Ah, how times have changed, or the Mossberg340BA story

Ceol Mhor · June 2, 2002, 04:21 PM

I went out to the range today to practice my pistol shooting (gotta keep in shape for competition season at school next semester!). While I normally just take my 1911 and a Ruger Single Six, I decide to do some rifle shooting too today. Since the range doesn't allow rifles larger than .22LR, I took my Dad's .22 along. I've never really taken a close look at that rifle...I considered it some generic .22 bolt-action rifle, albeit with nice adjustable match peep sights.

Much to my surprise and elation, my first string of shots (two mags worth) resulted in a 10-shot, 1.5" group at 25 yards. My first reaction upon reeling the target back was that there was some mistake; I don't shoot that well offhand with a rifle! My second reaction was to inquire to my Dad about this particular rifle.

Note: Hoplophobes, blissninnies, and Agricola should paty attention to this part...

My Dad bought this particular gun, a Mossberg 340BA, in 1971, for a whopping $25. He was 14 years old at the time. This gun has no serial number...it wasn't ground off, it simply was never given a serial number. There seemed no reason to put serial numbers on guns, I suppose. And it must have been pretty old when my Dad purchased it, as it had already been discontinued my Mossberg at the time. Dad's best guess is that it's a 1940s-production rifle.

My Dad was 14 years old when he made this particular purchase (Eek! A child with an un-numbered gun!). And where did he get it? From his pediatrician (Eek! Doctors with guns?!). The good doctor kept it in the office, and my Dad came in (alone), gave him the $25, and walked out of the office and back home through his neighborhood with his rifle over his shoulder (Eek! Children buying guns unsupervised, unrestricted, and unhampered!).

Now what would a 14-year-old boy want to do after buying a new rifle? Shoot it, of course! So his Mom (my Grandmother) drove him from their home in Arlington, Virginia down to the NRA headquarters at 16th and Rhode Island in Washington DC (Eek! Guns in DC?!), where they had a small range in the basement. She then went home.

When he was done shooting (only after running out of .22 ammunition, I bet

) my Dad needed to get home. So he slung his new rifle over his shoulder, walked outside (Eek! Carrying a gun in DC?!) and caught a city bus back to Arlington, and raised no eyebrows in the process. Just a kid taking his rifle home.

Can anyone count the number of laws he would break if he tried that today? And all there is to show for it is a vast increase in the crime rate in Washington DC. Sigh. I'd be leery of even having that very same rifle in sight in the car while Dad was with me.

KSFreeman · June 2, 2002, 05:22 PM

My maternal grandfather's first .22 was a Winchester M1902 which he purchased in 1920 at age 9 from the Sears catalogue. They mailed it to him at his farm near Terre Haute, Indiana. He would walk into town to purchase ammunition (per round, always used shorts so not to spook the other squirrels and rabbits).

My father's first .22 was a Stevens bolt gun purchased at age 13 at a sporting goods store in downtown Bloomington, Indiana. he would go to the city dump with his friends to shoot rats with the rifle slung over the handlebars. They once went into the soda shoppe to get cokes after shooting. A city cop was at the counter when the walked into the place with their rifles. "You boys huntin' squirrels this timayear?" "No, we're just shooting rats." "Good. Keep it up."

dfaugh · June 2, 2002, 05:48 PM

When I was a teenager (I'm 47) we live on a dead end street(40 suburban houses), surrounded by lots of wood and fields. I lived farthest from the places we hunted , so I would walk up the street with a .22, 20 gauge or later sometimes a scoped .270...As I went up the street, my friends would come out with their guns...by the time we got to the end of the street, there might be 10 "kids" with guns...None of the neighbors ever even blinked... I figure today, SWAT would be there in a heartbeat....

Scott Conklin · June 2, 2002, 06:16 PM

My first gun was a Mossy M51(?or is it a 54? I'll havta go look...) semi-auto that had belonged to my gramps, with a nice peep site on it. Packed that thing around everywhere and shot the hell out of it until the center stock screw stripped the threads, popped the action out of the wood stuck the trigger and let the thing go full auto. That was interesting, especially the stove pipe jam on the last round that gave me a nice case of blackface. It's since been cleaned up fixed up(half the firing pin is still sheared off, though)and scoped and I still shoot it occasionally(who needs an entire firing pin with a Mossy?).

There would be 10 or more of us at times wandering down these back roads in the late 70's with rifles strapped to the bike bars and nobody ever said a word. Thankfully, around here at least, it's still close to the way it was. There's very few outside of town who'll raise a stink about it.

foghornl · June 3, 2002, 10:12 AM

Bought my first semi-auto shotgun from a friend in 1969-1970. Slung it over my shoulder, and walked home, about 1-1/2 miles in town. 2 police cars rolled by me, neither one even slowed down. Probably wouldn't get 10 houses down the block now before lots of "constabulary" showed up.

Tamara · June 3, 2002, 10:41 AM

I bought my first gun at 18, as a high school student. I went to Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, strolled into Oshman's Sporting goods, sighed at the AR-15's, Mini-14 folders, and HK 91's I couldn't afford, and plunked down my cash for an evil semiautomatic Ruger 10-22, a brick of .22 LR, a Ram-Line folding stock and a few Ram-Line 25-round magazines. Then, purchases in hand, I strolled over to the mall food court, got some grub, and sat down to eat with my rifle box in my lap, opening it and peeking in at my new purchase every few minutes. Nobody said "boo" about it, or even paid the slightest bit of attention. I kept the rifle in the trunk of my car, which I drove to school every day; not a problem, as most pickup trucks in the school parking lot had .30-30 leverguns in the back window (an affectation, as these pickups were driven by the kids of IBM and HP drones and there wasn't any deer hunting within an hour's drive in any direction).

But the world was such a violent place back then; heck, we had school shootings all the time. Or not.

The Rock · June 3, 2002, 05:36 PM

Now I know Tam is older than I thought....

I did buy my first rifle at 18 from a local shop, however, trying anything mentioned in this thread would have gotten me (upstanding citizen, certified Good Guy and Eagle Scout) thrown in jail faster than I could blink.

Of course, I did buy an AR fairly soon after that... Started the addiction, I tell you.

TR

Hemicuda · June 3, 2002, 06:58 PM

I was in the oy scouts, back in the 80's...

one of my scout masters was of the gun dealers...

I called him after school, and told him i had some money for a new (used) gun he had in the shop...

NO PROBLEM, he said... he brought the gun to the scout meeting, had my dad fill out the paperwork, and we even SHOT it (an Ithica model 37 Featherweight 20 Ga.) at a few hand thrown skeet after the meeting, out behind *GASP* the CHURCH!

these days, that'd get the lot of us "3 hots and a cot"...

June 2, 2002, 04:21 PM	#1
Ceol Mhor Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2001 Posts: 1,043	Ah, how times have changed, or the Mossberg340BA story I went out to the range today to practice my pistol shooting (gotta keep in shape for competition season at school next semester!). While I normally just take my 1911 and a Ruger Single Six, I decide to do some rifle shooting too today. Since the range doesn't allow rifles larger than .22LR, I took my Dad's .22 along. I've never really taken a close look at that rifle...I considered it some generic .22 bolt-action rifle, albeit with nice adjustable match peep sights. Much to my surprise and elation, my first string of shots (two mags worth) resulted in a 10-shot, 1.5" group at 25 yards. My first reaction upon reeling the target back was that there was some mistake; I don't shoot that well offhand with a rifle! My second reaction was to inquire to my Dad about this particular rifle. Note: Hoplophobes, blissninnies, and Agricola should paty attention to this part... My Dad bought this particular gun, a Mossberg 340BA, in 1971, for a whopping $25. He was 14 years old at the time. This gun has no serial number...it wasn't ground off, it simply was never given a serial number. There seemed no reason to put serial numbers on guns, I suppose. And it must have been pretty old when my Dad purchased it, as it had already been discontinued my Mossberg at the time. Dad's best guess is that it's a 1940s-production rifle. My Dad was 14 years old when he made this particular purchase (Eek! A child with an un-numbered gun!). And where did he get it? From his pediatrician (Eek! Doctors with guns?!). The good doctor kept it in the office, and my Dad came in (alone), gave him the $25, and walked out of the office and back home through his neighborhood with his rifle over his shoulder (Eek! Children buying guns unsupervised, unrestricted, and unhampered!). Now what would a 14-year-old boy want to do after buying a new rifle? Shoot it, of course! So his Mom (my Grandmother) drove him from their home in Arlington, Virginia down to the NRA headquarters at 16th and Rhode Island in Washington DC (Eek! Guns in DC?!), where they had a small range in the basement. She then went home. When he was done shooting (only after running out of .22 ammunition, I bet ) my Dad needed to get home. So he slung his new rifle over his shoulder, walked outside (Eek! Carrying a gun in DC?!) and caught a city bus back to Arlington, and raised no eyebrows in the process. Just a kid taking his rifle home. Can anyone count the number of laws he would break if he tried that today? And all there is to show for it is a vast increase in the crime rate in Washington DC. Sigh. I'd be leery of even having that very same rifle in sight in the car while Dad was with me. __________________ "There goes as if deranged a German soldier, with burning helmet on his head, making horrible noises. A second, as though possessed, yells "Jews...weapons. Jews...weapons." - From an anonymous eyewitness' description of the first battle of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

June 2, 2002, 05:22 PM	#2
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,418	My maternal grandfather's first .22 was a Winchester M1902 which he purchased in 1920 at age 9 from the Sears catalogue. They mailed it to him at his farm near Terre Haute, Indiana. He would walk into town to purchase ammunition (per round, always used shorts so not to spook the other squirrels and rabbits). My father's first .22 was a Stevens bolt gun purchased at age 13 at a sporting goods store in downtown Bloomington, Indiana. he would go to the city dump with his friends to shoot rats with the rifle slung over the handlebars. They once went into the soda shoppe to get cokes after shooting. A city cop was at the counter when the walked into the place with their rifles. "You boys huntin' squirrels this timayear?" "No, we're just shooting rats." "Good. Keep it up." __________________ "Arguments of policy must give way to a constitutional command." Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 602 (1980).

June 2, 2002, 05:48 PM	#3
dfaugh Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 1,715	Boy have they When I was a teenager (I'm 47) we live on a dead end street(40 suburban houses), surrounded by lots of wood and fields. I lived farthest from the places we hunted , so I would walk up the street with a .22, 20 gauge or later sometimes a scoped .270...As I went up the street, my friends would come out with their guns...by the time we got to the end of the street, there might be 10 "kids" with guns...None of the neighbors ever even blinked... I figure today, SWAT would be there in a heartbeat.... __________________ "If you Listen to Fools, the Mob Rules" "No one has the answer, but one thing is true. You'e got to turn on evil, when its coming after you. You've gotta face it down,and when it tries to hide, you've got to go in after it, and never be denied. Time is running out...Let's roll. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for love. We're going after satan, on the wings of a dove. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for truth. Let's not let our children grow up fearful in their youth."

June 2, 2002, 06:16 PM	#4
Scott Conklin Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2000 Location: B.F.E. Posts: 1,721	My first gun was a Mossy M51(?or is it a 54? I'll havta go look...) semi-auto that had belonged to my gramps, with a nice peep site on it. Packed that thing around everywhere and shot the hell out of it until the center stock screw stripped the threads, popped the action out of the wood stuck the trigger and let the thing go full auto. That was interesting, especially the stove pipe jam on the last round that gave me a nice case of blackface. It's since been cleaned up fixed up(half the firing pin is still sheared off, though)and scoped and I still shoot it occasionally(who needs an entire firing pin with a Mossy?). There would be 10 or more of us at times wandering down these back roads in the late 70's with rifles strapped to the bike bars and nobody ever said a word. Thankfully, around here at least, it's still close to the way it was. There's very few outside of town who'll raise a stink about it. __________________ "Once the monkeys learn they can vote themselves bananas, they'll never climb another tree." - Heinlein www.libertydwells.com

June 3, 2002, 10:41 AM	#6
Tamara Moderator Emeritus Join Date: March 11, 2000 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 16,002	Even more recently... I bought my first gun at 18, as a high school student. I went to Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, strolled into Oshman's Sporting goods, sighed at the AR-15's, Mini-14 folders, and HK 91's I couldn't afford, and plunked down my cash for an evil semiautomatic Ruger 10-22, a brick of .22 LR, a Ram-Line folding stock and a few Ram-Line 25-round magazines. Then, purchases in hand, I strolled over to the mall food court, got some grub, and sat down to eat with my rifle box in my lap, opening it and peeking in at my new purchase every few minutes. Nobody said "boo" about it, or even paid the slightest bit of attention. I kept the rifle in the trunk of my car, which I drove to school every day; not a problem, as most pickup trucks in the school parking lot had .30-30 leverguns in the back window (an affectation, as these pickups were driven by the kids of IBM and HP drones and there wasn't any deer hunting within an hour's drive in any direction). But the world was such a violent place back then; heck, we had school shootings all the time. Or not. __________________ MOLON LABE! 2% Unobtainium, 98% Hypetanium. The Arms Room: An Online Museum.

June 3, 2002, 10:12 AM	#5
foghornl Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,354	Bought my first semi-auto shotgun from a friend in 1969-1970. Slung it over my shoulder, and walked home, about 1-1/2 miles in town. 2 police cars rolled by me, neither one even slowed down. Probably wouldn't get 10 houses down the block now before lots of "constabulary" showed up.

June 3, 2002, 05:36 PM	#7
The Rock Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 1999 Location: Occupied VA, CSA Posts: 351	Now I know Tam is older than I thought.... I did buy my first rifle at 18 from a local shop, however, trying anything mentioned in this thread would have gotten me (upstanding citizen, certified Good Guy and Eagle Scout) thrown in jail faster than I could blink. Of course, I did buy an AR fairly soon after that... Started the addiction, I tell you. TR __________________ Molon Labe! Will YOU stand with ME?

June 3, 2002, 06:58 PM	#8
Hemicuda Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,757	I was in the oy scouts, back in the 80's... one of my scout masters was of the gun dealers... I called him after school, and told him i had some money for a new (used) gun he had in the shop... NO PROBLEM, he said... he brought the gun to the scout meeting, had my dad fill out the paperwork, and we even SHOT it (an Ithica model 37 Featherweight 20 Ga.) at a few hand thrown skeet after the meeting, out behind GASP the CHURCH! these days, that'd get the lot of us "3 hots and a cot"... __________________ Hemi. gun and car collector. Rare cars, and rarer guns.