Thread: Calibre Choice in the 1970's

I was very fortunate to work in Tisdall's sports shop in PNth after school for 3 years from 1963. There was rack after rack of rifles (50 maybe?) and I oiled them with Youngs oil every week. I loved that job and was full time during the school holidays.

People could look at and handle all of the rifles.

The gun smith we used lived over on Main Street and I used to bike over there with guns to be repaired over my handle bars, and bring repaired ones back. No covers for them. Nothing said.

I can remember and see every rifle at Tisdalls like it was yesterday - and still smell the oil.

Yes, Schultz & Larsen in 7x61 & .270, Parker Hale in 308Norma Mag. BRNO's. Sakos etc. Lots of Savage lever actions because Tisdalls were the agents. My favourite rifle on the rack was the BSA Majestic, but I have never owned one. There were some exceptional military mausers in 8x57 - short carbine models. They looked brand new. They were agents for Anchutz too. Later when I was meat hunting I bought an Anchutz 308 for $199 new. One of my sons still has it and loves it.

I went on to own many rifles and hunting has been a passion ever since. The Manager (Jim Newman) was the first person to take me hunting - I never had a Dad so Jim took me under his wing. Jim took me up the Pari in the Ruahines and my first shot at a deer (missed) was with his BSA Hunter in 7x57. The Manager before Jim when I started was Ray Garner. Good people.

308 and .270 would ave been by far the most popular calibers, followed I think by 7x57.

Originally Posted by Tahr

308 and .270 would ave been by far the most popular calibers, followed I think by 7x57.

On my first tahr hunt in the group of 4 of us I was the odd one out, having a 308. The other 3 had 7x57s. A mixture of BSA and BRNO.

I can recall the gunsmith you mention Tahr. I bought a cleaning rod off him.

Oh; and as a 13-ish year old I used to drool over the mint, in grease M1 carbines and .303 Jungle Carbines in the Valentines ad in the back of dad's farming mag! They could be bought for $26.....

Originally Posted by Tahr

I was very fortunate to work in Tisdall's sports shop in PNth after school for 3 years from 1963. There was rack after rack of rifles (50 maybe?) and I oiled them with Youngs oil every week. I loved that job and was full time during the school holidays.

People could look at and handle all of the rifles.

The gun smith we used lived over on Main Street and I used to bike over there with guns to be repaired over my handle bars, and bring repaired ones back. No covers for them. Nothing said.

I can remember and see every rifle at Tisdalls like it was yesterday - and still smell the oil.

Yes, Schultz & Larsen in 7x61 & .270, Parker Hale in 308Norma Mag. BRNO's. Sakos etc. Lots of Savage lever actions because Tisdalls were the agents. My favourite rifle on the rack was the BSA Majestic, but I have never owned one. There were some exceptional military mausers in 8x57 - short carbine models. They looked brand new. They were agents for Anchutz too. Later when I was meat hunting I bought an Anchutz 308 for $199 new. One of my sons still has it and loves it.

I went on to own many rifles and hunting has been a passion ever since. The Manager (Jim Newman) was the first person to take me hunting - I never had a Dad so Jim took me under his wing. Jim took me up the Pari in the Ruahines and my first shot at a deer (missed) was with his BSA Hunter in 7x57. The Manager before Jim when I started was Ray Garner. Good people.

308 and .270 would ave been by far the most popular calibers, followed I think by 7x57.

Cool story and great memories for you. I believe my father use to have a part time (2nd job) as Tisdals in Palmy for a while too. He's coming up 79 in October, i wonder if you and him had an overlap at all.

He continued working part-time in various gun stores over the years. As a kid i remember me and my sister getting to stay up late on Friday nights, as Mum took us into town to pick dad up from his Friday night job at the Sportsman in Palmy North, we always use to stop at one of the takeaway shops in Main Street and get a couple of scoops of hot chips.

Maybe we only had one car at that point, even thou i pretty much always remember us having two (always had a Mini as a 2nd car back in those days) But thinking about it now, maybe Dad use to have a couple of beers after they knocked off hence why we picked him up. I must ask my parents next time im talking to them.

I often went into Tisdall's after school, early 70's. They just don't have shops like that anymore. It was like walking into 'Santa's Gun-Cave', not a stainless barrel in sight

Originally Posted by rewa

I often went into Tisdall's after school, early 70's. They just don't have shops like that anymore. It was like walking into 'Santa's Gun-Cave', not a stainless barrel in sight

And ISCO sports just around the corner

Originally Posted by rewa

I often went into Tisdall's after school, early 70's. They just don't have shops like that anymore. It was like walking into 'Santa's Gun-Cave', not a stainless barrel in sight

@rewa Re; Santa's Gun Cave..... Wilsons in Whanganui isn't far off that. I'm sure they have to get the carpet cleaner out to clean up my drool after I've been in there....... Bloody good selection for a small city shop

Started with a cut down SMLE .303, then an Alpine in 270, didn't like it and went to a shortened PH in .308 until I walked into a Mod 88 Win in .308. Used that rifle for years and still have it and came across my treasured BSA "Hunter' Viscount in 7x57. Too nice & collectable so back to a .308 X Bolt at the moment. The first rifle I have bought brand new. I have quite a few other rifles/calibres I have collected over the years but the above were/are my regular use rifles.

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.

I made the switch from .303 to .308 for deer hunting in about 1982. I have owned (in .308) a Mohawk 600, a Remington 742, a Winchester Model 100 (all great guns but now sadly gone), and keep a Winchester Featherweight and a Winchester Model 88.
CAC manufactured .577 snider, .577/.450 Martini Henry, 7.62x51 and .303 for the military, and .303, .308, .243, .270, 30/06, .30/30 and .303/.25 for the civilian market.
They made special loadings of .270 and .308 for the NZ Forest Service hunters. In my collection I have full original packets of all of these calibres.

I had a cut down .303, mate had a new Husky 3006 and remember all the talk and discussion on that new fangled 243, the all round sporting cartridge for NZ?

Don’t forget the truckloads of European chamberings that were available from Brno, Sako, Mauser etc.

http://www.cartridge-corner.com/metric.htm

6.5x55, 7x57, 7x64, 8x57, 8x68s, 9.3x62 and 10.75x68 to name a few remain excellent hunting cartridges to this day.


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Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Oh; and as a 13-ish year old I used to drool over the mint, in grease M1 carbines and .303 Jungle Carbines in the Valentines ad in the back of dad's farming mag! They could be bought for $26.....

There aren't many times I wish I was way older than I am now. But when I read of in grease m1 carbines for 26 bucks and JDM turbos for under 10 grand there's a lot of desire.

Originally Posted by Russian 22.

There aren't many times I wish I was way older than I am now. But when I read of in grease m1 carbines for 26 bucks and JDM turbos for under 10 grand there's a lot of desire.

Don’t forget the Toz17s for $14.

And $6 for a Mercator