What Was Your First Gun

[Blacksmith]

Ok what was your first gun? Where did you get it? and do you still have it?

I'll kick it off I got my first gun when I was about 8 or 10. I got one because my brother 3 years older than I was starting to learn to shoot and he got a gun. My first gun was a Winchester low wall in .22 short that had been my fathers and he used a hacksaw to cut about 3" off the stock and 4" off the barrel so I could hold it. It was never recrowned so it will keyhole a bullet in 50 feet and yes I still have it and it still works.

Blacksmith

[canyon-ghost]

Single shot .410 shotgun, still in the family. I was a snake killer then too.

[RP]

Mine was a 410 single shot also I got it around 12. It was on layaway I thought and gave my Dad the money until it was paid for. I gave him the last of it and then asked if we could go and get it praying it was going to be a yes. He told me to go look behind the seat of his truck it been there the entire time I was paying him. Oh got it from Kmart and no I sold it but its on the list of guns I wish I had never got rid of.

[fishnbob]

I was 6 yrs old when my uncle gave me his Winchester model 67 single shot .22. I kept it until in my 30's when I gave it back to him 'cause he had a son and I thought his boy would want it. Back last summer my uncle gave it back to me 'cause his son had no interest in guns whatsoever. I am glad he did. I have killed many, many squirrels with it.

[woody1]

I think we've done this a time or two but mebe it was somewhere else. I assume we're talking about firearms, mine was a used Remington Model 34 22 rifle and I still have it. When I was 11, my second rifle was a Winchester Model 94 in 30 WCF of course, also used and made about 1930. When I was 12 I got a NEW Winchester Model 37 in 20 gauge. I still have the Model 94. My son and grandson have the 20 gauge.

[btroj]

Winchester 1400 20 gauge.
Still have it, got it for Christmas when I was about 15. Must have been 1979 or so.

My daughter got her first at 13 or so, Ruger 10/22. Still has it too!

[Dan Cash]

Iver Johnson Champion .410. Got it on my 7th birthday in 1953 and still have it.

[Reg]

Sears and Roebuck single shot .22, got it for Christmas when I was 13. Still have it but it wears a K-4 now. Just cannot seem to line up them open sights.


:drinks:

[ss40_70]

well looks like the .410 was pretty popular .. i got my stevens single when i was about 9
shot my first squirrel rabbit and deer with it and still own it today

[Jailer]

Beretta model 76. Still have it.

My dad had a couple guns but wasn't really into them. I got my first when I was old enough to buy my own.

[Rokkit Syinss]

Springfield Model 87A that had been my dad's given to me when I was 9 or 10, still have it.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

My first gun was a Winchester youth single shot 22lr with a peep sight given to me by my grandfather when I was 11ish. When he passed away he left me a M70 in 22-250 with the agreement that I give the 22lr to my sister. She still has that 22 and I still have the 22-250.

[Hip's Ax]

I was 13 when I joined the high school rifle team. I was given a ~1957 Anschutz to use, this was 1975. I used the rifle all through high school and all through the 80's as a "senior club" member. When the club lost its home in the 90's (the PAL) I was offered the rifle. I bought it and I still have it and used it often in competition until 2005 when I bought a new Anschutz. I'd never give up that rifle.

[Isaac]

Remington Mod 514 BR (Boys Rifle) single shot .22. Was about '64-'65. A gift from my parents. I once used it during a Cub Scout .22 RF match and placed second. I still have it today.

The first rifle I bought for myself was a Rem. 700 BDL in .30-06 in 1976. I paid $179 for it at K-Mart. I put on a Tasco 3X9X32 Wideview scope with Weaver mounts and bases. I still have the rifle today with the same set-up. There have been many, many rounds through that combo and its still going strong.

Isaac

[shtur]

Colt SAA second generation .357 magnum

[Olevern]

Earned the money to buy my first gun by picking cucumbers at a neighbors farm...if I remember correctly it cost $12.00 at a pawn shop in N.J. (has been forever since you could buy a firearm at a pawn shop in N.J.). I was ten.

The gun was a Savage model 6 deluxe semi auto.

I took it home to our farm, where we had a firing range at the end of one of the fields; dad set up a target, handed me the gun, and it went full auto, emptying the tube magazine.

Dad grabbed the gun from me, turned around and headed back to the house with it.

Dispite my begging, he would not let me shoot it again until it was repaired...at the age of ten I thought it was much cooler as a 'machine gun' than the semi auto we got back from the gunsmith.

Previous owner must have had some skills, 'cause it didn't bobble a bit, rattled off a whole magazine full without a hitch in about a half second.

Can't imagine why someone would do this to what turned out to be a great little plinker (couldn't hunt with it in N.J., shotgun only).

[Marvin S]

H&R topper 410 in about 1976 along with three boxes of Ted Williams paper shells at Sears. Don't have it any more.

[Bullwolf]

My first gun was a Stevens model 84-C clip fed rifle, in 22 short/long.

My Grandparents allowed me to use/borrow the Stevens 22, so I could keep the blue jays, and the other pest birds out of the apple trees in the orchard. I got so good at keeping the bird population in check as a youngster, that I was eventually allowed to hang onto the Stevens 22 rifle permanently.

After showing that I could safely, and responsibly handle the 22, I was also allowed the use of my Grandfathers Winchester 1897 12 gauge as well.

That Winchester became my very own shotgun in time, and I was allowed to keep and care for it. Today both firearms reside in a special place in my gun safe, and a warm place in my heart.

They were respectively my first rifle and shotgun. Now I look back at it the whole event as a coming of age thing. I appreciated the responsibility, as well as the trust that was involved in the gesture quite a bit back then, and I still do today.

I still own both of the guns, and I won't be parting with them anytime soon. I get a warm fuzzy feeling looking at them, handling them, or shooting them still. To me they are priceless.


- Bullwolf

[redneckdan]

First firearm was a 20 gauge remington 870 youth model. Still have it. Earned the money to buy it while working for my dad doing service calls on commercial restaurant equipment all over south east michigan. Took my first timber doodle and thunder chicken with that shot gun. Shot my first clean round of skeet with it too.

First pistol was a S&W model 19 police trade in. My father bought it in the 80s, carried at work for a few years then gave it to me on my 18th birthday. Still have that one of course. Carried that one more miles than I can remember while in college, most of the bluing is worn off the gun, wore out a couple thousand pieces of brass shooting .38 special +P class loads though it. I tried cold blue but that didn't last long, I just keep it well oiled and the rust bugs stay at bay. Opening day of grouse season 2006 I took the head off a grouse at +35 yds with a 150gr KT over 14.0gr of WIN 296, Jen witnessed the whole thing. To this day she thinks I am the best shot she's ever seen......guess she didn't see the silly grin while I walked out to pick the bird up.

[crazy mark]

Westernfield 740 in 30-30 when I was 13. Walked into a Wards catalog store and ordered and picked it up about 5 days later when it came in. No parents with me.

[Love Life]

A savage chambered in .22 LR. Even with the crooked front sight it shoots great. That rifle has digested so many boxes of federal bulk ammo it is ridiculous. It now resides with my mother.

[sljacob]

model 62A winchester. traded 75 muskrat hides for it at age 8 or 9. I carried it with me every where I went until in my mid twentys. It is now a retired wall piece that I would never part with.

[dale2242]

Stevens M15 22 lr single shot.
.
Dad bought it for me in 1950. I was 8 years old. I taught my son and grandson to shoot with it. My 3 year old great grandson is next. The barrel is still good despite many 1000s of round through it....dale

[skeettx]

Savage 24 22/410 selector on side of action
Sweet gun, what fun
Still have it

Mike

[hhranch]

Sears (Marlin) .22 bolt action with a tubular magazine. It shot shorts, longs and long rifles, and I started out with shorts. 13 th birthday gift, I restocked it in a thumbhole configuration from a plank of walnut, and I still have it, although it hasn't seen any use for years. It was all I needed at the time.

[P.K.]

We had dad's "lending closet" growing up so neither my brother or I were gifted with firearms. Da had all we needed growing up to take any game in Me. When I was old enough to buy my own it started with a Rem. 700 Mountain rifle in .280 (7mm Rem Mag now IIRC) for a short gun I bought Rugers first run in large autos a P-89 in 9mm.

[hiram1]

mod 10 s&w i still have it .it is like new and has been in my safe for a long time i shoot it some on xmass day.the day i got it

[Janoosh]

Crescent Firearms Co, Norwich Conn, manufacturer, 12ga. Single barrel, top break, outside hammer, London Fine Twist. "A great shooter, I used it a lot. It's just a little worn. The other gun I never shot, it's too dangerous", so I was told, buying my first package deal of guns. It was 1983, I was 30 and was planning my escape from NYC. I let the elderly gentleman talk me up to $85 for the pair. Oh...... The other gun? The one I really wanted? A 1902 Remington Rolling Block Model 5 in 7x57. In VG condition. And NO, I never shot the Crescent.

[BBA]

My cousin and I both received a Glenfield 22 for Christmas when we were 10. We took then into the backyard and started shooting cans off the fence, using the neighbors house as a backstop. That didn't go over so well and we didn't see our 22's until summer.

[deltaenterprizes]

Mine was a H&R break open revolver in 38 S&W. It came with 7 rounds of ammo only 2 fired. I bought it from a guy that lived across the street from me, it broke shortly after so I sold it, no great loss.

[Big Boomer]

A 20 guage Stevens single shot. Light wood (maple?) with regular drop of stock.
Given to me by my father on my 9th birthday, 1949. A couple of years later Dad purchased the same shotgun only with a plastic stock for my younger brother's 9th birthday. He couldn't shoot it because the plastic stock was too straight, so we traded and my son still has the plastic stocked one.

The first firearm I purchased was a .357 Ruger Blackhawk at the age of 33. The previous owner had buffed the anodized black off the allow frame and it looked pretty good. Gave $ 72.10 for it and later traded it in on a blued Ruger Security Six. Should have kept them all but money was a problem. 'Tuck as in Kentuck

[steg]

JC Higgins single shot .22, given to me by an aunt, She found it in a closet in a home she bought.

[Wayne Smith]

Sears safety single shot .22 Dad bought for us when I was 8 and my brother was 10. I still have it. Refinished the stock. Still use it to teach kids to shoot, too.

It is a bolt action and when you open the bolt it resets the safety.

[bob208]

first gun remington 514 .22 . got it for christmass when i was 10 years old. used it to get boy scout marksmanship badge. was going to use it for high school rifle team but they stopped it the year i got in high school.

[Finster101]

A Remington 550 .22 still have it. Shoots shorts, longs or longrifle. You can mix them in the magazine tube it it just don't care, goes bang every time. Bought it from my Uncle when I was around 9 or 10 for $10.00 dollars. My Dad has one just like it. My Uncle is gone now and I don't have any kids so in a couple of years when his grandson is old enough he will get his grandfathers rifle. Sadly he never met his grandfather.

[winelover]

Model 12 Winchester (12 guage) bought used from a local jeweler when I was seventeen, in 1968. Came with a "Leg of Mutton" (leather, breakdown) gun case. Paid $85 for it in excellent condition. Polychoke was installed on the full choked barrel. Years later, I purchased an extra barrel in modified from Numerich and had it cut down to riot length. Still have it, along with the polychoked bbl. in the original case. The first new gun I purchased and still own, is a 6" Python in "Royal Colt" blue.

Winelover

[starmac]

A single shot 20 guage, for christmas when I was 9, was the first one that was mine.
I don't even remember the model, but it had a button on the side to break open the action. That gun accounted for lots of squirrels and quite a few quail.

I crawled through what seems like miles of hog trails in east texas briar patches, with a slug in the barrel, looking for a big old boar. Looking back I sure am glad I never found that big hog, while on my hands and knees, with nowhere for either of to go. lol

[Jason30-30]

A Squires Bingham Model 20 .22 Semi-Auto I Got When I Was 14 I Still Have It But Lost The Magazine.

[skeettx]

http://www.gunclips.net/sqbirima.html

[303Guy]

This may come as a surprise but my first gun (that I owned) was a .... wait for it .... Nah! I'll keep ya'll guessing! :mrgreen:

well OK then, it was a 1902 Long Tom Lee Enfield. 8-) But my next gun was a 22 Remington Sports Master which is still super accurate. Oh, I did have a handgun or two before that and an air rifle - do those count?

[3006guns]

A Remington 514 for my twelfth birthday......which was a little odd because I'd been shooting revolvers with my Dad on the local police range for almost two years already (he was a cop).

I also remember how disappointed I was. A single shot? You've gotta be kidding Dad! Time proved how wise he was....I got pretty good with that little rifle, making every shot count. That gun was cleaned, oiled and babied for quite a few years and still looked brand spankin' new. It was gifted to my daughter years ago and I haven't seen her or the gun since (a whole other story).

Just recently my FFL brother in law presented me with a 514 as a thank you for helping him work on his house. I was somewhat amazed at how much they shrunk over the years.......until I realized I was a little bit bigger now. Ya know what? They still shoot great!

[onesonek]

Winchester 67, and Stevens Singleshot .410,,,,son has the .22, and brother has the .410.
Outside the Marlin and 870 Wingmaster, likely why the rest I have are singleshots guns to this day.

[Tom-ADC]

Winchester Model 37 12 ga full choke, lots of rabbits & pheasants fell to that shotgun.

[TMSCU]

Mine was a Stevens 4-10 Received it at Christmas when I was 9. My dad took me out to a field near our house in North Dallas and told me to stick the barrel up next to an empty 1 gallon paint can laying in the field and pull the trigger. I did and afterward he told me thats what my sister or mother will look like (with a large hole in them) if i was ever careless and shot them with it. That still is as clear in my mind as the day it happened 50 years ago( I can even remember the smell of the powder) and I am always careful with where I point guns. A good lesson learned. I gave the gun to my nephew several years ago and he hunts with it.

[alfloyd]

I worked all summer as a bag boy, when I was 14, at the local grocery store to buy my first gun. It was a Western Auto Revalation model 110 22 bolt-action repeater, made by Marlin. Cost me $27.00, half of what I saved that summer. Still have it.:) I lived in the middle of a 80 acre farm, so I had lots of room to roam and plink.

Lafaun

[mustanggt]

The first gun I learned to shoot at 13 was a Winchester model 12. My uncle loaned it to me to learn on and hunt with. When I gave it back to him I was kind of dejected till my grandpa came to visit and my dad, me and him went out with that shotgun and threw some clay birds around. Well I shot my best ever score of 24 out of 25. He was suitably impressed I guess because when we came to visit he had a 16ga for me which I was grateful for but I told him I've been used to shooting a 12ga. He said ok and took off and before you know it he was back with a Winchester model 97 for me. My grandpa lived in a small town and knew everyone so it was easy for him to wheel and deal to get it for me. I still have it and will never part with it. It means too much to me.

[Buckshot]

...............My first rifle was a Winchester M68 single shot. Had a front sight hood and apurture rear. Basically a M67. Belonged to my grandfather. For the life of me I don't know what happened to it. It was kept at my grandparents house. Some years later when I was 14 after a hospital stay due to a ruptured appendix, my grandfather took me to Western Auto and I got to pick out a 22 rifle. I got a Marlin 25 bolt action. Grandpa bought me a brick of 22 ammo. I was at their house for a week recuperating. Out in the side yard was an old Walnut tree stump maybe 3' in diameter. I stuck targets on it and shot in the afternoons. Oddly enough, I don't remember what happened to that rifle either! :-)

...............Buckshot

[big dale]

It was about this time of year in the year when I was 12 years old and went shopping with my mother and little sister in a neighboring town. While they were shopping in a sewing shop I went across the street to check out a pawn shop and I saw it in the gun rack. I fell hard for that old L.C. Smith 12 gauge shotgun. When I got home I wrote a note to Santa Clause to tell him which pawn shop he could find it in. On Christmas morning it was leaning against the trunk of our Christmas tree and my grandmother gave me a box of high brass express loads that year. I think I still have part of that box of shells around here somewhere. I had that gun for about two decades before I traded it off for a 20 bore with a shorter barrell and more open chokes...that full and modified was not as well suited for most of the dove shooting that I was doing then. I still find myself reaching for that rear trigger from time to time.

I loved that old gun.

Great thread!

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[Mavrick]

My dad went all over the West, going from "mine" to "mine" collecting samples to see if the company he worked for would want to buy the mine. They were just claims when he was there. Later, if it was any good, he would bring in equipment to do "assesment work." Mines are not in the center of town, so he would need transportation to town, or "camp" if we brought trailers out to work from. In the summer, Mom and the kids would live on the claim.
I being the eldest, would be "hired" by the company to make sure the was a pickup when it was needed. I did that from the time I was 12ish, 'til 16...just before I entered the Army, after graduating high school.
I used my first paycheck to buy a used .22 M513 Remington with Weaver B4 scope from the rack at Juenke-Saturn Sports in Sparks, Nevada where they had moved from Reno shortly after they had moved from California.
They are the originators of the ICL-loading line of wildcats.
Anyway...that .22 stands in the corner of the room as we speak. It came in quite handy on those claims...starting in 1959. That following Xmas, I bought an M94 Winchester in .30/30, and my mom bought me the Pacific "starter kit" reloading set.
All that stuff is gone now, as I upgraded. No...the .30/30 dies by RCBS as still in my mancave, and have loaded a large group of guns over the years. A "couple" of deer have been dropped with those guns, too, loaded with those dies.
Have fun,
Gene

[ku4hx]

Remington model 514 ... still have it. Got it circa 1959.

[Lizard333]

I purchased my first gun when I was 18. It was a 1953 Winchester model 94 chambered in 30-30. Still have it. Still my favorite.

[Shuz]

Mossberg 144LS(Lyman Sights) bought new in 1956 for around $35.00. I used it on the Rifle Team at our high school. The rich kids had Remington 40X's or Winchester 52's.

[SP101GUY]

H&R single shot break 20ga. Bought it with my lawn mowing money at Kmart. Dad signed the papers.

AJ

[rintinglen]

My first gun was a miserably innaccurate beat up old Springfield 22 single shot that had been rode hard and put away wet. It was a bolt action with a manual cocking knob that was very hard to pull back for a scrawny, skinny 9 year old. I had to use two hands to cock it. One summer day, I got the bright Idea to put the barrel between my knees while I struggled with the Knob. The knob, just shy of the sear, slipped from between my fingers and the gun discharged, the bullet struck a rock and fragments peppered my bare calves and ankles. I hopped around like my feet were on fire, crying and shouting "Jeepers creepers" over and over, that being the limit of my cursing vocabulary.
I do not have That gun, and if I did, I'd take it down to a gun-buy back and swap it for a bag of groceries or a pair of Nikes.
Later, I bought a Ruger 10-22--that, I still have.

[Iron Mike Golf]

A Marlin 336SC in 32 Win Spl that was my grandfather's. Took my first deer with it at 16, the day after Grandma gave it to me.

[David Turner]

My first rifle was in 1955 as a gift for my 11 th. birthday. It was a Marlin 39A lever action 22 l.r. (1940 serial number). It had belonged to my uncle and the story goes that while he was hunting, it fell over and discharged and wounded a friend. I am not sure I believe that but that is the story.
My first handgun was purchased in 1965. I paid $95 out the door for a Colt Diamond Back in .38 Special with a 4" barrel. Still have the receipt and the handgun. Still have the Marlin 39A also.

David Turner
Plymouth, MI.

[tuckerdog]

Marlin mod36 with an old lyman reciever mounted peep when I was about 8 or 9. My grandad gave it to me. Haven't shot anything but groundhogs, yotes, and paper with it but still have it and now only shoot it now and again.

[mpmarty]

It was in 1953 or 4 and my folks finally gave in and agreed to a rifle for Christmas. It was a Remington model 521T with Lyman aperture sight and a globe type insert front sight. Great little mag fed 22 I used in the High school rifle team and did OK. Traded it in to Martin B Retting in Culver City Ca. for a model 1889 Schmidt Rubin and a few rounds of ammo. Wish I still had it.

[An_Orphanage]

J.C. Higgins Model 20 12gauge pump with cutts compensator and poly choke. Given to me by my dad when I was 7yrs old. Still have it and use it for pheasants, the action is as smooth as glass after at least a pallet of shells I've run through it.

[10 ga]

First was a Daisy .17 cal roundball shooter. Still have it but the spring is dead. Ist shotgun used hunting was my great uncles 12 ga. A-5 with a solid rib and polychoke. Dad finally passed it on to me about a decade ago. First gun of my own, I was 12, was a 1962 era 12 ga. Fox Model B. Used all the $ I got from trapping muskrats and mowing lawns that year and my mom gave me the last $15 I needed to get it for dove season. Bought it at a big box store of the day and I think it was $118 NIB. Mom passed in 1982 but I still have that shotgun. 10 ga

[helice]

Pop was a Winchester fan. He bought me a pump action Model 270 .22 cal. It was the most beautiful piece of junk ever made. I traded it for an early 10-22. Next year Dad got me a Colt Frontier 22. Wish I still had it. I traded it for a Ruger Flat Top Blackhawk .357. Wish I still had that one too. Dad's gun was a M-52 Winchester .22 target rifle. In '06 a friend gave me a beautiful copy with an Unertyl scope. That one won't leave till I give it to a family member after I turn 100 years old.

[1bluehorse]

First was a (pretty old when I got it) Winchester in 25-20. Sold it for $25.00. That was in 1956. Bought a bolt action 30-30, don't remember what kind. Kicked the bejeesus outa me. (I was 11) Three years later got a Remington 30-06 pump. Sold it too. Don't miss any of those. However the 25-20 might be kinda cool to still have....

Post script: Killed a small black bear in one of our cherry orchards with that Winchester, shot it 13 times...I was out and about by myself, I got a belt in the basement thingy after that one...not for being out and about by myself, but for killing the bear. Dad was not happy with me...

[Maineboy]

My first gun was a clip fed bolt action .410 I bought by mail from Sears in 1963. I was almost 13 years old and earned the money picking potatoes. I still have it and use it every year for ruffed grouse, patridge if your a Mainer. I have 4 granddaughters and one grandson. The gun will go to one of them and I hope they'll cherish it as much as I do.

[Reload3006]

a Winchester single shot 20 ga still have it.

[Shedhunter]

I was about 12 and saved up my mowing money all summer and bought a Ruger 10/22 for a little over a $100 bucks used. I still have it but sadly I'm not sure which one it is.

[peerlesscowboy]

Winchester model 90 .22lr, octogon barrel. Dad gave it to me when I was about six or seven as I recall, traded it on a new Marlin 39A "Mountie" many years later.....still have that one. Dealer allowed $15 for the old Winchester, fair enuf' deal at the time.
Second gun was a Winchester model 94 .30-30 that dad gave me when I was 12 years old and could go deer & antelope hunting with him, still have that one.

John C. Saubak

[geargnasher]

Winchester Model 37 .410 single-shot. On the wall rack right here next to my desk. I carried it in the field so much as a kid that I wore all the bluing off of the top of the barrel above the chamber. The case-hardened finish on the receiver was only a memory when Dad bought it for me. To this day it's the only shotgun I've ever been able to shoot well, and it's the only one I take dove hunting on the rare occasions I go.

Gear

[JScott]

Remington 582 22LR when I was 7 years old. Dad was pretty smart and ordered an extra stock to cut down for me so it could wear a full size stock later. Of course I still have it and it will never leave me except to be handed down someday. It doesn't have just sentimental value either, it is extremely accurate. One hole 10 shot groups off the bench at 50 yards are not uncommon when I do my part.

[adrians]

mine was a gifted win 94 in 30-30 (made in 1954).
it was my late father-in-laws horse saddle rifle.
very close to my heart and in great shape too.
happy turkey day fellow casters...
:twisted::cast_boolits::evil:

[Tazman1602]

My first gun was a Remington 1100 20 gauge with stock cut to fit me at the age of 9. By 11 I was breaking 20 out of 25. My dad bought me that gun.

Then mom and dad split up and mom got remarried, stepfather stole it from me and sold it. When dad found out he almost killed the guy....I never did take up skeet shooting again.

[Patrick L]

The first gun that was mine, my own, was my standard weight 20 gauge 870 Wingmaster, 26 " IC vent rib. I got it for Christmas in 1981 when was 15. Prior to that I had used guns that were in the family, but that was the first one that belonged to me. I still have it.

Funny story, when my best friend and I were contemplating these acquisitions (he got the exact same gun a year or two before me) we noticed there was a standard weight and the then new "Lightweight 20." My friend, in his typical analytical style, said "Don't get one of those new lightweights. There harder to get barrels for, they'll never last." Of course the rest is history, as the standard weight 20s were discontinued a year or two later.

Well, I thought it was funny.

[imashooter2]

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/H+R-760.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/Grampa_Paul_Dale_22_1960.jpg

[klutz347]

Marlin Mod. 60. Bought it the day I turned 18, 29 years ago.

Still have it and shot it last week.

[Aunegl]

When I turned twenty-one, I bought my first firearm, New Model Ruger Single-Six .22. Now, some of the bluing is worn off and the action is smooth.

[plainsman456]

Stevens single shot 20 gauge shotgun,I still have it.It was paid for with lawn mowing money that I earned that summer.
it is one of the models that has a button on the side of the reciever you push to open the action.

[Taylor]

My very own gun--Winchester model 370. 12 ga with a 36" full choke barrell. Got it when I was about 13. I still have it!

[Dutchie]

Gun , Gun , gun.....

Does this count ? waaaaaay back i learned to point and shoot a Diana airgun pump action in 4,5 mm from my father.We could still hit the target (on a tree ) at about 300 meters, after that the little pellt was a bit tired and must hav dropped dead on the ground.

My father still has it on the wall.

My own first was a Feinwerkbau model 80 competition air pistol which my son is training with at the moment,waiting for the day to hang that one on MY wall.

My first real gun was a DE in .357, I was sold 4 that one , number 2 to be imported into england and totally wore it down, also due to some factory defects.Traded that one in for another but come to think of it , wish i still had the first barrel, a perfect one.

So i sorta still have my first gunz.

Hans.

[T-Bird]

Mine was bought by my father when i was in jr high in the mid '60's. It was a .36cal navy arms cap and ball pistol. I still have it. T-Bird

[Hickory]

I can't remember the make, caliber or model of my first gun,
but I do remember that a dinosaur stepped on it and broke the stock.[smilie=l:

[badbob454]

sears and roebuck 22 cal pellet rifle , does thst count? got it from my dad sold it years ago , next was a marlin semi 22 lr fun shooting gun sold it 40 plus years ago

[reloading noob]

Topper jr 410 single shot. got it when i was 8. Gave it to my son when he turned 6

[wtfooptimax200]

Mine was a single shot Stevens 22 that belonged to my great, great grandfather. I will always cherish that gun as it was the best 12th birthday gift a kid could have.

[Bullet Caster]

My first gun was an M-14 that I got in boot camp. They wouldn't let me keep it. And I was 18 years old. After that I had an M-16 and they wouldn't let me keep that one either. After I got out of the USMC, my first gun was a .357 Blackhawk. I was about 25 then and I long since sold it. I was told as I was about to get out of the USMC, that if you "lost" your M-14, you could pay $112.50 and keep your lost gun. I had mine in my car trunk for a long time, but just couldn't tell 'em I'd lost it. So I turned it back in to the armory. But my very first gun was a .22 Crossman pellet rifle I got for Christmas when I was about 12 years old. Still have it. BC

[Light attack]

Winchester 67 that my grand parents bought for my father for $5.00 in the 30's. I got it when I was 12 and still have it. One of my grand kids will probably get it one of these days.

[45-70 Chevroner]

My first gun was a 22 single shot "Ranger" I'm not sure but I thing it was made by Winchester. I got it for my 13 birthday but I had been shooting since I about 7 or 8. I killed a lot of rabbits and squirrels wite it. I had to sell it when I was in the Airforce. I got married in 1961 and we had twin daughters in may of 1962. We Were short on cash for food and I sold it for $10. My base pay was about $240 a month and our rent was $110 a month. We had to scrimp a lot.

[Javelin]

For my first post, I'll resurrect this thread.
First gun I ever fired was a Remington Apache 77 .22. Inaccurate, but fun. I was 6. First gun that was mine was a .54 Traditions Hawken at 12. You really learn the value of trigger control and shot placement with a muzzleloader. First shotgun I ever shot was a Remington 870 express 12 with an 18" barrel. You had to be FAST on a clay with that one or you'd never hit. I really learned to take my time in a hurry.

Glad I still have all three. Been through some tough times but never even though about selling a gun. They are far too precious to me.

[shuckinthecorn]

I traded a bicycle for a Ithaca single barrel 12 gauge shotgun when I was about 10 years old around 1966. I think that was my first. I was lucky to have one of anything then, so when I started wanting a rifle, the shotgun had to go. That's a big part of why I am the way that I am now.
Now, I can have a shotgun, rifle and even a pistol!

[s mac]

Mine was a Remington Nylon, remember those? I had it for years, somebody stole it years ago, I hope they choked on it.

[pworley1]

16 ga. Stevens single shot exposed hammer from western auto about 1965. The store is gone but I still have the shotgun.

[h8dirt]

A Mauser ES350B (22LR) -- in near perfect condition (including the sling and sights). That was 1961 -- I was 6 years old. My Dad bought it for me at our barber shop/gun shop for $20. We passed on a nicer Walther because it was too expensive ($25). I still have it -- and always will.

[Outpost75]

U.S. Rifle, Cal. .30, M1, serial number 4208350.


If anyone has it, I would like to buy it.

[Artful]

Winchester 69 22LR bolt action still have it and still shoot it every once in a awhile.

[btroj]

20 gu Winchester auto shotgun. Still have it after 30 plus years. First one I bought was a Ruger 77 in 270 Win, still have it too.

Heck, I haven't ever sold a firearm other than muzzleloaders.

[mrcvs]

Mine was a .22 Marlin Golden 39A that I got for Christmas when I was 12 or 13.

I am amazed that, while a fair number of individuals started out with a .22, many did not. I just assumed that everyone started out with a .22 and then graduated onto something else. I think that starting out with a .22 enables me, now, to shoot virtually anything and not be concerned with recoil. I think, being smaller than most at my age, shooting a 12 gauge could be traumatic and lead to bad habits later in life, such as flinching.

[BruceB]

U.S. Rifle, Cal. .30, M1, serial number 4208350.


If anyone has it, I would like to buy it.

Hah! Someone else who had the number of "his" rifle firmly implanted!

This wasn't actually my 'first' rifle, but it was my first ISSUE rifle.... a #4 Mk1*, given to me by the Canadian Army, 1958, Camp Dundurn Saskatchewan. Serial number was 85L7408, and yes, I'd also pay a reward to meet it again.

A few years ago, an aging vet received an M1 Garand from the CMP. When he removed the buttplate, he found a handwritten note that HE HIMSELF had placed there when on the banks of the Yalu River in North Korea, 1950-51? Now, how's THAT for a monster coincidence???

[.22-10-45]

I pestered my dad for a .22 so long I think he just got tired of hearing me..bought an old well used Marlin 37 tube-fed bolt gun with complete with cracked forend. Got it home & sear dropped when closing bolt! Pawn shop wouldn't give the $20.00 back..boy was he mad! Hid gun and told me never to touch it or ask for another! I soon got over my dissapointment when he bought an old hand cranked forge, anvil & assorted equipment and had an old retired blacksmith spend a few days coaching me in the finer points of working hot metal. I must have been around 13 at the time. Fast forward a few years..now attending Vocational High School..machine shop. School was out for summer..dad was working long hours away from home..I started looking for that rifle. When I pulled barreled action from the stock, I could see right away the sear was chipped. I cleaned out crack in forend & aplied glue and clamps. The bolt work would be a bit more complicated.
At the forge, I heated an old file red hot & let it cool overnight in ashes. I knew what I was about to do next would mean no turning back...I filed entire sear area out of trigger. Next using hacksaw & files, I carefully fitted & brazed a piece of file steel in place. When dressed down, only a tiny thin braze line could be seen. Next I got busy with files & carefully re-cut sear & got a pretty nice pull. Back at the forge, I carefully heated trigger to hardening heat & quenched. The sear was now glass hard. I finished up with hones for a very nice but safe let-off.
I had just gotten everything back together & was rubbing the final finish into stock when dad came home early one day..He was just about to chew me out..when I handed him the rifle..and showed him what had been wrong. He didn't say anything for a very long time..just stood there looking at the rifle in his hands..but it was his eyes that told of unspoken pride. Finally he handed it back, and with a gruff warning..."just be carefull"!

[Rich/WIS]

Winchester M12 16 gauge full choke #1142560. Got it from my uncle when I was 12. When I was younger he had given me a shoe box full of Jap money he picked up in the Pacific during the war. About the time I turned 12 he and my other uncle were big into coin collecting. Offered me the M12 for the shoebox of Jap money, good deal for us both. Nice gun and reliable, did a lot of hunting with it, but never shot well with it; stock fit, choke ??? Long gone and don't miss it.

[44Vaquero]

A Marlin .22 cal Model 60 K-Mart Special and my 1st pistol/revolver was Ruger Single 6 .32 Magnum. I still own them both!

[Tn Jim]

Marlin Model 60 22 semi-auto. Got it for my 16th birthday and yes, I still have it.

[bgokk]

My first was a Daisy "Red Ryder"at about age 12. The first real rifle was given to me by my Uncle Cleat. A Winchester Model 74, chambered for shorts only. Held 22 cartridges in the thru the butt magazine. I in later years let a fellow talk me out of it. I hated that and many years later found another Model 74 chambered for shorts and will never let it get away. First one at 14 the second one in my mid 40s.

[DW475]

Daisy BB Gun when i was 7. Didn't shoot my eye out so dad bought me a H&R 410 single shot when i was 8! Still got the BB gun, not sure what dad ever did with the 410.

[pal82]

Remington 870 Wingmaster. It was a gift from my grandmother for christmas in 1976. I was 10. I'll be passing that one down to a grandson someday.

[cbrick]

Remington rolling block 22, got it when I was 9 & still have it. Grandpa bought it new sometime around 1905-10, then Dad's.

Rick

[buckwheatpaul]

Remington 600 in .243 cost me $75.00......painfully accurate.....beyond loud!

[Miller]

I bought my first gun at some point after turning 21.


Glock 17

[mhp]

My first gun was a victor ejector 410 given to by my uncle in Aug. 1955 when I was 8. Dad let me carry it when I got the cows, the deal was I could only load it when I had a target. The second evening out I shot a rabbit. It sits in my reloading shop.

[Jal5]

12 ga Winchester auto for trap given to me by my favorite uncle. Used it for all shooting/ hunting for a number of years.

First purchased was a Mossberg500 in 12ga. With threaded chokes and a slug barrel. I have the 1st and gave the 2nd to my son last year.

[John Allen]

Mine was an Ithaca Md49 Single shot 22.

[TXGunNut]

Remington Speedmaster 22lr. Bought it with money earned keeping score at Junior HS basketball games. Still around here somewhere, it was also my first stock refinishing job.

[xringshutr]

I saved up my paper route money for what seemed like forever when I was around 12 years old. Finally the day came and I took a trip to the gun shop 35 miles from my home town with my dad. We looked over the used rack and there sat a Winchester Model 72 with rear peep and hooded front sight. Out the door it went for the paltry sum of $65, which is about all I had to spend if memory serves me correct. Dad might have kicked in a little to hook me up with a couple boxes of ammo to go with it. No serial #, although I didn't pay attention to things like that at the time. Still have that little rifle and it will go to one of my two sons one day. Probably the WAY too ornery 4 year old, as I have already purchased a couple rifles for the oldest. Knocked a lot of squirrels down with the little 72.....and it was deadly accurate.......still is. This might just prompt me to pull it out of the safe and shoot it on the next warm day. :grin: Thanks all!!

[Echo]

My first gun was a .45 auto I bought almost 60 years ago, and still have. It's my house gun...

[62chevy]

22 rifle back in the 70s but it got stolen before I could even shoot it. My dad gave me his old JC Higgins 12 gauge that he payed $10 for and still have it plus it's a good shooter too.

[mikeym1a]

My first 'gun' was a Daisy lever action BB gun, a 360 round repeater! (REAL high capacity!) Got it when I was 5 or 6. When I was 10, Pop gave me a Harrington & Richardson 'Targeteer', a model 265 with the 10 round detachable magazine. He got it at the local pawnshop. It was superbly accurate, and disappeared when he died. Hope whoever got it appreciates it. :-D

[opos]

Other than a BB gun as a kid my first 22 was a Model 62A Winchester pump 22..1948 when I was 11...I'm 76...it's still here...clean and original as can be...Got it in my "last wishes" letter as a gift to a close friend. My first shotgun was a Winchester model 97 12 gauge and my first "deer rifle" was a 1917 Winchester Enfield that I had sporterized by a neighbor that was a gunsmith in 1957.

[DGNY]

Mine was a Savage Model 3D in 1949, as I recall. My dad bought it; and he taught me to shoot in our basement [horrors!]. Targets were handmade overlaid on a box of magazines. That regimen was punctuated occasionally by shooting out the flames on birthday candles held in a drilled piece of wood, and by shooting playing cards sideways to slice them in two., Range length was only about 22 feet, lest you think those were great feats of marksmanship.

Regards,

Dyson

[dnepr]

A cooey model 60 .22 bolt , given to me by my grandmother , that was three decades ago and I still have it , still shoots great,

[Putz]

Mine was a Remington nylon 66. I still have and use it today when I can find Boolits!!

[Ron in PA]

.22 Westernfield single shot for Christmas 1964. 12 years old

[JeffG]

A Winchester Model 61 22 rifle, still have it. Was passed down by my grandfather to me in about 69.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

First Gun I shot, my Dad's Springfield 87A 22lr semiauto...still have it.

First Gun my Dad bought for me was a Winchester 1400 (20 Ga pump).
I was 12, He test fired it and liked it so much, that he kept it for himself, I never got to even shoot it. He gave me his 12 Ga 870 wingmaster instead, which he used shooting trap League for 20+ years...Yeah she was worn out and sloppy, but it worked. Years later, I replaced the slide arms to keep her functioning, but a minty, vintage, Magnum receivered Wingmaster took her place a decade ago and I sold my Dad's gun at an auction for way more than it was worth.

Back to that Win 1400. About seven years ago when my parents moved into a assisted living facility, they gave me all there guns...the 1400 included...so some nearly 40 years later, the Gun that was bought for me finally ended up in my hands and have taken her out to the trap range a couple times...it isn't anything fancy, and I can't seem to hit anything with it (compared to the 12 Ga Magnum)...but it truely was my first GUN.

[.429]

Mine was a Remington Viper 22. I was 18 and the year was 1994. They prob didn't make them very long since I've never seen another one

[Powder Burn]

Christmas 1960 Winchester 67A single shot .22. 8-9 at the time. Still have it. Replaced extractor since I wore it out after years of shooting. Grandson shot it couple years ago. (Santa gave him a Savage .17 HMR this year). Refinished the wood some time back.

[StromBusa]

Stevens 20 gauge single shot break action shotgun with full choke.

[fortysomething]

My first was a Remington 550-1 .22 with a Weaver scope. Dad bought it and my uncle rebuilt and refinished it for me when I was 11 or 12. I still have it and use it.

[camotes2]

Santa brought me a Savage 340 in 30-30 around 1973. Black bears are not extinct, but not because I didn't try. Still have it, and I will give it to my son when he settles down. Too many hormones, I wish I was 20 again.

[Ozarki]

1952, A .J C.Higgins 20 gauge bolt action shotgun with a full choke. It is in my safe at this time. 1994 a buddy of mine and I were shooting a game called house gun and we took these shotguns to the match. I don't remember the make of his, but nobody at the match had ever seen a bolt shotgun.. That day they saw two of them.

[MaryB]

JR Stevens single shot 16 gauge from my dad when I was 14. He had used it as a kid and the stock had been hacked off to shorten it so I added a thick butt pad. I used it for 15 years then had it totally restored and gave it back for Christmas one year. It turned into his favorite pheasant gun because it was very light and handled great.

[429421Cowboy]

A '70s vintage 870 Wingmaster 20 gauge shotgun, when I was probably ten years old. We had bb guns from age six, showed competency with them, started shooting .22 at around age 8 (seemed like I had to wait a couple decades to turn 8 back then!) and were terrorizing gophers every chance we got with dad or mom, but never had a gun that was "ours" just used the family .22's. Finally at ten dad took us to my grandpa's and asked him if he could have his 20 gauge back that his grandpa had given him, so grandpa dug it out and handed it to my brother, dad already had his Wingmaster out and told me to carry it. Went out in the shopyard and each got to shoot a milk jug twice, our first time shooting a shotgun! Man were we impressed. I'll never forget my dad looking at us and saying "did you like it?" Yes sir, "then they're yours". Simple as that. I suppose it was harder for them since we were twins and they wanted to make sure neither of us got a better gun out of the deal, and certainly couldn't afford to go buy two new guns for us, so we got the only duplicates they had, an Ithaca and a Remington 20 gauge, that both my brother and I still have.

Come to think of it, that was also one of the last memories I have of my grandpa before he went in the hospital and passed away. I sure do wish he could have seen us hunt, I'd give anything today for just one hunt with that man.

[wlc]

870 wingmaster in 12g, 28 in mod choke barrel, the Christmas I turned 11. Still have it and have shot literally a couple of truckloads of shells through it. Still looks almost new and never a hitch with it.

[Boyscout]

20 Gauge Remington 870 Wingmaster. It was stolen about 10 years ago. The one gun that was recovered stayed in police lock up longer than the thugs that broke into my home.

Happy ending, one of the thieves did the same thing about a year later He was kicking in the front door of a home when the owner, an local LEO, ended his career forever.

[DRNurse1]

Daisy Red Ryder.....for combustible ammunition, 20 ga single shot of unknown manufacture.

[Guardian]

I've enjoyed reading your stories. Here's mine:

Just as it was for many of you, my first "gun" was a Daisy Red Rider BB gun. I have no recollection of receiving it, just carrying it everywhere.

Dove hunting was an annual event for our family. We congregated in the designated dove field prior to noon on the first Saturday of every September. Everyone knew where to find us, and it seemed like everyone that lived within earshot of the dove field was there with us. It was as much a social event as it was a sporting event. There were no dogs for retrieving, there were kids, and I was one of them. My trusty BB gun was with me to finish off the wounded doves. At some point I learned the efficiency of wringing their necks, but the BB gun still made the trip.

Targets of opportunity were my favorites. I loved shooting at pecans hanging in the trees, birds on power lines (not that I recall hitting any of them), you name it. We had a security light over part of the yard. I don't know why, but one evening it just needed shooting. I took a shot at it, nothing happened, and I went on in the house. I don't remember when the light quit working, but I distinctly remember the day my father changed the bulb. Dad came down the ladder and commenced to wearing by backside out. I had no idea what had precipitated the event until Dad presented me the bulb, which had a perfectly round hole punched through one side of it. It didn't matter that it had happened some time before the light actually quit working. Lesson learned, don't shoot stuff that causes work or expense for others.

At some point, I think around 10, I graduated to the use of my Dad's 16 gauge single shot and my own spot in the dove field. I didn't get a retriever though. My sister replaced me as Dad's retriever. It didn't matter, there wasn't much to retrieve on my account most of the time.

My Grandfather gave me a 20 gauge Remington 1100 just before opening day of dove season when I was 13. I was ecstatic! However, my very own spot in the dove field was between Grandad and Dad, and there wasn't much left for me to shoot at. I never did develop much skill with a shotgun, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Sadly, the family dove hunts passed with my Grandfather, but I still have the 1100 to remind me of those days.

I began working summers with a construction company at age 13. My Dad was foreman of a crew and he wasn't about to leave me at home to get into trouble, though I've no idea why he thought I would. :evil: I was on the payroll, making $5/hour, and had no obligations. I saved up and talked Dad into buying a Ruger Single Six with a 9.5-in barrel for me. I LOVED that revolver. I'd get home from school, grab the revolver and a box of ammo, then strike out into the woods. The family owned about 2,000 acres and about half of it was actively farmed, the other half was wooded. I could roam for hours and never leave the family property. I don't remember ever killing anything with that revolver, just never needed to, but there were lots of those targets of opportunity that I liked so well. The Single Six and a pistol were stolen out of my truck about 15 years later; two of four guns that I no longer have. I'd have given the pistol away to keep the Single Six. I miss that revolver. I've got another one that belonged to my Granddad, but it just isn't the same.

My first rifle was received at about 15. My mother and father had purchased matching Winchester 94s in 30-30 shortly after marriage for deer hunting together. My parents divorced, but Mom gave me hers when I decided I needed to go deer hunting. Dad never was much of a deer hunter, and I must have gotten that gene. Deer hunting in Georgia is really more like deer waiting. I got bored with it, never being one to sit still much. I do love shooting that 94 and it, no doubt, started my love of lever guns.

My first pistol was purchased shortly after my 21st birthday. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton and the PX had a decent selection of firearms. Why they sold firearms when you weren't allowed to have them in the barracks is beyond me, but they did. I got around having to store my guns in the armory by having an off-base storage unit. I couldn't afford much on a Lance Corporal salary after making my vehicle and storage payments, but I managed a Taurus PT945. I really wanted the beautiful Colt 1911, but it was well beyond my means at the time. This was one of those times when my impatience got the better of me. The Taurus was fun to begin with and will feed nearly any 45 ACP ammo, but it doesn't group well at all. Once I got a 1911, it fell from grace. I still have it, but it sits in the safe and never gets used.

Dad always says guns were made to be bought, not sold. I've held to that, mostly. I decided to part with my first Ruger No.1, a .243, to finance the purchase of another in .308. Dad bought it because he couldn't stand to see it go anywhere. I'm glad that he did and I'll have it back one day, though I hope it is in the distant future. The other was a Bersa Thunder in .380 that I traded, plus cash, to a co-worker for a mint 70's era S&W Model 17. I'd had the Bersa for a month when the coworker said he was tired of this old 22 he had gotten years ago and that he was going to trade it in on a .380 pistol. When I saw what the "old 22" was, I had to have it. I've not regretted that decision. I do miss that Single Six........

[Hawkeye45]

My first gun other than BB guns was a Stevens octagon bbl. Rolling block .22, which my mother taught me how to shoot with (she was raised in Kentucky ). My step father sold it. I still have the 870 I got when I got out of the service.

Mr. Ed

[Dframe]

Remington Nylon 66. 46 years ago. Still have it.