I stumbled on this fine article SOTI, and I had to share it with everyone because not only is it a good analysis and background story on the wonderful old Nylon 66, but it evokes from me a feeling of deep regret, because I was once offered one for about $20, and I turned it down because to me the little gun looked kinda cheap and nasty.
It was a Black Apache like this one:
No, don’t bother to offer to kick my ass, because said ass already has an excellent set of bruises thereon, self-inflicted.
In my defense, I didn’t know as much about guns back then as I do now, and in fact I’d never even heard of the thing because of my deprived South African childhood.
Anyway, here’s a different model, the brown one:
…and one that was recently on sale at Collector’s (it’s long gone, don’t bother), and for around $650 (!!!!):
Now go and read the article, because it’s full of interesting stuff.
By the way, I rejected the Nylon 66 because it looked flimsy and cheap, whereas it’s anything but.
Don’t trust me with any investment advice; I suck.
My dad had a brown one he purchased in the early 60’s and it’s the first gun I ever shot, at about age 6. Dad died in 1980 and my sister has owned that gun ever since and never shoots it. Hardly a year goes by that I don’t offer to buy it from her but she refuses.
I inherited 2 guns from him. A Winchester model 12, 12ga, that dad inherited from his dad and it’s dated 1917. And a Winchester model 71, .348 cal, that was my dad’s Pennsylvania deer gun. I don’t shoot the 71 much because the ammo costs about $9 per and is very hard to find. I have about 200 rds on hand and about 100 emptys.
My first ever firearm. Bought in 1968. Copper didn’t want to give me a licence, until Dad said he’d teach me to use it.
“What makes you think you can do that?” the cop sneered.
Dad drew himself up to his full 5’9″ (:-)) and said, “RAN, CPO QMG” (Royal Australian Navy, Chief Petty Officer, Quartermaster Gunner).
I got my licence but the police had the last laugh when it was confiscated and crushed after the Port Arthur shooting. Loved that little thing.
You’re not the only one. I had the opportunity to buy a (standard) Nylon 66 at what I later learned was a screaming good deal several years ago (it was on the used rack at a gun shop), but I passed on it because I’d heard on some internet forum that they were fragile and unreliable.
It wasn’t until Ian McCollum did a video of the Nylon 66 last year, and I did some independent research, that I learned that the rifle was the furthest thing from fragile or unreliable. I’ve been kicking myself ever since.
Years back (here we go again!) a friend had a brown tube fed model that we used to shoot into a steel backstop in his basement. This was in New Jersey but his house was well built and to the best of my knowledge no recognizable noise disturbed the neighbors. After I moved to Oklahoma in 1980 I bought a magazine fed version and it was one of the worst firearms I’ve ever owned. It failed to feed or eject on about every other round and I traded it off on a pre 68 Marlin Model 60 (no serial number) which my son still owns. Too bad because the Remington really looked cool.
I think I saw maybe 50 of them at various pawn shops back in the late 80’s early 90’s. IIRC going price was sub $100.
Ask me what an idiot I was. I also walked away from a Belgian Auto 5 for about $150, and a Swedish Mauser for about $225.
Again ask me what an idiot I was. I could have come up with the $$$. I just a) didn’t know what I was looking at, b) thought they were low rent guns beneath me.
Did I mention I was an idiot?