OT-How did you get started

[dennie]

I remember well my Grandpa showing me an old Winchester M1890 that he had used for years and years. He was born in 1896 so it was a pretty new piece when he bought it used. It was chambered for .22Shorts only if I recall. What a sweet old rifle to handle! It was a takedown and i remember the bullets tumbling when you shot it because the bore had been worn out! Like an idiot I sold it in hard times for nearly nothing. He also had a .22 single shot pistol of some sort. It was a rolling block action and had a home made set of grips made from bakelite, don't know what happened to the originals.
He also had a single shot .410 and a sxs double 12 ga. with hammers! Man would that thing kick!
I was 7 years old when I got to shoot these. I was allowed to carry the .410 empty while he hunted until he was sure I could keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and obeyed the usual safety rules. Finally I was allowed to hunt with him, still 7yo,and was thrilled to get my first bunny! That was in 1953. Wow has time gone by!
So, how did you all get started shooting and hunting?

[kimwcook]

By hunting with my dad and uncles. I had an uncle that was a "gun nut". He always had neat little 22 pistols, rifles and big guns. That's what really turned me into a gun addict. Yeah, that's it, it's my uncles fault.

[morgan in nm]

What got me started was my father. He was always hunting or shooting. At the time, we had our own range and it was in the middle of nowhere. The first firearm that was really mine was a very nice 20guage that he bought me when I turned 6. I fired it once and busted my nose so he traded it off for a stevens 410 pump. I loved that thing but lost it over the years for something that I thought was better. I remember one time that my dad made some soda bread just like the cavalry used to make and it was so rubbery that nobody could eat it so he let us use them for throwing targets. Me and my brother were happy about that because it was something to do.

My first handgun was an argentine copy of the woodsman. Yet, another thing I still wish I had.

[jnyork]

My grandfather was a railroad track repair foreman maintaining track between Lander and Riverton Wyoming during and after WWI. One day he found this pistol lying alongside the track, a Colt 1903 Automatic in .38ACP. It stayed in the family and I still have it. I still shoot it once in a while too.

On VJ day, I was 5 years old. Upon hearing the news on the radio, my father grabbed the gun, ran out onto the back porch and ripped off a full magazine skyward. I thought that was absolutely the coolest thing I had ever seen and I have been a gun nut ever since!

[TedH]

My Father got me started with an old Marlin 22 and a High Standard 22 revolver. He has never been a gun nut, doing what needed doing with one deer rifle, one single shot 12 ga., one 22 rifle and one 22 handgun. It was enough to set me off to over indulgence though.

[dennie]

Cool stuff seeing how others got started! I admit that very limited hunting was done in my family. Grandpa would shoot a rabbit once in a while to eat. Several times he would have me hold a burlap sack over the end of a pipe that he put in a ditch so he could drive over it behind the barn. He would fasten a couple of tobacco laths together to poke the rabbit that would live inside the pipe. The rabbit would run out the opposite end into the sack! That was fun! He would shoot crows too, just did not like them. Growing up in southwest Ohio did not offer much to hunt. It would have made all the local papers if a deer was spotted, but nobody spotted one. Now you have to be very careful when driving thru the area at night because the deer are everywhere! My dad worked too much to do much of anything. He would go hunting for rabbit with my brother and I on Thanksgiving day, but not much else. I hunted a while with my brother and a couple of friends, but now I am pretty content to watch the deer, coyotes and turkeys walk thru the 18.5 acres that I am blessed to have. It is very rare that I see the coyotes and turkeys, but they do show up on occasion.

[marlinman93]

I got started shooting long before I ever started hunting. My dad and uncles all shot and hunted when they grew up, but my dad had given up hunting when he moved from central Washington tto Oregon in 1924. He said Oregon was too populated, and too many hunters! (In 1924!) Still he retained a love for hunting, and shooting, and we grew up listening to stories and learning. We often went to my uncle's farm just out of town, and that meant a trip out back to shoot on his 60 acres with the .22 or whatever.
Later when I was in hi school I began shooting with friends, and eventually took up small game hunting. I didn't start deer hunting until I was 18, and learned the hard way, by myself. Later when my older brother and I both got out of the service, we began to hunt together, and have ever since.

[shdwlkr]

funny my mom hated guns so dad sold all of his before I was born but she made him take me to get my safety certification when I was old enough. He got me a mossberg 340k never should have sold that gun but I did. My dad never went hunting with me so I had to find friends and the like to take me out.
My best friend got me into reloading and he is the one that got me hooked on lever action rifles as we each bought one when we were 16 and we both got rid of them a few years later when we moved up into the magnum gun club. I had a remington model 700 in 264 win mag another gun I should have kept and he had a remington 7 mm mag I discovered that I could shoot the mags but they twisted me around to much so went back to regular calivers like 30-06, 270 225 winchester, 30-30 and 257 roberts and 222 never got another magnum rifle as I found out I could shoot better if it wasn't a mag.
Now I have a few levers and a few bolt action and a few black powder firearms and can do what I want and that is all I care about. Now I started this road almost 50 years ago now where has all that time gone.
I learned to hate black guns more because of what they can't do then what they can. Carried one for 7 years I will not ever have another in my collection or hands if It has a black stock when I get it will get a paint job to some other color even pink would be better then black.
Why so many folks thing they are better then any other I haven't figured out but for me that just are a non firearm and now I will most likely get flamed for that but I have shot and owned enough firearms to know what works for me and what does not and at one time had over 100 rifles that my parents cleaned for me while I was away doing with the Army.

[Modoc ED]

When I was 5-years old (1948), we went to visit my Great-Grandmother in Harrelsville, NC. My Dad took me out to his Uncle's farm and my Grandfather went along for the ride with us. After we'd been there for awhile, I noticed a rifle in the corner of the Uncle's porch and asked about it. It was a .22 LR and Uncle Rupert told my Dad to go ahead and take me out back and show me how to shoot it. My Grandfater came along with us to watch. Well, Dad put a can on a fence post about thirth yards away and told me to watch. He promptly missed the can two times. About that time, a small starling came flying/flitting along, zipping here and there and my Grandfather took the rifle from my Dad's hands and said, "Here's how it's done boys". He threw the rifle up to his shoulder and hit the bird (one shot) in mid-flight. Big puff of feathers and the bird landed "deader-than-dead" practically at our feet. Grandfather handed the rifle back to my Dad and walked off without another word. That is the one and only time I ever saw my Grandfather handle a firearm. He boasted on that shot (milked it) until his death in the 1950s.

Anyway, that was my first brush with a real firearm and even to this day when bird/duck/goose hunting, I think of my Grandfather shooting the little starling and the one-shot-kill he made with a .22 LR rifle.

EDIT: Of course that one shot kill on the starling was a fluke (1-in-a-million) shot but I do remember that on the wall in his dental office were various awards/plaques he had gotten when he was in the Army during and fighting in the Spanish American War. One certificate was a "Marksman" certificate. After the war, he went to Dental College, became a Dentist, and maintained his practice in his home in Wilmington, NC. He was wounded in the war and I have his Veterans Administration card.

[AJMD429]

Early 60's - lived in a rural area, very poor, with my widowed mother, who as a librarian was very tolerant and broad-minded. What little livestock we had to be kept safe, and she didn't like to shoot much, but let me use the little bolt-action .22LR to practice, and I was able to hit a bean can at 50 yards by second grade. By junior high, I had a (dreaded) semiautomatic .22LR with 'high capacity' magazine, and was shooting feral dogs regularly. Then a friend of my older brother began bringing over old Mausers and pistols and stuff, and I got to shoot many of them, and I developed an appreciation for the 'fine old guns' of the past century.

Then I went off to college, and noticed the typical college kid (especially the 'pre-med' ones) was woefully inexperienced in life, and guns and shooting were things they rarely knew anything about, and had lots of misinformation about. I still had little time to shoot, and no money to buy guns with.

By age 30 years of age, I was STILL in college, owned a $200 car, and was $250,000 in debt, working or in school 100 hours a week or more (but the promise of a career as a 'doctor' was still ahead ). However, one lesson I'd learned was to be FRUGAL - for a college student, living on $3,500 a year was not really that difficult back then... So, as soon as I could get back in the rural areas, I started buying guns I'd wanted to try, trading them for others if I didn't like them, and once in awhile (the harsh reality of raising 4 kids and paying massive education loans on $25,000 a year set in) selling some off when we needed to add a bedroom or fix the roof.

I didn't start deer hunting until my income had hit the $75k mark (which it is now sinking back below, thanks to our government-insurer cartel ) but then at least had two of every three weekends off, and got a nice Mossberg rifled slug gun. I was about 40 years old then.

Since then, I've taken advantage of good years, lived frugally, and even though I don't have ALL the cool guns I'd like, I really have all the ones I 'need' - my 'wish list' is topped now by an ordinary .22 revolver most likely.

I went through the 'kid' phase where everything pointy, powerful, and modern was cool, and if it wasn't semiauto, it just wasn't enough, but for the past few years, I've pretty much come to think that leverguns fill 80% of my needs, with pointy-bullet bolt/semis 10% and handguns 10%.

I wish more kids could grow up 'rural' and free like I did.

[BigSky56]

My grandpa taught me to shoot my dad taught me to hunt, I saw my grandpa take pheasants on the wing with a rem 22 . My dad killed alot of deer with a savage 22 highpower till the ammo got to expensive then he switched to a 25-35. He sure likes savage rifles. danny

[jdad]

The Boy Scouts of America. They were either Remington 512's or Winchester 69A's, but I was hooked after the first round.

[Lastmohecken]

Man! I was hooked on guns by the time I was wearing pants and walking upright. In the early 60's, I was already in the first grade in school and throughly entrenced in the gun cluture. By 8yrs I had my first BB Gun, then the following year a single shot .22, another year or two and I was hunting deer with my dad's old swedish carbine, and singlebarrel shotgun. By the time I was thirteen or so, I had my first leveraction model 94 30/30, and in another couple of years I had a Marlin 45/70. The 45/70 was the first rifle I bought with my own money, after getting my first summer job, off of the farm. Then I traded the 30/30 for a double barrel shotgun, then after a couple of more years, traded the 45/70 for a Remington 700 in 30-06.

After a couple of more years I trade the 30-06 for a Remington 700 in .270. By that time I had developed into a better hunter, and a better shot, and the .270 accounted for a lot of deer, and coyotes, etc. for the next 20yrs. But the last twenty or so years, I have probably used a Browning BLR .308 more then any other centerfire rifle. But I own a lot of tradition leveractions, which I also enjoy using. And I also love fine side by side shotguns, and love to go pheasant hunting at least once or twice a year.

Of course I was also experiementing with several other guns, including several pistols by that time. Over the years, I bet I have owned and traded for at least 150 guns or more, and also shot competition for several years, in IPSC, Hunter Pistol Silhouette, Bullseye, and IDPA, not to mention tradition archery 3D competiton.

One thing is for sure, I have sure spent more money then I care to think about, over the years, enjoying guns, shooting, and hunting. It's a sickness that has no cure, and rarely goes into summision for long.

[Streetstar]

My Father got me started with an old Marlin 22 and a High Standard 22 revolver. He has never been a gun nut, doing what needed doing with one deer rifle, one single shot 12 ga., one 22 rifle and one 22 handgun. It was enough to set me off to over indulgence though.

sounds like me --- dad had a 20 gauge, a 9 shot HR 22 pistol, and usually borrowed a rifle to go deer hunting (he had close to a 6 figure income -- shooting just wasnt his thing)

Later, when i had a little money of my own, i bought him his model 94 and he loved that rifle and took it hunting several times before he left this earth for a better one. His new wife was "kind enough" (bitch) to let me have it back. Its a plain wrap model (late model receiver safety) , but i am its caretaker ----- i didnt want to mess his rifle up shooting it too much, so i bought myself a Henry 22 to plink and now --- i have a whole stable of the darn things (leverguns that is)

I take Dad's gun out every now and then, its not a safe queen, but i'd say inheriting that back turned me into a levergun nut.

[Old Ironsights]

I got started because... well... no reason actually.

My folks are non-gun types. Always have been.

I'm a gunny. Always have been... even before moving to WY where people actually HAD guns.

5 yrs later (after a couple of misadventures buying guns that I was "not legally allowed" to...), I joined the HS small-bore team (9th grade)... Lettered immediately.

Went deer hunting (never did small game) at (barely) 16... the minute my HS cert would allow without a parent.

Went Army at 17...

The rest is a series of international incidents....

[Mich Hunter]

The rest is a series of international incidents....

Had a few of these myself

[pokey]

i sounds like quite a few kids here had some influence from
family, that's great. i on the other hand must have been born
this way, my parents owned no guns, but every stick, tool,
car part, furniture piece turn into a gun in my hands as far back
as i can remember. one favorite was the small caster[wheel]
from an iron bedstead, felt just like a derringer from the t.v.
to a seven year old. then my dad and i went to north carolina
to visit relatives when i was 12/13 and i got to shoot a 22.
well that was IT. after a year or so of begging,wheedling,whining
he broke down and allowed me to buy a bb gun. the rest as they
say is history, i don't think my mom ever forgave my dad for letting
me have that first bb gun. she misliked guns til the day she died.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Dad was a police officer and every Saturday morning he went with his "Partner" to the Benton Harbor Police range down on the dunes of Lake Michigan to practice. His Partner had a 22 rifle and I was sent down the line with a handful of ammo to pop cans attached to the wire.
Dad also was a muzzleloader and some Sundays we were off to shoots with his Navy buddy from New Buffalo. That old 69 was bigger than me for many years.
Mike in Peru God Bless you

[the telegraphist]

I was born a gun nut, none of my folks were heavily into guns, but from a very early age I was into them, totally fascinated. Still am today, heavily into the lever rifles and single actions, perhaps in a past life I was a citizen, they just feel so right, shoot so well. Am looking out for one of the 250 S&W Russian models that came to Australia on a contract, but have had no luck so far. Nobody seems to know too much about that contract.

[Ysabel Kid]

Like many, another thing I inherited from my father. He had done a tour in the US Army, and then was a high school history teacher before becoming a Special Agent with the FBI. He loved shooting and the history of firearms, but was not a hunter. I was born and raised around guns, and like so many other little boys, wanted to be just like my Dad. I was too young to collect real guns, though he started me off fairly early, so I collected everything else weaponry-wise I could get my hands on.

I started my son shooting VERY early, and he is just like me - fascinated with weapons, and showing a real appreciation for this historical impact and significance. And he just loves to shoot!!!

[AmBraCol]

Here's more info than you probably wanted...

http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/arti ... -way1.html



http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/arti ... -way2.html



http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/arti ... -way3.html

[rangerider7]

My father would take me to my mothers place in Woodson, Texas. Every time we went we would hunt something; doves, rabbits, frogs, coons, quail etc. I started with a Remington 22 single shot and Stevens bolt action 410. I now have over 50 guns. I think I over did it a bit.

[RIHMFIRE]

My great uncle on my dads side hunted.... I have his 94 winchester.....
My Dad hunted...had a few hunting guns...mostly shotguns...which were given to me....
My Grandfather bought a 1871 remington rolling block in 38 rimfire for 25 bucks or so
back in 68, it graces my wall today....I have 1 bullet for it
We had "adpoted aunts and uncles"..really good friends...
We spent all the holidays together...hunted together....
and my Dad aquired some of their guns, which also sit in my gun rack today...
The Remington 870 12 ga Wingmaster Trap gun, made in the early 60's is the
most used gun I have....The old timers brought home lots of venison with it and
I have shot tons of clay targets with it....and i mean tons of targets
My Dad bought me a Stevens 22 when i was fifteen...I still have that one...
An other uncle....gave me a moosberg 22 at 15...I still have that one....
So you can see....I grew up around guys who loved to hunt and shoot....
and it just rubbed off on me....and back in 83 I got this desease
called LEVERITIS....and had it ever since....cant shake it and wont

[Sixgun]

My Dad's folks all came from the mountains of Pa. and were hunters mostly. When I was 5 or 6, my Dad put an M-1 carbine in my hands and said "shoot". Ain't stopped since.------Sixgun

[BenT]

Lived in town till I was about 9 then moved to the country next to my grandfathers farm. My father worked all the time like most fathers , but once we moved the country he took me squirrel hunting . He had a single shot springfield 22 and single 12 guage. I still remember the first squirrel hunt with my dad. He sat on top of a hill. He would shoot a squirrel and I would run down the hill and get it . By the time I got to the top he would have another to go get. This went on for about a dozen squirrels.

But then my dad's favorite hunting kicked in. We got a coonhound and hunted coon with his H&R sidekick 22 revolver. Now my real squirrel hunting started at about 11 when I would get off the bus and grab the 22 and walk 1 1/2 mile through the woods across the ridge and down into the valley to my grandfathers farm to milk cows. I wanted to shoot grouse so my dad got a H&R 20 guage and later he got a Ruger 10/22 . He really got it for himself , I think it reminded him of the M1 carbine . His only other gun was a Rem 742 in 30-06. In high school if I went to the basketball game I had to be back by 10:30 . If I went coon hunting with my friends I could stay out all night.

When I was 13 I went to buy my first deer rifle at the hardware store. I had $100 saved up and wanted the Marlin 30-30 , but it was $149 and I was hopeing my dad would kick in the difference. But they had a sale on the Win 94 for $94 and my dad said that's the deal to go with.

I still have all the firearms I talked about.

[Charles]

Honest guys, I started so young, I have no memory of when it begun. From the time I was born, I spent much time on the family ranch in Trickham Texas, and guns were just part of that life.

[C. Cash]

My Dad was/is a gun nut. He had a glass gun cabinet and those guns were always there for me to ogle over and dream about. When I was 4 or 5 I started going shooting with him. We lived on the border of Mesa/Apache Junction in AZ, but after a short drive we were out near the Superstitions where you could shoot all you wanted to. Had an Ithaca 49 Lever and a old Western Field(Mossberg) made in 1937 that we shot TONS of 22 Winchester Wildcats out of. My brother and I would sometimes switch back and forth with our guns and would just have the time of our lives. My Dad had a Ruger Single Six in the 22 mag only version. Man I thought he looked cool with that on his hip and the fireball always impressed me when he would shoot it in low light.. After shooting we'd go eat at a local bar that served the best fried chicken and mojoes around(Kovac's Korner). Then the sweet smell of Hoppes at home and I would be ready to go again. Westerns always interested me most, and History and that helped fuel my desire for guns. I always wanted double shotguns, lever action Winchesters and Single Action pistols ...nothing else really got my attention too much unless it was military and old.

At age 10, my folks split, and I went to live with my Grandparents and my Cowboy Uncle in California. Between my Granparents telling me stories of frontier Oklahoma and Texas and my Uncle buying me my first Shotgun(an H & R 12 Gauge Single) and encouraging my shooting/hunting habit as much as he could, I was a goner. Now I have 3 boys, and we have had great fun shooting 22's and chasing Turkeys. Hope to pass on this love to them and if not, it will have still been time well spent together.