in town that sold guns. Swanks Hardware, Coast to coast, And Gambles. If you had the money you could buy A gun no matter how old you were. The store would probably call your parents to check though. You could buy Dynamite in the hardware store.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

Gatorskinner is right on: I remember being 13 years old and taking the city bus to downtown Colo. Spgs. I went into Pikes Peak Army Surplus and wanted to buy a hunting rifle. The guy behind the counter asked me what I was looking for and we quickly zeroed in on what 30.00 would buy. He took me to a barrel full of old Mauser rifles and selected one that he recomended as being the best of the lot. It was a Mod 94 6.5x55 Swede. that had a blond birch stock and all matching numbers and the black/bluing was pristine.He explained to me about how not only was the gun pristine but that this caliber would suit a young man like me as recoil was manageable. The rifle was marked 35.00, he sold it to me for 30.00 out the door no tax and threw in 2 boxes of ammo. He wrapped it in paper as not to arouse the other passengers on the bus on my way home. And no call to my mom. I tell that story and people today cringe. By the way Coast to Coast was my favorite store. Been buying 22s and 20ga shells since I was 10. Now my biggest problem is when the store has em they are locked up and there is nobody around to wait on you.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

These are great stories. It is amazing how things have changed in a relatively few years. Where I grew up, no one thought twice about a 16 year old kid walking down the street carrying a .22 rifle. Nowadays they'd call in a SWAT team.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

People have changed a lot since the days of the old "Store Brand"firearms.Times when you could order a .22,12ga.or 30-30 even handguns from Sears and have it delivered by your mailman are long gone.Most folkes old enough to remember those days can still be trusted with a gun.I wish to God I could say that about everyone.

 

Re: Store Brand "Marlins"

The year was 1962 and one year before the JFK assassination. I had saved up enough money to buy a standard Browning 12 gauge auto-five primarily for deer hunting. At 18 years of age, I hoped a subway train from my home in Queens, NY to Goodwear Sporting Goods in downtown Brooklyn. Plucked down my money and left with my Browning in their black and gold Browning box. With the assassination, the city would turn rabidly anti-gun, would discontinue their high school shooting teams and in a few years, require long gun registration. Today, an 18-year-old doing what I did could expect to be arrested and would earn a place on terrorist watch-lists. The zero-tolerance loonies would nail him to the cross.