I will have to give most of the credit for my love of firearms to my dearly departed grandfather. Sure my dad took me shooting a .22 rifle now and then, but my his father, my grandfather, was a retired cop. We would often go shooting, and he really got me into the love of it. He taught me how to shoot a handgun when I was a kid, truly a step up from those old .22 rifles. Of course, before I was allowed to shoot on the range, he spent about a week teaching me the Weaver stance and dry firing his old PD issue Model 64 until I fully understood how to work a DA trigger. He also taught me how to shoot a .357 Magnum, a 3" Model 65 - his detective issue gun. That 3" .357 was quite a handful for kid but I learned quick. After that I started shooting his P220 and was suprised that the big fat .45 ACP was easier to shoot than the .357 K-frame.

He also made me clean all the guns after every range trip. Everytime I open a bottle of Hoppe's 9 it takes me back to his workshop, and him looking over me - can't say that for the new brands. As he was a former watch commander, he would give a proper inspection after cleaning. I think I had that old Model 64 cleaner than when she left Springfield!