Uncle Claude and Aunt Ruby Lansing lived at the top of the hill where Foothills road turns south along the base of the Swan Range. They had a truck farm and provided fresh food for Flathead Valley. In the winter Uncle Claude would trap for both food and furs. In 1952 Uncle Claude purchased a Savage Model 24 which was almost the same as the Stevens 22-410. After Uncle Claude died in 1970 Aunt Ruby gave me the rifle shortly thereafter. I was only a teenager but the gun was very special to me.
I used the 22 for gophers and found it was accurate to 20 yards so there were no long shots made. I used the breakdown design to be able to pack it in my backpack when I went camping. Such a nice rifle!!
When I moved to Missouri to work with CenturyTel all the firearms were stored at the ranch on Noisy Creek. After the sale of the noisy creek ranch they were then moved to mom’s new house in Kalispell. The firearms that belonged to Hal were not separated till Mom died in 2017. I (Hal) then took my rifles to the Pioneer Road home. When I left Montana in 2021 and headed to Iowa I asked Ryan to store the rifle for me.
In 2025 I asked Ryan to bring the rifle to Iowa. When Ryan presented the rifle to me it was cleaned up and was in good shape for a 73 year old firearm and in better shape than when I asked Ryan to store it for me. Ryan explained to me that Tre , my oldest grandson, took a liking to the rifle and cleaned it up. It may be time to present the firearm to a grandson that truly admired this rifle the way I did.
In 2025 I am adding the Savage Model 24 to a family legacy so Tre has inherited the rifle from me. My hope is that this family heirloom provide as much joy to him as it provided to me and that it remains in the family.
