Was my first rifle as a kid in the 60's. Had belonged to my father and didn't get shot a lot in the 30's when he was a kid. I put thousands of rounds thru it before I moved on to my next rifle. Dead on accurate at 50 yds.
My father has a very warm spot in his heart for this gun his brother has one that has been in our family since it was purchased way back when. back in the 50's when he grew up they raised a ton of hogs for food coming from a family of 12 all from the same parents they needed to raise hogs and they used there crackshot 22 to put them down
The crackshot was sometimes considered to be a :"boys rifle" But actually it was a popular rifle with a lot of people. Trappers especially liked them because they were lightweight. They often shortened or skelitonized the butt-stock To make them even lighter. One of the advantages of the design was that the dropping block allowed for cleaning from the breach to the muzzle. In the days of corrosive mercury priming and black powder s gun that was easy to clean at the end of a long day on the trap-line was important. Thanks for the video John Davis Jax Fl
We always shot .22 Shorts in the Crackshot 26 I grew up with. I starting shooting at 5 or 6 yrs old after older siblings graduated to pumps and bolt actions. I used it for squirrel hunting when my father would take whole family out hunting. It belonged originally to an uncle who somehow broke the stock so he gave it to my father who repaired the break. Still locks up nicely and shoots great.
PS I'd say that many a youngster growing up during the great depression helped out with a squirrel or rabbit for the family table with that little rifle. I'd say it would have been mighty helpful too.
@@BoogalooBoy know what to do with them after you shoot them? That's important too. If you're an ethical hunter you dont just kill something to waste it. Good luck on the hunting and be careful.
@@maximilianavdeev7363 not nowadays. My folks were born in the 19 teens, grew up in the 1920s, married in 1937. Things were a lot different then. You don't see too many people stripping off their ties and fighting for a shovel so they could have a job and something to eat either
@@maximilianavdeev7363 thing is Max, if something is a pest and is destroying your garden or doing damage to your apple crop, I think you'd be justified in defending it. Our problem is wild hogs. They'll raise 3 litters of sometimes 12 or more pigs a year. They destroy pasture and food crops. They'll destroy ground birds nesting and even catch new born fawns. They can spread disease to native wildlife and livestock. I'd kill every one. I could see, especially the sows whether I was going to eat it or not.
I grew up with this rifle and still have it. The most accurate rifle I have ever shot. Mine is the "Delux" model. My dad made a new forearm for it that extends to about three inches from the end of the barrel. She is my sweetheart.
Thanks for the video! I have the one your grandfather found, except mine was passed on to me by my grandfather. It's in pretty good shape, with the exception of the extractor. I repaired and refinished the stock,; brazed the leaver; then re-blued (brown) the gun (in the mid 1960's). I need a gunsmith to check it out before I shoot it to much, because when I shoot it, I have to use an screwdriver of pliers to remove the spent cartridge. I need to check to see if spent cartridges have bulges. I suspect the do, because they aren't necessarily easy to remove. Good pointer. Thanks again.
You pointed out some really valid stuff. I think people get complacent and think that "oh, it's just a .22" and sometimes throw safety out the window. I think it was helpful that you posted all this.
My grandfather had one chambered in 32 cal.. Rifle was made around 1910 era. Yeh...that Crack shot 26 is a boys rifle. We played cowboys and indians with it when we were kids in the 1960s as we shot at each other with it. When we got shot it didn't hurt.
I have a Mod 26 I got for my 4th birthday 43-44 years ago that feel safe to bet it's had in the hundreds of thousands of rounds just from me and my friends and family. I lived in the middle of nowhere and I shot if a lot pretty much daily for a decade or more and pretty regularly for 2 decades and occasionally since. It's my all time favorite rifle I've even owned!
Love that little 22. I have one in a takedown version. It would have made a great little trappers gun for a young trapper who earned himself some extra money that way. I would say many a doughboy and many a world war 2 vet first learned to shoot with those same little rifles. They've got a great history behind them. I fell in love with them when I was a kid but never owned one until I was in my 50s. I remember seeing an advertisement for a special edition of the little rifle in one of the old catalogs we used to get back in the early to mid sixtys. Boy did I want one! Cant remember if the catalog was a Sears roebuck or a Montgomery Ward. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
I (Or rather my dad) related to everything you said. He shot a neighbor's older model and then bought his new at 12 years old to put meat on the family table. No wasting of bullets, because they had to count. But his trapping was near water, so he always drowned what he trapped. .......... Then at 25, he briefly had a M1 Garand in his hands in the Philippines for four years. It was easy for him to become a marksman with his M1 Garand, because of all his childhood duties with his little Crack Shot. .......... Because of his prier firearm use, his commander also like how well he could lead the enemy airplane targets in the sights of the cannons he was assigned to. .......... I recently looked up on line both of those catalog companies of the mid 1920's to see what dad's wish book used to look like. He bought his from one of them, I think it was Sears that he ordered from. ..........
I just had a Stevens Favorite 1916 given to me. The bore is bright as a new gun. Wipe yours down with some Ballistol. It will clean up nicely. That isn't rust, it is case hardened.
I have one my uncle gave me as a kid was always missing the firing pin until just a year ago i found one online after a barrel recrown accuracy is superb..love it after waiting over 30 years to shoot it
Mine behaves the same way with an occasional ftf. I gotta say, that barrel is solid though. My 7 year old son loves this one, and it has become "his gun". Being from MA, I bought it because it was made right here in chicopee falls. Mine is stamped 1916 I believe, by Stevens Arms and tool co. Great little gun!
Thank you so much my friend. Just purchased one and is such an interesting rifle. Seems in good shape but more inspection to do. May shoot from the hip first:)
Had one of these when I was a young boy. It was probably the most accurate rifle I ever owned and I shot many a rabbit with it. Shot it so much that I wore it out and sold it to a collector that needed a parts gun. I doubt that the new ones are made as well as mine was.
You know, just a little fact for ya, alot of trappers had guns like this and they swore by them. Guns like this fed many a homesteader back in the day. Many still have and carry a single shot 22, or "spit gun" as they call it up north.
Nice collection! I'm thinking about getting a single shot or a bolt gun to shoot the ammo my Marlin 60 does not like. With 22LR still hard to find in my area, I pick up any box of ammo with a fair price.
Honestly you will get the most bang for your buck getting a nice bolt action. I've got a Marlin 81 and a 77/22 that are both great guns. If you are buying new look at the Savage Mk2 or the Ruger American Rimfire.
Gun&ShotTV I was excited when I saw savage was making them again. a brick of ammo could be a long afternoon of fun but your right, that's pretty steep for a plinker.
I bought one of the new Savage versions of this for my son for his first rifle. They are really accurate, I was shocked at the groups I was getting when I shot it. The gun, even though it cost about $300 is really well built and is a lot nicer than some of the beginner .22 rifles and other single shots out there. Savage doesn't make them anymore either, I got the one for my son in 2009 and I think they stopped making it around 2012-2013 but you can find them on Gunbroker, they're sold as the Savage Model 30G.
Just picked one up at a gunshow for 200, pretty excited to shoot it. The older ones definitely have a better fit and finish. Mine has a couple small crack near the tang.
Everyone makes the mistake of thinking these are simply a "kid's gun", in fact, they were also used a lot by adults because back in those days, rifles, any rifle, even .22's were a fairly big expense. When someone is making $40 a month, even a rifle that costs $10 and these single shots were a lot cheaper than a pump rifle and what few semi autos were even being made back then. Sure a kid COULD use them and often did, but they were just small enough so that they could be used by a kid but also by an adult as well.
It wasn't. I looked up this rifle in both the 1925 Sears Roebuck and the 1920 Montgomery Ward Catalogs and they said it shot "The new smokeless .22 Long Rifle, .22 Long and the .22 Short."
22 short' long and long rifle were all originally loaded with black powder back in the 1880s and 90s. Not sure when black was phased out and smokeless took over. Gun steel was strong enough for smokeless by the 90s. Have to do some reading up on it. Ken Waters book Pet Loads had some good historical research on the subject.
I collect whatever strikes my fancy and whatever I find that's cheap. So there will naturally be weird old .22s. That said I have only scratched the surface of the guns I own and am always looking for neat stuff.
To begin with, these were well made inexpensive precision little rifles for an 18 inch barrel. My dad could hit anything he wanted with the one he purchased new at 12 years old in 1928. There must be some issues with your particular rifle. .......... My dad's and now it's mine has had nothing but .22 Long Rifles shot through it for the last 30 years with no issues at all. I looked at the original Montgomery Wards catalog and it said it was designed to shoot smokeless .22 Long Rifle, .22 Long and .22 Short. Dad's rifle was purchased as a working tool to put meat on the table for his family. He was out shooting game about everyday as a kid. It was either that, or splitting wood for the stove, so hunting was more fun. Plus, since they were poor, every shot had to count and the .22 shorts were the cheapest, but couldn't waste them. .......... Dad went from making his shots count with that #26 Crack Shot to making his shots count behind a M1 Garand in the Philippines. As a dumb kid, I've climbed up on his lap and asked; "Daddy, did you ever shoot anyone in the war?" of course he changed the subject. When I grew up, I heard of an old story about dad being mad one day. He abruptly yelled out; "I could shoot you like a Jap and think nothing of it!" I guess that answered that dumb question I had for him as a kid. ..........
They are out there. the biggest problem is most have seen heavy wear and are a bit loose for everyday shooting. Better to pay a bit extra and get one of the new reproduction ones that will be safe for modern ammo.
That depends. Some subsonics use heavier bullets which move slower. They could have the same chamber pressure as HV rounds. SV, Longs, Shorts or CBs should be lower pressure. Subsonics may or may not be.
New definition of disposable: “Still works flawlessly after 100 years.”
Was my first rifle as a kid in the 60's. Had belonged to my father and didn't get shot a lot in the 30's when he was a kid. I put thousands of rounds thru it before I moved on to my next rifle. Dead on accurate at 50 yds.
My father has a very warm spot in his heart for this gun his brother has one that has been in our family since it was purchased way back when.
back in the 50's when he grew up they raised a ton of hogs for food coming from a family of 12 all from the same parents they needed to raise hogs and they used there crackshot 22 to put them down
The crackshot was sometimes considered to be a :"boys rifle"
But actually it was a popular rifle with a lot of people.
Trappers especially liked them because they were lightweight. They often shortened or skelitonized the butt-stock To make them even lighter.
One of the advantages of the design was that the dropping block allowed for cleaning from the breach to the muzzle. In the days of corrosive mercury priming and black powder s gun that was easy to clean at the end of a long day on the trap-line was important.
Thanks for the video
John Davis Jax Fl
Disposable ?
Guess that's why a 100 years later there are still quite a few around !
They made tons of them
We always shot .22 Shorts in the Crackshot 26 I grew up with. I starting shooting at 5 or 6 yrs old after older siblings graduated to pumps and bolt actions. I used it for squirrel hunting when my father would take whole family out hunting. It belonged originally to an uncle who somehow broke the stock so he gave it to my father who repaired the break. Still locks up nicely and shoots great.
PS I'd say that many a youngster growing up during the great depression helped out with a squirrel or rabbit for the family table with that little rifle. I'd say it would have been mighty helpful too.
We got 10/22s, M&P 15-22s, and Marlin 60s these days to annihilate squirrels thank you.
@@BoogalooBoy know what to do with them after you shoot them? That's important too. If you're an ethical hunter you dont just kill something to waste it. Good luck on the hunting and be careful.
@@larryreese6146 where I live squirrels and jack rabbits are considered pests. I use them for their pelts. I don’t really see a need to eat them.
@@maximilianavdeev7363 not nowadays. My folks were born in the 19 teens, grew up in the 1920s, married in 1937. Things were a lot different then. You don't see too many people stripping off their ties and fighting for a shovel so they could have a job and something to eat either
@@maximilianavdeev7363 thing is Max, if something is a pest and is destroying your garden or doing damage to your apple crop, I think you'd be justified in defending it. Our problem is wild hogs. They'll raise 3 litters of sometimes 12 or more pigs a year. They destroy pasture and food crops. They'll destroy ground birds nesting and even catch new born fawns. They can spread disease to native wildlife and livestock. I'd kill every one. I could see, especially the sows whether I was going to eat it or not.
I have one but stamped "Model 1915" Still shoots true. Action is tight too. Was a Christmas gift for my Uncle in 1915-16, he was 7-8.
Any idea what it is worth? I have the same "1915". Tight and true.
George Orwell actually wrote about this being the first rifle he ever bought, in his essay “such, such were the days.”
I grew up with this rifle and still have it. The most accurate rifle I have ever shot. Mine is the "Delux" model. My dad made a new forearm for it that extends to about three inches from the end of the barrel. She is my sweetheart.
Thanks for the video! I have the one your grandfather found, except mine was passed on to me by my grandfather. It's in pretty good shape, with the exception of the extractor. I repaired and refinished the stock,; brazed the leaver; then re-blued (brown) the gun (in the mid 1960's). I need a gunsmith to check it out before I shoot it to much, because when I shoot it, I have to use an screwdriver of pliers to remove the spent cartridge. I need to check to see if spent cartridges have bulges. I suspect the do, because they aren't necessarily easy to remove. Good pointer. Thanks again.
You pointed out some really valid stuff. I think people get complacent and think that "oh, it's just a .22" and sometimes throw safety out the window. I think it was helpful that you posted all this.
Thanks for watching and commenting
Mines had .22 Long rifles in it for 30 years with no issues at all.
My grandfather had one chambered in 32 cal.. Rifle was made around 1910 era. Yeh...that Crack shot 26 is a boys rifle. We played cowboys and indians with it when we were kids in the 1960s as we shot at each other with it. When we got shot it didn't hurt.
I have one I ADORE This little rifle.
I have a Mod 26 I got for my 4th birthday 43-44 years ago that feel safe to bet it's had in the hundreds of thousands of rounds just from me and my friends and family. I lived in the middle of nowhere and I shot if a lot pretty much daily for a decade or more and pretty regularly for 2 decades and occasionally since. It's my all time favorite rifle I've even owned!
Love that little 22. I have one in a takedown version. It would have made a great little trappers gun for a young trapper who earned himself some extra money that way. I would say many a doughboy and many a world war 2 vet first learned to shoot with those same little rifles. They've got a great history behind them. I fell in love with them when I was a kid but never owned one until I was in my 50s. I remember seeing an advertisement for a special edition of the little rifle in one of the old catalogs we used to get back in the early to mid sixtys. Boy did I want one! Cant remember if the catalog was a Sears roebuck or a Montgomery Ward. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.
I (Or rather my dad) related to everything you said. He shot a neighbor's older model and then bought his new at 12 years old to put meat on the family table. No wasting of bullets, because they had to count. But his trapping was near water, so he always drowned what he trapped. .......... Then at 25, he briefly had a M1 Garand in his hands in the Philippines for four years. It was easy for him to become a marksman with his M1 Garand, because of all his childhood duties with his little Crack Shot. ..........
Because of his prier firearm use, his commander also like how well he could lead the enemy airplane targets in the sights of the cannons he was assigned to. ..........
I recently looked up on line both of those catalog companies of the mid 1920's to see what dad's wish book used to look like. He bought his from one of them, I think it was Sears that he ordered from. ..........
I just had a Stevens Favorite 1916 given to me. The bore is bright as a new gun. Wipe yours down with some Ballistol. It will clean up nicely. That isn't rust, it is case hardened.
I have one my uncle gave me as a kid was always missing the firing pin until just a year ago i found one online after a barrel recrown accuracy is superb..love it after waiting over 30 years to shoot it
Mine behaves the same way with an occasional ftf. I gotta say, that barrel is solid though. My 7 year old son loves this one, and it has become "his gun". Being from MA, I bought it because it was made right here in chicopee falls. Mine is stamped 1916 I believe, by Stevens Arms and tool co. Great little gun!
It was my first rifle. Accurate compared to all the rest.
To what?
Thank you so much my friend. Just purchased one and is such an interesting rifle. Seems in good shape but more inspection to do. May shoot from the hip first:)
6:05 careful I did that and cocked the lever and had it discharged in my hands. I had black dots like a tattoo in my wrist that stayed for a year
The one your dad found is a "Maynard Jr." Made from 1910-1918, it's a remake of the Maynard rifle used by the union in the Civil War
I just bought a Stevens Favorite model 1915 .22lr its a cool little rifle
Had one of these when I was a young boy. It was probably the most accurate rifle I ever owned and I shot many a rabbit with it. Shot it so much that I wore it out and sold it to a collector that needed a parts gun. I doubt that the new ones are made as well as mine was.
I actually have a crack shot 26.
I have a nice little crack shot 26.
New ones are real nice like the old ones,well built.
@@josephriggs5950 You get what you pay for
Not cheap or disposable! Just picked one up its a favorite and shoots quite well
You know, just a little fact for ya, alot of trappers had guns like this and they swore by them. Guns like this fed many a homesteader back in the day. Many still have and carry a single shot 22, or "spit gun" as they call it up north.
Nice collection! I'm thinking about getting a single shot or a bolt gun to shoot the ammo my Marlin 60 does not like. With 22LR still hard to find in my area, I pick up any box of ammo with a fair price.
Honestly you will get the most bang for your buck getting a nice bolt action. I've got a Marlin 81 and a 77/22 that are both great guns. If you are buying new look at the Savage Mk2 or the Ruger American Rimfire.
Gun&ShotTV Thanks for the suggestions! I may go with a new bolt gun with a factory threaded barrel so I can add a suppressor in the future.
I have one that was my Grandfather's when he was a boy. I shoot shorts in it to avoid the high velocity issue.
I have a crack shot 26. A very nice little gun and it in very good shape.
we found one of these in an attic. stevens crackshot .22 short, it's really fun to shoot. savage makes a newer version.
I've been tempted to buy a new one a few times I've seen them at shops but the $300+ price tag always keeps me from pulling the trigger.
Gun&ShotTV I was excited when I saw savage was making them again. a brick of ammo could be a long afternoon of fun but your right, that's pretty steep for a plinker.
I bought one of the new Savage versions of this for my son for his first rifle. They are really accurate, I was shocked at the groups I was getting when I shot it. The gun, even though it cost about $300 is really well built and is a lot nicer than some of the beginner .22 rifles and other single shots out there. Savage doesn't make them anymore either, I got the one for my son in 2009 and I think they stopped making it around 2012-2013 but you can find them on Gunbroker, they're sold as the Savage Model 30G.
@@GunAndShotTV you think I could shoot high velocity out of a crackshot 26 22lr?
Just picked one up at a gunshow for 200, pretty excited to shoot it. The older ones definitely have a better fit and finish. Mine has a couple small crack near the tang.
Y'all are lucky I had to start shooting with a single shot 20 gauge
Cool little .22lr rifles...
Thanks for watching
My favorite self defense gun
*this is a good medicine gun for dogs*
As long as the kid knows what they are doing it’s probably safe for them to carry a rifle in the woods and hunt small game.
they where also called a "plow rifle" small lite weight rifle that farmers could keep with them to dispatch critters as needed
The 10/22 would now be considered a plow rifle.
I shoot modern long rifle all day long out of mine no problem
Everyone makes the mistake of thinking these are simply a "kid's gun", in fact, they were also used a lot by adults because back in those days, rifles, any rifle, even .22's were a fairly big expense. When someone is making $40 a month, even a rifle that costs $10 and these single shots were a lot cheaper than a pump rifle and what few semi autos were even being made back then. Sure a kid COULD use them and often did, but they were just small enough so that they could be used by a kid but also by an adult as well.
I have an entire parts Daisy identical to that one the trigger group is missing
It was also used to slaughter hogs I have one
Thanks for the vid. At 3-29 to 3-32, What is the man's name that did the machining videos?
do not believe that 22 ammo of the 1920 vintage was black powder. Where did you get your info?
aneimn his backside I think
It wasn't. I looked up this rifle in both the 1925 Sears Roebuck and the 1920 Montgomery Ward Catalogs and they said it shot "The new smokeless .22 Long Rifle, .22 Long and the .22 Short."
22 short' long and long rifle were all originally loaded with black powder back in the 1880s and 90s.
Not sure when black was phased out and smokeless took over.
Gun steel was strong enough for smokeless by the 90s.
Have to do some reading up on it.
Ken Waters book Pet Loads had some good historical research on the subject.
Mine says 22 shot.. it fires but the lever won't take the shell out.. I'm I using wrong caliber ammo? Thx
I had the same issue I had to get a new extractor machined thankfully I knew someone that did it for 25 bucks
It ain't capable of ejectin' rounds by the design.
Can you post a link to the person who made a bushing to keep the action closed?
I have one dated April 22 1913
So your all about small caliber novelty guns? I'm just curious.. I do enjoy your videos.. I"m going to sub.
I collect whatever strikes my fancy and whatever I find that's cheap. So there will naturally be weird old .22s. That said I have only scratched the surface of the guns I own and am always looking for neat stuff.
hold your front sight on ur target. n fire a pattern. shot my Benjamin for yrs with no rear sight
Mine has a smooth bore. Aka garden gun.
i have a crackshot 26 but for some reason it says 32 on it not 22. is this correct? the date is 1913
Yes. It was made in .32 rimfire as well.
ALL single shot .22s are a “kids gun”. Adults use semiautos or bolt guns.
How's it shoot
What's the name of the guy who rebuilt his?
Have you shot .22 shorts, .22 quiets, or Super Colibri rounds through this? Seems like a good fit.
It is one thing to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a Moron than to open it and remove all doubt ..
To begin with, these were well made inexpensive precision little rifles for an 18 inch barrel. My dad could hit anything he wanted with the one he purchased new at 12 years old in 1928. There must be some issues with your particular rifle. ..........
My dad's and now it's mine has had nothing but .22 Long Rifles shot through it for the last 30 years with no issues at all. I looked at the original Montgomery Wards catalog and it said it was designed to shoot smokeless .22 Long Rifle, .22 Long and .22 Short. Dad's rifle was purchased as a working tool to put meat on the table for his family. He was out shooting game about everyday as a kid. It was either that, or splitting wood for the stove, so hunting was more fun. Plus, since they were poor, every shot had to count and the .22 shorts were the cheapest, but couldn't waste them. ..........
Dad went from making his shots count with that #26 Crack Shot to making his shots count behind a M1 Garand in the Philippines. As a dumb kid, I've climbed up on his lap and asked; "Daddy, did you ever shoot anyone in the war?" of course he changed the subject. When I grew up, I heard of an old story about dad being mad one day. He abruptly yelled out; "I could shoot you like a Jap and think nothing of it!" I guess that answered that dumb question I had for him as a kid. ..........
man what i would do to find a stevenson favorite for a decent price! go right along with my ithica single shot
They are out there. the biggest problem is most have seen heavy wear and are a bit loose for everyday shooting. Better to pay a bit extra and get one of the new reproduction ones that will be safe for modern ammo.
where can i get a new production one?
Price
Man i had a kentucky wonder 1912 and i lost it as a kid one of my friends stole it
I think it’s called a falling block.
These older 22 rifles are neat
I have one that some nut turned into a pistol
I have one...but it's not a .22...what could it be
Possibly a .32 rimfire. The Stevens Crackshot was made in both calibers.
I had the same model explode the case on me!
same. I had black dots peppered in my arm like a tattoo for a year
Little sharps rifle
Wouldn't it be better to use subsonic????
That depends. Some subsonics use heavier bullets which move slower. They could have the same chamber pressure as HV rounds. SV, Longs, Shorts or CBs should be lower pressure. Subsonics may or may not be.
Eh, the 10/22 is finer.
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