Email from My Dad

[YakBasser]

This is a response from My 76yr old Dad to an Email I sent him about a Rimfire Article I had read. I grew up trapsing around just about everywhere imaginable with him, and with a .22 in my hand, and this Email kinda reminded me of all those times. Thought it was kinda cool and thought Id share.

Message body
That was “very interesting”. I guess that explains the misfires. I can’t believe with all the technology we have today that the .22 rimfire cartridge is so difficult to make and that they have such a problem with the primer. I really can’t remember misfires with Dad’s old Winchester .22 short pump rifle and as far as I’m concerned there was a high degree of accuracy with the .22 short. I’m not bragging but after I had shot the gun for 2 or 3 years almost every time I shot the old pump, something fell from a head shot. This included snakes, squirrels, rabbits and ducks (on the pond of course). I even killed jackrabbits, a prairie chicken in a tree and a cottontail all at long range with body shots by taking a very course sight to allow for bullet drop and I don’t remember one misfire. Maybe it’s because I was using old style ammo that didn’t have the problems that was talked about with modern smokeless powder. Most of my shooting was done in the period 1946 through 1958. Also, when you and I went to the farm and shot squirrels and woodpeckers I can’t remember a single misfire, can you? Oh well maybe I’m getting old and my memory is not what it used to be, but I actually can’t remember throwing away a misfired .22 short. At 45/55 cents a box we couldn’t afford to buy 500 rounds at once we stuck to the 50 round box and 50 rounds generally resulted in 48/49 kills. One box of ammo would last about a year. Dad.

These times He is describing wouldve all happened on his home place in Pawnee County just outside Ralston and Fairfax.

 

[Old Fart]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.
I remember some times like that when I was a kid.

 

[bigfug]

Born in 81, I can remember one or two misfires, but thats about it. Sometimes I wonder if its the guns, cuz even the new stuff in my dad's old guns never have a problem. I remember buying 50 and maybe 100 round boxes, and them lasting forever. I still have a lot of them. The hard plastic boxes with the slide off tops. That reminds me, I got my kids .22's for christmas, Maybe I should dig up some of those little boxes to give them as stocking stuffers to go with the guns.

 

[HMFIC]

Thanks for sharing that. Very cool.

 

[Shadowrider]

I remember my grandfather saying that he always saved his lunch money and stopped off at a drug store after school where he had talked the owner into selling him two 16ga shotgun shells out of the box. Since he was in there buying them most every day the owner agreed. Almost every day after school he went hunting. Hey, they had to eat. That old single barrel 16 gauge sets in my closet right now with the barrel so thin that my dad was afraid to shoot it. The finish is still pretty good, most bluing and case hardening looks great. He just shot it until the barrel is thin on it. No telling how many rounds it's seen.

ETA: My grandfather lived in SW OKC. This would have been somewhere in the late '20s. And most days he took off hunting on his bicycle and hunted in Harrah! It was the old home place of his grandfather.

 

[flatwins]

My parents got married in the early 60s without a pot to piss in, so to speak. My dad kept food on the table with an old Crosman 400 .22 pellet rifle. 10 shot, CO2 repeater. From the way they talk, they ate a lot of rabbit. By the time by brother (dlbleak on OSA) came along, times were better and less rabbit was consumed. I like these great old stories but it makes me realize I'm no where near as tough as my parents and grandparents. I have it way too easy.

 

[YakBasser]

Sweet! Love these Old Stories...I still have the 1890 I carried back then as well. It was eventually turned imto a barn gun. The rifling was almost gone and they wouldn't let us shoot bullets out of it, but we were supplied with shotshells to shoot rats and pigeoms. Wouldn't poke holes (-:

 

[Shadowrider]

My parents got married in the early 60s without a pot to piss in, so to speak. My dad kept food on the table with an old Crosman 400 .22 pellet rifle. 10 shot, CO2 repeater. From the way they talk, they ate a lot of rabbit. By the time by brother (dlbleak on OSA) came along, times were better and less rabbit was consumed. I like these great old stories but it makes me realize I'm no where near as tough as my parents and grandparents. I have it way too easy.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[VIKING]

I'll second the idea that we have it much easier..I'll soon be 61 and I've lived a much easier life than my parents..My Dad told me that he knew times were getting better when a rabbit crossed the road in front of him one day and there weren't anyone chasing it..

 

[ignerntbend]

My grandfather grew-up in south Texas in the time of Pancho Villa. Mexicans couldn't own guns but they could buy ammunition. A TEXICANO ranch hand would trade grandpa four .22 shorts for one dead rabbit.

*No B.S.*