You are correct. GCA also killed mail order sales.
What happened to all the old store brand guns?
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J.C. Higgins according to a story I read somewhere was the Sears employee in charge of sporting goods procurement. Ted Williams was a star baseball player of the day and Sears spokesperson or celebrity ad guy or whatever. They made any thing from guns to ball bats and gloves to tents, lanterns, coolers, and fishing gear with the Ted Williams name. He was an avid all around outdoorsman and fit well with the Sears product line.
WestKentucky
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I look for them and am buying when I can. Not many have found there way to my house though. Glenfield, Westernfield, Ted Williams, and my most recent a White Powder Wonder are all that I have mustered. I hope to get the Ted Williams back. It’s loaned out to a cousin I never see anymore. I typically consider it gone. It wasn’t much of a rifle anyways, and I never get fond of .243 for what I did with it.
Several of the old store brand guns are in my safe. One is by the bed for bumps in the night. So many evil consequences to "Gun Control"...The world was actually a BETTER place with inexpensive mail order shotguns and .22 rifles without serial numbers.
Charlie Horse
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I've heard the J.C. Higgins story many times with few changes. (I had a great aunt who was a lifetime Sears employee...) This is a fairly decent write up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Higgins
Ted Williams was an all around American hero, and he must have mad a killing with his name on everything from root beer, to baseball gloves, to guns. I doubt will see THAT in this climate. (What a marketing genius!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams
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Sovblocgunfan
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My single store brand gun is a western field stevens 520. Somebody robbed some parts off of it and then put it on a popular auction site with no reserve. It was a pitiful mess. $46 later, plus shipping and transfer, and it was mine.
When it arrived at the FFL I already had the parts in hand to get it back together. He let me do ‘er up right there on the counter. I did quite a bit of work on it over the years and finally got to start taking it out bird hunting. It’s not worth refinishing, so it looks ratty, but it’s safe and shoots pretty good. Even fit a second barrel set to it so I can switch to a 20” cylinder choke for around the house or whatever.
I love it. It’s not worth a damn to anybody but me, so I guess it’ll be with me for awhile.
When it arrived at the FFL I already had the parts in hand to get it back together. He let me do ‘er up right there on the counter. I did quite a bit of work on it over the years and finally got to start taking it out bird hunting. It’s not worth refinishing, so it looks ratty, but it’s safe and shoots pretty good. Even fit a second barrel set to it so I can switch to a 20” cylinder choke for around the house or whatever.
I love it. It’s not worth a damn to anybody but me, so I guess it’ll be with me for awhile.
Charlie Martinez
Member
I remember Sears & Western Auto selling their own brands but they were obviously made by the better known manufacturers. If my memory doesn't fail me Sears sold Winchester & Stevens rifles & shotguns with the JC Higgins or Ted Williams brand. They were noticeably different from the brand name guns in the quality of the wood & the bluing. Western Auto was similar but I believe they also sold cheap Marlin 336's & 22's (called them Glenfields) that were also made with cheaper wood & metal finishes. Many folks bought these guns & considered just as good as their more expensive brand name cousins. These cheaper guns were often displayed next to more expensive guns (Sears also sold Browning shotguns & rifles). By comparison the off brand guns looked pretty rough. I miss those days when guns were considered just another sporting item.
entropy
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I have a Western Field (Montgomery Ward/Mossberg) .22 bolt of my Grandfather's that is basically a Mossberg 42. Still accurate after all these years! I found a scope from the same era for it some years back, looks and shoots great!
earlthegoat2
Member
My Western Field SxS 20ga is a Stevens 311. Still a budget gun but it fits well with my dads 12ga Stevens 311 that was my grandfathers.
I’m on the lookout for a Glenfield 30.
I’m on the lookout for a Glenfield 30.
Have to admit, it was a pretty cool time when you could just crack open the catalog, fill out a invoice, and you got a double barrel in the mail. I have a fond spot for catalog brand shotguns. Sadly most of them have been shot up, rusted away, cut up, or sitting in collections now. I have a Ranger brand 20 side by side in my closet. 1915 stamped on it, I’m little afraid to shot it in fear of it going blamo on me.
Bruce D Pease
Member
My Ted Williams clone of a Winchester 1400 is in the safe. Wife bought it for me XMAS of 67. Great gun.
My father in laws old Stevens Ranger (Montgomery-ward) 20 ga pump is also there. Works fine. Always goes bang on command.
My father in laws old Stevens Ranger (Montgomery-ward) 20 ga pump is also there. Works fine. Always goes bang on command.
bobinoregon
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I've had my Western Field 12ga for 30 years, always go bang.
holl
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Here are my four, one for everyone in the house. Took me two years to find them from four different places in the Country. All Armslist purchases from dealers. Two even came with the original Glenfield scopes.
Charlie Martinez
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That is a really nice collection. Brings back old memories. Are they all 30-30?
Cocked & Locked
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SEARS .30-'06.....Winchester mdl 70
Walmart
Janos Dracwlya
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I have a JC Higgins bolt-action shotgun, from after the model range with the recall. It has the polychoke, and I had a gunsmith shorten the barrel and reattach the choke, to make it handier. It's great fun to shoot. I want to get a JCH Model 20 and Model 60, but my attention and funds have been focused elsewhere lately.
mgmorden
Member
Their benefit is also their downfall: they cost very little (not saying anything as to their quality - they just cost less). With that comes guns that will often be purchased by people who aren't as into guns and are just looking for the cheapest thing they can find.
Like all low cost guns, often times the people that buy them won't take care of them the way they should. Slowly more and more are likely going out of circulation just by attrition.
When you can find one in good shape though, they're still good buys. I have at least 3 of them that I can think of off the top of my head - maybe another or two.
Like all low cost guns, often times the people that buy them won't take care of them the way they should. Slowly more and more are likely going out of circulation just by attrition.
When you can find one in good shape though, they're still good buys. I have at least 3 of them that I can think of off the top of my head - maybe another or two.
I saw a nice Stevens/J.C. Higgins single shot 20 gauge yesterday that was rusted and pitted all over. Looked to have been a barn or tractor gun. The guy wanted $70 for his bottom dollar. I had to pass as I run across nice specimens at that price sometimes.
holl
Member
Yes, they are all .30-.30. All JM stamped Marlins with cheaper wood. Didn't pay over $250 for any of them, had they been Marlins they would have been $400.
They can be had at estate auctions. I attend auctions for fun and see a lot of old cheap shotguns and some single shot .22s. I usually bid on them, but since I'm unwilling to pay much, I am usually outbid. Also want to add that most of them are in sorry neglected condition.
amd6547
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My Western Auto Revelation (Mossberg 500).Around me guns at auction tend to bring 50%-100% over average retail depending on condition. People are ate up with bidding fever.
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