CHRISTMAS mourn

[44whiskey]

1971 i begged for my first 22 rifle for Christmas, my older cousins having gotten theirs at about that age. also this was the era of polaroid cameras and somewhere there is photographic evidence of this story.last package right size and shape.as camera poised i rip paper off and reveal browning sa 22box.pic was snapped and i was all smiles.ripped open box and removed 1x4 sawed into shape of gun stock with vacuum cleaner pipe attached as barrel and a nail for a trigger, dad had even gone extra step of torching wood to bring out the grain. dad just rolled laughing. my smile shrank but i kept thinking he would retrieve my new 22 from the closet or under the bed. it was not to be. another year would pass before i was the proud owner of belgian browning sa 22. this rifle was lost to a house burglary later but i can close my eyes and imagine every line and contour and almost feel it. this story gets recounted almost every Christmas ,dad still laughs about it and mom hugs me and apologizes.good thing there was no such thing as child psychology back then, i may have been scarred for life merry Christmas all

[vaturkey]

Nice story there. My dad bought a Canadian made single shot .22 barreled action circa 1966 from Herters and then got a Fajen semi-inletted stock and did the inletting finishing etc in the garage at night while I was sleeping. It was under the Christmas tree that year. Still have it out in the gun safe. Have not fired it in probably 45 years.

[44whiskey]

thanks tom, is it a cooey,and if you dont mind how old were you and did you ask for it

[Jeff S]

Thanks for sharing that great story, but I’m sorry to hear about burglary. Merry Christmas!

[44whiskey]

thanks jeff and all the best to you and yours

[Stan Hillis]

Funny story. Mine, that comes to mind, is of CHRISTmas morning 1964. I was 13 and had crashed a buddy's Honda motor bike two days before. I had a broken left wrist and stitches in my chin. I had used my Grandad's Remington Model 33 for several years, but had never owned my own .22. With my arm in a cast I opened a package and, what to my wondering eyes should appear?, but a Nylon 11. It was a cousin of the Nylon 66, and was a clip fed bolt action. The rest is anti-climactic but, I went squirrel hunting with it that very morn, cast and all.

By many's standards the Nylon 11 was a dog, but that morning I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Thanks again, Dad. I love and miss you.

[44whiskey]

thanks for sharing that stan,where have the years gone,i have never seen nylon 11 but know nylon 66, all the best to you and yours,fred