Heat old rifle Tom. Tell us about it?
The picture is one off Google but mine is the same (without the sling swivels)
:think: Well....This was the first firearm which I owned. My Grandfather gave it to me when I was eight or nine. I had shot/used other firearms previously (had one in my hand as long as I can remember) My Grandmother has a picture of a 7 year-old me shooting my Grandfathers .38 Colt Detective Special with him standing right behind me, hand on my shoulder.
The previous year he had given me an air rifle with a hole in the air chamber (couldn't fire if I wanted it to) with the instructions that; even though the gun doesn't work, it's still a gun, and is therefore not a toy but "a serious tool for serious men". I was to keep and bear it as my gun...Which I did for what seemed like forever (you know how time is when you are a kid
). Around the ranch..To the feed store...In the woods & orange groves ect.. Anyhoo...One fateful day I made the mistake of goofing-around and pointing it at someone.
The old man saw it and just about lost his mind on me.
I'll never forget that day...it's burned into my memory like it was yesterday. You see; even though my Grandfather was a large man 6'4" and was know for being hard he was always very gentle and patient with me (even when I drove the truck into the side of the barn :doh: ). I had never seen him like that before. He took my air rifle away from me and let me know "why" in
no uncertain terms. I was devastated.
A few weeks later he sat me down and we had another talk about guns...their purpose...and the consequences of their use/misuse. He then gave me back my "gun".
I continued to carry the air rifle around the ranch and such for some time after that...Not sure how long in "kid time".
Eventually, he walked across the room one day and took that rifle off the gun rack over the fireplace and asked if i wanted to "trade up". Of course; I was thrilled. He took the air-rifle back and gave me me this semi-auto .22. As he did so he looked me dead in the eye and told me to remember that air-rifle
always "You know what I'm talking about". I did...and it was the last time the incident was mentioned (except when I told the story in later years).
To this day I have had one negligent discharge...I was 25...And the bullet went right into the ground in front of my feet.
...but i digress: :chuckle:
It's a Remington 550-1. According to the date code (it has no serial number) it was manufactured in March of 1954. It's tube magazine will hold 15 rounds of .22LR (No doubt making it a "high capacity assault rifle" in Gov. Cuomo's "America") My Grandfather didn't remember when he got it exactly but he remembers it was traded to him by an old guy for a hearing-aid (Grandad was a hearing-aid dealer back in the time when they were a cigarette pack sized box with a wire which went up to your ear).
It's killed countless squirrels and rabbit for dinner (and the occasional pest) since then. I retired it to my gun cabinet about a decade ago.It still functions flawlessly but parts for it are hard to come by and I didn't want to risk a breakage any longer. :e4e:
