What gun have you had the longest?
- Thread starter BKLooney
- Start date
NFrameFred
Member
That would be a Marlin bolt rifle in 22 WMR, a 980 DL from 1967.
I had been paying the local sporting goods store a few bucks at a time from grass cutting and then snow shoveling and found it fully paid off and under my Christmas tree that year - apparently dad talked mom into rewarding me for the effort I had put in thus far and paid the remainder of the tab, about half as I recall. I was 13 years old and lived in a small enough town that a 13 year old boy buying a 22 on time from the local dealer (who knew my dad, of course) was not unusual, alarming, or noteworthy (sure miss those days) . Accounted for lots of squirrels, ground hogs, crows and tin cans and though the price of 22 mags has risen in years past to where I can shoot a 22 hornet that I can reload for cheaper than buying the rimfire, I still take it out of the safe occasionally and enjoy the memories attached and remember the man years gone now that helped make them possible. Every man should have such memories of his childhood . . . .
I had been paying the local sporting goods store a few bucks at a time from grass cutting and then snow shoveling and found it fully paid off and under my Christmas tree that year - apparently dad talked mom into rewarding me for the effort I had put in thus far and paid the remainder of the tab, about half as I recall. I was 13 years old and lived in a small enough town that a 13 year old boy buying a 22 on time from the local dealer (who knew my dad, of course) was not unusual, alarming, or noteworthy (sure miss those days) . Accounted for lots of squirrels, ground hogs, crows and tin cans and though the price of 22 mags has risen in years past to where I can shoot a 22 hornet that I can reload for cheaper than buying the rimfire, I still take it out of the safe occasionally and enjoy the memories attached and remember the man years gone now that helped make them possible. Every man should have such memories of his childhood . . . .
Marlin 39A; bought it new from a hardware store (old timey brick building with wooden floors) in 1960 with my newspaper/lawn mowing money.
My family model 12 is also a cylinder bore. Dad's Wards Wester Field/High Standard flight king has the optional Cutts Comp and 3 choke set. Very 1950s High Standard space gun reminiscent, like the HS .22 Ray Gun pistol.
Stevens model 58D 20 gauge, bolt action shotgun. I've owned it since I was 14 years old - in 1976.
Dad bought it for me at a pawn shop - to replace my Savage model 24 22LR/410 O/U that was stolen from our house in a burglary that year.
As much as I treasure this gift from my dad, I'd gladly trade it for a Savage like the one that was stolen.
That little Savage 22LR/410 O/U was my Christmas gift in 1972, shortly after my 10th birthday. It was the first gun I ever owned.
Dad bought it for me at a pawn shop - to replace my Savage model 24 22LR/410 O/U that was stolen from our house in a burglary that year.
As much as I treasure this gift from my dad, I'd gladly trade it for a Savage like the one that was stolen.
That little Savage 22LR/410 O/U was my Christmas gift in 1972, shortly after my 10th birthday. It was the first gun I ever owned.
Earlier I posted a shotgun and rifle that I bought when I was 18 but I've have a colt huntsman I learned to shoot with back in 1961 as a 6 year old . Dad also bought a winchester 150 lever action 22lr the next year for me but being a child cleaning a firearm and lubing might have been rather limited and the wear I put on that rifle most have been heavy as stopped working one day and it went for some TLC to winchester thru our gun dealer . ! I found out years later winchester replaced it and he let the dealer keep it as dad made a deal for a remingtion 511P . Still have the colt huntsman and the rem 511P and both were the first firearm my girl friend and future wife shot on our first date back in '76 and our daughters at about 6 years of age and our grandchildren at around 6 years old too .
My Dad was not a hunter but he saw how much interest I had in it and he did try hunting and he did not even want to shoot with me just stayed around on our range until he was sure I treated a firearm proper safety and respect . At least got me started right at a young age but occasionally dad forgot to buy more ammo too ? It did not take long for a young kid to burn thru a brick of 22lr .
By the time I was maybe 9 or 10 I use to ride my bike to a small local neighborhood grocery about 2 miles away and buy my weekend or more of 22lr ammo with a pocket full of change mostly from MOM . With the new remington 511P I be come a better shooter and started hunting " tree rats " aka squirrels .
Our neighbor Mr. Chesser showed me how to clean them and his wife told mom the best ways to prep and cook them so we had squirrel ether fried or squirrel stew on weekends about once a month and I gave some squirrels to the Chesser's too .
Those were some really good years .
My Dad was not a hunter but he saw how much interest I had in it and he did try hunting and he did not even want to shoot with me just stayed around on our range until he was sure I treated a firearm proper safety and respect . At least got me started right at a young age but occasionally dad forgot to buy more ammo too ? It did not take long for a young kid to burn thru a brick of 22lr .
By the time I was maybe 9 or 10 I use to ride my bike to a small local neighborhood grocery about 2 miles away and buy my weekend or more of 22lr ammo with a pocket full of change mostly from MOM . With the new remington 511P I be come a better shooter and started hunting " tree rats " aka squirrels .
Our neighbor Mr. Chesser showed me how to clean them and his wife told mom the best ways to prep and cook them so we had squirrel ether fried or squirrel stew on weekends about once a month and I gave some squirrels to the Chesser's too .
Those were some really good years .
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Definitely the Stevens Favorite .22 rifle my dad gave me for Christmas in 1958 or 1959. I still have it.
22lrfan
Member
My first shotgun was a new 1970 Ithaca 37 I received for Christmas. First rifle was a Ruger 10-22 I got for Christmas in 1972. First handgun was a 1977 H&R 929 I bought with money saved from cutting yards. Still have all three.
hemiram
Member
Mine is my Beretta Jetfire 950 in the mighty .25ACP. I bought it in late 1979, one of the first new guns I bought that didn't have any problems. At one point, if it wasn't made by Beretta (92, 950, 84, and Browning BDA) and it was new, it wasn't going to be a keeper at all. I had to sell everything in 2004, and then almost everything in 2009 again. Finances improved greatly since then and I have more guns now than I did at either previous peak. Oldest other than the Jetfire is my Dan Wesson 715, which was my first GB gun.
The gun I own now that I have owned the longest is my Dirty Harry Special. I have had it since the early 1970s.
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