I just purchased a rifle that I lusted after as a young teenager back in the 1960's. My Dad had bought me one of the Browning takedown .22 semiauto rifles as a kid to shoot. I used to get the Browning catalogs from our local sporting good store every year, and I would lust after the Browning T-Bolt every year when the new catalog would come out. However, I never got up the nerve to even ask my Dad if he would consider buying one. Sure was a big mistake on my part.
Well, now that I am old, I thought why not see if I can find a T-Bolt in great shape to buy. After all, doesn't a old saying indicate "Better Late Than Never"??
So I've been keeping my eye out this year for one of the original Browning T-Bolts to buy. I've been tempted several times, but kept holding out to see if could find something really special. Well, after a long search, I finally did!
I stumbled on an auction on Gunbroker.com from a dealer that specializes in selling high end Browning and Weatherby firearms. An avid Browning gun collector had recently past away, and his family placed his collection with this dealer.
Wow, was that man ever a serious Browning collector!! He had so many awesome guns, including several absolutely gorgeous 60's era Browning Medallion Grade Hi Power bolt action rifles. They were way out of sight in price, though, so I did not even consider bidding on them.
But there, mingled in with all of these other Brownings, was an absolutely drop dead gorgeous T-Bolt. In fact, I've never seen any T-Bolt with as handsome a stock as this rifle has. The figuring in the French Walnut is unbelievable. What was just as amazing, was the fact that the gun appeared to be in like new condition, as if it had just been taken out of the box for the first time.
Well, I won the bidding for the rifle, after out-biding one competitor who did not want it as badly as I did. Today the rifle arrived, and I could not be more impressed. The chamber is still blued! The rifle appears to be unfired! In addition, I see no indications at all that a scope has ever been mounted on it. No marks of any kind! This rifle I got is a T-2 Deluxe, with no iron sights. Most T-Bolt's shipped with nice peep style iron sights. However, I am a scope man, and I thus wanted this no sights configuration, which is actually rather hard to find, making this rifle even more rare.
The trigger on the gun is so light too. Far better than I had anticipated.
Should I despoil this gun, and put a scope on it, and enjoy shooting it, fullfilling my boyhood dream? Or should I leave this 42 year old rifle in its current virgin state, for my heirs to perhaps shoot one day?
What would you do? I did not anticipate that it would be in quite such pristine condition. Should I go ahead and shoot it and find out how accurate it is? Should I even take it out into the field and kill a few squirrels with it next year?
It is dark tonight and I took these photos just using my Nikon SB-900 flash for lighting. I think that the gun might look even more impressive in natural lighting. It is really something to behold and handle in person.
What would you do, if you owned this .22 ??
Here it is:
Well, now that I am old, I thought why not see if I can find a T-Bolt in great shape to buy. After all, doesn't a old saying indicate "Better Late Than Never"??
So I've been keeping my eye out this year for one of the original Browning T-Bolts to buy. I've been tempted several times, but kept holding out to see if could find something really special. Well, after a long search, I finally did!
I stumbled on an auction on Gunbroker.com from a dealer that specializes in selling high end Browning and Weatherby firearms. An avid Browning gun collector had recently past away, and his family placed his collection with this dealer.
Wow, was that man ever a serious Browning collector!! He had so many awesome guns, including several absolutely gorgeous 60's era Browning Medallion Grade Hi Power bolt action rifles. They were way out of sight in price, though, so I did not even consider bidding on them.
But there, mingled in with all of these other Brownings, was an absolutely drop dead gorgeous T-Bolt. In fact, I've never seen any T-Bolt with as handsome a stock as this rifle has. The figuring in the French Walnut is unbelievable. What was just as amazing, was the fact that the gun appeared to be in like new condition, as if it had just been taken out of the box for the first time.
Well, I won the bidding for the rifle, after out-biding one competitor who did not want it as badly as I did. Today the rifle arrived, and I could not be more impressed. The chamber is still blued! The rifle appears to be unfired! In addition, I see no indications at all that a scope has ever been mounted on it. No marks of any kind! This rifle I got is a T-2 Deluxe, with no iron sights. Most T-Bolt's shipped with nice peep style iron sights. However, I am a scope man, and I thus wanted this no sights configuration, which is actually rather hard to find, making this rifle even more rare.
The trigger on the gun is so light too. Far better than I had anticipated.
Should I despoil this gun, and put a scope on it, and enjoy shooting it, fullfilling my boyhood dream? Or should I leave this 42 year old rifle in its current virgin state, for my heirs to perhaps shoot one day?
What would you do? I did not anticipate that it would be in quite such pristine condition. Should I go ahead and shoot it and find out how accurate it is? Should I even take it out into the field and kill a few squirrels with it next year?
It is dark tonight and I took these photos just using my Nikon SB-900 flash for lighting. I think that the gun might look even more impressive in natural lighting. It is really something to behold and handle in person.
What would you do, if you owned this .22 ??
Here it is: