Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters It's 1958-- what were y'all shooting East of the Mississippi?

I've been fascinated with the topic about 1958 and what folks were shooting out West. I was born in 1958. I'm just wondering what folks were using to lob lead at the beasts in the rest of the States, not just out West.

I know my grandfather was using a savage 99 in 300 sav.most of his contemporaries were using 94's in 30-30 and there were alot of WW2 war trophies being used by his friends,my father had a Carcano and a 6.5 Jap,Gramps also had a 7.7? Jap.
here in NJ it was shotguns with buckshot or rifled slugs

For most deer hunting, right or wrong - 00 buckshot.

my father said they used to use a shotgun round called a "pumpkin balls" it was 00 buck strung together with a steel wire.
but like anything that was cool or worked well the State of NJ made it illegal.

My dad was using a 6.5 Jap, his dad was using a 30-40 Krag--neither sporterized. My maternal grandfather was using a model 94 in 30-30. Had uncles using Krags and model 99's.

A "Pumpkin Ball" was just that- a ball. A big lead .69 caliber ball, sized as such to clear the commonly tight full chokes of the day. They just rattled down the bore, and accuracy was a sometime thing. That was in the days prior to the intro of the Foster slug (which is what we kids called "punkin' balls" in those halcyon days of 1958).

I was only 5 in '58, but if I were to go back in time I would carry what my Dad and most of his cronies carried- a Savage 99, Winchester 94 or some sort of sporterized army rifle (not to mention the occasional shotgun with "punkin' balls"). Winchester 70's were pretty much the domain of the well-heeled gentry, but were spotted from time to time. Didn't know any rifle loonies back then, or anybody who handloaded. In our corner of Pennsylvania a deer rifle was a means to an end, a tool used to put meat in the freezer, and since the depression still really hadn't ended there yet low cost was a driving factor in rifle selection.

I was 14 in 58, gun of choice in MI that I remember was a Win 94 or 64 in 32 special or 30/30.

I was not even a thought in '58 but my dad was using a Marlin 35 Remington, open sights. I have photos of him and his buddies from back then, all were carrying Marlin lverguns in 35, 30-30 or 32 win spec. This was for hunting in New England and the Catskills of NY

My uncle was using a new M94 in .30-30 w/Weaver side mnt and a Weaver K2.5x scope.

til later

Marlin model 336 in 35 Remington with a peep sight. Friend of mine had one with a 4x scope. I thought I had the better setup till he shot a deer right at daylight that had walked past me at about 35 yards in the timber that I couldn't see good enough to shoot. So long peep sight.

Well I wasn't shooting anything, but I have three guns in my safe. both of my grandfathers. My moms father had two guns that I got. a model 71 and a Model 94 in 30.30. My other grandfather had a 99 in 300 savage.

The one gun of that generation that I wish I had was a model 14/141 in 35 rem.

I was not alive in 1958 but I know what my grandfather and his buddies used. The Remington 141 was really popular in North Georgia (30 and 35 Remington). Of course there were many 30/30 rifles floating around and also the Savage 99 was big news.

Landrum

I grew up in NE Louisiana. I did not start deer hunting til 1963 as a kid but my recollection is that almost all the adult hunters used shotguns. (Almost all deer hunting was done by running deer with dogs.) Some Winchester Model 12s and some Browning A-5s. Best I can remember all were 12 gauges and most everyone hunted with buckshot.

One guy had a Marlin lever .30-30 and another had a Winchester 94 in the same caliber. My dad had a Remington Model 722 in .257 Roberts with a Weaver 4x scope and he had the only bolt gun and only scope in the group we hunted with.

Within a few years there started to be some guys who had Remington autoloaders, usually in .30/06.

I think if it were 1958 I would use the same rifle whether it would be North, South, East or West. My folks used a Rem. 721 in 30-06 that I still use to this day. Oh yeah, I have used it in the forests of North Carolina to the Mountains of West Texas.

If it were me and I could afford it I would have picked up a model 70 or a Belgium Browning probably both in 30-06.

Chance

My Dad had just traded a Krag for a brand new Savage 99F in 308. He carried that gun for nearly 50 yrs, and I'm carrying it these days.

In 1958, I was in the womb for the last 3 months of 58.
seems to me The one rifle huter would likly be using an 06 a 270 a 30/30 or a 300 savage.
If he was dedicated and could aford a model 70 that was probably the nicest common rifle.
But a frugal guy was probaly shooting a springfield. But a savy guy who wanted to fave a good no frills game killer might have had a JC-Higgins. Still a great rifle that can be had cheap.
...tj3006

+1 on the JC Higgins!

I was born in 56 but I believe my dad was using a sporterized 303 enfield. A lot of guys did in upstate New York back then. There were also a lot of 30-40 krags in use up near the Canadian border back then and fifty bucks would buy you a nice one when I was a kid.

I wasn't old enough yet, but my Dad hunted in Utah every year with a Winchester Model 94 .30-30. As I recall he brought home venison most years, too.

Here if you were hunting deer it was in front of dogs and shotguns were it.
GreggH