first firearm

[Highwall]

My first firearm was a Savage Crack shot model 72 in 22 single shot. It easily digested shorts, longs and Long rifle rounds. It had a octagonal blued barrel and a case hardened receiver. Yes I still have it and will give it to my grandson once he's of age.

I was nine years old when grandpa took me to the local trash site and we shot at rats in the evening hours. He gave me a nickel for every one It hit. I think I made 50 cents that day. 

[Three Foot Johnson]

Ithaca M49 around age 9 (1965 or thereabout). A couple years later, I earned enough money to buy a Colt Frontier Scout. Still have both of 'em.

[Jack Spade]

Mine was a rifle similar to yours, a Stevens Little Scout .22 single shot falling block.  I was ten when my great uncle gave it to me.  All of my kids, nieces and nephews and several friend's kids have shot that little gun as their first gun.  It is put away in my safe and will be passed to my grandkids. 

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

First one I bought was a Nylon 66. Traded it for a 10 speed bicycle. Then bought a Nylon 77 in 1970 and still have it.

 

However, I got this one in 1966 after my grandfather died. It was made in the 1840's.

 

[Goody, SASS #26190]

S&W Model 19, 6 inch, target trigger and stocks. Age 15 from an individual in 1972.

 

[Flatbush]

Winchester 30-30. It was a good deer rifle. Now it's my CAS "long range" gun.

 

 

3 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

Ithaca M49 around age 9 (1965 or thereabout)

 

 I have one of those too!   I used to use it for "hunter rifle silhouette" matches. (Although I didn't get mine till I was in my 50's!)

[Cat Brules]

I was an expert with a Remington 40X, .22 caliber, single shot target rifle (big and heavy, for a little kid) when I was about 8years old.  I would shoot at an indoor range inside a military building at Fort Bliss.  I would pedal over there from our quarters once a week early on Saturday morning, they’d plug me into whatever group of Gi’s they had training there at the time, and I’d shoot targets at 50 feet.  I had to bring my own ammo.
 

The first weapon I actually owned was a used 9-shot .22 revolver I bought for $8 when I was 9yo.  .22 ammo was 50¢, and I couldn’t afford much, given my $1, sometimes $2/wk allowance.

 

Cat Brules

[Go West]

Had an unknown model Marlin .22 with peep sight and sling. It cost around $15 and had a bad stock refinish on it. A box of shells was around $.50 and I could get them at a local gas station. Oh, I bought the rifle on my own at a gun shop, no ppwk. Sold it to raise money for band in H.S.

My mom and I had a deal, she would cook them if I cleaned the rabbits. 

[Hashknife Cowboy]

Back in the early 60’s when 22 shorts were fifty cents a box.....Winchester 1902 .22 pump.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Marlin 22 bolt rifle in 1952.  Still have it.

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

The first gun I purchased with my own earned money was a Savage Model 19 bolt action .22 rifle when I was 14 years old. My dad had one that was a tack driver. He had a good friend that was a gunsmith so we had it drilled and tapped for a scope, and had the last 6" of the barrel cut off to make it a Mannlicher style just like dads. It to was a tack driver, and I still have it today 51 years later. Years later I purchased one like it for my son and had it modified, and he has since purchased two more, one for each of his two boys, and did the same modification. I guess my dad started a family tradition. Dad's rifle is with my brother now.

[Eyesa Horg]

About the mid 70's I purchased my first non air gun. A Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 .22. Still have it, still shoots great.

[Eyesa Horg]

Gawd I'm gettin' old

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

My first gun was a gift from a fishing friend - a Browning Citori 12 gauge.  I got a late start in shooting - I was 50 y.o., and he wanted a shooting buddy.  He took the time to teach me the basics, and it was all downhill from there.  He has long since passed, but I remember him every time I handle that gun.

 

LL

[Captain Bill Burt]

I spent a lot of time living on military installations, so I don't recall ever being given a gun as mine, nor being allowed to buy one.  I did a lot of shooting with a variety of BB guns and pellet rifles,  and pistols.  It wasn't uncommon for my father or one of my grandfathers to lend me a gun to go shoot for whatever reason.  When that happened it was typically either one grandfather's old double 12 gauge, the other's .22 snubbie revolver, or one of my dad's guns, most of which I have now.

 

My grandfather convinced me that the .22 revolver was perfect for hunting varmints in the woods behind his house, so that's what I did. Nobody told me that shooting squirrels and snakes with a 2-3 inch barreled .22 was a bit of a reach.  I think it's a Lady Smith.  My brother has that one.

 

The Colt Government model 1911 was my favorite to shoot, the few times I was given it.  I think that started my love affair with the 1911 when I was about 11.  After the Lady Smith the 1911 seemed so easy to aim it felt like cheating. Of course the recoil as a bit different.

[Yusta B.]

Savage Model 24 - .22/.410 for my 12th birthday - 1954. There wasn't a safe squirrel within 10 miles come that next Sept 15th. 

[Dantankerous]

First rifle, Marlin 1894 44 mag.

 

First revolver, Ruger SBH, 44 mag

 

First pistol, S&W 5906, 9mm.

 

First shotgun, Mossberg 500 12 ga.

 

 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

First gun that was "mine" was a gift from my father, a Winchester 9422 in .22WMRF.  

First gun I ever bought with my own money was a Remington 870 in 1985.  Bought it at the K-Mart I was then working at.  It was last years model, and on clearance for $205.  If I recall correctly 870s were going for around $300 or so at the time, so it was a bargain.

30" full choke barrel.   A few years ago I got a 20" no choke safe for steel shot barrel for it to use at a local club doing Zoot Shooting that was restricted to steel shot.   The 870 is not normally Zoot legal, but since they were stuck having to use steel shot only, this club said "any pump safe for steel will do."

First pistol I bought was a 1911 made in 1913.   The chamber was pitted and would not eject spent shells, so I put a new barrel it.  {Still have the original though}   Cost me $400.   In 2013, I used this gun at EoT for the Wild Bunch match.   Not a single malfunction.

[El CupAJoe]

First gun was a Rossi circuit judge, thought if I only had one it was a good idea to have a shotgun and a rifle, it sucked at both... but it taught me a lot of things and I traded it for a Ruger 77/357.

[Pat Riot]

The first gun that I bought was a Colt Combat Gov’t .45 when I was 22 after I got out of the Navy. I sure wish I had it now. 
 

Growing up I shot lots of guns but was never allowed to “own” one. My favorite was my Dad’s S&W K-22 with an 8 3/8” barrel. What a tack driver. 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Except for shooting my brother's J C Higgins .22 rifle a lot as a teenager, I also was late to getting into guns.  First in 1998 was an FEG (Hungarian) copy of a Walther PP in .380.  It was crappy but fed ball ammo okay and I used it go get my carry license.  Later traded it in a smoking deal on a Colt Diamondback.

[Eyesa Horg]

8 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Except for shooting my brother's J C Higgins .22 rifle a lot as a teenager, I also was late to getting into guns.  First in 1998 was an FEG (Hungarian) copy of a Walther PP in .380.  It was crappy but fed ball ammo okay and I used it go get my carry license.  Later traded it in a smoking deal on a Colt Diamondback.

What a coincidence-- went up the road to shoot BP muzzleloader with the other old farts. One guy brought along a J.C. Higgins .22 as well. Great fun!

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

My First shotgun was a H&R 410 single shot. 

First rifle was a Glenfield modle 60 .22 

First Centerfire rifle was a good old Winchester 94 30/30

First hand gun was a Ruger Black Hawk 44 Magnum. 

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

My first purchase was a Pietta '58 Remington with adjustable sights from Cabelas for $99 - back in 1989.

 

GG ~ 

[Black Angus McPherson]

The first gun I ever owned was a Japanese 6.5 mm Arisaka rifle.  My parents bought it at a garage sale for $8 and gave it to me for Christmas.  It was "broken" and wouldn't shoot.  The safety was stuck on and the bolt handle was halfway between up and down.  A friend of the family was a "gun guy" and when I showed him the rifle he whacked the bolt handle with the palm of his hand a couple times knocking it into the down position.   The safety was then easily turned off and TADA! the gun worked fine.  My mom was not pleased.     The rifle was almost as tall as me.  The Friend of family loaded up some 6.5 Jap ammo for me and took me to the range.  The rifle kicked like a mule and couldn't hit the side of a barn unless you were standing inside with the doors closed.  But, it was FUN.

 

The first gun I ever bought was a 20 ga. Remington 870 Wingmaster.  It cost me $100 from Target(?) and my dad had to buy it for me.

Great shotgun, but long gone in a trade for something I needed more.

 

Sweet memories.

 

Angus

[Ron "Ironhead" Smith]

Springfield Model 87A, they were made from 1938-1940 and it was my dad's when he was a kid, He got it at age 8 and I got it at age 8. .22lr for semi or push the knob in after cocking and it would shoot shorts, longs and long rifles if you manually cycled it. Pushing the knob in locked the bolt. I still have it but it likes to jam in semi now. They're sometimes called "gill guns" for slots in the receiver.

[Michigan Slim]

My first shotgun was an H&R .410 when I was 11. Still have it. My first rifle was a Thompson Center Renegade. My son has that now after shooting his first deer with it. First centerfire rifle was my Ruger M77mkII in .270. 

[The Blarney Kid]

My first firearm was a Winchester 62a slide action .22. I got it for my 13th birthday. I still have it and taught my daughter to shoot with it. Have it for 54 years now.

[Sarge]

Sears .22 semi-auto rifle when I was about 7 or 8 years old, for a Christmas present.  It still has a place of honor in my Gunsafe.

[Ozark Shark]

My first rifle was this bolt-action .22LR Mossberg 146B-A that was handed down to me when I was six.  I took a lot of squirrels with it when I was a kid.

 

My first shotgun was this 12g. Hiawatha 130VR.  I bought it from our Gambles Hardware store when I was 12 years old.  I walked the 12 blocks home with it on my shoulder and no one gave it a second thought other than to ask what I had.  How times have changed, and not for the better.

 

I obviously still have both of them.

 

[Cypress Sun]

Winchester Model 57 .22 bolt action, detachable magazine rifle. Extremely accurate. Still have it. Have 2 original mags for it and have been looking for other original mags....haven't found any though.

[WOLFY]

We had just moved to the US my dad’s Aunt lived in Calistoga on enough property to shoot on.  Since there were a lot of us kids and only a couple .22 rifles, my dad got me a Remington bolt action .22 lr.  Wish I could say I still had it, I think it got handed down at some point.

[Michigan Slim]

Kaya's first gun was a Ruger 1022. A dang money hose! Can't say how many mags I've loaded for that thing. I gave away the drum mag. An hour loading it for 30 seconds of fun.

[Deadwood Miner, SASS # 45575]

At age 16 for $50 I purchased one of the first Model 39a produced after WW2.  It is a "c" model Serial C-XXXX.  Still have it and use it regularly at the family range.  After shooting it all these years, it has never been in the shop.

DEADWOOD MINER

45575

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

On 4/14/2021 at 9:04 AM, Yusta B. said:

Savage Model 24 - .22/.410 for my 12th birthday - 1954. There wasn't a safe squirrel within 10 miles come that next Sept 15th. 

The gun of my childhood dreams!   Wound up with a Stevens 94 .410 so got at least half a model 24.  That was 1958.