Suddenly, I felt very protective. "What? How could you choose one? I like them all. And you're not selling my .38." (Technically, it is his .38 - but I consider it part of his dowry. Besides, I shoot it more than he does.)
"Well, I could sell that rifle that's over at my brothers' house. And I'm pretty sure I've got a 9mm floating around somewhere."
I stared at him for a moment, completely incredulous. "Wait a second. You have guns I didn't know about? A rifle? And a 9mm?"
Mike was puttering around in the kitchen, making a snack, so I wasn't getting much in the way of response. "Yeah, well," he said. "When we first got married, you didn't like guns. So I asked other people to hold onto them for me."
"But I like them now, so can we get them back? Where is the 9mm?" I asked, hoping for more shooty goodness.
Mike thought for a minute. "I think Ed has it." Ed has been Mike's best friend since they were 14.
"You think? How can you not know?" This is what I get for marrying the most easygoing man on earth. "Call him, and your brother about the rifle, right now."
But Mike was not going to be distracted from his snack. "I'll call them later, I'll see them both at the game soon anyway."
Oh, the suspense, the sheer torture of waiting! I pestered him for an entire week. ("did you call? didja, didja, huh?")
But in the end, the guys came through. Mike came home Sunday evening with the two missing firearms. An unremarkable 9mm that neither of us are interested in shooting and neither of us will carry so up for sale it goes. But the rifle is a .22! (Marlin model 60) Ed had bought this rifle at Woolworth's as a birthday gift for Mike, when Mike turned 18. We're keeping this one.
While looking at the rifle, I noticed this:
"Hey!" I said. "Look! It has a cute little squirrel on it! Awww...I love it!""Um, Breda? I think it has a squirrel on it because that's what you're supposed to shoot with it."
Oh.
Still, we won't be shooting any of our fuzzy backyard friends despite the cats' enthusiasm about the idea.
30 comments:
My Marlin 60 came from a Wal-Mart in Texas (won't be doing that again), and thus lacks such niceties as carvings on the stock, but it's still a ton of fun to shoot. I hope you enjoy yours!
What ELSE has he got? A Mercedes? A trust fund? Love child? A body buried in the basement?
I'd sit this man down for a little come to Jesus talk!
Congrats on the rifle! I think the best ammo is Wold Match Target. Shoots well in everything I have.
Now that's exactly what I'm talking about. I hope Beth's appoint with the allergist tomorrow goes well.
Cool find... you might ask hubby what else he's been hiding from you though *lol*
Yey! Be sure to report your feelings on using the rifle. You will love it, I know it.
If I could figure out how to carry a 22 rifle daily, I totally would.
Be careful, Breda! That innocent-looking Marlin Model 60 could be "a highly dangerous offensive weapon" - an assault firearm in fact, in the state of New Jersey.
The difference is whether the magazine tube will hold fourteen rounds, or the far more lethal sixteen.
Check the stamping on the barrel of the 22. I think since it has the squirrel on the stock, it is a Glenfield model 60.
Yes, made by Marlin, but the Glenfield has a birch stock instead of walnut. Glenfield was originally sold as a store brand and slightly cheaper due to the birch stock.
http://olegvolk.livejournal.com/434876.html
Check out South Park Pundit for a story of critter shootin' - there's more than just squirrels out there.
Hey Breda, not sure if you're evil enough, but I had an idea.
1.Identify Mike's favorite "snack" food.(all food would be ideal).
2. Hide it.
3. When Mike asks where all the food went, tell him you gave it to your friends to hold onto.
4. When he makes a weird face, tell him not to worry, you'll get around to bringing it back eventually.
5. Ask him which fancy restuarant he wants to take you to after he buys you a brick of .22 ammo.
6. Enjoy watching a large man sputter in total bewilderment.
Sweet! I had a Marlin Model 60 for a spell. Great gun. Shoots REALLY well, far better than an inexpensive .22LR rifle has any business shooting.
Ended up trading it for a Colt Detective Special, because I own at least a half-dozen other .22LR rifles (including the cutest lil pump-action Winchester model 1906 you'll ever see...)
Take the Model 60 to the range with a brick of moderate .22LR ammo (a cut above the bulk packs from Wally-World, but no need for high-end stuff) and you can shoot all day long for under $20. How can you argue with that?
Get yourself a nice S&W Model 617 .22LR revolver to go with it, and you can shoot all day long *AND* work on your trigger control. How can you argue with that?
Now wait a minute! At least one of your readers (me) likes 9mms. What is (was) the 9mm pistol?
Indeed, what kind of 9mm was it? I'm always in the market for another Europellet gun.
Kaveman - you are truly evil.
Marlin 60s are awesome fun. I love mine. Shoot it 'till it breaks! (You will be at the range a looooong time.)
As another very satisfied Marlin Model 60 owner, I can say you've definitely got a keeper there. Mine doesn't have quite that much personality (it's got a pretty cheap plastic stock), but it shoots like a dream and I fully expect it to outlast me.
Good Woman:
You have got to be the coolest librarian ever. Get that man of yours the 1911.
Dear Breda:
If you come to Florida, email me. I'll have my sister get you into Disney World. It will save you a couple of hundred bucks. Enough to shoot the new 1911 about 500 times.
I have the exact same glenfield Model 60. I paid next-to-nothing for it, and expected as much from it. Once it gets the ammo it likes (I mostly feed mine Federal American Eagle .22 High Velocity, and it likes it good, and my wallet likes it too). Its accurate as all-get-out, and holds a TON of ammo. I can dump all 17+1 rounds from it un under 10 seconds and keep all pills inside a tea saucer. Its also the first gun I hand a new shooter on the firing lines.
You'll enjoy it!
Arrrr
-Weer'd
Hooray! A RIFLE. And .22 is HELLA fun.
Now you were just talking about getting a rifle the other day...
Just remember, "Make a forth wish, and lose the other three!"
Word verification: jomjs
That'll larn ya!
Still have my Glenfield too. Great little gun, you're gonna love it.
http://freeinidaho.com/2008/01/24/1973-squirrel-gun/
Well, I think I saw a .22 in your future, and sure enough there it is. Now that is so cool, get a good book on shooting a rifle, practice the positions and get comfortable and you will have to go outside and start shooting a bit beyond, but you will have fun.
Oh, and sitting at a table with a rest and spotting scope is so cheating for you to stoop to...
Yep. Glenfield. Cool little Squirrels and acorns on it.
Do. Not. Under any Circumstances. Disassemble. The. Action. Above. The. Trigger.
Pull it out as a unit, spray it with all the gun scrubber and oil you like, but Do. Not. Disassemble.
Buy Mike the M1911, especially if it's the real deal M1911. email me about it if you like.
Like Xavier said, don't take the action apart.
Mine hadn't been shot in years, and the plastic buffer that keeps the bolt from slamming against the back of the receiver was smashed into pieces. The part was cheap, but I found out the hard way that it's not really a do-it-yourself thing. I won't do that again. I was lucky to get it back together, and I'm happy to report that I didn't somehow turn it into a full auto .22 squirrel/rabbit rifle.
Have fun with it!
I wish I had more guns hiding out at friend's homes!
The cat seems to be thinking:
"Squirrel, it's what's for dinner."
or
"I can have squirrel?"
I'd bet a dollar to a donut that you turn that cat loose in the backyard, it will bring home more squirrels than you'll ever shoot.
Nice rifle. It's definitely a keeper. I do a little wood carving (like that squirrel on your rifle) on peoples guns as a sideline just to pick up a few bucks here and there. I'm not getting rich from it but it helps when I find that nice, must have, 1911 for sale here and there.
What is the 9mm and how much do you want for it? Did you list it on GunBroker, AuctionArms, or any other auction site?
:-)
Joe
hi, breda:
i probably bought and sold a thousand marlin .22's across my pawn counter over the years (thanks largely to wallyworld it's one of the top selling firearms ever); but here's my (typically longish) ode to my special one, if interested...
http://poetnthepawnbroker.blogspot.com/2008/03/times-they-have-changedapologies-to.html
my dad's squirrel story is there, too...gives them treerats a chance.
good thing you don't have pigs in your backyard trees, i guess...
jtc
good grief, forgot to mention the elementary school library book "a boy and his gun" that inspired that little love story...not much chance that book is in your library, huh breda?
jtc
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