Department Store Guns...

[WAYNO]

Remember when you could walk into your favorite Sears, or Montgomery Wards, J.C. Penney, Grants, Coast to Coast, and more, and they had a mind-boggling array of guns?

I remember growing up, reading the Sears catalogue, and in addition to all the great fishing equipment, there were pages of guns to be had, just a phone call away, and they could be dropped off at your doorstep, C.O.D.

Don't know what got me thinking about it, but I was thinking about my first Winchester Model 94, and I bought it from J.C. Penney in Tacoma, while I was in the Army. 75 bucks, and I just didn't know how I could afford it, while at the same time, I was trying to decide if I should buy it, or a surplus Mauser.

Oh, the good old days.

WAYNO.

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[Mutoman]

I have a small 30-30 bolt action rifle that says Coast-to-Coast on it.

 

[Frog]

I have a JC Higgins 12 gauge auto, bought from Sears in the mid 60ties.

Wouldn't it be nice if Cold Water Creek had a gun room for the men!

Wait a minute, maybe I'm onto something here!!

Frog.

 

[wichaka]

I have a Montgomery Wards Model 500A 12ga shotgun, made by Mossberg.

 

[darkminstrel]

First gun I ever touched was made by Monkey Wards. Took my first deer with that thing.

 

[tattoo]

My Marlin TK 30-30. Texan-Kmart

 

[Logical1]

wichaka I used to have that same shotgun in highschool......that was the biggest grouse gun I ever used (it was my only shotgun) when I saw a grouse I knew I had to walk backwards about 30 more feet before I fired so there would be something left of it.

 

[eldbillbo]

a guy was telling me you used to be able to buy Colt ar15s (sp1s) at walmart

i was looking through a old 1920s sears catalog and they had tommy guns i think they were like $29

 

[jhc5]

I've got Sears model 300 12ga auto. I've told it's a plain-Jane rebranded version of a Winchester 1400.

 

[Throckmorton]

When I moved to vancouver in 1960 the Wards store at Jantzen Beach still had handguns on display for sale.
As a kid in Miami,Fl you could buy smle's all day long for ten bucks.
ahh,the good old days .

 

[SquackDaddy]

I've got an old single-shot .22 rifle that my grandfather bought at Sears. The barrel is marked: Sears Ted Williams .22 short, long, and long rifle. It could use a nice re-blue, but it is a fantastic shooter!

 

[wichaka]

wichaka I used to have that same shotgun in highschool......that was the biggest grouse gun I ever used (it was my only shotgun) when I saw a grouse I knew I had to walk backwards about 30 more feet before I fired so there would be something left of it.

Mine has screw in chokes, and patterns real well.

 

[jrw]

And now that firearms are not available at these stores any longer, at least the stores that are still in business R.I.P. GI Joes (not Joes but the original GI Joes) has the crime rate been reduced? Slowly but surely our freedoms are being taken away.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
Ronald Reagan

 

[gunnails]

I have a Sears & Roebuck model 200 12 gauge, which I believe is a Remington.

And I have a Wards Western Field .22, 5 shot clip, peep sites, 24" barrel.

If any one could tell me who made this and what model it might be, that would be so cool. I think it is a Stevens, but I have done a lot of google research and can't match it's picture to anything yet.

 

[Silver Fox]

My grandfathers .22 I inherited is a Monkey Wards Stevens (I believe Mdl 21) .22LR. Thing is a piece of junk. Put more than 4 rds in the 7 rd magazine and the spring compresses against the sides of the mag and the rounds spit up through the top and if you squeeze the trigger hard enough you can watch the front sight move up and down. One screw holds the receiver to the stock so you get a pivot point. There is more metal and wood in that rifle than modern day .22LR and I love that gun.

SF-

 

[PosterGuy]

Guns in stores are making a come back. Big 5 has always had guns. Remember when you could buy a gun at the MALL?!?! Well, those days are coming back too. You can buy (overpriced) guns at Dick's Sporting Goods at Washington Square Mall.

And now that firearms are not available at these stores any longer, at least the stores that are still in business R.I.P. GI Joes (not Joes but the original GI Joes) has the crime rate been reduced? Slowly but surely our freedoms are being taken away.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
Ronald Reagan

 

[jrw]

You are 100% correct and I am really happy to see this happening again. I am looking back to a time when there were multiple stores around that sold guns in there stores, people could have them sent direct to there homes and kids would take there 22's to school for a PE class.

 

[Chee-to]

My dad gave me a JC Higgins bolt action .22 for my 12th birthday....

 

[torpedoman]

You could order guns off the back of comic books at one time.

 

[Warthog]

Sevral of the guns I own came from Wal-mart. You used to be able to get a Winchester 1300 Defender for around $200.00. Try and find one know. My first Ruger 10/22 with a S/S barrel came from Wally world, cost $249.00. Now I can get a nice handgun for less then a nice 10/22.