[Major Dave (retired)]

were a pair of 22's my mother and father bought when they were dating, about 1935ish.

Actually Daddy bought both of them when they were "courting". Seems going rabbit and/or squirrel hunting was one of the things they would do together on a "date".

His: Rem Model 24 semi-auto chambered for 22 Short, only. Breakdown barrel. Magazine port in the side of the buttstock. Capacity 10 rounds. Splinter forearm on the stock. A John Browning patent action. Now available as a (pricey) Browning semi-auto, with a much beefier stock, high gloss finish, and available in three or four levels of engraving on the action, IIRC.

Hers: the Winchester "gallery" gun, i.e.,Model 62, pump action, exposed hammer, chambered for short, long, and/or long rifle, interchangeably. Round barrel. Magazine is under the barrel. IIRC magazine holds 18 Shorts, or 12 Long Rifle shells. Never used Longs, so don't know mag capacity of those. The forearm of the stock is used to cycle the action, and is of the "corn cob" configuration.

Both of them had open iron sights, and still do.

I still own both of them, and shoot them at the range about twice a year. Haven't hunted with them in decades.

Started hunting with these, mostly the Rem M24, at about age 12, with my primary targets being Blue Jays. My daddy paid me a 5c bounty for every "jaybird", because they ate off his pecan trees. He had 52 budded papershell pecan trees on the 8 acre patch of land we lived on. He claimed a jaybird woud eat a "peck" (1/4 bushel) of pecans each year.

The price of a box of 22 Shorts was 41c, so 8 jaybirds just about paid for a box of 50 rounds (break even point). The other 42 rounds was where I could make my profit. I averaged 45 birds per 50 round box. - about $1.85 profit per box.

My first shotgun was a 20 gage pump by Western Field (Montgomery Ward). I was 14 years old, and got it for Christmas. There was a 40 acre city lake about 1/2 mile south of our land, so my best buddy (who got a 20 gage bolt action Mossberg for Christmas,and I commenced to harass the local flocks of mallards and pintails.

My buddy's Mossberg had an adjustable choke, so the next summer I earned enough money as a caddy at the nearby golf course to buy a Poly Choke, complete with a muzzle brake. I had to "one up" my buddy.

Doves were on my short list of shotgun targets, along with ducks. I'm still a pretty good dove shot, averaging one down in three shots.

I still own that first 20 gage, but now use a very pretty Rem Model 870 twenty gage Lightweight Magnum Wingmaster with the most beautiful figured wood stock I have ever seen outside of custom guns.

My first center fire rifle was a sporterized M93 Mauser chambered for 7X57. Bought it from my childhood buddy, for $40, when we werein our early 20's. He bought it from Sears, in original military configuration. Then he bought a left hand rollover Monte Carlo stock, partially glass bedded it, and tried to drill the barrel for a scope mount. So, it was a work in progress, but since I was left-handed too, I took the deal he offered -$40. I paid another @40 to a gunsmith to install a Timney trigger, bend the bolt handle down to clear a scope, replace the drilled barrel, full length glass bed it, and mount my Weaver V9 3-9x40 AO scope on it.

Shot a small bull elk with it using Norma 150 grain bullets. Also shot a prairie dog at 245 paces with 110 grain Norma ammo.

Couldn't shoot anything but (mild) factory loads in it, so traded it (with cash to boot) for a modern strong action bolt action in 7X57, in a leftie action.
Got only $150 in trade for it. Buyer said the Timney trigger and the Weaver scope were the most valuable components. But for me, memories - priceless!