The second gun I ever owned, and the first I ever purchased for myself was one of those Sears/Stevens doubles, but mine was a 12 ga with 30" mod/full barrels with 2 3/4" chambers.

I was too young to order it myself, so my mother made the call to Sears and put in the order. The gun, a couple of boxes of shells, and a brown canvas hunting coat. This of course was in those "pre-68" days when you could just call Sears and buy a gun. IIRC, the gun was $79.95.

I had saved the money out of my pay for working on a local farm, for $5.00 a day. Big money for a teenager in those days and that very rural area.

The Sears truck came by the house after 3-5 of the longest days I had ever experienced in my life, later and dropped it off.

Man that thing was heavy and those long barrels made it muzzle heavy. It was OK for squirrel and deer hunting, but I don't think it would have been much for birds. I sold it off years later when I got a pump gun.

I would have liked to have one of those 20's though.

__________________
John 3:16 .

I guess that I've been lucky in that I've never needed to buy a "poor man's gun." I search for bargains but I've never needed to buy a "cheap" gun.

Stevens "little scout". Sell Cloverine salve, door to door in a Cub Scout uniform, send in the certificate off the cardboard tube that the cans of salve came in, (and the money the buyers pay) and in the mail comes....a single shot .22 rifle.
That's how it was done in 1963, any how.....until the FTC shut it down.

__________________
Halfway and one more step

I do have blinds. I am teaching my #4 grandson still hunting. The oldest grandson already voided any chance to get firearms.

#2 GS is 18 and went from goals, like the seals or the Highway Patrol to a smashed head full of love. Not sure how long he'll be off planet.

#3 GS has a rifle, too young at 16 to have an heirloom.

GS #4, more level headed and common sense than most teenagers. In Jr. Rotc and the police Explorers. Pretty grounded. Has respect and is appreciative. Understands what heirlooms are.

Naps, what are they? Never heard of them. Someone was explaining it to me and I fell asleep in the middle of their lecture. Missed out.

I'll follow up with a new thread on my knees.