Project Appleseed

Marlin 925 (pre-freedom group), a Christmas present from my parents many moons ago. It's similar to the XT-22 they make now - .22LR bolt-action with 7 or 10 round "clips" (yes, that's what the manual actually calls them...) and surprisingly great inherent accuracy for such a cheap model. Man I love that thing 

Not the first rifle I shot, but the first I owned (with my brother, 'twas a shared Christmas present): Marlin 60, back around 1982. Still have it.

Quote from: Stark on January 11, 2022, 02:15:19 PM
Marlin 925 (pre-freedom group), a Christmas present from my parents many moons ago. It's similar to the XT-22 they make now - .22LR bolt-action with 7 or 10 round "clips" (yes, that's what the manual actually calls them...) and surprisingly great inherent accuracy for such a cheap model. Man I love that thing 

Provided the crown is in good shape, I've never seen a Marlin .22 that wasn't a tack-driver (once you find the ammunition it prefers).

Remington 552C Speedmaster for Christmas 1979. I still have it and enjoy shooting it. It is plenty accurate and eats about any ammo I feed it.

.22 short, single shot, hammer action, no manufacturer's name or serial number. Used by my grandfather when he homesteaded in Alberta, Canada in 1915. I still have it and wouldn't dream of putting a round through it now.

Finally got out to the range today to run an AQT with the 572A. I verified my zero with a couple of shots and then got busy with it. The nice thing about this rifle is the long sight radius and the trigger. Managed to score a 233. Was pretty happy with that!

In Liberty, 

Gus

My first rifle was a Ruger 10/22, in 1987, a gift from my dad to myself and my older brother.   I still have it mostly unchanged but with a BX trigger and a Simmons fixed 4x scope.    A simple setup which was good enough for my first three Appleseeds, the latter two I squeaked by with Rifleman scores of 210, and 212.

When I wanted to build it up into something more, instead of leaving it in pieces in the safe, I instead just purchased another one.   I couldn't imagine leaving the stock, with my initials scrawled in it, sitting in the back of the safe.   So, I just bought another one which I had no emotional attachment to so I could cook up something special.

This original rifle was used by my son last year in his first Appleseed weekend.   I was really glad I kept it whole; it was nice seeing him progress behind it.   Of course now he has his own. 

Why have a 10/22 when you can have three? 

Henry Rifle in .22lr, bought it with my Dad when I turned 18. Times got tough when my wife and I where newlyweds and it got sold.

Ruger 10/22, sold it......hunted guy down I sold it to and bought it back.......it is still the rifle I use for AS, and although I retired it from loaner duty some time back, it is still the rifle I use to qualify at 25M events.

Winchester mdl 61, got it for Christmas about 40 years ago and still have it. Still love shooting it and wouldn't dream of selling it.

My mother gifted me a Ruger 10/22 for my 18h birthday.
Got stolen.
Found out who did it several years later, but by then the statute of limitations for the burglary had expired, and it would have been impossible to prove at that point.
Never saw it again.

Quote from: Timothy_D on January 09, 2023, 08:39:44 PM
My mother gifted me a Ruger 10/22 for my 18h birthday.
Got stolen.
Found out who did it several years later, but by then the statute of limitations for the burglary had expired, and it would have been impossible to prove at that point.
Never saw it again.

😭😡

Got off to a late start in ownership. Served 5 years in the army, got through college, and bought a ruger 10/22 all weather model in 1999. Still have it and share it with my kids.

My first rifle was a tube-fed Glenfield 60 that my dad gave to me on my 9th birthday.  As much as my dad was a firearms enthusiast, my mom was terrified of guns, so obviously I wasn't allowed to touch it unless he was there.  Unfortunately, he was working overseas at that time and I didn't see him often but it was always a highlight to go shooting with him when he came back. (I'm not sure if eye dominance was even taught back then but considering I could rarely hit the target, I think he would have been more proud of my marksmanship skills if he had known to teach me that!)

Only getting to shoot it a couple times with him, it sat in my closet until I was an early teenager and decided to sell it to help fund whatever hobby I was into at the time.   I ended up selling it to a neighbor who was retired from the Air Force.

24 years later when my son turned 13, I took him and my daughters to a local indoor range for his birthday. That triggered (pun intended) memories of how much I enjoyed shooting and the firearm bug bit me.  I was talking to a friend (whom I have been friends with since 3rd grade) about how I really wished I hadn't sold that rifle to the neighbor.  It turns out that years later, that neighbor had given that Glenfield 60 to him!  My buddy gave it back to me and now that I know about eye dominance, is definitely a tack driver!

My first was a Marlin model 60 tube-fed in 22lr. I don't have it any more - I passed it along to my oldest grandson. Every grandkid that is interested in going to an Appleseed with me gets their own .22 rifle. I'm up to three so far and hoping for several more. It makes for some great memories.

Shabadoo, that is a great post: giving the grandkids a .22 to use at an Appleseed!  Someday when I have grandkids I'll do the same!

In Liberty,

Gus

J. Stevens Arms Little Scout 14.5 in .22Long manufactured circa 1914.  Still have it.  Great grandfather learned to shoot with it, grandfather learned to shoot with it, father learned to shoot with it, now my daughter will learn to shoot with it...well fire her first couple shots.  Then she'll quickly transitioning to a Winchester Wildcat with suppressor and quiet-22 ammo.