Who all's first gun was a single shot?

[rondog]

My oldest brother handed down his old Remington model 514 single shot .22 rifle to me for Xmas when I was around 10 y.o. I'm 57 now, and I just refinished the stock on it last week. Found out there was a beautiful piece of walnut hiding under the brown glop that Remington put on it. It's now finished with Fairtrimmer's and tung oil, and looks better than ever!

<edit> I've determined from Remington's website that it's probably a 1953 model. So it's older than me by 3 years.

[Snowbelt]

Got an Stevens single shot bolt action 410 for Christmas in 1964. Shot a running rabbit with the first shot. thought I was the greatest hunter ever! Sad part that it was stolen in 1987 while living in OKC. Loved that gun!

[roverboy]

My first gun was a Win. 37 16 gauge that belonged to my father.

[Kraschenbirn]

Single-barrel Savage .410 - Xmas present from my favorite uncle (who taught me to shoot) when I was 8.

[quilbilly]

My first rifle was an old Sears 22lr single shot with a broken extractor when I was 10. Had to carry a small screwdriver to lever out the fired case. Making the first shot count became second nature. I think my dad gave it to me on purpose to make me a careful shooter. Four years later he gave me a Marlin semi-auto but the "shoot sparingly" habit was fully ingrained. That is probably why, 50 years later, AR's hold no fascination for me but I have half a dozen Contender/Encore frames and more than a dozen barrels.

[rattletrap1970]

Stevens Crack Shot 26 .22 Cal
The first gun my Dad ever took me to shoot, when I was about 7 (1977). Still have the gun.

[square butte]

Winchester model 37 - 20 gauge

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

My first at age 11 was a H&R Topper combo, 30-30 / 20 gauge. Wish it was still here.

[chickenstripe]

H&R 20 ga, paid $60 for it new from Kmart.
Shot it so much, had to replace the firing pin 3 times.

Long since traded away.

[gandydancer]

Brought it my self from silvermans hardware in Calais Maine 1953 $13.00 Winchester single shot. had to pull the bolt back to shoot it. forget the model. shot a ton of critters with it for food. and a lot of river rats. had it stolen a few years later by a school buddy who ask to use it and moved away a week later.never seen him or the rifle again for fifty years. 50 year class reunion walked up to me and said he was sorry about the rifle. and in conversation told me he was dying of cancer. I looked him in the eye and said "do u think I care" YES!! I hold a grudge. (PS) just found out today 10/23/13 4 yrs later. THE SOB is still alive?? oh well!

[Texantothecore]

Traditions .50 ml. I still have it.

[Groo]

Groo here
Does my Savage 24 , 22lr/20ga , count???????

[abqcaster]

First gun I ever shot, not too soon after I could stand, was my Granddaddy's Springfield Model 15 youth rifle. I must have taken 100 skunks with it when I lived on the farm... It got passed to me when Grandaddy died, and it's gonna go to my kids and theirs. It's a strong connection to Granddaddy and my heritage. He was a trail boss up and down central NM, and he retired as a foreman in Lincoln county. He was a God-honest cowboy, born just 2 years after billy the kid was taken down. I can still remember sitting on his lap transfixed by all of his trail and cowboying stories. I wish I had been older then and asked him more questions. Anyway, that old gun shoots straight as an arrow to this day. I am proud my kids are gonna learn to shoot with it too.

[Bullshop Junior]

My first gun was one of those little airplane crash survival 22 hornet over 410. Regret selling it now as it would make a good trapline gun.

[Lefty Red]

I got a used 058 H&R 16ga Long Tom when I was 10 years old. My Mom, single parent and factory worker, got it for me for Christmas. I loved that "Tom"! Its somewhere in a strip pit in Southern Illinois right now! Lost it when I almost fell out a boat when I high school. I was sick for days! That SS made me a great shot and a a patient hunter. I could reload quicker than most could work a pump! LOL

I have a Deluxe Topper now! Its in 12 ga, but wish I could have gotten a true 16ga (20ga frame and 16ga barrel).

Lefty

[felix]

Pump pellet gun. My dad thought I was ready for the big stuff after I impressed him with some fairly long shots. No way near ready! I got a 20 gage double, LCSmith, for Christmas at 9 years old and went Quail hunting with him and Granddad. I have the spent shells which were magic marked by my dad as to time, place. It took 20 years to adjust to the recoil and most emphatically the noise presented by the child's sawed off gun, both barrel and stock. The gun now is fully restored and my son has it now, and he does well with it. He got the gun at age 14. ... felix

[jumbeaux]

Christmas 1963...at the back of the tree was a long narrow box wrapped in brown heavy butcher paper (mom & dad owned a very small country store)...it was the last box under the tree and it was for me...a Stevens Model 940A .410 shotgun...I thought we would never finish our Christmas Dinner (lunch to my northern brothers)...finally after all the dishes were washed and put away daddy and I stepped outside and he gave me the full safety instruction lesson...to prove his point he put a gallon can on the ground in front of the wood pile and put a load of 6 shot into it...then it was my turn...50 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday...still own it and one day so will my grandson...

rick

[Wayne Smith]

I was 9 and my brother was 11. Under the Christmas tree was a Sears (Marlin made) single shot 22 Safety bolt action. Every time you open the bolt the safety is re-set to safe. Nobody taught me to shoot it, the first time I took it out I saw rabbit ears. I had no idea how to aim the thing. I shot almost a full box of shorts at that rabbit, several when he was sitting on top of a stone wall in clear sight. Missed every one! Dad then taught me how to aim.

I still have it. Refinished the stock several years ago.

[1Shirt]

First rifle was a Win Bolt Action single shot 22LR, first shotgun was a Stevens 12 gage single shot (a real kicker). Still have the 22.
1Shirt!

[Crash_Corrigan]

I cut my teeth on a Savage Model 23 bolt rifle in .22lr. It was an extremely accurate rifle. I must have put near 25,000 rounds thru that rifle from 1955 to 1960. Ammo was only $.50 a box and that was for the expensive long rifle kind. The .22 longs and shorts were cheaper. It was heavy and not too lively to handle. However it made up for all of that with the accuracy.

However it had a problem. If a round was chambered and the rifleman would open the bolt slightly and then close it completely a round would fire. So it was not safe with a round chambered at all.