RetiredUSNChief
Member
Yes, Virginia...there IS a Santa Claus! And Christmas came early for me this year!
Nearly 25 years ago, now, the first rifle I ever bought was stolen. A Marlin 783, bolt action, tube-fed, .22 Magnum. Bought it when I turned 18 for $117, including tax, from JC Penny.
I put thousands of rounds through that rifle, plinking, target shooting, and hunting. I could dust walnuts out of trees, pop the head off a squirrel, and reach out and touch a groundhog as far as I could wish to shoot. The day it was stolen was a sad day.
Well, today I picked up the Marlin 783 I won on Gunbroker as a replacement. Cleaned and oiled her up and not a single sign of rust, pitting, or patina ANYWHERE. In fact, the only "flaws" are some minor stock blemishes which look to be the result of storing the gun in a rack. And I do mean minor.
The gun still had Cosmoline on it...including the bolt and chamber, indicating it had never really seen a decent cleaning. The bolt had very minor powder build-up, and the magazine well below the bolt was virtually clean...indicating a very limit number of rounds through it, perhaps only the factory firing.
This rifle brings back some very fond memories...and I look forward to taking her out and putting her through her paces this summer.
Here's a pic from the item listing...I don't have my camera handy to take my own right now:
Marlin 783-01 by RetiredUSNChief, on Flickr
Nearly 25 years ago, now, the first rifle I ever bought was stolen. A Marlin 783, bolt action, tube-fed, .22 Magnum. Bought it when I turned 18 for $117, including tax, from JC Penny.
I put thousands of rounds through that rifle, plinking, target shooting, and hunting. I could dust walnuts out of trees, pop the head off a squirrel, and reach out and touch a groundhog as far as I could wish to shoot. The day it was stolen was a sad day.
Well, today I picked up the Marlin 783 I won on Gunbroker as a replacement. Cleaned and oiled her up and not a single sign of rust, pitting, or patina ANYWHERE. In fact, the only "flaws" are some minor stock blemishes which look to be the result of storing the gun in a rack. And I do mean minor.
The gun still had Cosmoline on it...including the bolt and chamber, indicating it had never really seen a decent cleaning. The bolt had very minor powder build-up, and the magazine well below the bolt was virtually clean...indicating a very limit number of rounds through it, perhaps only the factory firing.
This rifle brings back some very fond memories...and I look forward to taking her out and putting her through her paces this summer.
Here's a pic from the item listing...I don't have my camera handy to take my own right now:
Marlin 783-01 by RetiredUSNChief, on Flickr