Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles first rifle you bought

haverluk, what is the story of the pig I your avatar pic?

My first was a model 77 tang safety in .22-250. Mid 90's time frame. Has never shot like I thought it should. A timney trigger and a bedding job over the years. Wears a Leopold vari-xII. Has killed a pile of deer and turkeys and assorted varmints. Thought was all I'd ever need. Safe full later and still look at but don't ever hunt it. Pretty sure was one of rugers poor barrel models. Maybe one day will rebarrel it.

'Deed I do.

My brother bought a F.I. Musketeer FN from the "real" Gander Mountain by mail. $108!

First one with my money (from mowing lawns) was a Ruger 77 in 270 Win. That was 1977 and I was only 16 so 'officially', my mom owns it. A Savage 99 in 358 Win was the first one after I turned 18. Still have and hunt both.

Dale

First gun was a Husqvarna (FN action) in 30-06, a 640 low comb job. Hunted the first year with iron sights and lucked into a pretty decent mule deer (5x7) hunting with my Dad and uncle Garth. That hunt hooked me, big time. Got a scope for it next year and got a stock made for it and worked half the summer to pay for it. Gone now, wish I still had that rifle and those two men to hunt with again!

Hunted it for a couple years, shot a few more deer, then sold it off. Took a year off from hunting, then settled down and got back into it the next year. Next rifle was a pushfeed model 70 308 that served me well for several years until it became a 270 and served me better! There have been several dozen guns pass thru the doorway over the years, almost all of them bolt action rifles. Current favourite is a pre 64 270 fwt in a Mcmillan edge, suits me pretty well!

I still have some of those old catalogs and still own several Sears J.C. Higgins and Wards WesternField brand guns. The .22 I learned to shoot with as a youngster was a J.C Higgins belonging to my dad and my first shotgun was a WesternField.

1986, used stainless Mini-14 with some flavor of Nikon IIRC.
Second was a 788 in .308 a year later. Traded the Mini for it.

1967(?) Savage 99F, 308 Winchester. Miserable rifle to shoot, but killed my first deer with it.

The first with my money was a new Browning T-Bolt purchased from Gells Sporting Goods in Michigan.

A Remington 700 Mountain rifle in 270. Smooth bolt handle; circa 1987, I wish I still had it

$101.89 of “yard cutting” money bought me a Remington 700 ADL, 243 in ‘66. Still have it. The second was a Ruger Single Six that I bought from my high school physics teacher in ‘68 and no one thought twice about if. Still have if too.

Left handed Savage 110 in .308, probably 1981 or 82 ?

Rem 700 ADL synthetic/matte in 7mm Rem Mag (around 1991-92)

1968. Winchester M70 (push feed) in 270. Weaver K4 on it.

After that I bought a lot of them over the years and went to bigger more powerful scopes and all kinds of calibers, from 264 Win mags to 458 win mags as well as many supper magnums and over-bore wildcats in 7MM, 30 cal and 338.

You know what..................... The 1st rifle I bought was one of the very best combinations I ever owned, but it took me 25 years after that 1st rifle to start to come to my senses, and quit believing magazine articles over my own eyes and my own experience.

Cool Aid may tastes good, but we should not drink it just because someone said we should.

In about 1961, at age 12, I bought a Springfield Model 15, single shot 22 from a school mate who lived in town.

I was a country boy and carried that thing with me all the time. I spent hours chopping weeds down with the rifle with no scope, just open sights.

I had a blast and enjoyed the crap out of it. I offered it to my daughter this summer when she started having ground hog problems around her horse farm.

I hope she teaches her daughter to shoot, and shoot well, so that it will stay in the family.

donsm70

PS. I paid my buddy his $5 asking price at the time.

New Ruger 77 in 25-06 in 1992. Still have it.

1971, Marlin 336 30-30. I was 11 years old. Dad put a Weaver K4 on it for me, and it still wears it today.

Browning BAR in 30-06 was the first bought with my funds. It has since left the flock.

First centerfire was in 1962, a slightly used Model 760 Remington in .300 Savage for $80. My son has the rifle now....

A Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06, the summer I graduated from high school (1961). I had a little money "left over" after registering for my freshman year of college. As I recall, it cost me $101 and change.

I bought a .30-06 because I had dreams of hunting all kinds of North American game, and I just could not imagine owning more than one "high-powered" rifle. It still resides in my gun safe, and it goes hunting with me somewhere, just about every year.