This week we have something a little different. A few months ago my step-dad, Charles, presented me with a gun that he said his dad (my Grandpa Irwin) had given him. Grandpa Irwin's across the street neighbor had given it to him earlier.
Now this isn't some huge hunting rifle, or revolver. In fact, at only 30 inches long, it looks exactly like a toy. And it was, in a way.
Here it is:
By using my excellent detective skills (I read the writing stamped on the side and Googled it), I was able to discover that this is a Hamilton No. 27 Boy's Gun. It is chambered for .22 rounds, and is a single shot rifle. It was made somewhere between 1909 and 1930 (probably) and is one of over 500,000 made.
To open the breech, you simply lift the lever on the side. It will hold .22 short or long rifle. The safety is that you have to manually pull the hammer back to fire it.
So this is literally a rifle that was built as a teaching toy. The idea is that once a kid became responsible enough to handle this small gun well, he could graduate up to larger, more powerful weapons.
In my exhaustive 10 minute research dive, I found these advertisements...
Here we see that kids could even earn them as prizes for selling! I tried selling Christmas cards once for prizes. I "won" a box of Christmas cards that no one wanted... Regardless, a gun was not an option for selling them.
So, it would seem my step-dad gifted me a real slice of American history! It would be interesting to know its story before it was given to his dad, but we'll never know. I've never fired it, but it certainly seems sound so I would like to someday. This little gun really means a lot to me- mainly because of the person that gave it to me.
Until next time, keep searching for treasure!
Stu, how nice that you still have this family heirloom, passed down down to you through multiple generations! I don't know anything about guns, but like you, I did sell Christmas cards when I was a kid. I remember there was a list of prizes you could claim with points, but I can't remember if a gun was on that list. Probably not. There was the option of taking one dollar for every box of cards you sold, instead of taking "points" to use towards prizes. I chose the "one dollar" option!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm not sure if I sold any cards at all (but I must have sold at least a couple!) I've never been great at sales, and this was probably the first indication of that.
DeleteSmart move on taking the cash! A buck was a lot of money!
I'm sure there was no gun on my prize list. I think I was going for a gas powered plane!
Ah, the old Cox gas powered planes. I had a Flying Tiger that really never got off the ground in a successful way. Ended up just having fun starting it up, making a lot of noise and keeping my fingers from getting sliced.
ReplyDeleteNice little .22 and like TM said, great to still have it. In Arizona, it seemed like every kid got a .22 from his Dad. Dad bought me a Remington Nylon 11 when I was about 12. Great from plinking and I tried not to kill anything.
I had a couple of planes (a Testors Cosmic Wind and a Cox Stuka) and neither one ever got off the ground. I think I was terrified of bashing them to bits!
DeleteMy grandfather bought me an Ithica single shot 410 when I was a kid, that I still have. I used it at Grandpa Irwin's farm. His only instruction: "Don't shoot the cows." No animals (cows or otherwise) were harmed!
I love the ad with the (unofficial) Boy Scouts. I learned to safely and accurately shoot in the Boy Scouts, but I must admit we never went rabbit hunting with fixed bayonets. I feel cheated. We did manage to get mixed up in a National Guard war game once, but unlike in Follow Me, Boys!, we didn’t capture a tank.
ReplyDeleteMy 19-year-old Eagle Scout just looked at the picture and said, “What are they doing - teaching them to fire by rank?”
I had a good friend in high school whose step-grandfather had a cattle ranch outside Quanah. We’d drive out there, borrow his shotguns, and go “cow hunting.” That involved walking the range until we found the herd, turning in the opposite direction so we had no chance of hitting the animals, and then “skeet shooting” with dried out cow pies.
I later got mono from his fiancée, helping her pick out tuxes for their bridal party while he was away in the Army. Wait - before you think ill of me - it was all aboveboard and proper. Her parents were even in the room and watching when it happened.
Object lesson - it’s never a good idea to lose track of which Pepsi can is yours.
Chuck, you always have the best stories, lol!
DeleteYou needed the bayonet for hunting those Monty Python rabbits! ...or a hand grenade!
Mono no funno! Especially getting it that way!