Sears Gun Catalog, 1966

My family was loyal to Monkey Wards (Western Field) instead of Sears (J.C. Higgins -- later Ted Williams).

Just for grins, here's a page from the Wards 1966 catalog showing some sporterized surplus offerings, along with new production rifles :



BTW, my rifle is the full-stocked Heym Mauser:

Rio Frio mike said:

Have info to share with a member

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I inherited a Sears “Ranger” 20 ga bolt action shotgun from my grandfather. He bought almost everything from Sears, including guns, tools, and clothing.

303 hunter said:

I inherited a Sears “Ranger” 20 ga bolt action shotgun from my grandfather. He bought almost everything from Sears, including guns, tools, and clothing.

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My parents purchased almost everything from Sears. Engine oil, laundry detergent, clothing, appliances, etc.

I was with Dad in 1966 or 67 when he purchased his only firearm: a Sears version of the Winchester 1200 pump shotgun, complete with a twist-choke on the end of the barrel. He also got 2 boxes of paper shells.

Today I have that shotgun, along with 1/2 box of the original paper shells.

When I was a kid (born 1946), my favorite "books" were mail order catalogs that sold guns. I rarely looked at anything else they sold........only guns caught my eye. They were the target of all my dreams and fantasies. Now, at age 74, the internet has replaced the Sears catalogue, but my dreams are the same.

My dad was a store manager for Montgomery Wards for many years. So, we had Montgomery Wards cloths, tires, outboard motors, lawnmowers and all of that. Wards often had a good selection of sporting goods. I think that Sears had a little more diversity of products and in some cases perhaps a little better but Wards had decent stuff too. I liked Wester Auto also.

Dang.. Dave DeLaurant... Where's my flux capacitor when I need it?

Grayrock said:

Dang.. Dave DeLaurant... Where's my flux capacitor when I need it?

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It's called eBay.

Just remember how little cash everyone had back in 1966. I watched Your's Mine and Our's (1968) recently, where a $126 grocery bill completely filled a station wagon for a blended family of twenty.



For myself, back then I had a whopping 25 cents per week plus car wash money. I was six and had just received one of the first generation G.I. Joes for Christmas.

American Rifleman mag had some great surplus ads. I remember "Box Cannons" were $129 or you could get a case of ten of them for less per gun. My broomhandle cost me a lot more. When I get my time machine perfected......................

Dave DeLaurant said:

It's called eBay.

Just remember how little cash everyone had back in 1966. I watched Your's Mine and Our's (1968) recently, where a $126 grocery bill completely filled a station wagon for a blended family of twenty.



For myself, back then I had a whopping 25 cents per week plus car wash money.

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Yup.

$126 1968 dollars is $942 today, about what our monthly grocery & household products bill is for a family of 6. That $88 M1 carbine would be $707 in 2021 dollars.

Home and car prices are disproportionately inflated, but most everything else is on par with inflation or actually cheaper today, especially technology. A Zenith color television cost $469.95 in 1967, $3,662 in 2021 dollars. Today, you can get a 32" flat screen LED for a hundred bucks, or what would have been $13 in '67.

I love 'house brand" guns. I have a lot of Ward Westernfield .22s. Mostly vintage Mossbergs, Stevens and, Marlins.

Dave DeLaurant said:

It's called eBay.

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Yeah... I won't find an M-1 Carbine on eBay for $88

Grayrock said:

Yeah... I won't find an M-1 Carbine on eBay for $88

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You know kinda sorta you can, 88 bucks worth about 700 today..

Hey there are more then a few Universal M1 Carbines that just sold on gunbroker in that range

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/886117010

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/882016514

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/883095073

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/882468562

And after all the one Sears was selling there is a Universal..

Scooter22 said:

I love 'house brand" guns. I have a lot of Ward Westernfield .22s. Mostly vintage Mossbergs, Stevens and, Marlins.

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The Western Field model 30 take down pump shotguns (Browning design) are among the most underappreciated & under valued out there, IMO. I have a 12 ga and a 20 ga, fantastic field guns. I think I gave $120 for one and right around that for the other. I also built my shop demo integrally suppressed .22 on a Western Field model 45, which is a Savage/Stevens gun. I believe I paid $90 for it.

I agree. You used to hear that House Brand guns were 2nds or not as good. They came off the same line. it was the blue wasn't polished as much and had hard wood stocks instead of nice walnut. But if you look at them now they are way nicer than plastic stocks and dull blue.

Not sure what vintage my Sears long guns are, but I currently have a .22 cal pump pellet rifle and a 20 ga bolt action shotgun with a Savage adjustable choke on it. I also have a J.C. Higgins 4X scope on my Marlin 99M .22 rifle. I used to have a Ted Williams 12 ga pump that was a Winchester 1200, I believe. It got stolen

Grayrock said:

I used to have a Ted Williams 12 ga pump that was a Winchester 1200, I believe. It got stolen

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That stinks so bad, crap like that bums me out.. Sorry about that.

My first shotgun was for my 15th birthday. As I recall a Ted Williams Model 20 with adjustable choke.
I believe a Hi Standard. I learned to shoot pheasants and ducks in western Washington with it before moving to SoCal! I sold it a few years later to buy car insurance! Nearly 40 years later as a Deputy I was on a call and recognized the guy I sold the gun too. He still had it in a gun cabinet in the living room!

Many years later it was replaced by Winchester 101's in 12 and 20 gauge!

Smiles,

indy1919a4 said:

And after all the one Sears was selling there is a Universal..

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If Sears was selling Universals, I wonder if the photo from the '66 Wards catalog shows a Plainfield Carbine. I'm assuming even back then the Universal had that windowed cam slot in the op rod:



I bought a new Universal M1 Carbine in 1983-4 from Gemco -- seems like the retail price then was a bit over $100.

Sears, Montgomery Wards, Western Auto, Gibsons. All sold guns and ammunition. Even lots of Mom & Pop stores, like most hardware stores, would have some for sale.

The good old days. Too bad I didn't have any money then.

Dave DeLaurant said:

If Sears was selling Universals, I wonder if the photo from the '66 Wards catalog shows a Plainfield Carbine. I'm assuming even back then the Universal had that windowed cam slot in the op rod:

View attachment 967490

I bought a new Universal M1 Carbine in 1983-4 from Gemco -- seems like the retail price then was a bit over $100.

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I think Universal made both, The windowed cam came out in the later 60s??.. But I do not follow modern guns as well as I should. But you do make a good point that those catalog sales m1s could have been Plainfield also.. I feel bad that I have slighted them.

As a kid I always thought that those M1s in the catalogs were surplus arms, just unused "new" surplus.. Hell my mom was not going to get me one anyways so I did not have to become an informed consumer.

Recall poring over a Sears catalog in the 1960s, seeing a listing for an unaltered M1903-"accurate out to 2700 yards."
I have a Marlin Model 56 badged as a J. C. Higgins Model 46 DL. Shoots fine, the store brands weren't seconds, the retailer contracted with the manufacturer, the consumer could save a few $$. And when you ding up that hardwood stock it doesn't hurt as much.

Dave DeLaurant said:

Just remember how little cash everyone had back in 1966. I watched Your's Mine and Our's (1968) recently, where a $126 grocery bill completely filled a station wagon for a blended family of twenty.

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Even earlier, my Dad, watching Bonnie and Clyde movie, saw them buy groceries, getting a partial 1/6 size bag for $6. He commented "I was working in a grocery store that year and you could not pick up $6 worth of groceries."

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

Recall poring over a Sears catalog in the 1960s, seeing a listing for an unaltered M1903-"accurate out to 2700 yards."
I have a Marlin Model 56 badged as a J. C. Higgins Model 46 DL. Shoots fine, the store brands weren't seconds, the retailer contracted with the manufacturer, the consumer could save a few $$. And when you ding up that hardwood stock it doesn't hurt as much.

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This may have been your catalog page, What I like is how this shows the vagaries of fashion.. Note how you had to pay extra to get your 1903 sporterized..