Your first firearm

[Ben Rawls]

Mine was a Remington 341 my father had bought in the 30s. I came to me by default. We always had gun around and nobody thought anything of kids riding their bikes with a 22 across the handlebars. My oldest friend and I used to ride our bikes out to an old sand pit and shoot whatever. We may have been 12. I still have the rifle as well as a Rem model 12 given to my father by the owner of the American Chickle Company (Adams Chicklets). He was a close friend in the 1930s. My brother was the one who had "gun fever". He spent every waking moment at the house of our neighbor 2 houses down-a gunsmith. John still has a 1941 Remington 513S he bought for $30 in 1955 from Ed Cole. It has both a Lyman peep and a Weaver scope on it mounted so either can be used. My father gave him an LC Smith 20 ga (1906) for his 14th birthday. It cost $35 in 1957 and was bought from the original owner.