Do you still have your first handgun, do you still have it?

Yep. In 1960, I was 3 years old.

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Nope, it was an Erfurt Luger, and the barrel wasn't too good. Had a couple of other problems too. I kept it a few years and shot it a lot, but when someone wanted it, he got it.
 
Yes. It was the first handgun I bought brand new, and I bought it in the sporting goods department at Montgomery Wards in the early 70's.
It's a S&W Model 19-3, 6" still in it's original box with papers.

I remember at the time that I just had to have a "Combat Magnum".

Obviously a sentimental piece, I imagine it will disappear into the hands of one of my nephews before my body gets cold.
 
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Yup a Harrington & Richardson 929

Bought in a combination Gun-shop / Dry Cleaners
in Northern Berkshire County MA around 1980
 
Yup.. still got my S&W m17
Picture in the other "first gun" thread ;)
 
My first guns were a pair of CZs, a vz. 50 and a vz. 52. The 52 came with a pigskin holster, a spare mag and about 1200 rounds of Chinese and Russian ammo. There were a couple of boxes of 7.65 for the 50, just one mag, and a gun rug.

At the time, I was in my '40s, and had a mild interest in guns. I thought I wanted a 1911 but had never seen my way clear to spend that kind of money on something non-motorcycle-related.
I had some CZ motorbikes, and a buddy thought the guns would go well with them. The price was pretty attractive, so the guns became mine.

I still have the guns and the bikes, although the '66 twin-pipe MXer is a project I will probably never finish.
 
Christmas, 1965, I was a junior in high-school and wanted a handgun. Dad gave me a 27 6.5" that was manufactured in '58. He'd bought it new in '61 and shot it some, but not a lot. He had a 28 that he used a lot and saved the 27 because it was "too nice" to shoot.

I lugged that thing around for years, in an old WW2 vintage Army bag or satchel, took it everywhere I went. During my college years it was the only gun I had (aside from a .22 single-shot rifle) and I hunted deer with it, actually got six over a period of about 10 years while I was in college, military, and vo-tech school. I also shot countless gophers, rocks, pine-cones, tin-cans and sundry other targets-of-opportunity. I handloaded for it with an old Lee Loader, took me about an hour to put together 10 rounds so I was pretty careful not to waste ammo. I even used it on two occasions for self-defense. Fortunately I didn't have to fire it either time.

Still have the gun. It's a safe-queen now, although would be a fine shooter still.

Here she is:



PS: The grips are not original. It came with Magnas and they seemed too small for my big paws, so I traded them to a guy for these really beat Targets (I think I had to toss in a few $) and then refinished them. I wish I still had the OEMs, but they're long gone. These are at least contemporary if not the matching SN grips.
 
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Long gone!
I was down at Roswell and fell in with some guys who were into jackrabbit shooting.
I started with a borrowed 22 rifle but decided a handgun from the hip was really my style.
So I bought an imported 22 convertible revolver with the sleeved inserts and pot metal cylinders.
Didn't take me long to figure out that was a mistake and traded it for a Ruger.
 
I came from a very anti-gun household, but had been crazy about firearms as long as I can remember, much to my parents' dismay. I got this Model 27-3 for entry into the police academy. The dealer had no 19's or 586's at the time, and I was not revolver savvy then...but I sure made the right choice! Still have it and the box and tools as well as the receipt. The original target stocks were immediately removed and put in the box. It cost me $285 dollars in 1986.
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My great grandfather was the sheriff of Barbour County Alabama. He had a prisoner in his jail and one day the prisoners wife baked him a cake. When Sheriff Teal saw the cake he said, "This cake is too big for one man, we'll just share it with everybody." When he cut in to the cake he found this Smith and Wesson break top .32 (Like in the photo). My grandmother gave me that pistol in 1977. It was stolen from my house in Nashville TN in 1982. Now the criminals have it back.


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