First Rifle Nostalgia

Tmate

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Back in 1952 I bought my first rifle. It was a J.C. Higgins .22 bolt action with an 8 shot clip. I paid $21.75 on sale at Sears as I recall. That was the most I could afford as a 13 year old with a paper route. I was immensely jealous of a friend whose uncle gave him a remington pump .22 that originally cost close to 3 times that amount.

It's funny how the years soften those recollections. Today, that little .22 from so many decades ago has a special place in my memory. While that particular gun is long gone, I have seen fit to replace it with not one, but two.
 

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The first rifle I and my sister used was my uncles Win Model 63. After he passed away, I was able to buy it from the estate. We later found a photo of my grandfather on Mom side that he had a Win Model 03. The earlier version of the 63! Cool
Added the photo of granddad with his 03.
Pierre
 

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That's a great memory!!
I have no personal experience with J.C. Higgins
My brother and I would go out with my dad and his Winchester model 77 (early 60's model) with a 8 round magazine. Most of these were tube fed.
I took good care of it, shot it quite a bit as an adult, then gave it to my brother when dad passed a few years ago.
He took it to a gun smith to have it checked out.
Those old rifles were made very well.
 
My first rifle was a Nylon 22. Loved that thing.
 
I still have mine, a Winchester 1906 Pump .22 LR and a Winchester 1898 Pump .22 LR with a octagon barrel ;)
 
I think J.C. Higgins was a Sears house brand made by various manufactures. When I was about 13 my father bought a J.C. Higgins semi-auto .22lr that never feed worth a darn. We sold in in a garage sale back in the 80's. When I was 19 the first gun I purchased was a J.C. Higgins semi-auto .22lr. It never fed worth a darn either. I refinished the stock and it is still up in the attic somewhere. I am much better at buying firearms than I am at selling them.
 
Go to a farm auction sometime.
Of course, there's lots of stuff being liquidated usually at bargain prices. Everyone has seen this, I'm sure.
But when they get to the antique .22 rifles: Model 5 and such, the prices go bananas. Old fellas with some money that want to hold their old plinker again. Seen them bring over a grand for the clean ones.
 
But when they get to the antique .22 rifles: Model 5 and such, the prices go bananas. Old fellas with some money that want to hold their old plinker again. Seen them bring over a grand for the clean ones.

When you get into the Winchester 52C & D and the Remington 40Xs they get real pricey,
 

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Well, sure....
but i have yet to see any of these at farm auctions next to the crocheted doily and grandma's china.
 
The auctioneer or friends have moved the good stuff already. Seen it and the crappy brown no value guns are left behind.
Pierre
 
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