Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What did you start out with?

JB's article in the latest Sports Afield mentions starting new hunters with milder loads or cartridges and recoil pads. I started with a 30-30 with a curved steel butt plate which kicked the snot out of me at 12 years old and is no fun to shoot. Luckily I graduated to a 30-06 with a recoil pad a few years later.
Anybody else start off with a kicker?

I started out as a high school junior with a sporterized M98 Mauser in 8x57, which had a Lyman All American 4x in a Williams side mount with high central overbore rings and a Willams Foolproof receiver sight mounted under it. It had a hard plastic buttplate. This was in 1965, when full power 8mm military surplus ammo was cheap. I shot that rifle until the barrel wore out (half from the number of rounds fired and half from neglect when using corrosive ammo), and had the bruised shoulder to show for it. I wish I had never sold that old rifle.

First rifle I ever fired was Dad's Interarms Mark X in 7mm Remington Magnum. It darn near knocked me on my 12 year old butt.

That was just the prelude to him and Mom handing me Mom's 760 Carbine in 30/06. I still have it and it still produces 39 years later.

I hunted squirrels in Michigan's north woods with an old bolt action Remington 12ga shotgun because that's what we had. It was brutal to shoot, but I was happy with it. When I got old enough for deer, I used a Ruger Deerfield carbine. Oddly enough for the same reason. I still love the 44 magnum cartridge, and wouldn't be without one. Its so good, I take it's performance for granted. The 12ga is still beating me up. My old Stevens 311 put a bruise on my shoulder just yesterday. But I'll never sell it.

Rem 760 30-06

1965, I was 10 and my Dad bought a new M 70 in 243 for me to use on my first deer hunt. No recoil pad and iron sights, shot an 8 point on opening morning, a spike the next day. Still have that rifle.

1934 .32 Winchester Special, Model 94 carbine. About knocked a 12 year old on his butt in 1966, but managed to bring in a spike.

I killed my first deer with a .22 in the apple orchard behind my dads barn. Had always heard a .22 would drop a deer with a head shot and by golly it did. Dad was pissed {I wasn't old enough to legally hunt deer yet} but put his tag on it anyway and it didn't go to waste. My first legal deer and several after were killed with a 12 gauge Mossberg 500 and slugs. Felt like I had a death ray in my hands a few years later when I finally got my first .30-30.

First gun I ever fired ead my dad's Reminton 512T .22. I was small enough that I was sitting in his lap on the ground and just pulled the trigger....all that business about sights was beyond me at that point. First gun of my own was a hand-me-down 16 gauge Ithaca 37. I killed my first deer with it, first grouse, first duck. First rifle I bought was a sporterized 03A3.

A sportirized 98 mauser in 8x57 cal. and a Redfield peep. Wish i still had it.

A model 700 adl Remington in 308. Steal butplate . It wasn’t pleasant to shoot.

Sporter stocked aperture sighted 03-A3/30-06 w/ 150 gr. Federal red box.




GR

Uncles Sporterized A3-03 in 30-06. I was 10. Got the deer but got the big “scope kiss” cut above my right eye. 😬

Not a gun writer but my first deer, a CA Blacktail, fell to my Grandpa’s 721 30-06. Still take it out every season & have taken a few more with it along the way. Pretty sweet gun really.

Same as Howard1, a sporterized 98K 8X57 with a peep. I do still have it. Bishop stock, it is still the worst for recoil, does not fit me I guess. Several magnums have brought less pain firing.

Remington 700 30-06 that I bought new at 13 with paper route money. The recoil didn’t really bother me but the amount of noise even with hearing pro bothered me some.

Well, I believe I was 10, the rifle was a Husqvarna, .270 wcf. I was so fortunate because my uncle was a serious hunter and shooter and he was very into handloading at the time.
We didn't use any reduced loads, quite the opposite.
The rifle had a plastic or steel butt plate.
I was a pretty big kid in 1968. I don't remember complaining and we did alot of shooting.
It was my elk rifle, still have it.....I installed a recoil pad on it latter on

Agreed. I’ve heard guys recommend a 30-30 as a light recoiling first rifle for kids in my home state. In my experience the amount of recoil is pretty substantial in a typical light weight hard recoil plate lever action deer rifle.

Started with air rifle but shortly after got a 22 and then 303 - full wood MkIII SMLE inclusive of the standard brass butt-plate. Thumb in the nose was worse than the metal butt-plate. The recoil was otherwise fun, as well as the big bang, and cloud of dust at the target.

In 1967 I bought a Marlin 336 in 44 magnum. I never really thought about it kicking. I shot a lot of cans and targets with it because back then there just weren't that many deer around the areas I had to hunt. From the middle 70's to about 2005 it put a bunch of venison in the freezer though. My son has it now and it is still a great rifle. I found one like it a year or two after I gave mine to my son. I now have a Marlin 336 in 44 magnum back in my safe.