My first levergun story...

Kismet · Post by **Kismet** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:52 pm

I didn't post this in the recent thread about my first levergun because it was definitely not my gun, but in order to bolster my levergun bona fides I thought it appropriate.

My friend had a couple nice lever action .22's with smallish scopes. I don't remember the make, but they were a ton of fun. My first levergun experience was going to hunt ground squirrels in the Oregon high desert country. I was probably about 13. His Dad threw in his .25'06 and off we went. Well, my buddy and I got a few squirrels and had plenty of fun, but at one point these two squirrels kept popping up and for the life of us we could not hit them. We were lying prone a few feet apart and we probably shot about 10 times each, never hitting a thing. His Dad was starting to get a bit annoyed at us as he was watching through binoculars. But, these little buggers just kept popping up. Suddenly there was a deafening explosion.

His Dad had gotten so tired of us that he slid up between us and drilled both of the squirrels in one shot with his .25'06. We were too fixated on our shooting to notice what he was doing. The entire little dirt mound the squirrels were playing in had exploded. I don't know if he hit both or if one did from dirt shrapnel, but he definitely got them both.

That was probably the best time I have had just out plinking. Most of the rest of my shooting has been deer or elk hunting. (And, until recently, not with a levergun

.)

Jarhead · Post by **Jarhead** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:12 pm

Kismet,

I am from Eastern Oregon-and joined the Marines from a small cow town....many Moons ago..I too was a River Guide, as I believe you related in one of your posts...but not on the Snake. That's one of the few rivers I have not floated. My primary focus was Oregon.
In addition, I have A LOT of experience negotiating with Plantiff Attorneys as an Insurance Professional...I retired in 2005.

Not my favorite pastime...

I own 28.4 acres adjacent to the Strawberry Wilderness Area and can hunt Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, and Mountain Lion in my back yard. Yea, Oregon's got it all...

I bet you miss Oregon...I lived in Alaska for 11 years, and sometimes miss it, but Oregon's a beautiful state as well....

Also, I have two Browning Belgium BLR's a .243 and a .308...
You made a good choice in choosing a BLR .308 (7.62 Nato) A great Lever Rifle...

And if you show up at my Campfire...I might share some of my whisky with ya....maybe??

But you need to get your head on straight about "Gun Control" before I pass the bottle....I don't believe there should be any restrictions, except for criminals...

Kismet · Post by **Kismet** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:25 pm

Jarhead wrote: I own 28.4 acres adjacent to the Strawberry Wilderness Area and can hunt Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, and Mountain Lion in my back yard. Yea, Oregon's got it all...

I bet you miss Oregon...I lived in Alaska for 11 years, and sometimes miss it, but Oregon's a beautiful state as well....

I really miss Oregon. I grew up in La Grande and my folks have a cabin on Wallow Lake. Haven't spent much time in the Strawberry's except for a couple fishing/grouse hunting trips, but it is all pretty similar - amazing alpine beauty. I would definitely love to retire to Wallow County (or just quit law and become a rancher).

Jarhead wrote: But you need to get your head on straight about "Gun Control" before I pass the bottle....I don't believe there should be any restrictions, except for criminals...

Well, that's a restriction, isn't it? I was asked to be very concise. I was.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:37 pm

It never gets any better than being a kid with a 22 rifle. We lived near the Superstition Mountains in Arizona when I was a wee lad and what a time we had killing cans and bottles and generally imagining we were John Wayne out there. My brother and I shared an Ithaca 49 single shot lever action and an old bolt Western Field 22 from the 30's, but I mostly used the Ithaca lever as I was smaller. My Dad always toted his 22 Mag. only Ruger Single Six in a Buscadero rig(when it was stolen it was replaced with a Security Six) and often his Husqvarna .243. Then afer the shooting was over it was time to hit Kovacs Korner for fried chicken on the way home. Shoot, eat, shoot, eat. Life was good.

Jarhead · Post by **Jarhead** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:42 pm

Kismet wrote:
Jarhead wrote: I own 28.4 acres adjacent to the Strawberry Wilderness Area and can hunt Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, and Mountain Lion in my back yard. Yea, Oregon's got it all...

I bet you miss Oregon...I lived in Alaska for 11 years, and sometimes miss it, but Oregon's a beautiful state as well....
I really miss Oregon. I grew up in La Grande and my folks have a cabin on Wallow Lake. Haven't spent much time in the Strawberry's except for a couple fishing/grouse hunting trips, but it is all pretty similar - amazing alpine beauty. I would definitely love to retire to Wallow County (or just quit law and become a rancher).

Jarhead wrote: But you need to get your head on straight about "Gun Control" before I pass the bottle....I don't believe there should be any restrictions, except for criminals...
Well, that's a restriction, isn't it? I was asked to be very concise. I was.

Well, atleast you're being honest...Yes, that's a restriction...is the ownership of firearms by Felons what you were referring too...I don't have your correspondence in front of me...

Wallowa Lake is a beautiful place...have spent time there. Pretty similar to The Strawberrys, but of course, they are both in the Blue Mountain Range....."Gods Country." If that doesn't inspire a person..nothing will

Have you used your BLR .308 yet? By the way, My first lever experience was packing a 30-30 Model 94 on a Cattle Ranch when I was 12 years old. Shot my first deer with it...a 4x4 Mule Deer...4pt-Western Count....8pt Eastern Count.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:53 pm

Thanks Kismet, good story.

My 1st levergun story took place w/my 1s levergun. During the summer of '72 our ship was assigned to provide Naval Gunfire Support to ground troops up near Quang Tri. I acquired a new Winchester 94 in .44Magnum that a former shipmate ordered, but never paid his balance (from 1970). So I did, $33.

In late July we were reassigned to Search & Rescue duties in the north Gulf of Tonkin. One of those duties was the sinking of any jettisoned fuel tanks. We came upon several one dayt and the Captain called for all ship's pistol team, security & scuttle members, to report to the weapons locker. Being a member of all 3, I got lots of shooting in that day! It was my 1st introduction to Ma Duece and while that was fun... nothing beat my 'lil '94 44Mag and the 10 rounds one of the GMs lent me outta his stash. Even the Cap'n had fun. I was hooked! Oh yea, those .44Mag SFPs did magic on aluminum floaters... er, ex-floaters

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:42 pm

The first gun I bought for myself after high school was a 94 Winchester in .30-30. A skunk had the misfortune of getting too close to my uncle's farmhouse not long after.

150 gr soft point + skunk = hamburger!

pharmseller · Post by **pharmseller** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:07 pm

20cows wrote:The first gun I bought for myself after high school was a 94 Winchester in .30-30. A skunk had the misfortune of getting too close to my uncle's farmhouse not long after.

150 gr soft point + skunk = hamburger!

How does skunk hamburger taste?

Quinn

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:05 pm

pharmseller wrote:
20cows wrote:The first gun I bought for myself after high school was a 94 Winchester in .30-30. A skunk had the misfortune of getting too close to my uncle's farmhouse not long after.

150 gr soft point + skunk = hamburger!
How does skunk hamburger taste?

Quinn

Tastes great but it stinks so bad you can't tell.

Jarhead · Post by **Jarhead** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:05 pm

20cows wrote:The first gun I bought for myself after high school was a 94 Winchester in .30-30. A skunk had the misfortune of getting too close to my uncle's farmhouse not long after.

150 gr soft point + skunk = hamburger!

One of the neighbor kids shot a Skunk on the farm across from my place and threw it in a ditch. I could smell that thing for about a month..

sore shoulder · Post by **sore shoulder** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:43 pm

7th generation Oregonian from pioneer settlers on my mothers side by the name of Wallace, born in Eugene OR in 1966 at Sacred Heart hospital, raised all over OR, WA and NV. My highland warrior ancestors immigrated from TN in the 1860's to settle in the Willamette Valley. Can't stand seeing what the Libs from CA have done to my home state.

Now that I've said that, if a felon is deemed to have paid his debt to society, then he should have his rights restored, to include his 2A right. If he is deemed not safe enough to possess a firearm, then he should not be turned loose on the population, since laws prohibiting criminals from commiting crimes are rarely effective.

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:58 am

Let me see if I've got this right fellas... Kismet is criticized for not posting about leverguns and being a liberal rabbel-rouser then when he does you guys post about politics. What's up with that? Come on guys, let's keep the politics in the politics posts.

Jarhead · Post by **Jarhead** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:47 am

Hobie wrote:Let me see if I've got this right fellas... Kismet is criticized for not posting about leverguns and being a liberal rabbel-rouser then when he does you guys post about politics. What's up with that? Come on guys, let's keep the politics in the politics posts.

10-4

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:14 pm

22s when yer a kid with Dad..Well Pa handed down to me his Stevens Springfield clip fed repeater when he got a 22 Hornet Winchester BA.Mod 43?..Anyway we're on our first jack rabbit outing & after hearing Dad talk about all the great shooting hid did with the gun I was now carrying, I was primed & ready..The first jack that took off running about 40 yds out & running perpindicular to us..He upped & drilled that sucker right thru the eyes!..I don't know if that was a luck shot or not..but he sure pulled it off at the perfect moment...Lol...

Lastmohecken · Post by **Lastmohecken** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:40 pm

My first real levergun, other then a Daisy BB gun, was a Model 94 Winchester post 64 30/30. I was 13yrs old and had been riding motorcycles, and had a couple of wrecks, so my dad and my grandfather, conspired to trade me out of my wrecked motorcycle for the rifle. Seeing as how up to that time, all I had to hunt deer with was a borrowed Swedish Carbine, I jumped at the deal.

I wish now that I had kept it, but traded it off later for a side by side shotgun, after purchasing a Marlin 45/70 when I was 16yrs old, and was finally earning some money on my first real paying summer job. Then the next year I traded the 45/70 off for a Remington 700 in 30-06, and that was the early beginnings of my long and expensive history of gun trading.

geobru · Post by **geobru** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:46 pm

I bought my first levergun in 1977. It was a BLR in 308. I reallly liked that short throw lever action compared to the old 86 Winchester that was in my dad's closet while I was growing up. The first two shots out of the gun were shot with open sights at 50 yards with factory ammo, and were touching. The following year, I shot a deer and an elk with it, and it has accounted for many full freezers since then. Every time I pull that gun out of the safe, it brings back memories of many days afield, and the golden memories of opportunities missed and those times of success.

Lastmohecken · Post by **Lastmohecken** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:19 pm

geobru wrote:I bought my first levergun in 1977. It was a BLR in 308. I reallly liked that short throw lever action compared to the old 86 Winchester that was in my dad's closet while I was growing up. The first two shots out of the gun were shot with open sights at 50 yards with factory ammo, and were touching. The following year, I shot a deer and an elk with it, and it has accounted for many full freezers since then. Every time I pull that gun out of the safe, it brings back memories of many days afield, and the golden memories of opportunities missed and those times of success.

I have used a Browning BLR, too for a large portion of the hunting I have done in the last 17, 18 yrs or so. As far as I am concerned there is no better rifle for 90% of my hunting, but I do get bored sometimes and thats when the older style levers come out of safe.