Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles first deer rifle survey

I received a brand new Remington 760 308 from my grandfather in 1982 when I turned 12. I got my first deer with it in December of 1983.

12 years old borrowed dad’s Remington 788 .243 shot my first buck a spike x fork and a few hogs
Few years later I bought myself a used Remington 700 BDL .270 at the local gun shop. The owner of the gun shop knew the previous owner of the rifle and that it had been bedded and the trigger worked on and he was tired of me coming in his shop every week to fondle every rifle and ask a million questions. So when it came up he insisted I buy it! But what sets that rifle aside in my memory was the scope. On his recommendation I bought a Leopold varix-II gloss 3-9x40.
My dad taught me to hunt and he had a few good rifles but for some reason he never spent the money for a decent scope! At the time I didn’t wear a wrist watch and because my dad always had cheap scopes we would hunt “till dark”then hike to camp or a meeting spot, because he couldn’t see through his scope before legal shooting light faded. Well end of my first day with my new gun and I’m hiking back to camp as the sun was setting and see a good size buck on the hill above me feeding in oat grass. I shouldered the rifle and could see him plane as day in the scope the yellow grass almost back light him up so I steadied and shot him. I was so excited my first forked horn with eyegaurds, shot with my own rifle! My dad was hunting the ridge parallel to me, heard the shot and came running over flashlight in hand and met me at the deer and proceeded to chew my ass!?!? He was convinced I had spotlighted it with my flashlight because there was no way I could have seen through a scope when it was that dark!, and he was convinced that I had shot after legal time! We weren’t that far from camp and few guys heard me shoot and noted the time and defended me saying I still had 30 seconds to spare! The next morning dad took my rifle and sat looking through the scope and checking his watch as the sun came up and then looking through his Simmons scope on his rifle and just shook his head as he could see through my scope a full 1/2 hour before he could through his. After that I have always had a wrist watch on while hunting. And my dad now has a thing for European glass on his rifles.

An original 303 enfield jungle carbine. Bought it off the used rack at the local sporting goods store when I was 18 for $150.

12 years old.......... Borrowed Dad's 1896 Springfield .30-40 Krag

13 years old.......... Savage 99C in .308 Win that I bought with my fur check.

I was 10 years old. Used my grandfather’s Remington 721 in 30-06 topped with a 4x Bushnell. Still have the rifle but it’s in a BDL stock with a leupold 2-7.

At 11, a Remington 870 youth 20ga. Then at 13 a savage 243.

The year was 1978, Marlin 336 in 35 remington. I was 15 yrs old

Ruger 77 mark 2 all weather in 30-06, bushnell elite 3200 on top. Got it for my 12th birthday.

Harrington and Richardson Handi Rifle in 30-30. Got it for my 9th birthday. It also came with a 410 barrel. First rifle I purchased for myself was a Ruger #1A in 270 Winchester when I was 17.

Ha! This is great. I remember my first move up from a Bushnell to what I considered "expensive" glass after college. Most of y'all would probably still consider it lower end, but it was a world of difference moving into the $300+ range.

I am the oldest of four sons. When I was 14, my stepdad and his deer hunting buddy and I stopped in to the corner gas station to check the used gun rack. I didn't know we were there to buy me my first centerfire. Thank god they passed on the military .303 British and settled on a Savage 340 in .30-30. $40 if I remember correctly. All four of us boys cut our teeth on that rifle.

I think I was 23, my first rifle was a pre-64 30-06, I purchased at the back counter in a liquor store!

Ruger m77 .300wm. I was 13.





200 yard shot across a hollow. Dad made me gut it myself. I still remember the burn sticking cold hands in the cavity.

pre 64 winchester 94 30-30. Which was my mothers rifle. Shot a blacktail doe not far from Fiddle Town California, early 70's.

I started deer hunting at 13 in a shotgun only zone with my Winchester model 1400 bird & bunny gun with a 28" barrel. At 16 I got a Winchester model 94 in 32 Winchester Special, but never hunted with it until I was 35.

Winchester 88 308 when I was 12.

Winchester 94 in 30-30, open sights and factory 170's.

WBY V-master, .22-250, Redfield 4-12x, 63 gr Sierra and IMR-4350, age 16.

Win 94 in 30-30.

Started with a 20 ga Ithaca and slugs at 12. Graduated to a Rem 700 ADL in .270 at 16.