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Dad bought me a brand new Winchester 370 16 ga. when I was 13 or 14 then a Winchester pellet rifle and when I probably 17 he bought my brother and I a Winchester model 190 22 rifles each, all that I still have.

I didn't have any growing up.

My boot camp M16 was my first.

I bought a Glock 17 and a Remington 700 classic 375H&H in 1994.

I got a daisy BB gun at age 10, then a win.md37 20 gage at 12, but had to give it to my brother when he turned 12 I always thought that sucked. I bought a marlin 12ga. Bolt action at 14, a rem. Nylon 66 the next year and have bought or traded from my guns since. At 18 I saved up and bought my 1st deer rifle a Marlin 1895 45-70

My first gun was a Stevens 12 gauge I bought at a Globe store when I was 16 ( by myself) on North Shepard in 1968.

A Winchester 52 sporter, not give but loaned for about a year for Boy Scouts. First one I bought was a Marlin Model 60. Think it was $39.99 at Target. First deer rifle was a Mauser BCD code '44 still have that one.

I inherited my dads Marlin model 80 dl .22 rifle when i was 12,my grandfather had put it away for me when he died ,with instructions to give it to me on my 12 th birthday.If i had to keep only one,that would be it.

1st Shotgun - Remington 870 3" Mag

1st Rimfire - Ruger 10/22

1st Centerfire - Mark X Mauser in .270

My Dad gave me his first 22, a Remington single shotTargetmaster, which I still have when I was 8 years old. A couple years later he gave me a 20 guage Ithaca Mod 37 that I still have. Also bought a Belgian A-5 lightweight a few years later for me, and I still have that too. They will never leave until death do us part.

I was a freshman in college in 1968 and bought a Stevens model 311 for $60. Still have it.

1st centerfire rifle was actually two centerfire rifles, a Remington 660 in 6MM and a Ruger 44 International, still have both of them.

First rimfire rifle was a Remington Nylon 66, still have it.

First shotgun was a Savage 24 combination gun in 22M over 20 gauge, still have it and it is probably a contributing factor to me being close to the worst wingshot ever.

First handgun was a S&W 19 4", still have it.

Fire firearm that was purchased with money that I earned was an Venezuelan Model 24/30 military Mauser made by FN. I was a sporterized carbine with a short barrel. I managed to plug the barrel with snow, blew a chunk of steel out of the bolt face, and sent it to Creighton Audette in Springfield, VT, for a full rebuild. It has been a 257 Roberts for close to 50 years now and yes, I still have it.

Daisy BB gun for Christmas at 7.
A Winchester 67-A Boys rifle .22 for Christmas at 10.
A Savage 24 in .22/.410 on Christmas at 13
A Remington 552 .22 for Christmas at 15.
I bought my first centerfire with “yard money” at 16...a model 700 .243 Win for $101.89. Ammo was $3.40 a box so I learned to reload not too long after that.
I bought my first handgun, a Ruger Single Six convertible from my physics teacher my senior year in high school
I still have all of them minus the BB gun.

First real gun was a Stevens 94 20ga single barrel. First I ever bought with my own money was a Glenfield 60 .22 bought at Woolco for $45.

I bought my son an 870 youth 20 gauge when he was 12. I bought him a 12 gauge 1187 and a Remington 700 ADL in 30-06 when he was 18. He's a great kid who was an awesome athlete who never gave me 5 minutes of grief. He's a 32 year old Aerospace Engineer now.

Ron

I bought a 300 Win Magnum in a Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe in 1980 with a part of the first Alaska PFD check. I still have it and it is a nice rifle.

My first two where a Mossberg 151 .22lr, and a Winchester model 12 12ga "duck gun".
Both from my grandfather that I never really knew. Never shot either one very well...

8, 410 H&R single shot.
10, '94 30-30 Winchester, fuggin cannon it seemed.
Had to wait till 12 before Dad would let me have a 22LR, shooting squirrels in trees can send a lead slug a long way if you miss, that rifle was a Remington Speedmaster! and it was a pretty bitch!

Happy memories.

The first "gun" I was given was a Daisy BB gun (which I still own) at 5 or 6, which Dad schooled me with on safe gun handling and the basics of shooting. Within about 1 year I was allowed to shoot the first real rifle I ever used, my dad's M62 Winchester pump 22 rifle. Age 6-7.

The first centerfire rifle I ever used was my dad's M95 Savage in 300 savage for killing deer and livestock on the ranch. Age 8-9 (I hated it then because it didn't fit me and I though it was a killer in recoil. But I did kill a number of deer with it and my first elk too)

The first real gun I was ever given of my own was an Ithica M66 single Shot 20 gauge. Age 12

My first centerfire I ever owned (and bought with money I earned myself) was a Winchester M70 in 270 Winchester Also age 12. That's also when I got my first set of reloading equipment.

My first handgun was an original Colt M1851 cap and ball at age 14. Needed work, but with help from a man who did restoration at the state museum, I was able to bring it back to 100% prefect operational shape. In that same year I made my first rifle stock, for a Mk10 Mauser in 270 Winchester, which I have rebarreled 2 times since then

At 15 I got a 1st generation B.P. fame Colt SAA in 45 Colt that was in pretty rough shape and again with supervision, I restored it to perfect functional condition. In that year I also make my first muzzleloader, a 58 caliber S.Hawken copy. At 15 I also saved enough money to buy a Beretta BL3 O/U 12 gauge.

Next at 16, I got a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 mag which I thought was the most perfect and beautiful gun I ever seen at that time. I also got a Colt New Frontier 22 at the same time, within about 2 weeks of the Ruger.

At 18 I got a S&W M29 with an 8-3.8" barrel, just a few months before I joined the USMC. I had to sell the Colt 51 navy and the Colt SAA 45 to buy it.

Funny thing is ------I didn't own my own 22 rifle until I was 23. I bought a Winchester M94/22 when I was in the Marines. I started shooing a LOT of 22 ammo when I was very young, but all of the rifle shooting I did was with my dad's 22 Winchester. All the 22s I shot from a handgun was from my Colt, but I didn't own a 22 rifle. At 22 years old I got my 375H&H, and at 23 years old I decided I should own my own 22 rifle.

Been buying, selling and trading ever since.

My family had a Essex 410 single shot shotgun that my dad, and myself and my three brothers all learned to hunt with. So, I used that from age 5 or 6, up until I graduated to something bigger. I still have that gun. But, my first gun of my own was a Remington 511 22 rifle that I got for Christmas at age 12. Still have it also. A few years after that, I got a Winchester Model 12 20 gauge.

1st go bang was a Ruger 10/22 , 2nd go bang was a Ruger SBH in 44mag.

I have 5 brothers and we all got a shotgun and rifle for our 12th birthdays. 50-odd years later, most of those guns are still around. Mine are a Stevens 20 ga single shot and a LH Rem 788 in 6mm. I still hunt with both at times and the 6mm has proven deadly on quite a few deer and chucks. My kids got the same treatment. My son got a Savage 10 in 308 and a 12 ga 870. He also got a Marlin 925 camo 22 for earning Eagle Scout. My daughter got a Mossberg 500 and a Rem 700 in 243. Her 2 children will get the same treatment, though they won't have to wait until they turn 12. Her 7 yr old daughter is getting pretty good with a 22.