Thirty Little Secrets is just a silly name for my posts. Posts will deal with a variety of topics, none of them silly (I hope). Every post will have a connection with shooting and may contain shooting tips, results, or opinions. Rifles will be emphasized, but handguns are not off-limits. Thirty caliber rifles are my favorite, but others are not off limits. For more info, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
I have always devoured large helpings of the shooting literature and have always looked forward to the next issue of the Gun Digest. I have most of the yearly issues and I keep my eyes open at gun shows for volumes that I am missing. Recently I came upon my copy of the15th Anniversary Edition from the year 1961, a good edition to consult if you want to know how far we have come in fifty years. Guy by the name of Johm T. Amber was the editor, and he was a good one. The issue had 37 articles plus the usual catalog sections in 321 pages.
Warren Page, a fine shooter and author of the period, had two articles in the 1961 Digest. One was titled “243 or 244?” intended to help the reader choose between these two fine rounds. Of course, the 244 tanked in the marketplace, bringing about a name change to 6 mm Remington. Fifty years later the 243 still wins in the marketplace. I have had a couple 243s and they performed just fine, but the 6 mm looks like the better cartridge because it has a little more capacity and a longer neck. That’s opinion, can’t say any more as I never had one.
Mr. Don Martin offered an article titled “Handloading the Magnum”. He talks about both the 357 and 44 magnums, the 44 being less than ten years old at the time. Gil Hebard had an article “22 Target Autos” to help readers choose between High Standard, Colt, Smith&Wesson, and Ruger autos for bulleye shooting. A High Standard Citation posted a ten-shot group average of .973″ at 50 yds, giving it a scoring potential of 300-30X on the national match target. Gil was a champion bullseye shooter and operated Gil Hebard Guns in Knoxville, Illinois. I spent some time there longing for the stuff in his display cases.
In the shotgun mood, Don Johnson offered an article titled “The Twenty’s Plenty,” and Nash Buckingham asked “Are We Shooting 8-Gauge Guns?” These are just a few of the interesting articles.
In the catalog section there is no Remington 700; it hadn’t arrived on the scene at this time. You could order a Savage 340 for $59.25, and a Winchester 94 carbine for $81.95. Here’s one for you: A Winchester Model 67, a single-shot 22 with blued metal and a real walnut stock, only $18.95. If you find one today the price will be pushing $200, maybe more if it is a really fine one. Anyone for Winchester collecting?
Oh well, back to the present.