Stuff we used to do back then that you couldn't do now

[TexasRaider]

Carrying a Buck 110 on my belt in school.
Building a long rifle in shop class.
Riding a bike without a helmet
Driving a car with no seatbelts, a metal dash, and no power steering.
Shooting rats at the town dump with pellet rifles
Leave the house in the morning and not getting home till dark

I went to high school in a small town in the Texas Panhandle in the early to mid 80's, and every single country boy 'redneck' there carried a Buck knife on their belt in a leather holder, dang I'd forgotten all about that. They had those, and the ubiquitous wear-circle in their jeans back pocket from carrying a can of Copenhagen or Skoal...LOL!

 

[DWalt]

Back in the 1960s, I routinely flew with a handgun in my briefcase. I never advertised that, but no one ever searched me, and there were no X-ray machines, baggage searches, or patdowns. You just walked into the airport, went to the waiting area, then boarded. I don't think there was much concern about carrying guns on-board until the wave of hijackings started in the late 1960s and early 1970s, lots of people wanting to go to Cuba and similar places, also the D. B. Cooper affair of 1971.

 

[df06]

used to do

Taking your rifle to school and leaving it in the principles office so you could go shooting after school.

I lived in the boonies of western Ks and went to hi school in the 60s. I always had a gun or two in my car and often road hunted to and from school.
Shot lots of jack rabbits off the hood of a moving pick-up while brothers or friends were driving, at night.
Also tried unsuccessfully to shoot jack rabbits off a Honda trail 90 dirt bike with a 410 at night.

Not sure how I made it to 65 years old.

 

[mbliss57]

We used to fight as kids over who got to ride on the "hump" in the back seat (driveshaft hump) so we could see out the front window better.
We played pick up tackle football all the time up to high school in the 1960s and 70's without pad or helmets. We drove around in the back of pickups.
We always used gasoline as a solvent and we never had a problem discarding it or oil or batteries. We just chucked them. We carried our shotguns to school or left them in our cars later on at school so we could go hunting after school. It was not at all unusual to see teenage boys walking down the street with a shotgun in their hand. Lots and lots of stuff we did back then that is so phobic today. It's a wonder we have any real young men at all. I really believe if it weren't for good "competitive" organized ball teams, and the military, and those fathers that teach heir kids to be men regardless of the PC culture, this upcoming generation would be completely emasculated.
Edit: 1 last one I forgot we did as kids..catch carp at the local ponds...they were ice ponds in the way way way back days, then lay them on the track and watch the train squish them. Even though they were dead I am sure you couldn't get away with that these days.

 

[prplbkrr]

I miss bottle-rocket fights...

We used Roman Candles. Multiple shots per flick of the BIC.

 

[M E Morrison]

We used Roman Candles. Multiple shots per flick of the BIC.

Yeah, but they stick to your face.....

 

[Iggy]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J35daifV3z0[/ame]

I quit drivin' in chuck wagon races after my first one.

My Momma raised some dummies, but they was my sister.

Besides that, you cain't trust them Canadian fellers, they drink warm beer!!

 

[Chuck24]

We used Roman Candles. Multiple shots per flick of the BIC.

Met my future wife because of a bottle rocket fight.

 

[nodpete]

What I've gotten from all of these wonderful responses is that, we lived a much better life back in "the ole days" than people do today. And I feel sad for that, back then it seemed we did what we wanted to do , stupid, dumb , idiotic , what ever but we were free to at least try. Today, everything is regulated, illegal, or racist or etc. Sad, sad, sad !

 

[F75gunslinger]

As a group my friends and I would wander all over our small town with BB / pellet guns...maybe 6 or 8 of us total. Just going to / from someones house to where we could target practice.

 

[Muley Gil]

At Virginia Tech in 1968, we kept our guns and ammo in our dorm rooms. Not unusual to see a bunch of guys walking to the student parking lot with several handguns or rifles each going shooting in the national forest on Saturday morning. No one had a problem with the guy down the hall with his (unregistered) Maxim P-08 water cooled machine gun either.

I lived in the dorm at Auburn University in the early '70s. Not only did I keep my rifles, shotguns and handguns in my room, other friends would store their guns there as well, due to having roommates that liked to leave their rooms unlocked.

A friend and I built a small bench and I had an RCBS reloading press mounted on it. I would take my Coleman camp stove down to bathroom and cast bullets. Once we got a bunch of ammo loaded, we either went to the country range or out to the National forest.

I vaguely remember studying and going to class too.

 

[TexasRaider]

What I've gotten from all of these wonderful responses is that, we lived a much better life back in "the ole days" than people do today. And I feel sad for that, back then it seemed we did what we wanted to do , stupid, dumb , idiotic , what ever but we were free to at least try. Today, everything is regulated, illegal, or racist or etc. Sad, sad, sad !

I agree, even the movies and music we had back then towered over the garbage that is puked out of the pop culture sewer pipe these days...my wife's grandkids have discovered Johnny Cash, at least. I feel bad for this generation, but worse for the future ones; they'll never know what it means to live in a free country and their music will probably even be worse than it is today, if that's even possible....

 

[Bozz10mm]

I remember my sister and I making mud pies and catching horn toads and keeping them in cigar boxes.

My cousin and I would walk along the highway and pick up soda bottles. We'd take them to the little country store and sell them to buy BBs.

Back then, I guess you could actually buy mercury in a drug store cause a lot of kids, including me, would take the mercury and rub it on a penny for a while until the penny shined like a dime. Mercury poisoning? What's that?

 

[Abbynormal]

Our log structure has electricity but no water. Before heading out to do your business, you can turn on the lights and heater from inside.
Here's a night pic of the log structure.

In my neck of the woods, the methane in the outhouse wudda done blwed up when the heater got turned on!

 

[mauser9]

Yep recall those cardboard tubes of Daisy BBs for .10 or .15 cents a tube. Still got my Daisy 25 pump from 62. Cost about $11 I believe. And yes it still works!

 

[Chuck24]

I agree, even the movies and music we had back then towered over the garbage that is puked out of the pop culture sewer pipe these days...my wife's grandkids have discovered Johnny Cash, at least. I feel bad for this generation, but worse for the future ones; they'll never know what it means to live in a free country and their music will probably even be worse than it is today, if that's even possible....

Was listening to Roy Orbison the other day when my niece was over and she loved it. She said if he ever comes in concert to the area she wanted to go. Told her sure no problem, my treat.

 

[Bad_Andy]

These are all great stories. I'm not as "wise" as some of you. I just turned 40, but still remember things you can't do anymore.

I also sat on my dad's lap and "drived". Never wore a helmet on bikes or skates. Had a chemistry set and I remember setting a small portion of the carpet in my bedroom on fire. I played with mercury too. Remember my uncle jack giving me the book, "Young Boy Electrician". Had so many neat experiments from stuff I could buy at radio shack. I carried a pocket knife (Swiss Army) from elementary to high school. Now I carry a buck knife every day.

Somebody mentioned it earlier, flattening pennies on train tracks. I guess I am still a kid. Not only do I remember doing that with my dad, I recently moved to a new house that backs up to the metro line. I have wanted to go out and do that again... Not sure if it is illegal or not... Doubt it would derail a train, but may just have to see....

I was up skiing this winter, and think I am about the only one that doesn't wear a helmet. Never have, don't want to. I hope they don't make it mandatory.

Keep the stories coming. They entertain me.

 

[fdw]

When I was about 6 or 7 years old I'd ride my Schwinn Stingray to the store about 4-5 miles away to get my mom some Winstons...she ran an account so I didn't have to carry money (helmet, what helmet).

 

[rwsmith]

Are you SURE??????

This is my 1st grade picture taken at school. Do you think this could happen today. Not on your life.

Are you sure that's a TOY gun???

 

[M E Morrison]

These are all great stories. I'm not as "wise" as some of you. I just turned 40, but still remember things you can't do anymore.

I also sat on my dad's lap and "drived". Never wore a helmet on bikes or skates. Had a chemistry set and I remember setting a small portion of the carpet in my bedroom on fire. I played with mercury too. Remember my uncle jack giving me the book, "Young Boy Electrician". Had so many neat experiments from stuff I could buy at radio shack. I carried a pocket knife (Swiss Army) from elementary to high school. Now I carry a buck knife every day.

Somebody mentioned it earlier, flattening pennies on train tracks. I guess I am still a kid. Not only do I remember doing that with my dad, I recently moved to a new house that backs up to the metro line. I have wanted to go out and do that again... Not sure if it is illegal or not... Doubt it would derail a train, but may just have to see....

I was up skiing this winter, and think I am about the only one that doesn't wear a helmet. Never have, don't want to. I hope they don't make it mandatory.

Keep the stories coming. They entertain me.

Don't worry - that train is safe! Go for it!