gary reeder
my Dad started me out on a Sears J.C.Higgins model 30.
Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 22:35

it was a semi auto made by High Standard, A man size 22 rifle. he let me shoot however many rounds I wanted. The only catch was I had to buy the ammo and it came out of my allowance.
Many years later I decided I wanted to buy the guns i had as a boy. I found the J.C.Higgins rifles on line and they ran from $300 to $500. Amazing how a $70 could be worth 5 or 6 times what it sold for 60 years ago. I kept bidding on the model 29, 30 and 31 as they were all alike except for small features and the auctions kept ending in the middle of the night and I would get out bid. Finally I bid on several of them and typically I won all 3 of them.
Here are the models 29, 30 and 31. Top to bottom.

I used my Dad's J.C.Higgins Model 66 in 12 gauge. It had to weigh 10 lbs.

After Dad died my step mother's anti gun family had his guns and when I went to get them back they were rusted big time. I cleaned all the rust off, buffed down the steel receiver and barrel and it still had small pits all over it, so I full engraved it and reblued it again. Still had pits but the engraving covered most of it. I mostly shot quail, turkeys and doves with it so the engraving was birds. I think my Dad would have approved.