My very first handgun

[Dirty Bert]

This is the story of my very first handgun.
I was turning 14 and my Dad asked me what I wanted for a birthday gift.
A real handgun I replied! I had a few bb and pellet guns plus a 22 LR single shot, but nothing fancy. To my surprise Dad bought me a Smith and Wesson 17-3 Masterpiece in 22LR! It was awesome. That night my Uncle Jack and my cousin came over to check out my new S/W.
Well we had to try it, right?
We drove to the local small town dump in two cars. My Dad had a 1969 Mercury Marquis two door in a silver green color with a black vinyl top. If I remember right it had a 429 under the hood.A very cool car I think.
Anyways once we got to the dump its was dark out so my Dad and my Uncle both parked their cars facing the garage with the lights on. Back then you just pulled out the light switch to turn on the headlights and the high beam switch was on the floor (foot controled). I had my new 22 revolver all loaded and ready to try. My cousin had a 410 single shot. Then Dad and Uncle pulled the switch to turn the headlights on and there were all these rats running for cover! Can't say I got one but I sure had fun.
My Uncle gave me a beer afterwards. A Labatt 50! Yum. This was one of the greatest days of my younger life. I still have the revolver and take good care of the old girl. These days when ever I'm shooting at rats with a 22, 12 gauge or even a 454C I think back to that special day.

 

[Summersteel]

Beautiful gun, and great story,

 

[Ruger 13]

Very nice!

 

[mattallamerican]

great story thanks for shareing

 

[cmj8591]

If you gave your 14 year old a gun in this day, youth services would take him away from you and the cops would charge you with a crime!

 

[Sevens]

Love the story! My first handgun was also a Model 17, but I'm a little younger than you, I was 16 and it was 1988 and the revolver was a 17-6. The most shocked I've ever been by a gift! First Christmas after my Dad had passed away months earlier, present from Mom, she got me started right!

 

[Sevens]

If you gave your 14 year old a gun in this day, youth services would take him away from you and the cops would charge you with a crime!

Bah, maybe fun to say but miles from the truth. I gave my daughter a Ruger SR-22 for her 9th birthday and she's 18 now, so it wasn't all that long ago.

 

[SS336]

Your Dad is a class act. Nice M17, great story.

 

[IWK2HT]

Great gun and even better story, I was twelve when I got my first gun but I didn't get a beer till I was sixteen, I think we ended up pretty even.
Ted

 

[pawncop]

Wonderful story. These are what make firearms so interesting.

 

[moosedog]

Man, I like that story a lot. Cool gun and you have a very cool family.

 

[22hipower]

Great story and the dump trip brought back some memories. When I was about that age (13/14) we use to shoot rats in the daylight at the open dump; in those days in Vermont, and elsewhere I suspect, open dumps existed in many smaller towns. I didn't get a new M17 and had to settle for a Winchester 69A which I bought with lawn mowing money; still have it, maybe the best $32 I ever spent.

When we hit 16 and could drive we did the night dump thing; line up a couple cars towards the dump, wait 15 minutes until we could hear the rustling of the cans/trash and then pull on the headlights. And blast away with whatever we had. Sounds a little weird I suppose but in those days you had to make your own fun and get it where you could.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[RobertJ.]

Awesome first gun, and a great story!

 

[Dirty Bert]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Those were different times! As kids we would take our 22 ss rifles on our bikes to go shoot in the fields. Try that today and a helicopter will pay you a visit.

 

[Drm50]

This is the story of my very first handgun.
I was turning 14 and my Dad asked me what I wanted for a birthday gift.
A real handgun I replied! I had a few bb and pellet guns plus a 22 LR single shot, but nothing fancy. To my surprise Dad bought me a Smith and Wesson 17-3 Masterpiece in 22LR! It was awesome. That night my Uncle Jack and my cousin came over to check out my new S/W.
Well we had to try it, right?
We drove to the local small town dump in two cars. My Dad had a 1969 Mercury Marquis two door in a silver green color with a black vinyl top. If I remember right it had a 429 under the hood.A very cool car I think.
Anyways once we got to the dump its was dark out so my Dad and my Uncle both parked their cars facing the garage with the lights on. Back then you just pulled out the light switch to turn on the headlights and the high beam switch was on the floor (foot controled). I had my new 22 revolver all loaded and ready to try. My cousin had a 410 single shot. Then Dad and Uncle pulled the switch to turn the headlights on and there were all these rats running for cover! Can't say I got one but I sure had fun.
My Uncle gave me a beer afterwards. A Labatt 50! Yum. This was one of the greatest days of my younger life. I still have the revolver and take good care of the old girl. These days when ever I'm shooting at rats with a 22, 12 gauge or even a 454C I think back to that special day.

Did you live in Canada when this took place?

 

[Golphin]

Great story and a fine looking revolver to go with it.

 

[hkcavalier]

Good to hear you still have it. I don't have the first gun I shot (stolen when I was a kid) nor the first one I bought with my own money (traded away for something better). Trying to hang on to those kinds of guns for my kids...

 

[ruger 22]

My younger son started shooting when he was 7 and used my guns all the time. He was getting good at trap and also good with my Super Blackhawk with 44 Specials and on occasion full magnums. Years later when I asked him what he wanted for his 14th birthday he said he wanted a gun of his own so I bought him a Ruger 10-22, a Remington 1100 Skeet along with a trap barrel, a slug barrel , and a model 63. He took to the 63 like wildfire and is very good with it. He still has all these guns today and at his age of almost 54 none of them are for sale.

 

[Dirty Bert]

Did you live in Canada when this took place?

No we moved to Canada years later. My Dad was an American citizen and my Mom was a Canadian.

 

[629shooter]

That is an awesome story, and a sweet Model 17. Thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[GerSan69]

Excellent post, Bert! The Model 17 is a timeless classic. I don't know of anyone who has one that doesn't consider it a vital part of their collection.
By the way, After reading your story, I immediately thought that "This guy has a future here on the Forum!" Hope you'll stick around and participate for a long time to come.

 

[gwpercle]

Nothing beats a good Rat Killing for having fun !

Your post put a smile on my face ... Thanks !
I almost forot about the Rat Killings we used to have .
Gary

 

[Wrangler Rich]

Great story, DB. I was quite a bit older when I first laid hands on a revolver. It was in Vietnam when I was stationed there, Smith & Wesson 4" model 15. I was finally able to replicate it a few years ago.

WR

 

[swagmeister]

Great memories with your father. My dad was a WWII veteran sergeant in Italy and N. Africa from 1942 until the end of the war in 1945 in the Army Air Corps. He wanted nothing to do with guns of any type all of his life after that (he died in 1982 at 62 years old of cancer). He probably saw a lot of death. He never would talk about the war. I don't remember when I first got the addiction to handguns, but at least it is getting less as time goes by. I am 68 and could not list all the handguns, rifles, and shotguns that I have had over the past 50 years; it would be a very long list. I am down to 9 handguns and one shotgun now, and they are all I need to do what little shooting I have done for the past few years. Great to hear a story like that.

 

[Rubone]

If you gave your 14 year old a gun in this day, youth services would take him away from you and the cops would charge you with a crime!

And if you gave him a beer you might go to jail!

 

[Major 2]

So much has changed, we drank water from a hose, ran around barefoot,
no helmet on our bikes, cars didn't have seatbelts (pre1964)
And Dad took me shooting when I was about 8, gave me his 22 Remington Model 341
bolt action @ 10 yrs (1958)... Yeah, times have changed. BUT !

I still have the Remington, still go barefoot, and drink from hose if I'm really thirsty and outside....

 

[tops]

If you gave your 14 year old a gun in this day, youth services would take him away from you and the cops would charge you with a crime!

Two years ago I gave my then 5 yr. old great grandson a .22 rifle. He is not allowed to carry it when we go to town but he carries it around the homestead when I'm with him. His most favorite target is aerosol cans. Larry

 

[45Wheelgun]

Brought a tear to my eye. Look for this in thread in the Ampersand. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Milleman]

If you gave your 14 year old a gun in this day, youth services would take him away from you and the cops would charge you with a crime!

Maybe on the right coast, aka the Commie coast. Home of Leftist twits.

 

[marct375]

Great story!

Got my 1st gun when I was 10. A single shot, Ithaca .22 lever gun. Beer not included.