The bolt had a knob on the back which had to be pulled back to cock the firing pin. Then and only then could you pull the trigger & fire the rifle. Then you opened the bolt again, which ejected the empty casing. And as Duke mentions in comments (below), if you failed to pull the knob all the way back, it would slam forward and fire the round.
When I turned six in 1961, we went out to the lot behind my grandpa's barn, and he set soup cans on three wooden fence posts. We talked about safe handling, which involved his version of what we know now as The Four Rules*. Handing me the rifle, he said, "If you can knock any of those off, you can keep shooting." I got the third one, and was able to exhale again. With a grin that likely stretched ear-to-ear, I accepted another small handful of cartridges, and walked over to set the cans back up.
He and I would drive to land owned by his friends, and take turns shooting at targets we'd set up, or something we'd find when we got there. One instance that comes to mind was the summer before I graduated from high school. There was a brown leaf on an otherwise green tree, across a shallow valley; we took turns shooting at the base of the leaf until one of us was able to clip it from the branch. I don't remember which of us finally hit that twig; I only remember how much fun we had.
About ten years ago, my oldest daughter had the chance to shoot the rifle, and she liked it as much as I did. Her grin was just as big as mine, too. That old rifle's gone now (a whole 'nother story, there) but the memories remain.
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| It says "Springfield", but I swear the old Stevens (made by Savage) looked just the same. |
* The Four Rules:
- All guns are always loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
8 comments:
I wish Dad was around to answer my questions, too.
That's a fine story, right there.
Dads and unanswered questions. Me, too.
He had a J.C. Higgins .22 very similar to your photo. I remember a large bolt or screw which attached the stock to the action was stripped, so, we never used it. I'm guessing either my step-brother has it in storage, or it was sold.
It would be cool to have repaired, now.
My old Winchester cocked the same way. Funny thing if you let go of the cocking lever before it was fully back and locked in the rearward position it slam forward and fire the gun. Duke.
Visiting the Savage Arms website I see your rifle is still manufactured, is called the Cub model, has a peep sight and laminated stock, and sells for an MSRP of $227. There are other variations of the same rifle, including a pink girls' model.
Wonderful memory...like you I have many unanswered questions. Dust seems to live in my eyes anymore.
Awwww.... sweet! :)
(The really cool thing about this whole blogging thing is that someday your daughters may well be able to go back and read all this when *they're* getting dusty eyed decades and decades hence)
A great story of some wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing, my friend!
Anthony
It is a classic rifle as well. This is still potent for the hunting sport.
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