Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What was your first firearm that you learned to shoot?

My first rifle was a Daisy Red Rider BB gun that I got for Christmas in 1949. The first firearm that I had was a Mossberg pump 22 that I got a couple of years later.

Pretty sure you're right. The patina is pretty thick on this one. But the bore still shines.

Savage Model 24 22LR over .410 in 1962.

Me too,1964.

First rifle I shot was Dad's Winchester 67 single shot 22LR, the fore runner to the 67A

They were made sometime in the mid-1930's and had a grooved fore end.

Presently have on just like Dad's! Sure brings back some pleasant memories.

Virgil B.

Winchester M-42 410 shotgun. I was in the 2nd grade and my grandfather took me hunting letting me use his M-42 410

I was around 12 when dad let me start carrying his Stevens 12 ga. single barrel. 60 years later I still have his old Stevens in my safe.

a cheap model .410 shotgun, probably from Sears.

We had one of those old Stevens single shots with the exposed hammer. That thing was light, and an ounce and an eighth of #6s in 12 gauge, you’d better have ahold of it!
Half the time, the damn fore end flew off!
It was stolen from Dave’s house many years ago. I had half forgotten it.
Some freakin thief broke in and cleaned him out of a dozen or so rifles and shotguns.
Got The Old Man’s .22 Magnum too.
7mm

A BB gun I not a firearm, but I too learned to safely handle a long arm on a Daisy which I still have. I was 5 or 6 at that time.

The first firearm I used was my dad's M62A Winchester 22 pump, and I shot that rifle a lot. I loved to shoot so I would do it every time I had the chance, but Dad insisted I and my sister learned to use a rifle well and my Sis didn't like it much at the time, so shooting lessons were often slow and I had to wait on her. She took a LOT more coaching then I did, so I'd end up waiting on here many times.

Not long after I started shooting the 22, "a real gun", I was instructed on his Savage 1899 in 300 Savage. (An older rifle converted from a 303 or a 30-30) Using the Savage, I think I only ever fired 2 rounds at a paper target and once my dad was satisfied I could make a good hit, every other time I fired that gun was at deer, and also 1 horse and 1 elk. At the time I didn't like the Savage because it kicked me hard enough to hurt. I was small and thin then, but I never fired a shot at an animal that didn't kill it. Dad told me if you don't KNOW you can kill don't fire. Wait until you are sure. That was good advice for a young boy and it's still good today. I believe I killed about 16-18 deer with his 300 Savage and however many I killed, that was how many shots I fired. I never missed one, and I never fired 2 shots at any animal.

By the time I was 12 I'd become fairly proficient with rifles and I got my own 1st rifle, a M70 Winchester in 270.

Ithaca Mdl 37, 20ga at 10.

Before that it was always a loaner. There were plenty.

Winchester 67A.

Dad bought me a J.C. Higgins 12 pump , shortened the stock , 26 inch barrel and I took off running . I still have that gun and memories of the many quail and rabbits that it shot .

Marlin Model 60.

Coast to Coast tube fed bolt action 22 with open sights.

An old worn out 12 gauge break open with a hammer. It had a bolt welded onto it and bent over for a trigger guard. When I shot it it would fall apart into 3 pieces. Barrel , forearm and receiver attached to the butt. I would put it back together and shoot another rabbit or squirrel.

My Mom's Winchester 67 - which I still have (and use).

My father's .22 bolt action rifle.

A Daisy BB gun I salvaged from the neighbor's back yard landfill, and rebuilt till it worked. Then a Remington 521 Targetmaster .22 I bought for $27.00 new. Eventually I purchased my first high power; a 6.5 Mannlicher-Carcano from Klien's of Chicago for $9.97 (plus shipping). It was a thing of beauty, but the local gunsmith would not touch it to drill holes for a side-mount scope. So I used dad's Black and Decker. The metal was pretty soft as I recall.

Remington Model 241 Speedmaster .22lr. I was probably 7 or 8 years old.