When the Smoke Clears

In 1962 Remington announced the new model 700 ADL (Average Deluxe) and BDL (Better Deluxe) and within a year or so even Remington management was stunned by the rifle’s success.

Remington would follow this success with the 700 Classic, a straight stock with no monte carlo or cheek piece and satin finish. In 1981 Remington offered the 700 Classic in a limited production in caliber 7mm Mauser and every year there after the Classic was only offered in one special caliber.

In 1956 a gentleman named Rudolph Koppe, who had immigrated from Germany, took on a couple new firearm lines: Baikal & Vostok Firearms from Russia. These firearms were from Tula and Tzhevsk in the Soviet Union, both of which had been gunsmithing centers for over five centuries. To the best of my knowledge this was the first quantity of firearms in North America from the communist country and I believe Ruko had exclusive rights to North America but because the U.S. would not allow Russian imports, it was basically Canada. For the next 25 years +, Ruko imported shotguns, 22 rifles and 22 target rifles and pistols from Baikal & from Vostok.

I’ve talked about Cooey firearms before but I’m not sure whether I have really driven home how much the Cooey firearm, especially the 22 rifle, dominated the Canadian Firearms landscape. Many shooters now find room in our budget for a new Browning T Bolt or a Ruger 10/22 or something in a CZ 457 series or Anschutz Target Rifle, but my question is this: will you ever find the excitement or early murmurs of adulthood that came with your first outing with Dad, Grandad or your big brother and a Cooey? 

Sometimes nostalgia can be used as an excuse for being lazy and not wanting to investigate new products or ideas and admittedly my age group tend to be some of the worst offenders. But old is not necessarily better and to prove my point, here are a few examples of times when, in a sport steeped in history and nostalgia, looking forward is better than looking back.

You can speak for days on the  pros and cons of 20 MOA, know what grains and bullet tips are widely available for your particular gun and have finally gotten a grasp on all the industry marketing spin names for a mil-dot (or even what“mil”stands for). Yet here you are with small gaps; gaps that don’t regularly affect your day to day but are just those little holes in your knowledge that you’re now at a point where asking the question will no doubt solicit that look and pause as your buddy quietly readjusts his personal view of you before hesitantly responding. Let’s avoid that. Here are seven questions we get asked a lot (no, you’re not alone).

My Grandfather, who owned a general store, let me shoot his Red Ryder which he got in order to scare pests away.  It was manufactured about the 2^nd year of production and actually had a higher velocity then any of the Daisys I ever had.  I still have this B.B. gun.  Daisy, over the years, has manufactured many different models.  The lever model was made in more varieties than any others.  The pump model 25 was very popular since it’s beginnings in 1913 and has been resurrected a few times in various forms. 

One of the first really commercially successful commemorative firearms I believe was the Winchester Model 94 30-30 Winchester Centennial Commemorative rifle offered for sale in 1966 to celebrate Winchester gun company’s 100 years.  The lever was offered in 20” carbine or 26” rifle.  Approximately 102,000 were built.

When I was about 16 I acquired a new Ruger 10/22 22 carbine which had only been born 6 years, before entering the market in late 1964.  It was a walnut “carbine” stocked 22LR rifle with its revolutionary 10 shot rotary clip.  The barrel had fold down rear sight and std. blade front sight and measured 18 ½”.  My gun is basically the current Ruger Model 10/22 RB but has a walnut stock instead of a hard wood beech stock.  I soon put a Bushnell 4x custom 7/8” dovetail scope with mount which fits into the base plate on the 10/22 receiver.  This scope I never replaced.  It was made in Japan and has good optics and is the right size for the gun. 

The C.I.L. Dominion line offers a cornucopia of cartridges for the novice or advanced collector. Anyone interested in firearms, military, hunting or sport shooting is a potential cartridge collector. The calibers, the various headstamps, the various projectiles, all tell a story. C.I.L. & Dominion have loaded hundreds of different shotshells, rimfires & centerfires calibers and gauges.

As you get older I think you pay more attention to the past. Lately in some of the estate collections and miscellaneous purchases I’ve noticed an increase in older Dominion Cartridge Co. boxes and ammo, many before the C.I.L. oval logo appeared on the boxes.

The range of calibers loaded by this iconic company is quite amazing. Dominion Cartridge and later C.I.L. enjoyed a lot of protection before Canada entered into free trade. Winchester and Remington did have manufacturing facilities in Canada, due to the duty imposed on non-Canadian companies. C.I.L. enjoyed government and police contracts under this tariff program.

The 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s saw The Canadian Industries Limited Ammunition Company on every shelf in gunshops, hardware stores and general stores. I grew up in a general store that was connected to our house. We had groceries, nails, nuts & bolts, clothing, boots, china and of course ammunition. We carried only C.I.L. ammunition. Shotgun shells were Canuck Maxium and Imperial good, better, best.

The cowboy legends the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy Gene Autry, etc. had their best times a little before my time.  The riders of the silver screen still had an influence on a huge amount of people for over a generation and

Bat Masterson, Gunsmoke and Bonanza bridged the gap to my age group.  You see nostalgia in furniture, car shows, antique fairs, etc. and the age group from 50-70 certainly embraces it.