Bored and looking to generate some data just for the fun of it.

The first center-fire rifle that was really and truly yours (not a family gun or loaner) - for what cartridge was it chambered?

Mine was .303 British

Mine was .30 WCF; still have the rifle.

30/30

30-30

.308 win in 788

still have it and have killed close to a hundred deer with it. Might take it out tomorrow.


Bought and paid for with meager earning sacking groceries at the military commissary when I was 15 yr old

A lot of [bleep] fat bitch officer’s wives handing me .50 cents made it possible

257 Roberts

.270 M70

25-06

Turdy-turdy. Didn't really like the gun, but I wish I still had it.

M94 Win 32 Special

First center fire I bought was a Zytel stocked .223 Ruger.

Off the used rack.

722 Rem in 300 Sav. Soon traded off for a 1895 Win. in 30-40 Krag. Still have that one plus a few more.

First one I ever had was a 303 British. It was just one to have, not shoot. First one I ever paid hard earned cash for was a Marlin 336 in 44 magnum. I got a lot of deer over the years with that one.

7x57 m1893 Mauser, like new, $19.95 mail order from Monkey Wards. Was in Jr. High, worked in cafeteria, saved .25/day lunch money. Following the free sporterizing publication I obtained from Williams Gunsite Co., had a gunsmith shorten the barrel and add a Lyman 57 and corresponding front sight I installed. Did the stock myself, rubbing in coats of boiled linseed oil.

7mm Rem Mag.

Didn't start hunting until after I left the military.

Blacktail and Roosevelt Elk.

I remember the “30/30 people” in high school

They failed 9th, 10th or 11th grade English. So as a senior their schedule would be 3 English classes and Ag or Building Trades or a supervised work program via Pizza Hut. Drove grandma’s hand-me-down 4 door Nova and thought it was a hot rod after they put glass pack mufflers on it.

And they had names like Peanut, Catfish, Bird Dog, Butterball, etc.

Wait for it





lol

30-06

30-06 in a Rem 742 which I purchased new in 1972 for $150 when I was 16. Traded it away in 1980 for a M77 in .280.

30-30 and I killed another deer with it last week.

A Herter's Model (Perfect? ) U-9 barreled action and a semi-inleted walnut stock that I ordered from them in 1967. That was the first stock that I finished and hand checkered. In 1977 I had Les Bauska in Kalispell re-chamber it to .30 Gibbs. Before I retired it in 2003, it put 29 elk, 2 Shiras moose, a Mountain goat, and an Alaskan caribou in my freezer.

30-06

You know how to cut to the core of me Baxter.

244 Remington. Dad gave to me when I was 14. Still have it an it shoots 6mm and has killed to many varmints to count.

Mine too. Authentic jungle carbine circa 1945. It works great in heavy timber for short range (100 yards) on both deer and elk.

.30-06

30-06 Remington bdl, in 1983 and still have it.

Sporterized Mauser in 30-06 from K'Mart, $49.95.

Local gunshop had surplus FMJ ammo for 8-10 cents each. Depending on how much I bought.

First one that was mine, .30-06.
First one I bought, .243 in a 70 lightweight. Redfield tracker 3x-9x in redfield mounts. I was 17.

A Ruger M77 7mm Mag I bought new in 1977. Killed some blacktail and a mule deer with it. Sold it long ago.

I bought a .270 Win. two or three years later (after first one which was a .30-06)

25-35

I was 13, a .270 in a 700 ADL. 1993. K-Mart. On sale for $300. BDLs were $330. Money saved from picking up black walnuts At $10/hundred weight and pecans at $1/lb with the help of dad and grandpa. A 1988 Toyota pickup with a bed level full of walnuts will make you $50 after being hulled.

4 years later I got this big guy and the doe with it. My first branch antlered buck. High school baseball coach got the smaller buck 200 yards from my stand.

Remington 700 .17 Remington

Weaver K4 w/rings and mounts

1 box of cartridges

Canvas case

Worked at a gas station after school to come up with the 1972 take home price of $158

Our town had a brand new mall. Center of the mall was a big Woolworth's with a cafe and a large sporting goods department.
Don't recall the last time I saw a Woolworth's. And I'll bet it didn't have a rack of Grumman canoes sitting at the back of the main aisle.

I was 14 when I bought this rifle. Dad had to go in and sign for it, and was not excited at all about going to "the mall". I offered to buy his lunch at the Woolworth's cafe. He went, and he signed for the rifle. Walked right by the cafe on the way out. I said, "What about lunch?"
His eyes could sometimes hit harder than a rifle.

The first one I laid out the cash for is a Weatherby MkV Fiber Mark, the original version in a McMillan stock. 7mm Wby. magnum.

Remington 788 in 22-250.

7 X 57 Mauser

Husqvarna .30-06, box of Winchester 165’s, red velvet lined vinyl and leather case, pack of targets and orange Silencio ear muffs. To be honest, I’ve never needed anything more since that first rifle.

My dad read an article in Peterson’s Hunting about the all new 260 Remington that was just hitting shelves. Drove us up to Jumbo Sports in the city and bought me a brand new M7 youth with the birch stock.

Killed my biggest mulie with it an wish I still had it.

First one I ever bought myself was a VZ24 with a sewer pipe bore at a surplus store in Farmington NM when we went out to my aunt’s funeral. Cost me $44.95. I’d order 70 round bandoliers of Turkish surplus ammo in strippers from Sportsman’s Guide for $8.99 with free shipping. It was minute of cinder block accurate. Think the only things I ever killed with it was armadillos and one big old stray tomcat. Shot lots of gopher mounds and cow patties with it though.

5.56/.223. My first centerfire rifle was a Ruger Mini-14. Got it when I was 17.

30-30... LOL

That was my second centerfire rifle. I got it when I was 18, i.e., a Winchester 94 in .30-30.

.32 Winchester Special, to be more precise. Got one of those, too.

.223 Mini 14.

30-06

In 1972 Browning Belgium made BLR in .308 Winchester, was making $1.35 hr working in a Hardware store that summer.

Rem 700 Classic 6 MM Rem

When I was 11 years old my dad gave me a Savage 340 C in .30-30. But he used it more than I did. I never killed anything with it. The first rifle I ever bought I still have, a 1966 year model Model 70 push feed in .270 Winchester. I was 18 years old and had no clue. Later when I realized what a POS I had I was disappointed in it especially when I got to handle and shoot a REAL model 70. But I got used to it and discovered it wasn't such a bad rifle after all. Since then I've killed about 40 deer with it. So I kept it. I've got several scoped deer rifles now, Remington, Winchester, Howa, Ruger, and some Mauser builds and I can take my pick. But most days I still grab that ol' .270 and go kill deer. Old habits are hard to break.

Win 94 30-30. My older brother gave it to me.
He got it for deer hunting and only used it a couple of years before he went in the AF.
I've owned the gun for over 40 yrs and hunted with it many many times.

7x57 Argentine Mauser , sporterized , was able to consistently hit quart oil cans with it , that was basic deer hunting zero in those days , most shots being under a 100 yds
Kenneth

30-30. My oldest has it now. Had it since 1978. Bought new. Still have the box.

Remington 788 in 243.
It has moved on.

Remington bdl ss dm 25-06, senior year of high school

303 british, that i crudely sporterized.

Ed

Now THAT was smart trading!!!

My first cf rifle was a 336 in 30-30. It took my first moose.

It sleeps with the fishes now, along with a couple other firearms after a kid rolled my boat under a log jam. My Lab retrieved a life jacket....

My second was an 03-A3 in 300NM, bought from a UAF rifle team member. Both good shooters. Rifle burned up in a house fire.

I miss both rifles.

First purchase was 22-250. Charged it to my brand new card and then shot enough coyotes to pay the bill before it came due.

Win M94 saddle ring in 25-35

5sdad: Year was 1959 and caliber was 30/06. Father gifted.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

7 Rem Mag in a 110 package gun. Good thing the deer and elk hadn't heard yet you couldn't kill animals with junk like that. It now has a new barrel, stock, trigger and scope. It'll still kill whatever needs killing, but it's retired in favor of newer, stainless, quieter, lighter and less recoiling mousetraps....

7mmRM

Saved up and bought a M77 MkII stainless, boat paddle in 1996, no sights. . Bought a box of core-lok’s along with it. Super proud, I stopped on the way home to show it to my friend’s dad.

I offered him to shoot it and while aiming at the 6x6 his mailbox was mounted to, he blew the box off into the ditch. As long as I live, I’ll never forget his response: “Becky’s gonna be pissed I did that again.”

😂

250 Savage

Never owned a .244 but I know people that have them. While they don't stabilize 100 grain bullets well, they will stabilize 90 grain Spitzers just fine. Now with better bullets many 90 grain bullets are deadly on deer size game. So in my limited opinion the .244 is now a fine deer rifle. However, I think a lot of people been using them all along.

8mm Lebel.
$7.50 out of a barrel full of them in a hardware store. 1963. Still have it, never hunted with it.

Next one was a semi sporterized 03-A3 30-06. Still have it, have killed some deer with it.

I vacillated between that and the 742 in 30-06 that I did buy. I had the Browning catalog and looked at that for a long time. The clincher was that my Dad had a 760 in 30-06 and so we could share ammo if we needed.

Winchester M94 in .30-30, bought with paper route money in 1970.

Still have it and still use it.












oh............lol

Remington 700 ADL, 243. $101.89.

Very first was Ruger in 25-06.

Heavy barrel. Crap trigger. Was a shooter. Still have the rifle. It started throwing a shot occasionally and I got other rifles. Haven't shot it in a while but would like to get it out and tuned back up.

Actually 2, got both of them at the same time, a Remington 660 in 6mm and a Ruger 44 International. Still have both rifles.

Remington 788 in 6mm Rem, traded it to my dad after he had back surgery, kicked a little less than his 30-06.

6mm Remington in Model 760

Marlin or Winchester?

6mm Rem model 700 bought used in 1982. Still have it.

Toward the end of the run of the 721/722/725, after Remington did away with the rear sight boss, some of the 244 barrels that were installed on 725s had the same 1-10" ROT as the 243 barrels that they were making. I have a 725 in 244 with a 1-10" ROT barrel and a 725 take-off barrel in 244 that was also cut with a 1-10" ROT. I can't recall the assembly code on those barrels, but think that it was in 1962, shortly before Remington introduced the 700 series.

Post-64?

I notice that the Winchester 94 in .30-30 (and one in .32 WCF) seems to dominate.

Mine too! it was willed to me by my Grandpa who bought it surplus and my Dad sporterized it.

Killed my first deer with it,

The ol’ lost it in a boating accident trick...

My dad bought a Rem 721 30-06 when I was 3 or 4 and it was the only rifle he ever used. I have it now and shot an elk with it 2 years ago. When I was old enough to hunt, he bought a Win 94 in 32 Special for me. I used it through high school. I got several deer and 1 elk with it. In high school, I saved up and bought a Sears .22 bolt action. It was actually a Marlin model 80 and I still use it nearly 60 years later.
I've only bought 4 centerfire rifles in my life. The 1st was a Ruger M77 .270 that I bought in the '70's. I shot it for many years then traded it for a Savage 300 WSM. I still have it but now hunt with a RAR 30-06. I also have a Savage 22-250.

Heck of a buck, Cheesy

The 90 Speer Spitzer has been around about as long as the .244. It was always a great chambering...

Some gun writers and nit-pickers notwithstanding...

1959, as seems to be a lot of members here, a Winchester 94 30-30. As I remember it kicked. 😁

Rem 700 Classic 6 MM Rem

Savage 99E in 308 W. That thing gave me a flinch that it took years to get over.

drover

Rem. 700 ADL in .270 Win. In 1978, with my discount from working the gun counter at Sunset Sports in S.L.C., UT.

308. Still have the rifle and just made up a box of the first hand load I ever made for it,

Old70

First i ever fired was a 3006. 3030 was the first i owned

243 in a pre mil 99 savage. Love to find another one. The first rifle I ever bought with my own money, was 1990 at bi-mart Redmond Oregon. They had a sale on Ruger 77, $375 bucks if I remember right. I ended up getting a 25-06.. I should try to find me one just because.

Marlin 336 in 30-30, around 1975. Was in my mid teens. Still have it. Hunt with it on occasion.

The year was 1967, I was 14, and had saved money mowing a few lawns and picking up pecans....I bought a Win. Model 88 in .308 Win. A year later I was loading for it using a Lee Loader! memtb

Winchester 88 in .308. Wish I still had it

This is a good write up.

But please tell me you still have that 700.

270 model 70. It grew up and it's a 280 now.

308, Remington Model 600 with the plastic rib and laminated stock. Bought new off the shelf.

Yes, bought brand new.

It was 1974. Rem 700 BDL .30-06. Paid about 130.00 for it. Remington even had a leather sling that went with it. Still have the rifle and sling. Have the receipt put away too.

Bought it here:


https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/soy...s-gun-shop-201-warburton-ave--t5950.html

M1 carbine from the CMP

5sdad;
Good afternoon to you sir, I hope the second last Sunday in November has been a good one for you and this finds you and yours well.

The first center fire rifle I owned was a .303 as well, a Pattern 14 in this case and definitely a pattern in what I'd be doing with rifles for the rest of my life.

By way of explanation, I'll say that I don't believe I owned it much longer than a year, sold it to a buddy who I thought needed a rifle for about what I'd paid for it or a bit less - $15 - one way or the other and then bought something else before the smoke had settled.

To this day I have no idea how many .303's I've owned as some didn't make it out of the gun show they were purchased in......

Thanks for the thread, some pleasant memories of a buddy who died way too young and a lifetime of fun trading firearms of all sorts. Happy Thanksgiving to you all too.

Dwayne

In 1993, bought a brand new Remington Model 700 Classic .222, $424.00. Still have it with the box it came in. Great rifle.

A 308 with a laminated stock?

Marlin .44 Mag

Given to me by an uncle, never cared for it. Wish I still owned it though.

.222 Remington.

My dad bought me a used 336 for my 8th grade graduation. Shot my first 2 bucks with that rifle and yes I still have it. First I ever bought with my own earned money was a SS Rem. model 700 30-06. One of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned and I still have it as well. I need to clean out a few but I don't do well with breakups and they usually turn nasty.............................................YMMV. Another neat fact is that of all of hundreds of critters i have been lucky enough to take with bow and rifle I have never used a factory built ammunition or arrows. Only in .22 and 12 guage have I used factory made ammo to take game.

I have underwear older than that.

A lightly used Mod. 700 Varmint Special in 22-250 minus the scope was the first centerfire rifle. Picked up a used Leupold 12x for it from a buddy. Had to have a varmint rifle capable of reaching out further than doing 50 yd. head shots on woodchucks with rimfires. Already had two shotguns & a .22 rimfire but was itching for a "real" centerfire varmint rig. It also got me started reloading once I discovered how much money I could save. Local gunsmith mounted the scope for me as back then I knew nothing about that sort of stuff. Year or so later he did a trigger job on it also. Still have it and it still shoots 55 gr. Ballistic Tips pretty good considering you can't seat a bullet out far enough to even get near the rifling in that barrel. Might just have it re-barreled as a fast twist 22-250 AI someday.

.243 Win

I Mauser M-95 calvery carbine from "Ye Ole Hunter" in Alexandria, Va in 7X57. The rifle was as I recall was $19.95, FMJ ammo was $7.00 per 100.

I still remember the serial number.....595. Damn that rifle was loud......no one used hearing protection back then.

A .32-20 Model 92, 24 in octagon barrel. about three years later I got a .300 Savage.

.22 Hornet Savage 340

Win Model 1894 in 30-30

700 adl 22-250

6mm Remington 788

That was one I always wanted. Still got it?

.243 Win in a Mark 10 Mauser.

7x57 in an old sporterized 93 Mexican Mauser. I saw it at the Coast to Coast store and my dad bought it for me. I had to pay for it. I think it cost me $23 dollars. It must of been around 1968 or 69. I still have that rifle. The head space is pretty big but I reload and factor in the head space. I started reloading for it in 1976.
kwg

Late to the centerfire rifle scene but built a 35 Whelen in school. It is a cartridge which always intrigued me and that was a perfect opportunity to end up with one.

Turned out on the heavier side but I don't mind that in some ways.

That planted the seed and have gone all over the map since.

243 weatherby vanguard. Didn't know a damn thing about rifles and stuck a 3 to 9 by 50 simmons on it. Heaviest damn combo ever.

7.62x54R in a Mosin.

Model 721 Remington in 30.06

Marlin 336 in 30-30 circa 1971. I still have it.

First rifle I bought at age 18 was a 7mm RM, in a 700 BDL. Don't own a magnum rifle anymore. 5 different in .30-06, 1 in .308W. , a .303 Enfield, a break open Marlin .444, 2 in .223/5.56, 1 Mini 30 in 7.62X39, 1 in .270W.

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.

PO Ackley, 22/250 when it still a Wildcat.

25-06

Depends on how one claims it I reckon. The Army said the M14 was mine, but they took it back after two months. Thank you Jesus! Then they gave me a M16. I wore it out, they took it back after a year. They let me borrow some belt fed toys along the way. Next round found me toting a M3 which I paid cash for. Then they took it and gave it to the good dinks. -sniff- Then they gave me a CAR15. -phfft-

Went down to a regular store in ‘84 and bought a Mod 94 .30-30. It fit in the closet with the shotguns and pistols just fine.

Ruger m77mk2 243 bought when I was 16. Still have it but thinking of selling it. I never shoot it anymore

Dwayne, my best wishes to you as well. Mine was a MkIII for which I also paid $15.

95 Chilean Mauser carbine, 7x57. Full military, hunted five years with that fine old rifle.

Mine too


1894. Made in 1917

Same as me. Used my fathers 30-06 and 30 M1 Carbine until I married, then my wife bought me a 303 No.4 Mk.1 so I could have a deer rifle of my own. Killed a couple with it. Second one was a Remington 788 in 243, and I sold both it and the 303.Third one I still have, a first year Model 700 Classic in 270.

Mine was a Remington 721 in 30.06. My dad traded an old and very used outboard motor for it in the summer of 1958. I was 15 years old. Several months later it was with me on the Grand Mesa on a horseback mule deer hunt. On my sixteenth birthday, I used it to kill a large four-point.

Rem 660 in .222
Was in 6th grade

Mine was a Win 94 in .356 win. Leupold 2-7 scope. Dad had to sign for it cuz I was 16. Like a dumbass I sold it a few years later cuz I "needed" a long range rifle.

used 700 Remington in 243 Winchester. Redfield 2 3/4x scope

Ruger model 77 chambered in 30-06 was the 1st centerfire rifle that was truly my own. Then I came across a Ruger 77 chambered in 6mm Rem that made much more sense for my use. Today I have somewhat compromised between the two with a new favorite CZ 527 in 6.5 Grendel. First CZ 527 was in 204 Ruger if that matters.

If i was looking to suggest a 1st centerfire today I think it would be a CZ527 in 17 Hornet.

I am in the 30-30 camp as well.

Rem 700 in 270. Too accurate to sell, too boring to love. I should put some money into it, spice it up.

A 788 Remington in 308 Win. Followed a couple of months later by a 788 Rem. in 222. Still have both of them. Though both have been rebarreled several times. I have no idea how many rounds those actions have on them suffice it to say A LOT. .

250 Savage

I got a "sporterized" Italian Carcano Carbine in 6.5x52mm Italian as my first deer rifle around 1960. I killed several deer with it, and then bought a 1903A3 Springfield (30-06 of course) which I modified some and used as my main hunting rifle for a few more years.

Did you reload for it? How good was your case life? I had a 99E in 308. A case only got 2 loads before it started to separate.

1903 Springfield sporterized with a Lyman peep sight,in 30-06. Still have it.

Rem 788 in .22-259. Wanted to hunt groundhogs. Still have it.

8x57 Mauser. Old guy in town had a gun shop, sold it to me, told me it was a 7mm. Being a kid, I didn’t onow any better, so I bought some 7x57 ammo, and away we went. Hit the paper once out of five times at 25 yards. Bullet landed sideways, if I remember right. Took it to another shop and found out it was an 8 mm. Shot pretty good after I got the right ammunition...

.300 Savage levergun

My first was a Mosin-Nagant military rifle in 7.62x54R "Russian," purchased in 1965 through the mail from an ad in the back of AMERICAN RIFLEMANA for $10. One of my father's rifle-loony friends helped me "sporterize" it, and it shot pretty well.

It was also the first centerfire rifle round I handloaded for, using a Lee Loader and Norma brass.

Wow, that's a rarity. I'd always heard only the magnums were laminated.

Winchester 670 in 243

mine too.

Marlin 444.

.30-06. Sporterized 03-A3 Springfield.

6.5 Carcano. I bought it at a yard sale for $15.00 I think I paid too much.

.222

First one I ever used was my Dad's 300 Savage, but the 1st one I ever owned was a 270 Winchester.

Grand 30-06 bought at walmart out of a stack in a trash can display. Pick one out and pay 19.99 for it.

PICS!!!!

Where and when was that?

LOL

Mine was a .30 carbine.... I have been stunted ever since...

1976 bought a Winchester M70 in 30 06. Didn’t hunt with it.

Browning BLR Model 81 in 243, sitting in the safe right now.

Through Mule Deer's Response:
(The compiler is old and prone to mistakes. Also, a few of the responses were a bit nebulous. There is nothing remotely scientific about this.)
.30-30/.30WCF 21
.30-06 16
.308 8
.243 8
6MM/.244 8
.303 British 7
7X57 6
.22-250 6
.270 5
7MM Rem Mag 5
.25-06 4
.32 Winchester
.223/5.56 3
.222 3
.300 Savage 2
.25-.35 2
.250 Savage 2
.44 Magnum 2
7.62X54R 2
.257 Roberts 1
.30 Gibbs 1
.17 Rem 1
7mm Weatherby 1
.260 1
8mm Lebel 1
.30 Carbine 1
.32-20 1
.22 Hornet 1
.35 Whelen 1
.356 Win 1
6.5X52 1
8X57 1
Updates possible as the compiler gets around to it.

`308 Winchester, Remington 700 BDL. Present from my grandfather.

Model 70 ranger, 270 off the used rack at Grices. I killed alot of deer with that gun

Remington 722 in 222. Varmints to deer it was a shooter. Foolishly traded it for a Ruger super Blackhawk in 44 mag. Financially a good trade but not very practical.

I forgot, I killed my first bear with that gun too.

Hey, I resemble that comment. Except it was a 4 door coronet with a hood scoop and spoiler from jc Whitney, was only 11th and 12th grade english along with Culinary the year before. My first gun was a 70 7RM I shot at 9 yo that was given to me in my late teens to deer hunt. Wasn’t a “real” 70 as it was PF though. I had a few nicknames too. Did marry a model/one time movie star my Sr year. She was 25 though and after 5 years I was a single parent until my current wife. No clue where she is but my son may know. He’s leaving for Basic in Dec and the DoD investigator tracked her down or something I guess.

Killed 150 deer or so and only a few with that 7RM before I did the usual dumb thing of selling it. Have had a pile of calibers since but even the Pre-64 .308 I snagged here is just a tool. I’m not really connected to any of my guns besides maybe my CZ Scout with the ounces trigger that eats my Anschutz 54s lunch.

.270 Winchester.

7.65 M91 Argentine mauser, cut down stock, bent bolt handle.

.270 Winchester

GreggH

My first real working centerfire rifle was a Marlin 336 in 44 magnum.

.30-30. It still goes hunting every year.

223 browning a-bolt was my first centerfire rifle. I still have it in the safe.

My first handgun was a ruger mark II, one of my sons claimed it and still has it (despite me having a stainless one in the safe for him with his name on it...he wanted the blue worn cooler looking one).

My first shotgun was a winchester model 1200...that was loaned out to a friend and came back rusted all to hell...so I gifted it to him and got a browning 425. And learned the life lesson....don't loan out guns unless you are willing to part with it.

Mossberg 800 in 308 Win
(actually, one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned)
Stolen in an apartment break-in in 1978.

My first was a Rem.700 BDL chambered in 270.

Still have it.

Marlin 336 in 30-30 from HERMANS world of sporting goods,Central ave,Yonkers N.Y.on sale for $99.99 in Oct. Of 1978 when i was 15,Grandfather got that and 2 boxes of Rem.170GR.@ $3.99 each..he took me to the shooting range in Peekskill on Columbus day to sight in,iron sights were dead on,and still are,at 100 yds.still have it,still use it.

Mossberg 800 in 308 Win
(actually, one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned)
Stolen in an apartment break-in in 1978.

Interesting numbers in that compilation.

Add another .303 for me. Given to my by my father. #4Mk1* built by Savage, marked US Property. Sporterized by some outfit back east before dad bought it.

First one I paid for is a 6.5x55 Model 96 Swede, Carl Gustaf I believe, 1918, all matching serial numbers except cleaning rod. Have shot a +/- 2", 3 shot group with it at 200 yards using a 4 power (Simmons?) pistol scope in a no gunsmithing mount on the rear sight. A Scout rifle of sorts I guess. Found the receipt from Big 5 the other day, 1997, $89.95. Wish I'd have bought 10. It's still in original form.

Remington model 788 in .308win.

Used Marlin 336 Texan in 30-30. Got it when I was 12 in 1980. Hunted with it last Friday evening.

Oh yeah...

But it wears a VXI 2-7 these days...

GF gave me a M70 30.06 in 1977. Married her the next year. The first center fire I bought was a used 444 Marlin in 1982. Still have both, killed a lot of moose with that 06.

My first was a nice condition Winchester M1 carbine with a pile of surplus ammo I bought while in high school from a guy leaving town for $75. Shot the ammo up blasting jack rabbits out in the desert.

Ran out of ammo and sold it for $75 and went back to shooting my 10-22. Didn't have another center fire until I was 35 and bought a boat paddle Ruger 30-06.

7.62X39mm. 1st I took a game critter with 7mmRM (bear). Not part of the original question but a significant distinction, methinks.

Mossberg 472 in 30-30. Hated that gun but daddy bought it for me to hunt deer with. That was back in the late seventies. Traded it for a scope at a gun show last year. I got the better end of that deal.

Regrettably no.

I thought it would go well with my Nagant pistol . I was wrong on that one also.

Ruger M77 MkII chambered in 260 Rem. Given to me by dad Christmas of 2003. Have taken plenty of deer with it. It is just as effective as the Creed....who would have thought??

i was home on leave in 82 and telling an old farmer friend of my dads i always wanted a pump 270. he said "you want to buy mine?". 130 bucks. he said thats what he paid for it in 1960 so thats what he wanted out of it. was my only deer gun for many years has shot a truck load of drt deer and still sits in the safe today. i keep meaning to replace the super hi-rise mounts with some talley lightweights and take it out for a spin again one of these days.

Used Remington model 722 in 1957. caliber 257 Roberts, saved
more money and the next year put a Weaver 3x scope on it.
Sold it in 1964 to buy Mom a Christmas present.
Old Cuss

Dad gave me his pre 64 94 in .30 WCF when he left home in ‘68 to go live with his other family.

Really liked it and still have it. But I’ve never killed a deer with it.

Remington 760 30-06 at age 13

Surplus vz24 in 8mm. Later rebarreled to 25-06 and given to my oldest son.

Marlin 336, .35 Remington

I failed to mention, why my choice of rifles @age 14. Even then, I was aware of potential gun control issues (I did a lot of reading) and I guess was a bit of a prepper. I had narrowed my rifle choices down to a Remington, Model 600 in 350 Mag., or the Win. Model 88 in .308 Win. The Model 88 won out on a pure practicality standpoint. My hunting consisted of the thick woods of Central Louisiana, the lever action Model 88 provided fast follow-up shots. The 308 Win., being a recent military cartridge, ammo, both military and factory was readily available, was my choice!

I don’t regret buying the Model 88, but, still have a “want” for the Remington! memtb

An 1894 in 32 W.S. , 26" octagon barrel. Given to me by a friend of my Dad in 1965. Still have it.

30-30

.243 in a Rem. 700 Varmint Special, in 1975.

30-30

I killed my first deer ( in 1966) with my Dad's '94 in 30-30, manufactured in 1927. When he died, my oldest brother as executer glomed ALL the guns in the house, including my .JC Higgins .single shot .22. Excellent gun! Never got that one back, but after 25 years, when my brother died, I got the '94. It is now well and truely mine, so I'm going to claim it as well as the 336 claimed earlier....

The 94 is my walkabout carry rifle up here. I need to kill something with it again. 54 years is a helluva dry spell for the poor thing.

My first was a Universal 30 Carbine,Killed my first deer a doe with it.
I was About 9 years old when I killed her. Somewere around 1969

Back then Almost everyone ran dogs when Hunting deer in Arkansas and the dogs had stirred her up and she ran up on me at about 10 Yards ,I shot her twice in the front of the chest then when she whirled to run I shot her 3 more times in the Butt..

30-40 Krag in a nicely sporterized 1898 that was smothered in dust in the darkest corner of a long gone local store.
Didn't set out to buy a Krag, but even as a young machinist I could appreciate the extensive hand work that went into it. So I saved up some money and, well, you all know that story.

Its been a perfect performer and a nice shooter for me for close to 40 years now.

.222 !

Rocks.

Mine as well. Bought it through the mail from P&S sales for 12.95. Still have it.

8x57 in a sporterized m95 mauser from greer's gun shop in roanoke. $65 and it went home with me. had one of those swoopy fajen stocks, had been reblued {well}.

still had a military trigger, williams open sights. used the weak 8mm factory stuff but it killed deer when i could find them. got laughed at by most of the family who,
like about everyone else were firmly in the 30-30 camp. sold it to a friend when i joined the navy.

Remington 788 in 308. I bought it when I was 15 or 16. It came with a 4x Tasco scope. One of the most accurate guns that I have owned.

30-06 BDL 700

25-06, though I really wanted a 222 (that was next).

Both 700 Remingtons.

I got a Ruger M-77 tang safety in a 270 Win. Still use that rifle.

Calling it done after Scotty's .270.
Caveats as stated previously.

.30WCF/.30-30 28
.30-06 22
.308 12
.270 12
.243 11
.303 British 10
.244/6mm 8
757 6
7mm Rem. Mag 6
.22-250 6
.222 6
.25-06
5
.32 Special 4
.223/5.56 4
.30 Carbine 4
.44 Mag 3
8X57 3
.257 2
.300 Savage 2
25-.35 2
.260 2
.250 Savage 2
7.62X54R 2
6.5X52 2
.30 Gibbs 1
.17 Rem. 1
7mm Weatherby 1
8mm Lebel 1
.32-20 1
.22 Hornet 1
.35 Whelen
.356 Win. 1
.30-40 1
7.62X39 1
.35 Rem. 1
.444 1
7.65X53 1

I will add that mine was a 300 RUM... I guess everyone makes mistakes

a post 64 model 94 in 30-30. I didn't keep it long. It was a real turd.

Mine too. Cal. 7.62x39 in a 1951 Russian SKS, purchased for $95 as I recall. Used it briefly as a deer rifle until I upgraded to a .30-06.

Edit:
Didn't notice the OP had called this survey done before I posted.

Not to worry - still interesting.

Marlin 336 chambered in .30-30. Bought it back when they still used good walnut, for $169 new. I still have it, refinished the stock and it looks nice.