Model 20
JC Higgins Model 20 pump-action 12 gauge shotgun. 2 3/4" only. This is another firearm I inherited from my grandfather, and the wear on it attests to its primary use as Grampy's duck- and pheasant gun. John Audubon didn't kill as many birds as this old Sears & Roebuck workhorse. These days, though, all it kills are orange clays, and it will send them to clayhalla all day long if I do my part.
We'll see on Sunday if that's still the case...
That is all.
7 comments:
My friend is an excellent skeet shooter, his pals call his Remington 870 a "bumperjack". Trouble is, they don't shoot as well with their megabuck shotguns!
Jeez. Those were the days! You could order a long gun through the Sears and Roebuck catalog.
I'm willing to bet that the first gun shot by most seniors today was a JC Higgins model. Someone should write a history of the product line.
My Dad's first shotgun was a model 20 identical to yours, Jay. It was a gift from his father in 1954. I still have it and it still works perfectly.
I typically see model 20's in gun shops selling for around a hundred bucks but I consider mine priceless.
libertyman,
Heh. You should have seen the looks I got on the trap field the day I showed up with my Win 1300 with pistol grip...
Only broke 2 clays out of 10, but the looks were priceless...
PE,
Heck, even I remember being able to walk into Service Merchandise (remember them?!?!) and buy a .22 or shotgun...
Steve,
I've seen the same thing - the old model 20s don't command a steep price, but mine is beyond priceless.
I've actually thought about picking up a stand-in for this one so I don't wear the old girl out, actually...
What? No bayonet?
;-)
I bought my first 2 long guns from Service Merchandise - they were the only people who would give me a credit card. A Marlin .30-30 and a Mossberg 500 combo. Those two are long gone, but I do have a family-heirloom JC Higgins 12 gauge double in the safe now. Great post, as usual.
Very cool. I have my grandfather's V.Bernedo pocket pistol. Lots of carry wear but it looks like it's never been fired. Maybe I'll bring it Sunday for show-and-tell. I've never shot it, not sure I ever will. I wish I knew more of the gun's (and my grandfather's) history. My grandfather was born in Spain, the same day in 1892 that Lizzy Borden hacked up her parents. I do know that he traveled the world before settling in the USA sometime before WWII. The pistol was made by a small company in Spain, sometime after WWI; so we assume the pistol traveled with him. Gramdpa died when I was 12-13trs old, and his accent was so strong I always had a hard time understanding him. I so wish now I had tried harder. He was born in the days before cars and planes, before electricity and plumbing were common. He lived to see the beginnings of the computer age, and mankind travel to other worlds.
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