Therapy Or Heritage?

by
posted on May 18, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs-1.jpg (2)

Sears and Roebuck, years before major retailers shied from gun sales, sold a line of firearms that sported the Ted Williams name and signature. His baseball celebrity helped with marketing, as well as the fact he was a renowned sportsman. undefined

The company didn’t own and run a rifle factory, though. It relied on experienced manufacturers to produce the guns. Winchester made the 3T, a duplicate of its then-produced Model 190 with lower-grade wood and Williams labeling replacing the firm’s name.

It’s far from collectible, but it’s destined for a son-in-law and my youngest grandson just starting to shoot. With any luck, it’ll be ready to go by the holiday season.

Were the rifle mine, I’d be content with nine coats of that messy, goopy, stinky and potentially flammable boiled linseed oil I’m applying to the stock. But, it’s going to be passed on, with what I hope will be a hard-wearing finish that lasts for years under the abuse dished out by a youthful shooter.

Here’s where firearm enthusiasts and other passions part ways in regard to heritage. All the work I put into this ailing rifle’s stock will wear, and sooner or later, it will be time take the wood back down to the grain and start from scratch. If taken care of properly, all gun owners know that time will come. He may go with one of the glossier, easier-to-apply products then, but sometime around the second or third coat, the love and attention initially poured into the gun will come into focus.

I may be long gone, but I’ll be remembered—even if only for a few seconds. I know I sure thought about Dad and his oil-finished Stephens while furiously rubbing it in the 3T with my fingertips.

The .22 semi-auto chambers shorts, longs and long-rifle rimfires, which makes it neat for a rifle roughly 40 years old. I still need to reblue part of the barrel and tube magazine, and the barrel nut was loose—apparently a chronic problem with this design. I’ve remedied the latter, scheduled the former for this fall, and am having a blast with what I hope becomes another family heirloom.

Latest

Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main
Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main

Guns Of The U.S. Tankers In World War II

Since the end of World War II, debates have raged about the effectiveness of American armored fighting vehicles in that conflict. Despite all the Monday morning armored quarterbacking, American AFVs were war-winners, driven to victory by some the finest fighting men our nation has ever produced.

MidwayUSA Foundation Awards Over $14 Million In Cash Grants In 2025

In honor of National Shooting Sports Month—held annually in August—along with the growing popularity of the sport with new participants, MidwayUSA Foundation announced it has distributed more than $14.2 million in cash grants to support youth shooting sports in 2025.

Making The KelTec PR57 In Wyoming

To make its PR57 handgun, KelTec invested in an entirely new manufacturing facility located in Rock Springs, Wyo. "American Rifleman Television" headed out for an inside look at the company's efficient production process.

Taurus 66 Combat: A New "Fighting Revolver"

First introduced in the 1970s, the Taurus 66 Combat is a medium-frame revolver that has seen several evolutions in its lifetime, and the latest update creates what the company considers "the final word in fighting revolvers."

Review: Taurus GX2

From cars to cellphones, as a product gets more sophisticated, it usually also gets more expensive. And, as modern handguns get more modular and optic-ready, their prices tend to go up.

Rifleman Q&A: A Garand Puzzlement

"We are a father-and-son NRA member tandem in search of an answer regarding the branding of an M1 Garand rifle. We own an M1 rifle that has markings indicating it was a “lend lease to England,” and it also has a .308 barrel/sleeve."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.