Some old Photos for your enjoyment

Jeff H

NW Ohio
We had some cheap, cast pot-metal guns, where the left side of the faux cylinder pivoted 90 degrees CCW to expose a pin you mounted a roll of caps on. You then threaded the paper tape up through the back and under the hammer and the gun shot DA and ratcheted a new cap up every time you cocked the thing.

Only problem was the expended tape of caps would project up and obscure your view of the front sight. Not that I used them, but it was a bit unconvincing to have an appendage growing out of the top of the gun, so we always ripped them off discretely in the middle of a gunfight, like it never happened. Nobody sees.

My favorite though, didn't go "bang." It was a plastic squirt-gun, modeled after a High Standard Victor with a fluted barrel. It had the take-down projection in front of the trigger guard and the odd little "nicks" near the muzzle at 9:00 and 3:00 o'clock as well. It was a visually accurate representation and I loved the "feel" of that gun. I swore I'd have a real one someday, but never did.

I didn't put water in it, but I carried it on many covert missions in the back pasture and it got me out of a bunch of scrapes, usually with multiple adversaries. Once, I disabled a Soviet tank with it as the muzzle of its gun drew down on me. I waited 'til the last minute and put a (imaginary) round right up the spout of that T62's barrel and set off the HE round in the chamber, blowing the turret off and annihilating the the evil crew. MIGs were a bit tougher to hit, but once I learned how to put a magazine's-worth of lead up in the air about a quarter mile ahead of one, they started dropping like flies. Once, I hit one of the MIG's rockets and the MIG behind it caught the flak, so I counted that one as a "twofer." That was just ONE mission, when we moved to a new place in '70 and I had to secure the AO, roust the dirty b-words who were dug in and ready to do us in. There's a lot more to that story, but officially, I wasn't s'posed to have been there, so I've probably already said too much.

Once I broke that plastic pistol, I time-traveled to the medieval Baltics and fabricated broadswords from wood lath. I actually have scars to prove involvement THAT era. The "Indian Wars" preceded all this, but I was a casualty of that period - hatchet (rawhide mallet) to the left temple put me out cold and the powers on high (iron-fisted matriarchs) quashed the whole affair - permanently. Except they didn't know what they didn't need to know when we figured out how to make effective bows and arrows, and they have all eventually passed with never having known about those injuries, due to an unbreakable vow of silence between brothers.

I guess I never bought a real one, because I was afraid I'd be disappointed in its performance after the way that plastic one performed.
 
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462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
We had some cheap, cast pot-metal guns, where the left side of the faux cylinder pivoted 90 degrees CCW to expose a pin you mounted a roll of caps on. You then threaded the paper tape up through the back and under the hammer and the gun shot DA and ratcheted a new cap up every time you cocked the thing.

Only problem was the expended tape of caps would project up and obscure your view of the front sight. Not that I used them, but it was a bit unconvincing to have an appendage growing out of the top of the gun, so we always ripped them off discretely in the middle of a gunfight, like it never happened. Nobody sees.
Family money was always very tight, so my cap pistol operated the same way.
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Anybody remember the cheap Jap double barrel stamped metal cap pistol that used a different sized roll?

No, but that reminds me of the cheap double-barrel, pop-gun shotguns my brother and I got for Christmas one year. They cocked by breaking them open like a real shotgun and had corks on strings.

Those lasted just about a day after he and I got the great idea to cut the strings off...

... and then, the iron-fisted matriarchs quashed that whole affair too.:(
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Use to have one of those old lever cocking rifle that was sort of an air rifle but wasn't. Had a crosspiece just below the muzzle. We use to fashion corks to fit, incorporating that crosspiece. IIRC, that same rifle use to make a zinging sound when fired.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
You look at the JFK pic and in between the two black men, who incidentally don't look like they're buying his schtick, there is what appears to be a mob boss, complete with enormous stogie.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
No, but that reminds me of the cheap double-barrel, pop-gun shotguns my brother and I got for Christmas one year. They cocked by breaking them open like a real shotgun and had corks on strings.

Those lasted just about a day after he and I got the great idea to cut the strings off...

... and then, the iron-fisted matriarchs quashed that whole affair too.:(
Yeah, iron fisted matriarchs could be a real drag man. I mean, why buy me a nifty bow with those rubber suction cup tips if you're gonna get mad when I shoot my sister right in the middle of the forehead at like 15 yards?!!!! I mean, shouldn't they have applauded my archery skills?! That was a great shot for a 10 year old at that distance. Plus, she had this perfect circle hickey in the middle of her forehead for most of a week! You don't get entertainment like that for $1.29 very darn often!!!
 

462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
You look at the JFK pic and in between the two black men, who incidentally don't look like they're buying his schtick, there is what appears to be a mob boss, complete with enormous stogie.
A young Jimmy Hoffa.

At least we know where Kennedy's buried.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
In the late 1950's My brother Bernie and his wife got me for Christmas A Mattel Twin Fanning Revolvers with the Derringer belt Buckle! I was in heaven!
Greenie stickum caps on the cases and littile plastic projectiles that fit into the spring loaded cases! What a dream for a young boy!
 

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
The Mattel that I had used caps in the case with a 'bullet' that didn't 'shoot', just caused the cap to fire. Little round cap went in the case and a bump in the case caused it to fire. Reloading was slow! IIRC it was the Lone Ranger or Hop-Along series. When both were popular TV series, mid 50s. Bullet was hollow so barrel smoked.
Those were not Mattel guns. Those were made by Nichols. And you are right, the bullet was a slip fit into the brass case and you put a cap inside. There was a hole up the center of the bullet to allow the hot gasses to escape. Another PITA way of making a gun go bang invented by adults who were too old to have ever experienced playing with cap guns. They should have had a 12-year-old on their engineering/design review board.
 

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
A buddy of mine in high school had a '59 Ford (well, his parents did) which still had the original owner's manual and we were amazed that a record player for 45s was an option. His didn't have it. Talk about distrated driving and back when nobody wore seat belts.
Ali with records.png
 

glassparman

"OK, OK, I'm going as fast as I don't want to go!"
I had one of those under dash 45 players. It was made by Philips.

I also had several models of Muntz 4-Track players and hundreds of tapes. Had one mounted in my 64 Olds Starfire.

Yes I know, I was born tooooo late! I love all the old stuff from the simple days