When I was 15-16, my older brother bought me an M94 30/30 at Irv's Gunshop in Inkster, MI. They had them on sale for $69.99. This was in about 1975. No one in my extended family hunted, so I sold it to a fellow student in the high school parking lot the next year, since I had no need for it. The first one that I bought was a Savage 110 in 22/250. I got it just for target shooting. It was a sporter weight, but still accurate. The first real gun I bought was when I was around 20. I had a place and friends to hunt with by then, and wanted a Ruger 77 in 25/06. I went to Hood's Gunshop in Lincoln Park but they didn't have one. What they did have was a Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem Mag at the then-time MSRP of $295. It was the holy grail to me. It was a hundred more than I wanted to spend, but it had beautiful wood, so I bought it. The owner and employees were incredulous. Here was a 20 year old, long haired "kid" buying the best gun in the store. This is back when all shops were owned by sour, old men.
