It Fed the Family!

Some guns have a very utilitarian purpose. But deeper in that utilitarianism can be a story many times more moving than the rifle that helped create mountain top moments, or a that took a record book buck. This is one of those guns.

A few months ago my uncle Steve called me and said he wanted a scope for a Winchester Model 77. “You know the one” he said, “Dad’s”. His dad, of course was my grandpa, but no, I didn’t know the rifle. I was never old enough to have shot it. He died when I was three. He left 6 kids and a wife in an impoverished rural community in Nebraska. He had a custom hay business and moonlighted as the town cop, trapper and hunter.

Though I didn’t know the rifle, nor do I remember ever seeing it before the above photo showed up on my phone, I had heard the stories from all four uncles, an aunt, my mother and dad. These were stories of providing for the family by whatever means necessary in the 1960’s. A rabbit, pheasant, squirrel, whatever. I had forgotten that the .22 still existed, in fact I never thought to ask where it might be.

Apparently the scope that grandpa had on the rifle had somehow become separated from the gun through the years. After describing to me what he remembered being mounted on it, I quickly surmised that it was probably a Weaver J2.5. I sent Steve a freshly refurbished one that I made sure to do all by myself. Soon thereafter this photo showed up on my phone all the way from Nebraska! This was the first I’ve seen of the rifle I had heard so much about. The rifle that fed a family in super hard times. It makes me wonder if holding it and shooting it would be the same as any other Winchester Model 77, or if it would be different. I think I’ll go find out on my next trip back “home”.