• Mossberg Owners is in the process of upgrading the software. Please bear with us while we transition to the new look and new upgraded software.

You guys will probably like this

John A.

Unconstitutional laws are not laws.
Staff member
Administrator
Global Moderator
I've been watching a lot of this fella's videos for the last year or so, and he has found a lot of really old shotgun shells and cleans them up and displays them.

Most of the old paper shells have long rotted away, but the hulls still are interesting to look at.
@nitesite and @Ernst I'm certain that you guys will like to watch them.


 
John, thanks for the links. Brings back old memories of growing up on the ranch in Texas. All our old ranch trucks had gun racks and we carried either a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun plus a Winchester lever action 30-30. All the shotgun shells back in the day were paper hulls and there was always a open box on the truck dash or on the seat. Brands were identified by their different color paper.

Like the fella said people used a shotgun to obtain meat ranging from birds to rabbits. The ranch rule was what you shot you ate. By 10 years old I had my own shotgun and enjoyed hunting by myself. Most of the time I had two or three shotgun shells in my pocket. When I was old enough to drive we all drove ranch trucks to school and the guns were always in the rack and no one locked their truck doors or even rolled up the windows. Was common for school kids to have shells in their coat pockets during school and after school many of us went hunting before heading home to do chores. No one had much money so there was no wasting of shells on target practice. Any practice or shooting for fun was with a 22 rifle because we could buy individual shells (shorts, longs, and long rifle) at the country grocery store. I remember the cost being a penny each.

The good life in simplier times!

Regards
 
I'm glad that you guys enjoyed the videos too.

Ernst, I also appreciate hearing your stories. While I grew up long after you, we do share many similarities. While I was hunting by the time I was 10 (that was about when I started), it was about 13 by the time I was hunting by myself.

It was not uncommon to see a lot of us neighborhood boys walking down the tracks with loaded shotguns hoping to scare up a rabbit or when squirrel season opened, you could hear the freedom ring all across the woods from the crack of day to about 10AM. Then again from about 3PM to 7PM once it was nearing dark and they were going to their nests.

Another thing, nobody had gun safes when I was growing up. But, everyone did have gun racks. In their trucks and in their bedrooms.

I'm very thankful and blessed to have been born and raised when and where I was.

I know this is not on topic of finding old shotgun shell brass, but I have been able to find several old homesteads that was near my old stomping grounds. I always enjoyed seeing what I could find.

I think one of the most unusual was what I believe was a weeding hoe. It was hand forged. The handle was long rotted away. The head of the tool was just laying on top of the old rock wall like someone had laid it up there that morning. The old rock wall and the small portion of the chimney that is still standing, is about the only physical sign that you would know that a person had ever stepped foot there. Otherwise, you'd never know it now.
 
It was very different for me.
I was alone in the desert. I didn't have friends my age to go shooting.
Not much training either.
And I was only varmint shooting. I shot a couple jackrabbits. Big spiders were common.
You wouldn't want to eat the things I shot there, except maybe snakes.
 
John, I think your words above sum up the way many of us "older" folks feel!

You said, "I'm very thankful and blessed to have been born and raised when and where I was."

Couldn't agree more John!

You also made a good point in that people back then didn't have gun safes. Actually there were none. Everyone had a gun rack on their bedroom wall. My dad kept a loaded shotgun and a 30-30 lever action rifle on a wall rack until the day he died. When I was young our house didn't even have locks on the doors. The screen door did have a hook to keep them from banging when the wind blew.

Despite modern convinences we try to live a simple lifestyle even today. But over the years I've learned how to "work smarter, not harder" cause my young mind is overcome by my old body all the time!

Bless you all my friends and regards.
 
Back
Top