A Lifetime Shaped by Early Shooting Memories
I recall trying to play with these two particular toy guns that had actual plastic bullets that were spring loaded and could actually shoot through the toy gun barrels. Not very far, mind you as the springs were built into the cartridge casing itself and replicated the look of a real bullet! But, some amazing toy technology from the 1960’s.
You’ll Lose an Eye!
Try making and selling something like that in today’s litigious age! I can hear the parents now! You’ll lose an eye! Geez! Anyways, the springs were still too strong for my little weak kid’s fingers to push the plastic4bullet into the casing. So, I never ended up using these toys much. I don’t recall my parents helping me load them either. But, this is where my love of the 1911 came from! This toy.
Heavy Firepower for a Small Kid
The final toy gun I remember vividly was a canon! Literally! This thing was about 3-4 feet long and shot plastic canon balls. You put them in, pressed them down with the plunger thingy to compress the spring and then pulled the string at the back of the canon to fire it. This toy I did manage to use! I recall shooting it all the way down the hall in the house! LOL
Yes, We Shot Guns at School
Ok, so that was my preschool years. In either kindergarten and/or the first grade, we actually shot real rifles in the school auditorium right into the bullet traps that were located underneath the school auditorium stage! I recall they were .22 short. No hearing protection, no eye protection, nada! Just lying down on the floor and shooting towards the stage! The entire class!
The bullet traps were inside those doors. Opened when shooting of course.
Try doing that in primary school nowadays! That’s a laugh! Granted, I spent my early years growing up in the USA; up to grade 2. So, the situation in Canada might have been different here. But, rumor has it that my old high school, Central Technical School in Toronto, has 5 underground levels that included a rifle range in the 1940’s. Never saw it myself though, unfortunately.
Speaking of high school, it was around this time that I moved into more realistic guns; a CO2 pellet gun. I had this revolver that I loved and hated at the same time; loved because it was fun to shoot and hated because it was not the real “Dirty Harry” .44Mag! LOL Ok, so American movies and TV shows did a lot of influence, too!
The CO2 was in the grip and the forward part of the cylinder rotated with each shot. I believe it was only 6 shots. I could be wrong on that, though. Memories!