This thread is mainly for those born in the 70s or earlier, but everyone is welcome to join.

[Johnny Ringo]

This thread is mainly for those born in the 70s or earlier, but everyone is welcome to join.

• How did you get into shooting?
• Were guns always around in your home?
• Did your fathers or grandfathers own or carry?
• What was your first gun, and what was the first you really wanted (even if you never got it)?

For me:
No family background with firearms, but I was always drawn to anything that made noise. In the 80s I read gun magazines regularly, and I was heavily influenced by Punisher comics (especially the Weapon Specials). Sledge Hammer and Dirty Harry made me want a .44 Magnum. Later, a 10mm S&W 1076 (Sonny Bonds, Police Quest II), and then a Glock.

My first gun was a S&W PC .45 ACP – like the black one in the picture, but mine has a satin finish. Next came a 629 Classic .44 Mag with a 6" barrel. My third handgun was a Glock 17, though I've always preferred the 19.

Even my Winchester was a compromise: I wanted an 1873 in pistol caliber, but ended up with an 1894 in .30-30.

 

[jaydoc]

Born in 1966. My dad was not a shooter. My stepdad, who mostly raised me, had a .22 Colt woodsman that he rarely shot. He didn't ever teach me to shoot as it just wasn't a big deal to my family. It wasn't until a friend of mine became a state trooper and started showing me his cool guns that the beast began to awaken. He had an affinity for H&K pistols. I started perusing the internet, looking at these guns when I came across the p7 variants and bought a nice p7m8. I was about 43. I eventually ended up with a p7m13 and two p7m10.about that time I also became aware of the 1911 world. That bug bit hard. I always have about a baker's dozen in the safe. Also picked up a few odd AR an AK style rifles. Got interested in anything John Moses Browning so added some Hipowers. Revolvers were late to the game for me. Guys on the 1911 forum I was on would post them. My first was a Colt Python from my birth year. Although I love that gun, I didn't really care for the rest of Colt's lineup. The old S&W's just looked more sexy so down that wormhole I went. I sold the earliest guns to fund the current stock. I decided I needed to focus or I'd go broke, get divorced or both. New purchases now are either 1911's or S&W revolvers. Mostly N frames. Now, at almost 59, I'm truly addicted.

 

[sparkyvega]

I was raised around firearms and learned to shoot on S&W revolvers and 22LR rifles. Firearms are naturally just a part of my day, and I've passed that culture onto my children who accept/tolerate them and own a few firearms, but sadly do not embrace them as a lifestyle.

 

[CajunBass]

Harry Truman was president when I was born. My father bought one of the first TV's in our area. I grew up on Western's, combat, and cop shows.

My father may or may not have been a bootlegger. I've seen at least one picture of him standing by a 40 Ford coup, with a Smith and Wesson 38 in each hand (looked like S&W 38's anyway). My mother informed me they were "toys." I always wondered about that picture and that "story." Later, I learned my grandmother had told her to "Stay away from him. He's a Bootlegger!" Obviously, that didn't work. A family mystery that will never be solved I suppose, as they've all gone to Glory now. Still colorful though.

There were no guns in our house. Certainly no handguns. My mother said only two types of people had handguns. Crooks and cops. I wasn't going to be neither. Hunting guns she didn't mind. Her father and brothers all hunted, and she was used to shotguns and such.

I grew up thinking I'd never hunt. Bambi and such were cute and so on. Then my grandfather, my mothers father, started sending over his Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines. At first only the fishing stories interested me. Then out of boredom I read a hunting story. WOW.. Now I wanted to hunt. Santa bought me a 20 Ga Ithaca M-66 for Christmas one year. I bought a Sears Roebuck 12 ga double (Stevens 311 rebranded) myself about a year later. My mother called it in, the Sears delivery truck dropped it off a few days later. This was before GCA-68. I guess I was 15? or so. I'd worked all summer on a local farm to get the money and she paid for it while I was at work.

I was 30 or so before I got my first handgun. At least the first one that didn't shoot caps and plastic bullets. I had read Skeeter Skelton and Bill Jordan and knew I wanted either a Model 19 S&W or a Colt Python. The Model 19 was about half the price of a Python, so it won out. It would be a long time before I scratched the Python itch.

I never knew anyone who carried, or if they did they kept it a secret. I didn't even know but a few people who owned handguns, mostly some type of 22 SA revolver or other. My uncle had one with plastic stag grips that he carried on his trap line, but I got no idea what brand it was.

 

[jakerudy]

Grew up on a farm with a few guns around but my Dad wasn't a hunter. When I was maybe 10 he helped me finish a .36 cal black powder revolver kit. A couple of shots and I was hooked.

Later on I lusted a .357 Mag and studied every magazine article I could find and a G&A comparison declared a 4" SS to be the ultimate do all pistol. A GP100 was highly rated and cheaper than a 686 or Python so I had to have one. A summer job during college provided enough savings to buy a new one.

Nobody really worried about concealed carry as pretty much everybody had a shotgun or rifle in their truck and we left the keys in them. Back then if your vehicle had been moved it was either a prank or somebody needed to get somewhere and would be back soon.

 

[stu1ritter]

I was born when FDR was president and 3 weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Being born in the Bronx, NYC, there was no such thing as a gun culture around my apartment. Or my block, or my neighborhood, or the city for that matter.

My first experience handling any guns was when my father took me with him when he went to do some on site picture framing work for Robert Ripley (Ripley's Believe It Or Not) who was a great collector. Robert let me handle many of his current guns and I was enthralled at age 7.

In 1955 I joined my high school rifle team (Stuyvesant HS in Manhattan) and used to practice at the Manhattan Rifle and Revolver Association at 24 Murray St.. The rifle team would ride the subways with our rifles for away matches and it never bothered anyone. Try that today! We shot at the old 33rd St. Armory (no longer there) where the Police detectives practiced. I would always arrive early and the detective instructors would let me shoot their snubs and I was just hooked on handguns. When in high school, NYC had a summer program for high school kids that sent them to working farms in upstate NY for 8 weeks. I saved and saved and bought my first gun, a rifle, and had it sent up to the farm I had worked on the previous summer as I was going back. The rifle was a BSA in 222 Remington and the farmer taught me how to hunt varmints around the farm from a good distance.

In the Army I shot on the 1st Cav Division Pistol Team, the 2nd Army Pistol Team and started collecting. When I was at Army secondary schooling at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland I bought my first handgun, at age 17, a new Colt Python ser # 6306. I later sold it to a German friend, in Germany, and he kept it the rest of his life. I would shoot it on visits there. Shot competitive bullseye for years and years (Expert Indoors/Outdoors). Still enjoy going to my club and shooting a few National Matches by myself. I now shoot a Nelson conversion and either a Curtis or a Giles .45 for targets and an assortment of S&W's for fun.

Stu

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Another self-starter here, had guns in my blood. First real firearm I handled was the M-1 Carbine my old man brought back from WWII. Never fired it, it-and he-disappeared with the divorce. No hunters of shooters in my family, first time I shot a real firearm, Boy Scout Camp, Summer of 1963. Recall poring over the firearms pages in the 1960s Sears catalogs. First firearms I bought, a 1966 Browning High Power, M1917 Enfield-still have them.
Have my battered copy of the 1966 Edition of Small Arms of the World, read it so much I memorized parts of it.

 

[Grayfox]

I'm a child of the 50s. My parents were the first members of either family to leave the farm and move to the big city. (suburbs actually). I grew up around farms and farmers. Guns were just another tool used for pest control or hunting to add food to the table. My Dad was a big quail and squirrel hunter. Everybody had at least one gun in the home. Usually a shotgun or .22 rifle. Some had a centerfire rifle. It was just part of life to learn how to use it and take care of it just like any other tool. But not many owned a handgun or never mentioned if they did.
First handgun I ever fired was an Army issue 1911A1.
My first gun was a Crescent Arms single shot .410. A neighbor had owned it and broke the stock. He gave it to my Father. Dad knew an old man who made a new stock for it and then gave it to me. I was about 9-10 at the time. For Christmas when I was 12, I got a Marlin 99M1 .22 rifle. In those days it was normal to start kids shooting early. I still have the .410 and currently own my second 99M1.

 

[chief38]

My Dad was a Federal Agent, a gun enthusiast, competition shooter, hunter, etc. In the 1950's and early 1960's we watched Westerns, Roy Rodgers, The Lone Ranger, Gun Smoke, Have Gun Will Travel, WW2 shows like Combat, Detective shows, and of course we all played Cops & Robbers, Cowboys and Indians etc. I'd sit in his chair before my feet could reach the ground and pour over his gun magazines and books.

My dad had many guns but usually carried a Revolver as a daily SD gun - mostly S&W (M15, M10, M19, M66, M36) but sometimes a Colt of some sort and sometimes even an auto loader. When he would do undercover work, he carried so called "non - LEO guns" so that if he was discovered carrying they would not automatically think he was a Fed. He had Ortgies, Brownings, Walther's etc. for that purpose.

My first gun was a Christmas present from my Dad and I still have it today! It is a Marlin/Glenfield model 25 bolt action, magazine fed .22 RF rifle with a Beech wood stock and a 1/2" Marlin marked scope that came with it. I even still have the original scope box. While certainly not a high end gun, when I was 11 and used to shoot almost every Saturday, it was the best rifle in the world - lol! I still shoot it on occasion but at least I have upgraded the scope a little. Although this Marlin/Glenfield was probably no more than $30 - $35 bucks at the time, it is deadly accurate! My most accurate , tack driving rifle today is my CZ 453 American 22 RF, but this M/G M25 is the second most accurate rifle I own! See pictures below.

 

[Hawg Rider]

I'm a baby boomer, born in 1954. My dad was a WWII veteran and brought back a few rifles, pistols, and swords so I grew up with firearms in our suburban home. I also learned safe handling at an early age. We lived near the Crosman factory so I had a pellet pistol by age 10, and my single shot .22 LR rifle at 12. My dad wasn't a hunter or shooter so I basically learned my shooting skills in the backyard and in the woods with my buddies. It wasn't until I was away in college that I began to buy a few firearms (mostly vintage shotguns), and I also began some "shade tree gunsmithing". I was also exposed to shooting AR-15s and Colt Troopers that my roommate owned. After college I bought my first S&W revolver (brand new 4" Model 57; couldn't find a Dirty Harry Model 29 in 1977!). About 8 years later I was working in the North Sea oilfields offshore Scotland and joined a clay pigeon shooting club, as well as hunted birds in the Highlands. I got back into firearm acquisitions (vintage Winchester rifles and S&W revolvers) a few years after I returned to the States. The rest is history. LOL!

 

[Ματθιας]

I'm GenX. My dad was a Vet and he taught me how to shot before I learned how to ride a bike. I had a pellet gun when I was about 5 or 6 and I was shooting army men in the backyard.

My dad had a modest collection of firearms, but, nothing really exotic mostly store brand western field, sears ect. He had a glenfield 60 that I loved to shoot and a charter arms 38 that he took every time we went out of town. I remember there was a beautiful blued 1911, but I don't remember what happened to it.

The first firearm I got with my own money was an AK, an SA-85M - Hungarian AK under folder. I got that when I was still in high school working a McDonalds. I put it on layaway and got it the day I turned 18.

I later picked up a Colt HBAR. One of my dad's friends from work, an old school USMC shooting team guy taught me how to properly shoot when he found out I was in the DEP. I still have the expert badge he gave me.

After watching Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, I got a Beretta 92 FS the day I turned 21. Well, I had to do the Brady waiting period nonsense - so a week later. Later that year, I picked up a stainless Colt Gold Cup thanks to watching the Getaway remake on cable. At that time I was putting everything on layaway and luckily the gun shop guys would work with me. I was still living at home so it wasn't too bad!

Then, I got into the milsurps as everything was cheap, plentiful and ammo was everywhere! I picked up a Remington 11 trainer with the Cutts and tried my hand at clays. I went down the rabbit hole of shotguns. I do love shotguns!

Now, since the surplus has mostly dried up, I get police trades.

Anymore, very very rarely do I buy anything new and there's nothing that are must haves. I have too much stuff as it is.

 

[KSDrifter]

My dad hated guns. A Dutchman, he survived WWII and even refused armed guards when we moved to Jamaica in the 80's when I was a kid. I was terrified and wanted a gun bad, but ya, no guns in the house.

As a young adult, I lived in Ontario, Canada. I competed in high school with a .22. Then I got my license to own long guns relatively early after leaving dads, but affording ammo and finding places to shoot in Toronto was a challenge.

Kansas was where I was really able to hone my shooting skills. Still live here. Carry every day.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Born in 1966. My dad was not a shooter. My stepdad, who mostly raised me, had a .22 Colt woodsman that he rarely shot. He didn't ever teach me to shoot as it just wasn't a big deal to my family. It wasn't until a friend of mine became a state trooper and started showing me his cool guns that the beast began to awaken. He had an affinity for H&K pistols. I started perusing the internet, looking at these guns when I came across the p7 variants and bought a nice p7m8. I was about 43. I eventually ended up with a p7m13 and two p7m10.about that time I also became aware of the 1911 world. That bug bit hard. I always have about a baker's dozen in the safe. Also picked up a few odd AR an AK style rifles. Got interested in anything John Moses Browning so added some Hipowers. Revolvers were late to the game for me. Guys on the 1911 forum I was on would post them. My first was a Colt Python from my birth year. Although I love that gun, I didn't really care for the rest of Colt's lineup. The old S&W's just looked more sexy so down that wormhole I went. I sold the earliest guns to fund the current stock. I decided I needed to focus or I'd go broke, get divorced or both. New purchases now are either 1911's or S&W revolvers. Mostly N frames. Now, at almost 59, I'm truly addicted.

I was born in '73. The P7 has always looked really interesting, but I haven't had the chance to shoot one yet. I've always been fascinated by 1911s – I even have a Colt Commander from '82 that I bought used and have been meaning to restore for years. Time really flies.

As for revolvers, I also have a 1977 .38 Snubnose (Model 60) that I picked up from a collector – it had been brand new and untouched for over 40 years. The Model 60 has an interesting history – it's essentially a stainless steel version of the Model 36, which was introduced in 1950. The Model 60 was the first regular production revolver made entirely of stainless steel, introduced in 1965. Its rust-resistant composition made it highly sought after, especially during the Vietnam War, where it was used as a backup sidearm. Initially, it was available only to those with connections, like certain police officers.

The collector I bought from actually had two: one from 1967, which was historically closer to those early days, and the younger one from 1977 – the year Elvis died. Interestingly, 1967 was also the year my parents got married. I still went for the younger revolver. The 1967 version had a black hammer and black trigger, which I didn't like visually, even though a collector might consider it the better choice. I suspect that to meet high demand, some parts from the Model 36 were used in production.

My hands are actually too big, and my eyes aren't what they used to be, but I still love the Model 60. Even at 10–12 meters, I can get reasonably tight groups.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Harry Truman was president when I was born. My father bought one of the first TV's in our area. I grew up on Western's, combat, and cop shows.

My father may or may not have been a bootlegger. I've seen at least one picture of him standing by a 40 Ford coup, with a Smith and Wesson 38 in each hand (looked like S&W 38's anyway). My mother informed me they were "toys." I always wondered about that picture and that "story." Later, I learned my grandmother had told her to "Stay away from him. He's a Bootlegger!" Obviously, that didn't work. A family mystery that will never be solved I suppose, as they've all gone to Glory now. Still colorful though.

There were no guns in our house. Certainly no handguns. My mother said only two types of people had handguns. Crooks and cops. I was going to be neither. Hunting guns she didn't mind. Her father and brothers all hunted, and she was used to shotguns and such.

I grew up thinking I'd never hunt. Bambi and such were cute and so on. Then my grandfather, my mothers father, started sending over his Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines. At first only the fishing stories interested me. Then out of boredom I read a hunting story. WOW.. Now I wanted to hunt. Santa bought me a 20 Ga Ithaca M-66 for Christmas one year. I bought a Sears Roebuck 12 ga double (Stevens 311 rebranded) myself about a year later. My mother called it in, the Sears delivery truck dropped it off a few days later. This was before GCA-68. I guess I was 15? or so. I'd worked all summer on a local farm to get the money and she paid for it while I was at work.

I was 30 or so before I got my first handgun. At least the first one that didn't shoot caps and plastic bullets. I had read Skeeter Skelton and Bill Jordan and knew I wanted either a Model 19 S&W or a Colt Python. The Model 19 was about half the price of a Python, so it won out. It would be a long time before I scratched the Python itch.

I never knew anyone who carried, or if they did they kept it a secret. I didn't even know but a few people who owned handguns, mostly some type of 22 SA revolver or other. My uncle had one with plastic stag grips that he carried on his trap line, but I got no idea what brand it was.

Wow, that's an awesome story! Thanks for sharing it. I'm a bit younger (born in '73), but I grew up on a ton of Westerns, old TV shows, and movies too – Winchester '73 with Jimmy Stewart, Have Gun – Will Travel, Perry Mason with Raymond Burr, FBI with Edward Zimbalist… you name it, I watched it.

Stories like yours are exactly the kind that grab me. That era now almost feels like a dream, like it never really happened. But memories like this make it come alive again – colorful, vivid, and so real that for a moment, it feels like we're right there in the middle of it.

 

[Golddollar]

This thread is mainly for those born in the 70s or earlier, but everyone is welcome to join.

• How did you get into shooting?
• Were guns always around in your home?
• Did your fathers or grandfathers own or carry?
• What was your first gun, and what was the first you really wanted (even if you never got it)?

When I was born Truman was still president. My late father got me into shooting when I was a little boy. I would hunt with him, his brothers and dad, but Pop was the one who was really doing target shooting, trap shooting and Civil War skirmishing. So all of them owned guns, but carrying concealed was totally illegal or next to impossible in Ohio and PA back then.

Pop would let me shoot his .45 that he bought from DCM back in 1961. I taught myself to field strip it and reassemble it from reading Pop's books. I have it now. He gave me a Stevens Favorite .22 rifle for Christmas when I was around 8 years old. That was my first real gun. I still have it.

I've wanted and acquired a bunch of guns, but the one that I probably had the strongest yearning for was the Webley Mark VI revolver in the original .455 caliber. It just seemed to be such a cool gun. There is a judge in the next county who is a friend of mine and he wants it bad, but it's not for sale. I worked too hard to find a .455 Webley that hadn't been shaved.

 

[Wapakfred]

I'm 77 and got my first gun when i was 12...and I still haveit. My dad bought me a Winchester model 37 20 gauge shotgun to hunt small game with. About the only guns in our house were shotguns until I turned 17. Then a few centerfire rifles showed up (a .243 and a 308, then a 30/06) along with some reloading equipment. I no longer have any of those rifles, but I still have all the reloading equipment (plus much more) now. I'm still wanting (and don't have) a pre-64 model 70. I find the .300 H&H to be the one I think about the most, but I'm less particular about caliber than I am having the rifle.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

I was born when FDR was president and 3 weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Being born in the Bronx, NYC, there was no such thing as a gun culture around my apartment …

Stu, you're just a few months older than my dad (he was born in June '42). What a time that must've been. I've heard similar stories from hunters in the '60s taking the train with their rifles – they'd just hang them up in the compartment or even in the pub afterwards and nobody cared.

Were you stationed in Germany? My .38 Special came out of Mainz – world is small place.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

… Back then if your vehicle had been moved it was either a prank or somebody needed to get somewhere and would be back soon.

Haha, true! Back then it was just a prank or a favor, today it'd be a police report and three insurance claims. Different world! Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[jmcisc]

First, I'd like to thank Johnny Ringo for starting this thread. It's one of the most interesting ones that I've read, lately.
My story also starts in the Bronx, NY. My dad was a WWII vet who brought home a Model 34 Mauser and 1907 Dreyse. However, these were secured in our home, and never used. My shooting started when I moved to Florida in the '70s. The local school was running a Marksmanship course. Having never fired a gun I naturally was curious and signed up to take the course. At the time I didn't own any guns, so the teacher, who was a military pistol instructor loaned me his S&W Model 41 so I could take the course.
I loved it and immediately went out and bought one after completing the course. I now own 6 Model 41s and dozens of other guns, but primarily S&W.

 

[RobertK3026]

I was born in 1952.
When I got married in 1973 there was a police officer that lived in the apartment below me, his father and grandfather were police officers also.
At the time he had every model that S&W made, plus every firearm his father and grandfather passed down to him.
He started me shooting with a S&W model 10 and my wallet was never the same.

 

[duke2002]

Early 70's kid. Dad was a vietnam vet and 23 yrs in the navy. He was a parole officer. He grew up hunting and shooting. First gun i shot was a mkii ruger. First gun was a single shor 410.

 

[Golphin]

I was born in the mid 50's. Both my parents grew up on farmland and my father hunted small game like squirrel and dove or ducks. I live in the same place as my parents grew up. There were no deer or turkeys back then. I always figured they were hunted out over the depression years. Dad never owned a handgun but he did have a Remington 870 12 gauge, a 410 H&R single shot and a Marlin 100 single shot 22. They were on a gun rack in the house and nobody gave them much thought. I started out with a Crosman bb gun at age 6. The single shots were the guns I carried squirrel hunting with my dad. He was never a big hunter but did take me a few times when I was growing up. Other family members hunted a lot and I learned and hunted with them most of my life. I still have my dads old guns. I did some hunting through mid 20's but did not own any hand guns. I played golf and fished as a hobbies and it did not leave much hunting time. I started collecting older rifles and revolvers about 15 years ago. It started out with Marlin rifles and then S&W revolvers. I taught myself to reload and my son also reloads and shoots a lot. I have a place at my house that I can target practice with any guns I feel like shooting so I shoot a lot at targets. We have a lot of deer and turkeys but I only shoot them with a camera these days.

 

[rockquarry]

Entirely different groups, separated not only by age but, but other factors as well. "Born before 1970" may have meaning but perhaps not significant meaning. There were types of guns that weren't around before 1970 or they were available but did not see widespread use until later years.

Some of us grew up in gun families in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Some of us didn't. However, I doubt there are reliable statistics that show such figures.

Based only on my observations over many years at gun clubs, public ranges, gun shows, and lastly and the Internet (maybe the least accurate predictor), I've seen lots of folks that didn't grow up with guns taking an interest in AR carbines and pistols, striker pistols, pistol grip shotguns, and the accessory/ modification market. The Internet, friends, and films have a definite bearing on all this.

Many of these new gun people in the 25-60 age group have not been exposed to revolvers, hammer-fired semi-auto pistols, bolt-action rifles, and shotguns with full butt stocks and barrels of more than twenty inches. If they handload they do it to save money using a progressive machine. They have little interest in load development. And they don't cast bullets.

These aren't criticisms; it's just the way things are nowadays with many younger shooters and I think we'd best try to understand, maybe even respect their position even if we choose not to participate.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

First, I'd like to thank Johnny Ringo for starting this thread. It's one of the most interesting ones that I've read, lately …

Thank you for your input, and thanks to everyone else who's been participating so actively. These are all fascinating stories that will surely be of interest to history enthusiasts for many years to come. Looking online today, you can really see how much has changed – which makes these firsthand glimpses into the past even more amazing.

 

[rug357]

I grew up in the late 60-70's in middle of Florida in semi-rural area.
I got into guns because every boy I knew was into or wanted to be into guns and knives...and we all hunted. Two of our neighbors were also into guns and hunting... one was a FHP officer and other was a retired game and fish biologist. My father was also casting bullets and reloading for his handguns so naturally I wanted to be like my dad and shoot, hunt and make bullets. We always had multiple guns in my dad's cabinet. I remember about a dozen revolvers, couple pistols, 22 rimfire rifles, shotguns including my father's favorite Browning Auto-5 and various hunting rifles. From our house we could walk few hundred yards to an open area where my father and couple neighbors built a "shooting range" that was out to about 100 yards.
My father was a country veterinarian and he always kept a revolver in the glove compartment. I don't remember him carrying a gun on him but he did have a Colt Cobra. He worked a lot of hours but always made time for us to go shooting together. Every year he went out of state with friends couple times to hunt deer, pheasants and ducks. Around home we hunted hogs, deer, quails and doves.
When I turned 13 I was allowed to take the 22lr rifle and 410 shotgun out on my own. I was allowed to shoot at the range or take it to our neighbor's ranch property where we hunted. Only rule was that I had to eat anything I killed. My father taught me to shoot when I was about 6 y/o. He had a 22lr single shot that he cut the stock to fit me. When I was about 9 I got to shoot the 410 single shot shotgun... a Mossberg bolt action 410. Soon after I was taught to shoot 22lr handguns. It was Colt Police Positive and a High Standard pistol. When I turned 12 I started to shoot various S&W K frame in 38 special and colt 1911A1 Gold Cup. He introduced me to Bullseye competition shooting and he took me around to shoot local competitions few times a month.
Some years later I saw Colt Pythons and S&W model 27 in his cabinet. I think the model 27 was procured through his FHP neighbor as it was their issued weapon for few years before that. Many years later I realized my father had very good taste in guns as I saw more fancy and custom guns in his cabinet.
My first gun was a Winchester 9422 lever actions rifle I purchased when I was 16 with money I earned one summer working at the local supermarket as stocking boy and occasionally as laborer for a construction company unloading building supplies. That Christmas my father got me a S&W model 15 revolver...my first handgun. In my senior year of high school I saw my first IPSC match and caught the bug. My father saw my enthusiasm so he let me use one of his Colt 1911A1 pistol. I purchased a Bianchi IPSC crossdraw holster and some mag pouch and I was ready. He and I would load 500 rounds of 45ACP every week in the garage using a pair of single stage press. We had a system where we would perform a single process each night and on the 4th night we would finish. By the time I was going off to UF I was pretty good.
When I had my own children we purchased a farm about an hour away from the city where we lived. I put up some tree stands and ground blinds to hunt hogs, deer and turkey and built a shooting range and a reloading/shooting shed where I taught my children to shoot. They were all eager to shoot until they got older and then lost all desire to shoot. I have a decent collection of handguns, rifles and shotguns I had hoped my children would appreciate but they have no interest.
My father is in his 90's now and hasn't shot in many years due to his mental acuity and physical disabilities. He still like to look and talk about his gun collection with me or his friends. Unfortunately, I don't see any family member who will carry on with our shooting culture after my father is gone and I'm gone.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

I was born in 1952.
When I got married in 1973 there was a police officer (…)
He started me shooting with a S&W model 10 and my wallet was never the same.

View attachment 792169

That's funny – 1973 is my birth year, and one of my first toy guns was an Interpol .38. Now I can see which model it was. The moment I saw the photo, it all came rushing back. That was way back in the late '70s, early '80s.

 

[Thaddeus Beauregard]

I was born in 1966. I was interested in guns for as long as I can remember. My father instilled the interest in guns and shooting in me and his father was also a gun owner and hunter, though nowhere near as avid as my father. He took me to the shooting range often, and he was a big deer hunter. He took me on my first deer hunt with him when I was 7, and I was hooked ever since. Also at around 6 or 7, he had me help him reload ammo on the coffee table in the living room, polishing and chamfering cases. My father owned a gas station and tire shop, so he made tons of semi-wadcutter .357 bullets out of melted wheel counterbalance weights. My first "gun" was a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun that my dad gave me. My first CF rifle I ever shot much was a Remington M600 Mohawk in .222. I carried that rifle with me when deer hunting with my dad, but I never fired a shot from it while in the field hunting. My first "real" rifle that was truly mine was a Ruger M77 tang safety in .243 that my dad gave me for Christmas at 13, with which I killed my first 5 deer. I still have that rifle and still hunt with it on occasion, though in my 20s I restocked it in a fancier piece of walnut and installed a Timney trigger.

For some reason, despite the fact my dad shot handguns a fair amount, he never gave me any handguns, and I seldom ever shot handguns as a kid. It was only until I reached my 20s that I bought my first handgun, which was a Ruger P90. Since then, I've bought lots of revolvers and semiauto pistols, with S&W revolvers comprising the biggest proportion of them by far.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

I grew up in the late 60-70's in middle of Florida in semi-rural area. …

Great story, and thanks so much for sharing! The Colt Cobra really got me interested in snub-nose revolvers. I only have a S&W Model 60, and even though it's not really for target shooting and a bit small for my hands, it's still one of my favorite guns. Definitely also the shiniest one!

 

[pawncop]

Born in 1950. My dad hunted some, mostly quail, not a big deer hunter. Rifles and shotgun were in the house, no handguns.

A Remington 582 bolt action rifle with a K-Mart brand scope was my first firearm for Christmas 1966. First handgun was a Ruger Bearcat. Still have both.

Not sure why, but the handgun bug bit me and bit me hard. Became a reserve deputy sheriff in 1979 and the race was on. Transferred to the police department in 1984. Carried S&W for the vast majority of career (40 years), but have been accumulating seriously (wide variety) since 2000. Retired in 2019, am allowed to carry as a retired officer.

I have reached the point in my life where I know I should be downsizing, but I am not doing a good job, as I have my eye on a 6 inch 586 that is calling my name.

 

[rug357]

Great story, and thanks so much for sharing! The Colt Cobra really got me interested in snub-nose revolvers. I only have a S&W Model 60, and even though it's not really for target shooting and a bit small for my hands, it's still one of my favorite guns. Definitely also the shiniest one!

I have been carrying a model 38 in my front pocket every day for past 20+ years. Yes, original wood grip is too small for most men so I've always used an Uncle Mike boot grip.