Thread: Calibre Choice in the 1970's

My first "rifle" was a .20 (yes .20...) Sheridan pump up air gun when I was about 13 or 14 (1976-ish). Muldoon was PM and there were limits and duties on everything so we couldn't get .20 pellets. Only .177 and .22. So had to use .177 and crawl super close to within 5-10m and head shoot rabbits the occasional hare and even a stoat. The problem was that if you lowered the muzzle the pellet fell out the end of the barrel! And; you can imagine the accuracy! That's why I had to get so close!

When I was 16 (1979) my parents bought me a .22LR Stirling bolt action. I had to get their permission to get my FAL because I wasn't 18-years old, A year later I bought my first centrefire; an exWW2 K98 8x57 Mauser with a 4x32 scope. It cost me $78 and my apprentice butcher wage was $48 a week. It was all I could afford, the BSA's etc were waaaaay out of my price range. I had to put the Mauser on laybuy.

I can remember the first time I fired it; was crapping my pants before I pulled the trigger. Well it jumped about a bit more than my .22, and of course it roared because I wasn't wearing ear-pro....

About a year later I bought a brand new Ruger M77 in .270. I loved that rifle and never should have sold it. It cost me $434 (1980) and my mum absolutely hit the roof when she found out the cost. I was still on about $50 a week. I bought it from Sutherland Sports in NP on a Friday night took it home with my laybuy book. Every Friday night (no Sat trading) I'd drive to NP and make a payment on it. They'd staple a receipt in my laybuy book. I paid it off over a year-ish. I can't imagine a sports store doing that now! I know I only put a $50-ish deposit down on it before taking it away.