Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Guns in the mail before 1968

Wondering what experiences members had in purchasing firearms through the mail prior to 1968?

It was before my time.

I did have a Father-In-Law who bought his first rifle a Remington .22 which was passed on to me. He bought it through the mail from JC Penny when he was age 12. I am murky as to whether or not he ordered it, or a parent did, or what proof of age or identity was required.

My late brother bought an FN Musketeer .270 direct from the original Gander Mountain. I think it cost $108. I used to drool over all the High Standard stuff in their catalog. What I really wish is that I’d been able to get a couple of the AYA shotguns Kleins used to sell, along with some milsurps too, naturally.

Lots of people used to buy war surplus guns though the mail, e.g., Germain Mausers. Just send your check, and the US Mail delivered it to your house.

I was just a little kid when that was still legal, though.

I have a J.C.Higgins 30-30 me Dad got through the mail, from Sears and Roebucks.

Well, I bought an Italian Mannlicher Carcano 6.5 Jap from Klien's of Chicago for $9.99 if memory serves correctly. I got a scope for it with a stamped steel scope mount that required drilling the side of the receiver. Local gunsmith refused to work on it, so I drilled it myself. Surprisingly soft metal. My buddy, who was considerably wealthier than me, bought a Garand packed in cosmoline for $79.99, and a 1903 for some ridiculous price by today's standards. This was 1963 or 64. The only ammo available for the Carcano was surplus military full jacketed stuff; fun to shoot into ice or punch holes in steel angle iron. We were about 14 years old, neither of our parents knew about our clandestine purchases, and never said much when they found out. Hell, boys put deer rifles in their lockers at school during deer season.

I remember one of the big mail order houses advertising the "throw away deer rifle", some Italian milsurp bolt action IIRC. The ad stated that the rifle was so cheap that you shot your deer and then just left the rifle in the woods instead of carrying it back with you.

My Dad bought an M-1 carbine through the mail when I was five I think. He paid $20 for it as I recall. Killed his first deer with it.

I remember those days with a warm feeling. It was nice to be able to go in a gun store and not be treated like a potential mass murderer.

The sport magazines were full of advertising of guns and ammo. P-38s, 1911s, lugers, and on and on.

But you need to remember what wages were. But I did buy a 1917 Remington for 29.00. I spent many hours getting the gunk off of it.

In 1962 I bought my first gun when I was 12. Paid cash for a Rem 76 with money I earned driving grain truck during harvest for a local farmer. Couple years later my five year older cousin purchased an M-1 carbine from Kleins for $20. I think they had a policy of not selling to anyone unless you were at least 18 which I was not. Asked my Dad to buy it for me since I was 13 or 14. Dad had been an engineer in the Army in WWII in Europe and carried an
M-1. He disliked the gun so much that refused to buy it for me. Cousin still has his.

My best score was through the NRA, bought a pristine 03A3 Remington for cheap, I wanna say about 20 bucks. But the most fun was some outfit called Ye Olde Hunter's Lodge, usually on the back page of the American Rifleman or Outdoor Life, they had some weird stuff, about every other payday in the Army, I would order something that caught my fancy, and have it sent to my parents home. When I came back to CONUS in 1967, I had a seriously eclectic 'collection' of low worth but fun stuff, from nations of Europe and South America that I couldn't hardly find on a map. Anybody in your neighborhood have a 6.5 Mannlicher from Dutch Guiana? How 'bout a #5 Enfield jungle carbine? (no jackrabbits were ever hurt or killed when I shot this rifle) How 'bout a Swiss Vetterli, .41 rimfire, very cheap, but no man has EVER seen any ammo? That's why the Swiss never been in a war...nobody had any ammo. The most beautiful acquisition was a Persian Mauser (BRNO) with the Lion Crest...but, for the unheard of sum of 38 dollars, it had to be good. Simpler times.

I bought my first handgun with a coupon out of the back of an Outdoor Life magazine. I believe I paid $12 for a S&W in fairly poor condition. I rode my bike to downtown Jacksonville to pick it up at the Railway Express office in the train station. I was 14. No questions asked.

Bought my first shotgun (French 16 ga sxs) from Vic's for Guns, I believe in Atlanta. One of my friends came to school with an add for it in Shotgun News. NRA very good, $45. I sent cash and the local postmaster handed it directly to me at the PO front window. I was 13 or 14. The left has done nothing but progressively choke our freedom ever since.

Hidell? Paging Mr. A. Hidell ? ? ? ?

Hidell? Paging Mr. A. Hidell ? ? ? ?

My father bought this M1 Carbine through the DCM around 1962-63 time period. Cost $19.95 and was mailed to the house. It was passed on to me when he died, and it's one of the last firearms I'd ever part with.

Very cool! What manufacturer?

Wow! Nice.

Made by Underwood. 12-43

Unfortunately, that all ceased when Kennedy was assassinated.