From my 1930s File -- Boys Guns

[Broke Hoss]

We "Ropers" parked our pick-ups across the street from the high school in the late 70's. That way, we weren't on school property & subject to search. But most had a shotgun & rifle; usually a .22 but 30-30s were seen in deer season, in the gunrack in the back window.

When my son's class studied WWII, he made a presentation on the M1 Garand. He got approval from his teacher all the way up to the superintendent before I agreed to bring it up to his class.

 

[mrchuck]

We all had BB and pellet guns with a range in the back yard (50x100 ft).

In 1967, we did a play (Stalag 17) and had a war souvenir Browning HP for the Colonel and a 1903 Springfield for Sgt Schultz.

Col Klink!

 

[Old TexMex]

At that time, it would have sold for around $5.00

That's better than the Little Scout or Crackshot you got for selling Cloverine Salve.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

There was a pretty good sized farm pond near a friends house. "The Guys" would gather there when we weren't working in the summer. Shooting tin cans across the pond was of no challenge to this group, so we came up with a better "game" Set a row of cans at uneven distances from the water's edge, and shoot them after the bullet skips off the pond! We were doing this with WWI and WWII surplus rifles in 8 Mauser, 303 British, and good old 30-06. The Russian stuff hadn't come to America yet! Getting angles and correct distance took a little while to figure out, but in no time we were hitting 75% or better on the first shot.

There is a park there now, and I telling the Ranger about how we used to shoot all over the grounds in the 70's. He said he had wondered how the boulders got all pocked up!

Ivan

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...I've posted this one before...I call it..."Kids of the Depression...a
Pocket Full of 22s"...

 

[shamrocker]

I went to high school in the late 60s, a big school in Denver, all 9 high schools had a jr ROTC program that I joined to get on the rifle team.
You could shoot the schools 22's (donated by the army) or bring your own.
We had a range in the basement.
I was on that range 3 times a week during class, and every afternoon after school. Interschool matches every other saturday.
That came out to 700-1000 rounds a week, all donated by the army.
I walked in the front door every day with my rifle in a soft case and it went into my locker, back home with me every night.
Nobody thought that strange.
There is a half page photo in my senior yearbook of me in my shooting jacket with my rifle.
The 4 of us on that team are still in contact 40 years later.
BTW a buck folder in its belt scabbard was on most fellows belt.

 

[Drm50]

IN 60s guns were not any big deal in our school. The industrial
Arts dept had a large display window that always had Rifles and
shotguns on display. Many rifles were sporterized others restocked and parts machined for antique guns. Around Vets Day
or Pearl Harbor there would be displays with WW2 weapons.
Every boy carried a pocket knife. Most students dads & uncles
were WW2 Vets. I don't remember even one issue as far as weapons in school. It was a small village and not prone to any
crime of any kind. I was in Class of 68, my fellow schoolmates
having lived this life are the ones that imported the anti gun
rhetoric into our local schools. They got" educated" in college.
This crowd was rolling in the mud at Woodstock while most of
us were crawling in the mud of SE Asia.

 

[DWalt]

Back in the dark ages, I attended Ohio State and lived in a dorm for three years. Lots of the guys there had guns in their rooms (including me), and I don't remember anything about its being forbidden. I'm sure it is today. I don't remember any incidents involving guns, but suicides weren't unknown, usually not involving guns. Jumping off the upper deck of the Ohio Stadium was one favored way, so was slicing wrists. Those incidents were NEVER made public by the University back then, and unless you had some personal knowledge, you wouldn't know it happened. A guy in a room next to mine during my freshman year did it by slicing his wrists one night. That one I remember well.

 

[wundudnee]

One of my addictions is Winchester .22 rifles. I've collected the single shot boys rifles for many years. Here's a few starting with a model 1900 and going up to the model 59. I wish they could tell their stories.