first firearm

[Noz]

First gun was a .62 caliber flinter converted to cap and ball. Lock plate read 1836.  A palm full of powder under a plastic envelope of BBs with a musket cap was pure rabbit poison.  I was about 10 years old and I "liberated" the gun from my grandfather's closet.  I was allowed to play with it because it really wasn't a gun.  A lot of the loads I shot I think would have given an elephant pause.

I killed a redtail hawk at about 50 yards with a handful of powder under a wad of toilet paper and a bunch of lead sprus from a pouring adventure and a good sized glass marble.  DRT

[doc roy l. pain]

My first actual firearm was a Winchester model 12, 20 gauge that my father let me pick out from a local hardware store in 1965. I was 12 years old. I remember they had another one there in 12 gauge. The first shells that I had for it were from Montgomery wards. They were wax coated paper. I think they called them Ward’s Red Heads

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

My first firearm, was using my grand-dad's J.C. Higgins, bolt-action .22, with a tubular feed, and a rear peep sight. It is old enough, that it doesn't even have a serial number on it. He had it as far back as I can remember, but I have no idea when it was made, or by whom. Mossberg maybe, or Savage? 

 

Still have it, still accurate. 

[Tennessee Red]

When I was born, or shortly after, my dad bought me a .410 bore shotgun, Western Auto Revelation Model 330 which is a Mossberg.  When I was old enough to almost hold it he started introducing me to it. It lived for years at my grandmother's house as her home defense (and tool for dispatching marauding groundhogs out of her garden which she continued to do at least until age 93, the last time I remember he telling me she shot one!) and we'd go get it to go hunting. By the time I was 16 and old enough to drive I'd been hunting with him for several years and was trusted alone with it so he told me any time I wanted it to just "call mom and let her know you want it and go get it."

He took me squirrel hunting at about age six, such as it was (him sitting beside me holding the gun etc.)  Reportedly I was pretty impatient and after maybe ten minutes yelled, "squirrels! Come on out of them trees!"

 

He later, when I was about 12-13, bought me a Glenfield Model 25 bolt action 22, made by Marlin.  I still have both of the guns though the magazine for the Glenfield is lost and people want a ridiculous sum for them now. I'll probably pay it anyway though as I'd like to get the rifle going again.  When I was 13 or 14 he bought me a Winchester Model 70 in .243 Winchester to deer hunt with. I still have it too, nice rifle that's still in perfect shape.

 

The first gun I bought for myself was a Harrington and Richardson single shot 16 gauge, modified choke, because I wanted more pellets and a wider pattern than the 410 for close birds like grouse, of which it accounted for a few. Well I should say for which I paid and he bought of course.   I still have it too.

This is a scan of the original Polaroid from some time in the mid to late 60s of my dad, me as a tyke, and that first shotgun. I don't know how old I was in this, four or five?  I was born in 63 so that should help get an idea of dating this.