Ward Hercules

As a kid I owned one of those singles.  We called them "Mickey Wards".  they were heavy but very well made.  I had the sort of "standard model" with a 30" full chamber.  Never saw a modified one, but it sure would have made it easier for me to learn on flying game.  Anything My shot pattern happened to hit was ground meat.  The neighborhood guys also like to hunt with high brass #4 (and I followed their lead) that too also probably added to the carnage and my often sore shoulder.  Traded it on a Kessler bolt action 3 shot 12 ga.

I'm sure yours has some good memories.

Actually it makes an excellent turkey gun, you will only need/get one shot.

Sounds kinda like JC Higgins guns made fro Sears And Roebuck. I have a 30-06 built on a FN Mauser action with a High Standard barrel. Not the most glamorus gun, but it is very well built and since it was my dads it has a lot of sentimental value.

I would sugest taking it hunting once in a while and then passing it on to a family member. Just make sure to pass a few memories with it.

Wing master

those early "big Box" stores  (actually catalog stores) had some nice stuff; including low end items.  Sears had some nice antonia Zoli over and unders.  I had a beautiful one, that I recently gave to my brother for turkey hunting.

To bad the '68 gun law and public opinion pushed them out of the gun business.

Irish Bird Dog wrote:

Thats interesting, I didn't know that. It is a great gun. The fact that it has "Sears and Roebuck" stamped on the barrel keeps the price down so us normal people can afford to have a couple of them.

Wing master

Off the top of my head (the part with little or no hair, IIRC) '68 made guns have serial numbers, and outlawed mail order sales, made the 21 yr old restriction on handguns, 18 for rifle/shotguns/ammo, required FFL dealers, and as a good will gesture to the Winchester/S&W people ban import of military surplus guns (and SN specials).  The big impact on Wards/Sears/penneys was the mail orders and the military rifle sales.  Winchester was part of Olin Mathesion at that time and Remington was part of Dupont, big defense contractors with VN heating up.  the retail power of these giants was being hurt by SMLE, Mauser, etc.

For the most part it struck at foreign and low cost guns (strongly supported by US gunmakers) and made law what  a lot of what states already had into FEDERAL Laws.

Inside congress it was intended to be a control on Blacks and other minorities, and Federal power take over.

Should have added Western Auto stores as another supplier of H.Standard and H&R guns under their own labels.

IBD, now that you mention it it was "Monkey Wards" we called it.  My short term memory and my long term memory are shot.  Also what ever the name was of the memory in between.

Now that we have lived with it for 45 years, those restrictions seem 'normal'.