The ramblings of a curmudgeon.
 

I’m kinda new to this forum an if this thread offends anyone I humbly apologize. First, I love old guns, old camping/fishing equipment, an vintage hunting pictures. I try and hunt as they did years ago. I abhor camo, synthetic stocked guns, hunting over feeders (bait). I’m a curmudgeon.
This first picture is of brothers Jess and Lloyd Peters. They were fanatical bird hunters. I grew up in Livingston Co. KY and when I was very young Jess was our neighbor. Dad said Jess hunted with 20 gauge Model 12 that had a stock made by Jess. I have searched the country over for it without any luck. Dad said Jess never missed a bird. He had an old bird dog, cream colored with spots and long silky hair. His name was Nicky. I can remember dad an I going to visit Jess, them sitting close by the fireplace, Nicky stretched out in front of it, his old bones soaking up the warmth and me rubbing his soft ears. One summer Jess backed over the old fellow with his pickup, killing him. That was it for Jess and bird hunting. Because of my jet black hair, Jess nick named me Little Beaver.
In 1967, my 2 cousins, Jimmy and Doug Black killed 555 quail around home. Jim used an early Superposed with a solid rib. Doug hunted with a Fox Sterlingworth. Both guns were 12’s. I know where the Browning lives but the Sterlingworth is long gone. This was a 60 day season. Enjoy.
Tom Black



http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../414495901.jpg
Next is my Trojan. It’s not a safe queen and certainly not in the league of some of the Parker’s I see on this forum. The receiver has been refinished long ago but she’s as tight as the day made and the barrels ring like wind chimes when thumped. It was made in 1930.

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My first love, after my wife are old Winchester’s. I killed this doe a few weeks ago with my light weight ‘86 in 33 WCF. It was made in 1910.


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Opening day of our modern day deer season I killed this 16 point non typical with my 375 H&H Model 70, it was made in ‘57. I had downloaded a Speer 235 bullet an it kicks about like my old steel butted ‘06 does loaded with 180’s.


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In 1935, my great uncle and name sake bought this little Winchester Model 67. It was the first gun I ever shot. It has been in our family for 85 years. It now belongs to my cousin. He was good enough to loan it to me a few weeks ago an I killed 2 young grays with it. She is in very rough shape but as far as I’m concerned, it’s priceless.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL132.../414484715.jpg

Great stuff Tom. I could read those kind of tales all day long.





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That is way cool! I love those stories too

Tom I have a model 67 rifle myself. It was my grandfather's rifle. He passed away in the middle of the 1960s when I was almost too young to remember him. It too is worn, but in decent condition. Thanks for posting.

great tales and pictures this is as much of hunting as the hunt it self....charlie

You gotta love those Winchesters. I have a reduced load for my pre64 375. It feels like a 243 but is the hammer of Thor on a deer and you can eat right to the hole :)

Hey Tom, I live in Campbell county ky. I remember those quail days well. You ought to join the PGCA membership and get our magazine. It’s always got great stories about hunting and guns. You could even write your stories and submit them for publication. Hope to meet you one day.

May the "ole days" live on! Thanks for posting.

My Mother's .22 was a Winchester Model 67 with the finger grooves like that. My first .22 was a later one with the fuller forearm. My Great Uncle who was a gunsmith in Seattle fitted a grip cap, an ebony forearm tip, checkered it to match a Model 70 Super-Grade, gave it a oil finish and fitted it with a Mossberg scope. I was pretty proud of it!! Unfortunately they were both stolen out of my Father's house in 1978 along with his AE-Grade 16-gauge Remington Hammerless Double serial number P136036.

I need to find out what make and model my .22 is. It has been in the family a long time and it never occurred to me to find out the make and model

Tom,
These are great pictures especially you leaning on the log. My uncle Gene gave me an old single shot winchester model 1904 back in the late 60's. My daughter had bought a brand new shotgun for an old boyfriend about 20 years ago, so I wrapped the old winchester up in wrapping paper as a joke. He unwrapped the winchester first, and got tears in his eyes, I thought uh oh, so my daughter grabbed her present and we explained the first one was just a joke. As he was opening up the shotgun, he kept looking back at the old winchester. If he would of married my daughter (he didn't) I would of probably gave him the old .22 for a wedding gift:) that gun is priceless to me too, I have 5 grand kids so I am hoping one of them will be excited to get it. Time will tell, thanks again for sharing such great pics.

I also have an early Win 67 likes yours with grooved forend.Bobby

Take a close at the first photo in this post. If you zoom in on the windshield of the car you will see the ghostly image of a man sitting in the passenger seat. At first I thought it might be a shadow cast by one of the hunters but it isn’t. What do you think it is?

Dave my first 22 was a used Winchester 67 with the finger grooves, my brother George received a used 67 with the full forend. That was 54 years ago this Christmas.
Monday this week I walked into a local shop and found that a like new 67A with original box had just been put out for sale. It’s a full forend model and had just been brought in by the original owner.
Despite my latest attempts to reduce my gun collection, I fell of the wagon again and bought it immediately. Who amongst us that had one of these as a kid could pass it up?
The box is dark and oil stained and taped but it’s beautiful in my eyes. The gun has been set aside as all used guns purchased by a dealer in AZ must be held for 21 days before it goes home.
I wish I could bring it home for Christmas but it will need to wait.
I will get some pictures and post them here before Christmas. Not sure the year of manufacture as this model was not produced with serial numbers.
I hope some close examination of the box and the posting of pictures will provide clues to its age.
It’s a shame the history is lost so many times when a gun changes ownership.
I only know that a old gentleman brought it in and said he bought it new as a kid. That’s it. Makes you wonder since he bought it why it didn’t get used and how did it manage to stay in the original box all this time.

Thanks for posting. Are the birds in the photo all Woodcock? Or a mix of Quail and Woodcock? Either way thats is a great day.
- Brett

Thanks for posting. Are the birds in the photo all Woodcock? Or a mix of Quail and Woodcock? Either way thats is a great day.
- Brett

My first 22 was a Winchester M1890 with an octagon barrel chambered strictly for the 22 short. I still have it today.

I too like old guns. My most cherished one is one my grandmother got from her brother sometime before she got married in 1900. The family story is that she killed a Fox that was after the chickens so her brother thought she should have the gun. It's a Quackenbush 22. I believe that this model was last made about 1908. It will be staying in the family, that is if we're allowed to have guns.

A Model 70 22 Hornet is on my wish list

Pre-war, of course.

Of course

The pre war guns are more suited to iron sights and have a lot of drop. IMHO I have one of the nicest Hornets available with a period correct Kollmorgan 10X scope with a target dot. At one time I had a Hornet in a carbine with a Lyman receiver sight. I traded it back to Steve Barnett for something else that I can't remember. Wish I still had it.

Up to 9 Model 70’s so far. 3 30 06’s, 3 308s, 2 375’s and one 257 Roberts. You all might remember one of the 375’s with Ackley improved chambers and it is going up the road after the holidays. The 257 Roberts is heavily customized and is on consignment as we speak. It was supposed to be a 270, but wasn’t and my guy had to get a gunsmith to figure out what it was. It was in a lot with a 30 06 featherweight.

Big question is what other calibers I need. Henry Davis wrote about turkey hunting with a 22 Hornet which is why I want that caliber

Hornets have a lot of charisma, but can be very finicky, often are very hard to get to group well.

One of the must have rifle calibers for me is .22 Magnum. It is a giant slayer. Kills way beyond how it should. I've had a Ruger 77/22M since CHRISTmas Day 1991. Groups well under an inch at 125 yds, with a little Burris compact 4X scope. It just loves the little Remington 33 gr. ballistic tip rounds.

Another I enjoy is .45-70, with handloads. Ruger No. 1, with 300 gr. FNHPs at 2100 fps. Topped with a Leupold M8-3X.

I also enjoy a .220 Swift with 52 gr. handloads. Crows never hear what killed them.

SRH

Mills if you don't already have Roger Rule's book The Riflemans Rifle you should get it. It's The Parker Story for the M 70.

I’ve got that too.