Your first firearm

[Harry Reed]

My first was a Marlin 336 lever rifle in .30 .30. Bought it on closeout at J C Pennys. I think they were shutting down their gun department. Had to get my dad to go with me because I was only 16. Still have it.

[Craig Larter]

A Ithaca model 49 .22 single shot in 1962. I asked my dad for a bb gun and he gave me the .22. I couldn't believe I got a real rifle instead of a bb gun. First shotgun was 1963 a Browning A-5 16ga that belonged to my Uncle Harvey who was completely paralyzed by a stroke at a very young age. He also gave me a deer mount from a 12 pt buck he had killed in the early 30's in the Adirondacks. My parents actually trusted me with the guns in my bedroom----imagine! One day after school I thought I was home alone and a big crow had settled in a tree outside my bedroom window. I whacked him with the Browning but to my surprise my mom was home. I was in big trouble---grounded for a few weeks and the guns were locked away for a few months.

[Grantham Forester]

Originally Posted by Angel Cruz

Asi se escribe "Parris" Island. Que bruto!!

Lo siento- Yo no soy un Marine, pero uno "Swabie"- Que lastima- estatione de Roosevelt Caminoes en Puerto Rico. Y San Juan, casadador de muchas putas, si???

[Angel Cruz Ortiz]

That's pretty good spanish "Swabie", I hope you hunting birds now.

The first gun I bought was a Winchester Model 70 in .270, I got it back in 94, used but in excellent condition. The first time at the range the recoil kicked my butt(shoulder) and I have not used it since. Still in the safe in excellent condition. I'll stick to my 30-06.

[Big D]

20 gauge Remington 11-48 with IC choke. Later replaced by a Polychoke. Killed my first duck, a drake ringneck, with it.

As with many others in this thread, it went down the road in some forgotten trade/sale.

Nothing remarkable about it, but would like to have it in the safe today

[Captain Bob]

My first firearms came as a pair. A .22 Winchester 62A and a .410 Winchester 42 both in canvas and leather take down cases which had been prop guns in our family photography business and were given to me when we moved to the Philadelphia suburbs around 1952; I was 10 and the luckiest kid in the world. Still have the .22 now tricked out with a Lyman 103 tang sight adjustable for windage and elevation, with a Merit Disc, and a Lyman 17 globe front sight. It gets to the range to burn up a couple boxes of recently hoarded .22LR every so often. Just before I turned 16 I discovered W. Stokes Kirk Military Surplus way up the trolley line on 5th street in Philadelphia and sold off the 42 to fund the acquisition of an array of Civil War carbines and rifles. I remember one particular event with the 62A. Our next door neighbor at the time worked for Dupont in some capacity and one day he handed me a double fist full of .22 shorts in what looked like flat thin Chicklets chewing gum cellophane wrapped boxes each holding about 20 shells. They were called “Crumble Balls” or some such name, I suppose for use in carnival sideshows. Of course I shot them up as soon as I had a chance. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen or heard of packaging like that since and wonder if I they would be a collectable these days.

Bob

[Chris T.]

We had a number of family guns that sort of rotated households when I was a kid, but the first gun my dad gave me was a Rossi model 62. I picked it out at the Kittery Trading Post months before Christmas and it sat in the grandfather clock in mom and dad's room until the big day. I remember shooting it Christmas day when it was about 2 degrees outside. I still have it, the boys will be ready soon!

[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.

[George Lander]

Originally Posted by Grantham Forester

Lo siento- Yo no soy un Marine, pero uno "Swabie"- Que lastima- estatione de Roosevelt Caminoes en Puerto Rico. Y San Juan, casadador de muchas putas, si???

NO HABLA: But, yes, I did matriculate thru Roosevelt Roads when doing 5" 38 bombardment of Vieques & Culebra and the putas in Old San Juan were memorable to say the least. We tied up in Charagumus (sic) where we did battle with the Jarhead contingent from the EM Club back to the ship.

Best Regards, George

[George Lander]

My first gun was a Remington Fieldmaster Model 121 .22 caliber s,l & lr (which I still heve) purchased by my Dad from S.B. McMaster Sporting Goods in Columbia, SC for my 6th birthday. With it I became a dead-eye in murdering empty beer cans. Not long after came a 16 gauge single barrel H&R which I soon traded for a Parker 10 gauge hammergun (which I also still have) along with a box of Super X shells. I later came to own his Fox Sterlingworth 12 gauge that he acquired thru McMaster (and which the research letter attests to) in the 1920's. That was the only gun, to my knowledge, that he ever owned in my lifetime. I had it completely restored before he passed & gave it back to him. My Dad was born in 1896 and served with General Pershing & Captain Patton on the Mexican Border prior to WW1 in the 11th Mounted Cavalry.

Best Regards, George