First gun...handguns only

[Fat Frank]

My first handgun was a Colt Peacemaker .22 with the extra .22 Mag cylinder. My dad gave it to me, I can't remember exactly when, but I was around 20 or so.
The first handgun I ever purchased for myself was a Browning Buck Mark .22 with am Aimpoint electronic Red Dot sight. Great plinkers, both.

 

[RobertJ.]

1979, I was 19, I had my dad buy me an Interarms Virginian Dragoon, .44 Magnum, 8 3/8" barrel.

A couple months later I bought my first RCBS outfit. I thought it was funny that I couldn't buy .22 ammo because I wasn't 21, but I could buy all the stuff I needed to make my own .44 ammo.

That gun's long gone, BTW. Not real sorry.

 

[mac2]

6" stainless Colt Python. Satin because I couldn't find an Ultimate. Smitten by this "apogee of American gunsmithing" in all the glossy magazines and books, I ended up with something that would bind after a couple of cylinderfuls of hollow based wadcutters and I found it difficult to clean the cylinder that needed cleaning every 15-20. Traded it in part exchange for a tuned Smith 686 with adjustable foresight which worked like the Colt should have...then they banned handguns...

 

[Donn]

S&W Model 29 in 1978. Fallout from the Dirty Harry franchise. Still have it.

 

[mafuta54]

1946 S&W M&P .38 Special.

 

[mg357]

S&W Model 36 no dash blued finish 2 inch barrel made in 1972.

bought when i was either 22 or 23 years old sold it in 2011 when the family had money troubles.

 

[Farmer17]

My dad didn't like handguns so I bought one when I was sixteen and kept it hidden from him. It was a Hawes .22 single action cowboy gun with an extra .22 magnum cylinder. I bought it from a friend for 25 bucks in the mid 1970s and it also included a black Buscadero holster with .22 bullet loops. The loading gate would come loose once in a while but aside from that it was a good little gun. My first centerfire handgun was a S&W model 39, 9m/m which was a beautiful gun that I wish I still had.

 

[Ranger17]

first gun period i've had was handed down to me a couple years ago (at my tender age of 50), a Colt Challenger circa 1951 that was my father in law's and his in-law's before him. As i realized how much i enjoyed hitting the range, picked up a Buckmark as my first new gun to be my 'daily driver' so to speak. But every few months the Colt accompanies my Buckmark (and 9c) to the range, the old gal still is fun to shoot and dang accurate.

 

[islamoradamark]

mine was a browning high power from WW2 had german mint marks on it wish i still had it

 

[msinc]

My first handgun was a Ruger Blackhawk 6" in 1978. It was a 41 magnum and myself as well as several other shooters couldn't hit anything with it. About 6 months later I happily traded it even up to a guy for a Dan Wesson 15-2V which I loved. He got his truck stuck in the backwoods and had to walk out for help. While he was gone the Blackhawk was stolen and later used in a murder. He really liked it, but was about three years getting it back.

 

[Comrad]

H&R Young America .22 7 shot revolver and wish I still had it and will buy the first nice one I find if the price is right.

 

[Ghlover]

S&W 22 caliber semiauto, 10 + 1 7" barrel, qualified for my CCW with it but then traded it for something with a bit more punch, a SD40VE. Still easy to carry concealed, packs plenty of wallop, holds 14 + 1, and surprisingly, very cost effective. But there are times I wish I still had that .22, purchased in 2011.

 

[Syspila]

Stevens Model 35 Tip Up .22 Long Rifle pistol that was my Mom's

 

[Knigge]

My first was a 9mm Tanfoglio combat sport

 

[CH47gunner]

1st handgun was a Ruger MKI Target - stolen in a home burglary before the safes & security system.
2nd was a Ruger Super Blackhawk - ditto.
3rd was a Browning HiPower - ditto.

 

[GunarSailors]

1967 Model 15-2. My dad gave it to me around 1980, but we always called it "mine" for as long as I can remember. It's got a fresh reblue and has been reblued a few times. It's seen ALOT of use and a long history of mistreatment. I have a "new" old sets of period correct service stocks on the way for it. I also recently added the insert in the front sight.

 

[Texas Star]

First was a Webley MK VI converted to .45 ACP. I was 13 and my mother had to buy the gun.

Second was a very nice Colt M-1917 .45 that was a Christmas gift when I was 16.

The first that I actually bought was either a S&W MK .II .455 or a Lend-Lease Colt .45 auto. I'm not sure which I bought first. I was 19 and stationed in Denver with the USAF. I shopped at Gart Bros and Dave Cook, and the clerks faked my age as 21 on the papers. Both said that they trusted me as a military policeman who might have to fight in Vietnam to own a pistol while under 21. I suspect that they wouldn't do that today. Times are different.

The Lend-Lease .45 had the usual British proof marks and was one of several with higher than usual fixed sights that were probably added by SOE or some other special operations force, I suspect. (Other .45 autos from the UK usually have normal sights.)

The first brand new commercial one was a Colt Gold Cup.45 auto with a special-ordered arched mainspring housing. I bought it in Newfoundland, via the BX store. I'd tell you how well it shot with Federal 230 grain Match grade ammo, but some would think that beyond my or the gun's capability. But it wasn't... I shot pretty well then.

If starting out in handguns today, I'd first buy a M-66-3 S&W .357 with four-inch barrel, and then a Model 60-7 snub .38. I think those are the best basic handguns, one for concealed use. Next, I'd add a stainless 5.5-inch bull-barreled Ruger .22 auto. If I was shooting a lot of full .357 ammo, I'd quickly add a Ruger GP-100. I love my GP, but as an all-round .357-capable gun that weighs less and is easier to conceal, the M-66 has an edge for most people.

 

[luangtom]

My first handgun was a High Standard Sentinel Deluxe, 9-shot revolver, in .22LR. I worked for a gent that ran a sporting-goods store. We had the option of money or product at his cost. I got the revolver instead of a pay-check. Unloaded clay-pigeons and fishing tackle off the semi to get that revolver. Long before the GCA-68.

 

[bamacisa]

In 1957, I ordered from Golden State Arms in Calif. a 38 Victory model for $29.95. I still have it, It shoots 38 S&W bullets not 38 Special. It is in about new condition and is a keeper. It has "UNITED STATES PROPERTY' printed on the frame. It is like a old member of the family.

 

[Marshwheeling]

My first gun was two guns, both CZs; vz.52 and vz.50.