J.C. Higgins / Sears Roebuck rifle MFG.??

JIM STARK

I have just come into possession of a really nice little .22 rifle...Would like to find out who manufactured it for Sears.... I have checked several X- references without being able to find any info...
J.C.Higgins
Model 31
Pat No. 2552499
Sears Roebuck and Co.
583.82
One seemingly unique feature of this rifle is that the 3/4" linen (cloth) sling is on a spring loaded reel completely enclosed in the buttstock.. When pulled out and fastened to a triangular stud on the barrel band, It is a sling.. When disconnected the reel reels it back into the buttstock...It is really neat...

I dont have photo capabilities at this time..
Thanks in advance,
JIM...........

LOKO383

Jim, believe it or not i just came back from town here from a trip to the local gunshop and there was a guy there trying to sell one of these exact guns, is the strap red? this one had a 4x15 original scope on it,i could have bought it for 125.00the stock is unique in having the little wooden sideplates on it i thought, would you mind saying what you gave for yours?, the action and and receiver look like a md.77 winchester w/the tube feed instead of the mag.thru the trigger guard,now i'm also interested in who manufactured it for sears,Loko

Bert H.

You fellows might find this link useful - http://www.e-gunparts.com/crossref.asp

Hawk Carse

Numrich only shows it as J.C. Higgins but I think it was made for them by High Standard. Finding one with the little sling on a reel in working condition is kind of neat, although I don't know of anybody paying huge prices for them.

JohnStimson

There were several versions of teh model 31 all manufactured by High Standard.

http://www.histandard.info/manuals/sears/rfrifles/index.html

JIM STARK

Thanks folks....What a wealth of good info...

Bert.... Thanks for the Gun Parts link, It shows the Sears model 31 as being mfg'd by Higgins?..I didn't think they mfg'd anything???

LOKO383......... That's neat, Did you buy it??? I paid $225 for mine, 98% condition.... Gorgeous tiger striped wood and the cute little retractable ..RED.. sling...

JOHN S..... Again you came thru... I still have all that info saved, but had no Idea to look for high Std. as the mfg... Just printed out a hard copy of the parts list..
Thanks to all.. You guys are great..
JIM...............

JohnStimson

Jim,

Higgins was just a trade name used by Sears. It was not a company and was not even an entity. The Numrich gun parts cross reference is pretty confusing about some of teh Sears and J c Higgind buns.

Sears on the other hand did own substantial percentages of several of their vendors like Whirlpool and High Standard and frequently had seats on the vendor's board od directors. However their real control was teh hugh percentage of sales that Sears represented.

There was a patent for a retractable sling well before the High Standard use on the Sears rifles. I don't recall teh date but I don't believe that it ewas originally related to Sears.

LOKO383

Jim, no sadly I didn't,he had a couple unusal guns with him,he had inherited them and needed to pay property taxes,one was the J.C.Higgins in 98% cond,also and one was a remington 552 speedmaster with a orginal 4x20 scope it was in 98% cond these two looked like they had never been fired,and the other was a remington 03 30-06 restocked and reblued w/scope and [unusal for me anyway] mnt that folded over to let you use iron sites, he wanted 500.00 for all or he priced them sep. also I wish i had the money to buy the 22lrs anyway[:(], I am going to try and find him as there was a mutual friend there also that knows him[:D] wish me luck [^],Loko