The "Machinegun"

The Mossberg Model 152

A long, long time ago, when I was a very young boy (probably five or six years old) I went with my father a lunch that was part of some gathering or celebration at the home of Sabino Nogueira. Sabino operated the sawmill of Fazenda Perobas, that at one time belonged to my great grandfather and is the place where my father was born.

Sabino's home was just steps away from the sawmill, and it had an enclosed courtyard, shaded by old trees, and several tables were set there. By the way, this is the same place where I was once bitten in my left hand by Sabino's pet monkey, but that is another story.

On this ocasion, one of the visitor's was my my father's older brother, José Reginaldo, and he had with him one or all of his three sons. Sometime during lunch my uncle asked my father where was his "Winchester". At that time in Brazil, any twenty-two rifle was called either Winchester or Flobert, and many people would say that they had a Winchester made by Remington or Browning. (Browning was also a synonym for any semi-automatic pistol.)

My father said that Sabino had the "Winchester", and he produced it in no time and my uncle showed it to his son or sons and explained that this was an automatic gun, with a detachable box magazine and that the forearm could be hinged down to form a forward grip. "You only have to press the trigger and it shoots like a machinegun", I remember he saying.

And without any cerimony or other consideration my uncle told one of his son to out the machinegun in the car so they could take it home to the jungles of Mato Grosso. And I never saw or heard about that gun again...at least until yesterday!

I stopped at Great Guns (www.greatgunstc.com) just to brouse on things that I don't need but couldn't live without and found an unfamiliar twenty-two rifle at the used gun rack. As I handled it and started to explore its operation I traveled back in time four decades to my first encounter with a "machinegun". Of course I could be mistaken, but I could not find an autoloading twenty-two with a hinged fore grip made by any company other than Mossberg.

The gun I had in my hands was a Mossberg Model 152, a semiautomatic 22 LR carbine, with 7 shot detachable box magazine and 18 inches barrel, weighting 5 pounds. The stock is Monte Carlo styled with a pistol grip and includes a forearm that hinges down to act like a hand grip, with sling mounted swivels mounted on the left side of the stock. The cocking know or charging handle acts as safety when the bolt is moved back less than a quarter of an inch and the know is depressed against a slot in the receiver, almost like the safety of a Sten Gun.

The Model 152 was made from 1948 to 1957 and as was common before the 1968 Gun Control Act, it has no serial number. Its successor, the very similar Model 352, was made from 1957 to 1959.

The early ones had wood forearms, later ones have black plastic.

This particular carbine has an S-106 Ramp Front Sight which has four reticules, thin, thick, pin and ball aperture. All reticles pivot on a shaft and can be easily selected by pressing a small latch in the front of the ramp (make sure that the gun is unloaded before switching front sights as you will have at least yor hand in front of the barrel).

The rear micro click S-130 peed sight mounts on the left side of the receiver with two screws and is fully adjustable. The graduations on the elevation and windage screw knobs with corresponding clicks, represent 1/2 minute adjustments, equivalent to 1/2" change of bullet impact at 100 yards, 1/4" at 50 yards or 1/8" at 25 yards.  It is well to remember to move the rear sight in the direction in which it is desired to move the bullet on the target.  If the bullet shoots low, raise the aperture by turning the elevation screw to the left, marked "up" on the elevation nut, or counter clockwise.  If the rifle shoots high, turn the elevation screw to the right, or clockwise.  If the rifle shoots to the left, move the aperture to the right by turning windage screw to the left, or counter clockwise.  If the rifle shoots to the right, move aperture to the left by turning windage screw to the right, or clockwise.

I believe that the sights alone set this little rifle (or carbine with you prefer) apart from the run of the mill guns, and if made nowadays the sights alone would be more expensive than the average current production twenty-two rifle.

Since yesterday I put almost ten rounds of Aguilla's Super Colibri's through my new Mossberg Model 152 (the Super Colibri will not cycle the semiautomatic action, but it is the only safe alternative for my basement range), and at thirty feet it has not yet missed an empty 12 gauge shot shell. I will have to bring this little carbine to Neverland to shoot "full power" loads and see how it works.

Am I one hundred percent certain that the 152 is the same model gun that my dad had and that was lost after I saw it for just a couple minutes forty years ago? No, not one hundred percent, but I am convinced enough to have this machinegun as connection to a very distant past.

An Ideal 22 Rifle

Stevens 414 Armory "Ideal" Rifle

Last Friday as I was driving home after a strenuous but short business trip to Mexico I stopped at Great Guns in Acme, just of M-72 as you are arriving in Traverse City. It has been a long time sinceI had visit this shop and as it is my habit I started browsing at the used gun rack.

The issue is that there are very few modern guns designs that atract my attention. Plastic, stainless steel and tactical designs just don't turn me on. I must confess that I love my Beretta A-400, a truly innovative autoloading shotgun, but when out hunting I carry one of my classic (and old) side-by-side guns, not the A-400.

Also, in the recent past I started gathering (I am not disciplined enough to be a "collector") .22 rimfire rifles, and I was really missing a traditional single shot falling block exemplar for a long time (or at least since my dear friend Stan Bell refused to trade with me one of the nicest Martini Cadets you can dream about. His lame justification is that he wants to keep the rifle for his grandson. What about my grandson?!)

Well, a hunk of walnut and steel with a deep and secular patina coating it immediately got my attention. It had a massive bull barrel with some tapper, a sizeable forend, an elegant under lever, globe front sight, miniscule peep sight and a Whelen shooting sling in great condition. As I handled the heavy but well balanced target rifle, or would it be a military trainer?, I quickly found the Stevens name and immediately the names IDEAL and FAVORITE came to mind.

While I waited for another customer to be helped I used my i-Phone (even I sucumb to modern technology on ocasion) to ckeck some information on the piece, including going price on the most popular on-line auction sites. But soon I was being tended to and negotiations started, and the price was more than reasonable. I used a snap cap to test all functionality and when satisified, done deal!

Later on the day I was able to continue my research the STEVENS 22 Rim Fire No. 414 ARMORY and a 1921 Stevens ads that I found surfing the internet reads the following:

Accuracy is the finest recommendation any rifle can have. It means everything.

Balance, sight adjustment, barrel alignment, easy trigger control, smooth action, "feel" - these are the qualities an accurate rifle must possess.

High prices do not  necessarily insure this accuracy, but the Trade Mark that has stood the acid test for 57 years does.

- And that was one of the principle reasons the U.S. Olympic Rifle Team selected STEVENS last year.

You can improve your shooting with a Stevens.

For all ages, for all needs, at all prices.

J. STEVENS ARMS COMPANY

By the way, the price in the 1920's was US$ 21.00!

Bill Ward's "WALNUT and STEEL - Vintage .22 Rifles" dedicates its Chapter Two to Stevens. It starts like this: "it seems only proper to begin a review of vintage .22 rifles with the originator of the most popular cartridge of all time. that man is Mr. Joshua Stevens, and the cartridge, of course, is the .22 long rifle." Mr. Ward talks about Mr. Stevens and the popular SCHUETZENFEST of a time gone by, the boy's rifle Stevens Favorite and its bigger and more serious brother the IDEAL or No. 44 Rifle.

Stevens at one time was the biggest firearm factory in the world, as "the Favorite became the most popular youth rifle of the early 20th century, while the 44 and its brethren would go to become the premier target rifle of the same era."

I was slightly disappointed to discover that my beloved Aguila 22 Super Colibri would not shoot through the heavy 26-inch long target barrel. As that is the only ammo that is safe to be used in my basement I had to make a trip to the Cedar Rod & Gun Club to test my "new" target rifle.

At a stepped through deep snow 50 feet distance I shot the rifle at NRA 10 Meter Air Rifle Targets, first off hand and then supported. The two targets on the picture clearly show that all shots hit the black bulls-eye and the groups could be covered by a quarter. The rifle probably can do better than that, but I have not shot a target rifle on paper in about a decade, so give him a break.

While in terms of pratical accuracy the Stevens 414 Armory does not have the ergonomics advancements or superb sights of modern target rifles, I doubt that it is far behind, if behind at all, in intrinsic accuracy.

I am completely in love with my almost century old new Stevens 414 Armory and I just need a more robust bullet trap to realize its full fun potential.

My $99 Anschütz

The perfect complement for my Haversack

On my latest trip to Brazil I had the opportunity to visit my hometown in the last weekend of October, and during that time I had the pleasure to meet my friend Aluísio Albuquerque, and during a brief visit to his home he showed me a gift that he had received shortly ago, a little Winchester 22 bolt-action "Tumb Trigger". To say that I was envious would probably be an overstatement, but that reminded me that I did not have a single shot twenty-two, and a professional small boy, to parafrase the late Peter Hathaway Capstick, who was too smart to take himself too seriously, not only needs, but truly desires such a timeless classic.

Well, some weeks ago my wife, who among many other responsibilities takes care of our mail and personal accounting, handed me a US$ 120 vaucher that Gander Mountain sent me and minutes later I found another US$ 10 gift card gratiously sent by Pheasants Forever. With that much "free" money available I was compeled to visit the local Traverse City store and explore the many possibilities to use my newly acquired funds.

The first trip with my wife was unsucessful as nothing caught my eye, but a week or so later the situation changed. After dropping my wife at the gym I drove to Gander Mountain to again search for that special something that would find a place in my heart and my life (you know how small boys behave).

Upon entering the store and quickly perusing the new firearms without finding anything attractive I moved to the relative small used guns shelf and among a lot of Mosin-Nagants, several shotguns and other center-fire rifles there was this small bolt-action twenty-two. I saw that it was in very decent shape and started to exam it and two things really caught my eye: the ANSCHÜTZ logo on top of the action and the $99 price tag!

As the sales associates were busy and there were other people looking at used guns that could steal my just found treasure I just stood there until help came my way, and before anything I double checked the price. It really was $99 and soon afterwards we , the little Anshütz and me, were on our way home.

When we arrived I immediately started an internet search to learn about my new acquision and after some false starts which called the rifle a "Garden Gun", which would have made me happy if that was the case as I really like those ancient European smooth bore "micro-shotguns", but finally I found a copy of an early 1960's Stoeger catalog that portraited ANSCHÜTZ JUNIOR VARMINTER .22 Long Rifle Caliber Rifles and Carbines. There were four guns on the page with prices varying from $22 to $110, and the top and least expensive one was the MODEL 1361E .22 RIFLE. The description matches my own rifle in every aspect, except that while the catalog states "A single-shot rifle with a manual cocking knob" my rifle will cock upon the bolt being closed.

As we had a week of pretty nasty weather the only place that I could comfortably test my new rifle was my basement airgun range, and in order to make it safe I relied upon Aguila's Super Colibri ammo which is actually less powerful and quieter than some of my air rifles, and therefore totally safe for my bullet traps. At around thirty feet off-hand (remember Jeff Cooper: rifles must have practical hitability) the little Anschütz performed as expected, hitting the twelve gauge empty hulls I was using as reactive targets and later my airgun metallic silhouettes. The only noise was that of the 20 grain lead pointed bullet hititing its target.

Today I disassembled the little Anschütz for proper cleaning and to better understand it mechanism. A single screw joins the stock with the lock and barrel. A robust leaf spring provides resistance to trigger movement, and the complete lock mechanism is of a sinmple and elegant construction, and the complete rifle probably has less than twenty parts, counting all moving and non-moving parts. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo da Vinci

Since my Anschütz held minute of mice accuracy in the indoor range, I am sure it will perform just as well outdoors, and I am now planning a small game safari after cottontail rabbits and maybe squirrels for the Christmas holidays, but first I must secure the front sight that has some play to it. Maybe Del will coach me.

Well, now I have a rifle that not only rivals Aluísio's Winchester Tumb Trigger, but complements my grandson's Crickett (maybe in four or five years), and also is the perfect companion for my haversack. And who knows which adventures we may enjoy in the northern Michigan woods?

The 1960's Stoeger catalogue page

The Best Shot I Ever Made

Drawing by the author

Everyone I known that is involved with hunting or shooting has a story about an unforgettable shot. So do I.

Back in the last century Brazil still had reasonable, if somewhat restrictive, gun laws. A person could buy a long gun when 18 and a pistol after reaching 21.

Growing up in a rural community, first living in the farm, and after school age came, living in a town near to the farm, we always had shotguns around, but due to an accident that my father had with a pellet gun as a kid (this story will be told in the future) and because he considered the excessive range of rifles to be dangerous, we never had a gun that would shoot "bullets".

Finally one day, when I came to legal age, I bought a rifle (actually my Mom paid for it). There were always very few firearms options in Brazil, there were a couple 22 LR choices and one 38 Special lever action carbine. Due to the very high cost of ammunition I passed on the 38 and put my sights on a 22.

The rifle I bought was a CBC (in the US they are known as Magtech) Model 122, a very traditional bolt action with detachable magazine an open sights, probably based on some Remington design (Remington at one time controlled CBC).

Ammunition choice was as sparse as firearms. Twenty-two's were available either as Short or Long Rifle both with solid lead bullets and standard velocity. Wanting as much “power” as I could get I chose the 22 LR.

A certain morning I came to the farm, and I had to have my new rifle and a couple boxes of "bullets".

As I came to greet the farm manager he was talking with a local butcher. He told me that during the night a Nelore (similar to a Brahma) bull from my godmother's farm had jumped the stream that divided the two properties and got in a fight with our bull. The visitor got the short end of the stick, and trying to return to his side of the river, slipped on the bank and broke a hind leg.

The fracture was very ugly and there was no saving the bull, therefore the butcher.

The manager and the butcher were conferencing and not very happy. The bull had been in pain for several hours now, and he did not want anyone to come close to him. The discussion centered on how to get a hold of the animal without injuring any person.

I told them that I probably could help. I had a rifle!

I went back to the car, got my almost brand-new rifle, loaded the ten shot magazine and chambered a 22 "solid". The bull was facing us, maybe fifty or sixty yards from the fence and he was mad!

I took a rest in one of the fence poles by the gate, put the front bead on the bull's forehead and gently squeezed the trigger.

I don't think that I was ever so choked in my life. When the little lead slug hit its mark, the 1,600 pound animal tumbled feet up in the air and its huge rump hit the dirty. Everything happened much faster than it takes to tell you.

The butcher immediately crossed the fence and ran towards the bull to bleed it. Afraid that the huge animal could recover, I worked the bolt and put other two or three bullets in the bull's skull. But he was done in the first shot.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that twenty-two's lack killing power.

As payment for a job well done I commanded certain special pieces. The testicles (a.k.a. Rocky Mountain Oysters) and some nice liver slices that the manager's wife prepared in a good lunch for us. The almost four feet long penis I had it cleaned, stretched and dried so I turned in a "bull whip". Over twenty years later I still have that handy tool.

Many times in life it is better to be lucky than good, and this was one such occasion. I think that if I had missed that first shot the big injured bull would still be charging me.