What gun started it for you?

[Damfino]

Not that I don't enjoy a long, heated, political debate or the finer points of a Ford vs Chevy type discussion, but it seems like a lot of people on this site are long-term and committed shooters regardless of the discipline we have chosen or that maybe chose us. Be it rifle, pistol, shotgun competition or just recreation. So just wondering how others got started?

I came from a family that did not own firearms, but for some reason I really, really wanted and needed one. Maybe too much exposure to the ample gunplay on The Rifleman, Bonanza, Have Gun - Will Travel, Combat! and others in the 1950s and 60s.Who knows? But, anyway around my 12th birthday I convinced my widowed grandmother and she reluctantly agreed. This was 1967 and she lived in downtown Birmingham, AL. So believe it or not we walked down to the S&H Green Stamp showroom (although not 100% certain, it might have been a Top Value or some other stamp place) and she redeemed enough books of stamps to get me a .22 rifle.

It was a Marlin Model 99 M1 Carbine. I would buy ammo from the nearby Sears & Roebuck store and then ride a bus with rifle in hand out to Ketona Lake near Tarrant City. It's hard to imagine anything like that happening now without numerous law enforcement agencies, SWAT Teams, and Child Protective Services getting involved.

 

[OMW57]

I ALSO WASNT RAISED AROUND FIREARMS, BUT DAD HAD A COULE OF TARGET 22 PISTOLS, JUST DIDNT GET TO SHOOT THEM UNTIL I WAS IN MY EARLY TEENS, MY GRAMPS HAD A 16 GA. BOLT ACTION SHOTGUN THAT I USED FOR 1 SUMMER LEARNING TO SHOOT TRAP!!! GUESS THEY FIGURED IF I COULD STAND THAT MUCH RECOIL & STILL HAVE A SMILE ON MY FACE, I MIGHT DESERVE A NEW 12 GA PUMP! STILL HAVE ALL THOSE OLD GUNS AROUND & ABSOLUTELY CHERISH ALL THE MEMORIES OF SHOOTING THEM ALL!!

 

[1K6BRA]

This is the one that started it all for me. I remember going to the Sears and Roebuck store here in Oil City Pennsylvania and drooling over this particular BB gun. I carried this gun over hill and dale and shot more tweetie birds, chipmunks, pop cans,beer bottles then you can imagine. Literally wore the thing out. Geewhiz what I would do to have it back. I’ve had all sorts of fancy guns since then but never one like this,you know kind of like that first kiss!

 

[K9TXS]

Savage 22/410 over & under. My dad got it for me when they first came out. Has no serial number or model on it. I can remember how hard it was to cock the hammer.

 

[Bill K]

I started shooting with my Dad around 1942 at 5 yrs. single shot .22 short he had, slowly moving into 30 wcf and then a 30-06, as I grew older. My own first gun was probably a Red Ryder BB carbine. Then my real first gun was a 32 special, Win 84, with octagon barrel, wish I had that one still. Now I have and have gone through a whole lot of various calibers. But now on the south side of 84yrs, I favor the 17-20 calibers the most, but still shoot many in 224 up to 375 on occasion.

 

[K22]

Always fun questions.

My first firearm was a 22 Mosberg rifle, tubular feed, hand me down from my uncle. I was fortunate since I lived in a very rural area and there was a large forest 30 yards from my house. My best friend and I spent many of days in the woods, shooting tin cans and advancing to spend 12-gauge shotgun hulls, that latter a real challenge. We continue to evolve to small game hunting and varmints. Shot my first ground hog with this rifle.

Next came a 12-gauge, double barrel shotgun, a hand me down from my grandfather. I began small game hunting with my father at age 12. The 12 gauge wasn't that bad recoil wise since it had a fair amount of heft and I used "low" brass shells. Never quite managed to become a skilled shotgunner but did well enough to harvest rabbit, squirrels and even some pheasants. Also hunted crows extensively becoming a better caller than shooter.

My first centerfire rifle was a 243 Win, Winchester with a 3 x 9 Redfield scope. I hunted deer, varmints, and predators (foxes in those days) using factory ammo. I became quite proficient with the rifle. The challenge was having enough money to shoot as much as I wanted. But I was hooked on rifle shooting. There is something to be learn by only having one rifle and becoming total "one" with it. I have many of pleasant memories and memorable hunts with the rifle. Got into reloading in the late 60's and early 70's.

My first handgun was a 22 H&R revolver. My best friend and I shot hundreds of rounds at tin cans and bottles. However, the moment I saw my first S&W Model 17, 22 revolver (K22) I was obsessed with obtaining one but couldn't afford it when I was in college. When I got drafted into the Army, my dad gave me the money for it, $87. I was happy as a pig in mud. I traded my H&R and purchased the S&W revolver. With the trade, I was able to purchase a high quality, Safariland holster. I soon discovered that I had a natural talent for pistol shooting. While in the Army, I joined the Fort Belvoir pistol team and really learned how to shoot using semi-auto target pistols. I was totally hooked on pistol shooting and competed for over 30 years until my elbow went bad. As a civilian, I competed with my Model 17 and attained Distinguish Expert (285x300) in precision competition and AAA in hunter's pistol silhouette.

I still have the Model 17 today and it shoots as good as the day I purchased it. I've put thousands of rounds through it. Shot NRA bullseyes (precision), NRA hunter's pistol silhouette, and hunted with this pistol. Today, it's two hand hold, reactional shooting.

As you might imagine, when I got my first professional job, and I began acquiring rifles and pistols, but I still have fond memories of those lean years and the fun I had with my meager firearm inventory.

 

[shoot4fun]

My Dad owned one firearm. It was a Remington 552 Speedmaster. I shot it a few times, under his supervision, when I just old enough to hold it unsupported. Being a rather large for my age kid, at age 10 I got a Ted Williams 22LR bolt action for Christmas. It was a single shot and has a little shorter LOP and lighter weight than the 552 and seemed to fit me perfectly. Every time I collected enough drink bottles to redeem or did a neighborhood job I walked the 2 miles to Western Auto and got a box of Wildcats.
Living in town meant I only got to shoot it when we made the fairly short trip to my Mom's parent's place in the country. I can still conjure up the memories as the old Elsie the Cow (Borden's Dairy) sign that remained after Grandad closed the store soaked up round after round of 22LR. Wonder how much that old sign would have been worth today?

 

[Dave M.]

CZ 75 P01 full metal frame 9mm
Still love shooting that gun.
Dave

 

[358WCF]

My dad had a JC Higgins (Marlin) 22 rifle that he let me shoot when I was around 5 or so. The rifle sits in the corner of the bedroom today. Both of my kids & the oldest grand daughter also started with this rifle.

A girl I dated for a long time, teens & early 20s, bought me a Winchester 77 for my birthday one year. Great fun rifle, but hard to keep functioning after a couple hundred rounds of dirty old Super Speed 22 until I discovered G96.

My 1st centerfire was a Marlin 30-30. My buddy who I met in the hospital (we were both in traction for way too long) got me interested in bigger than rimfires. I lost 60 lbs in 6 weeks eating hospital food & was little more than skin & bones on crutches. The 1st shot knocked me over. He laughed. I got up & did it again.

 

[mongo chicago]

Always had an interest in guns, but we never had them in the house (parents felt guns belonged back on the farm) until my oldest brother bought some rifles. When I was 20 (1972) I got my first gun. A Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 magnum. Loved that gun. Been spending a fortune on guns and related items ever since.

 

[Mark W]

I had a Daisy BB gun before I was strong enough to cock it for myself with a cross man pellet rifle coming around 6 or 7 years old. I received my first real gun, a single shot 20 gauge for my 12th birthday.

I guess it’s safe to say I’ve always loved guns. I really more serious about shooting when I got tired of running the bars and pool halls to play pool and I wasn’t enjoying working on my junky hot rods anymore.

 

[ryanjay11]

I learned to shoot a Benjamin .22 Air Rifle at 5. Shortly after that, I started shooting a Winchester 69A for Squirrels and Rabbits. When I was about 15, I shot a Whitetail Doe at 680 yards with a Browning BAR 7mm Rem Mag. I've probably only shot that rifle 50 times total.

I was having a conversation with some guys that shot F-Class about 15 years ago and that doe came up. One of them encouraged me to try F-Class, so I put together a rifle using a Savage Target Action, and did really well with it. I was immediately hooked.

It's pretty hard to say which rifle had the most impact, but I'll say my dad teaching me how to shoot at a very young age set me on this path, and I'm forever grateful.

 

[Jr solocam]

Great thread. My dad wasn't much of a hunter or shooter. But he loved old Winchester rifles. That's what got me started. Model 52, 88, 53. Great discussion from everyone. That's why I love guns.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Winchester Model 12 Field Grade , 12 ga.

 

[Will Henry]

My grandfathers, on both sides, were avid shooters and hunters. My father was an avid hunter and competitive shooter. I started with a Daisy BB gun and progressed from there. My first serious 22 was the Model 69 Winchester which belonged to my grandfather. I still have it. My first big game rifle was a No4 Lee Enfield sporter. I still have that too. I started reloading for it the day I got it. I got Ackley's books for Christmas that year. It's hard to say where my interest got started but I suspect it's in the blood. WH

 

[Ccrider]

Daisy cock BB gun. I was around 7 or 8. Two older guys, Terry and Stanley, who were my best friends, had Benjamin pump .22 pellet guns. We hunted every chance we got and we’re greatly responsible for reducing the bird and population in the area. There was a lady, “Ms. Janie” that would buy every bird we killed. 5 cents for a sparrow, wax bird, or blackbird; 10 cents for robins or brown birds-they were big and think they were wood thrushes. She would pay 25 cents for each pigeon. Stanley was the stud. He killed more squirrels and the big thrush that we had been after for years. It was hard on me hunting with a BB gun, even when I moved up to a pump daisy. It made me a better shot. Sometimes you had to hit a squirrel 6 or seven times to bring him down. It was nothing to hit a squirrel on the run in the highest trees. I could light matches or shoot flies off of tres shooting free hand.

My Dad did not see fit to buy me a Benjamin. When I was 14, I “insisted.” Well really, just asked again. He told me if wanted one, work and buy it for myself. I was hurt and felt mistreated since they bought my older sister everything she asked for. An early life lesson that I will always cherish.

A custom Savage 6br got me addicted to target shooting. I had never seen a gun that could put 3 shots into the same hole at 100 yards. That’s all it took.

 

[Fuj]

Springfield .22 short, single shot gallery rifle, and later on,
gifted a Fox Sterlingworth side by side 12 guage. Peters
Blue paper punkin' balls. for deer. Still have the Fox in the
family vault.

 

[lazyMlazyK]

I got into reloading in college, about 12 years ago. Bought a brand new Savage .22-250 that just wouldn't shoot factory ammo into a pattern smaller than about 3" at 100 yards - drove me crazy. My trapping mentor at the time, who was/is an experience loader, recommended that I try getting into reloading for it, probably could tighten up those groups. My Dad had an RCBS RS single-stage press from when he was a teenager and tried reloading for his Dad's .270 Win. That reloading equipment sat in Grandma's basement for YEARS until I started talking to Dad about him letting me borrow his press and scale. He let me take the whole box back to college, and I worked up a load that would shoot clover leafs using his CCI 200 primers from the 70's. I'm still using that press exclusively for all of my bolt-guns. Haven't seen a reason to upgrade to another yet, as this one is still pumping out great ammo for both hunting and competition! Still have some of those primers and the .270 bullets Dad was working with when he was a kid. Grandpa has passed, and Dad's got his old .270. Grandpa killed a lot of critters with that rifle. I hope that someday, I'm able to use it to take a nice muley buck where my Grandpa hunted in the ND badlands.

 

[BlueWater]

A vintage hammer-fired 10ga SxS shotgun. No idea what make/model it was. Hooked, after shooting that one, stout though it was.

 

[Just Say Moe]

Like the OP, I had my eyes on a Marlin 99M1 around 1977 or 78. When the new catalog came out, dang! they discontinued it! My dad found a used one in a pawn shop for $65. I couldn't have a real M1 Carbine until 20 year later so this somewhat look alike managed just fine through thousands of rounds.