in the late 80's when i finally had a job that paid decent, first thing i wanted was a good squirrel gun. my budget range was either a 77/22 or the A bolt. i chose the ruger because the browning just looked too disco-era for me. thick, shiny finish, cheesy gold trigger, etc. if they had one that was less gawdy then maybe i would now have a safe full of A bolts instead of 77's.
