My dad bought me this 1955 Winchester Model 88 308 Win. for my 16th. birthday in 1968, used, for $125. A lot of money back then. It's pretty much in the same VG condition as it was way back when it was purchased, even the weaver 4X 60-B scope, except for the newer suede sling.

'94 Winchester in 32 special

1964 ish

Marlin 22 mag. bolt gun.

Remington model 700 BDL in 7mm mag.

Osky

big deer in the 'hood ?

Used Marlin 336 in .30-30 circa 1971 in 1974 for $50.

Added a 1-5x Bushnell Banner for $30, sight thru mounts for $8, and sling for $10.

A couple of boxes of 150 gr Corelokts for around $10.

Bought a Lee Hand Loader for $10 and powder, primers, and bullets along with a Lyman reloading book.

Argentine 98/09 picked out of a barrel down at the hardware store for 39.95 of my hard earned lawn mowing dollars at 14yo.

Win Model 1894 in 30-30 when I was 9.

Remington 788 in 30-30 bought at Diamond Jim’s Gunshop in Apache Junction Arizona. My grandpa let me choose whatever rifle I wanted from the used rack in the single wide mobile home that doubled as his showroom. A couple rattlesnakes in a terrarium greeted you as you walked in the front door and Hoppes #9 was the dominant fragrance that overtook my senses.

I still have that rifle and it’ll never leave the family since it’s one of my most cherished possessions. Grandpa is long gone but when I shoulder that gun grandpa is right there beside me…

Spanish Oveido 1916 in 7x57. Still have it!

Mine was a Savage 99F 243 in 1959. I put my dad's Weaver K2.5 on it when he upgraded to a K4. I shot a mulie and an antelope with it that year.

Remington 700 BDL in 308 Winchester with Leupold “Gold Ring” 3-9 Vari-X II, 1978

Rifle, scope, suede leather case, leather sling, two boxes ammo……$425……the exact amount of my first-ever Christmas bonus.

A Remington 700 BDL chambered in 30-06 bought at Williams Gun Sight. I saved $300 in paper route money and my uncle chipped in the rest. It was stolen before I shot a deer with it. My first deer rifle to shoot a deer with was Marlin 336 30-30 bought at a local bait and tackle shop that I still have.

Winchester 94 in 30-30, made in 1977.

I think i paid $99 for it. Still have it and the original box.

A 30-30 Marlin 336 Texan

REM 721 30-06. Killed my first few with it then got creative.

Win 67A 22.

Marlin Centennial 336 30-30.
1981. Dad told me if I bought a shotgun, he would get me a rifle.

I've fired 1 shot at a deer with it. My first buck.

Marlin 336C in 30-30. Got it when I was 15 in 1976. Prior to that I hunted with a borrowed rifle. Still have it.

W94 - 30-30, $99.00 new
Wish I had it back.

Remington 742 30/06. I thought that was the coolest rifle I’d ever seen and my daddy surprised me one day…walked into my bedroom and it was hanging in my gun rack.

Looking down my nose at you other posters……it was the BDL grade!

In 2005 I got a 1956 Win M70 that had been rebarreled from 30-06 to 30-06 and then counter bored.

I bought it from a guy for $585 who inherited it from his uncle. He said Uncle Bert had shot with it:

2 grizzlies
6 moose
10 mountain goats
6 sheep
109 Sitka Black tailed deer
16 black bear
2 caribou
_________________________________
I put a 270 Pac Nor barrel on it.
I put a Borden Rimrock stock on it.
I shot 9 mule deer with it:
2008 ...5 deer [my first deer at age 57]
2009 ......4 deer

7.7 Ariska Open Site Norma ammo (borrowed from step grandfather)
Then a 222 Savage open site around 1977 (Lost it in my mom's the divorce to said Step Dad)
Bought myself a Belgium BAR 270 (still have it)

He comes the rush of posters who haven’t fired a shot in 40 years. Waxing eloquently

LOL

My son used the same BAR to shoot his first deer about 14 years ago. Hasn't done anything besides range test zeros since since I prefer mostly Sakos

Post up or shut up!

700 BDL 243

Sears Ted Williams 30-30, modeled after the Winchester 94.

Rich People! Probably had a Redfield Widefield on it like the other Nueces County Tycoons

Sears and roebuck 30-06 for me. Then switched up to a rem BDL custom deluxe in .300 Win mag. The later was the most accurate rifle i have ever owned. The BDL was from 1996.

Crazy story from Powder River country in Montana when I was 14. Client gifted it to me.

Osky

Winchester model 64 rifle, .32 Winchester Special. A gift from my uncle in 1960.

A Rem. 742 carbine in 30-06. I payed $180 for it in 1978. It jambed a lot so i sold it. Sure would make a good bear gun.

Remington 788 in 22-250.

Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm Rem Mag.

I bought it new in 1974 for $229 at the LGS in Menomonee Falls, WI. Guessing that was probably MSRP. Didn't have the interwebs in '74!

That was a lot of lawn mowing!

Mine was a Remington 700 BDL custom deluxe chambered in 270 Winchester.

Still have it but have been using my 7x57 since i built it 9 years ago or so.

'94 Winchester in 32 special

1964 ish.

Exactly the same for me .

Killed my first, and several more deer with a Savage Stevens 20 ga single shot. If I recall correctly, my first rifle was a Winchester 94 .30/30

Never had a scope on it, shot it with open sights.

Interestingly enough I bought a Weatherby Vanguard in .308 a few years back and I paid $225 for it new at Walmart… 45 years after you paid about the same for yours.

You paid a handsome sum for yours back in 1974 and all the lawns you mowed and the anticipation you felt is what makes your rifle special while my Vanguard is just another rifle.

Well Mister

It was back in 19 and 63 I got a furlough from Johns Manville

When ole mr big stepped to me, 3 hunnered o’ nato them other ole timers call it

I gits my dates mixed up.

My first deer rifle was actually two rifles, a Remington 660 in 6mm REM for over-watching pastures, cut corn fields, and utility ROWs, and a Ruger 44 International for still-hunting in cover or driving. When I started the Remington had a Weaver V7 and the Ruger had a K3. Now the Remington has an old Vari-X II 2-7x28 and the Ruger has an old Vari-X III 1.5-5x20.

Post or shut up! What rifle? Stop your BS!

Lightly used Remington 700 BDL in .30-06 with a Redfield WideField 3X-9X on top. That rifle shot Remington 180 gr. round-nose Core-Locts into tiny groups. The trigger was perfect. Of course I traded it for something that I don't remember in a fit of youthful foolishness.

RS

Savage 110 30.06 wood/blue.

Savage/Springfield Model 840 in 30-30

LOL

here it is

Like i said

Foremost 6400 (J C Penny Savage) 30-30. Dad bought it for my birthday/Christmas present n 1970. Still has the original 4x Weaver Frontier. Shoots real good with Hornady Leverevolution ammo.

Rem 788

still have it

Dude….you are old.

I bought my own first deer rifle at age 14. My Dad didn’t really hunt, and what little he did was with a shotgun!

It was 1967 and I bought a Winchester Model 88 in .308 Win. It took me almost a year of saving my Pecan money and a few yard mowings to get the dollars needed! memtb

Early 80’s Remington 700 ADL in 270. Still have it.

Remington 742 Woodsmaster in 30.06 for Chritmas in 1975. It was minute of deer and offered a fast follow up shot at deer running ahead of dogs in Arkansas.

browning 78 in 6mm

Sako Finnbear in 30-06

That was my second rifle that I saved up for and had my stepfather buy for me in 1976. Put a 3-9x Redfield on it. I kept it for five years and sold it.

Winchester21, What a great rifle they were! Mine was the same. I wanted the 64 rather than the 94 because of the longer barrel. It sure did take its share of Adirondack whitetail.

Ruger no 1 in 25/06 wanted one in 220 swift but n c law would not allow 22 cal. For deer at that time so I moved up a notch. Still got it

First one I used was a .303 Brit. First one that was mine was aRem 742, first one I bought was a Ruger m77 MKII.

A 1965 Remington 700 BDL in .270 Winchester I purchased in 1973 for $120 with paper route money I'd saved.

Pretty elegant post,

But not 19 and 63 old



Here is the carbine 788, running with ram line plastic furniture







Here’s a few decent bucks taken with that little 788. Most all of my others 6.5 Norma or muzzleloader kills.















Can post last 5 years’ non .308 kills too by this old man if ya need em. LOL

The first I carried was a Remington model 8 in 32 Remington. It belonged to my great grandfather. I got to carry it until we saw a deer. He took it, shot the deer and then gave the tank back to me to carry home. The first I owned was a Savage 170 30-30 pump. The rifle shot straight but I couldn't hit Jack Chit with it.

Slum is anything but a liar.

I mentioned I still have it (the 788)



Didn’t have to pawn it cause my old lady took me to the cleaners with divorce papers or needed 200 for set of junkyard heads for a rusted out pos 78 Scottsdale

LOL

bunch of rag horns, has the bolt handle fell off of that 788?
I

I was called out to post up or shut up

Get with it old man ^^

* I have NEVER observed a single pic of anything you’ve posted. Maybe wabigoon can teach you how

Winchester 88 in .308

Mine was a Marlin 336 RC in 30/30 with a partial box of 170 gr Remington hollow point CoreLocks (4 missing). I paid $50 for it and the cartridges. My youngest brother was working at
Dairy Queen type place and his manager had some gambling debts. I was glad to help out. I made my money working in grocery stores and drilling water wells. It’s a 1964 mfg date. Weren’t many deer in the Mississippi Delta except over the levee. Never saw a deer in the wild until I was 15 years old and it was a doe that I jumped over the levee at Warfield Point. This was the year before I bought the rifle. Warfield Point was originally a ferry boat crossing at the mouth of Lake Ferguson.
It’s now a state park and near a power plant South of Greenville MS. Used to be a part of Refuge Plantation.

Never said he was. I just said he was old. Boomer material.

I always envied you rich suckers who had real deer guns to hunt with.

67A 22 short,long,long rifle. 3rd grade. They don't run off if hit in the ear or between the eyes.

If moving too fast for that any of the above in a solid put through the lungs tight behind the shoulder and sit tight and quiet 30 min.

Get the old man and point where he went. 80 -175 yds it would lay down and be dead when found.

12 gauge Mossberg 500 Slugster because I could use it in the shotgun zone and the rifle zone. We lived close to the border and I had places to hunt in both zones and limited funds. Killed a buck and a doe on opening morning of my first season with rifled slugs. Bought a lightly used Winchester 94 .30-30 for the rifle zone a year later.

Boy, there are a lot of model 94's, but what surprises me is the number or 742 Remingtons

My grandmother had one in 284 Win. that she won in a raffle. My uncle had one in 243 Win. I'm not sure either of them owned another rifle.

My first deer rifle was a Savage 110 in 30-06 I bought for $120 dollars or so just after ETSing in 1990.

1951 made Marlin 336 RC .30-30, handed down to me by my Grandpa. It sees more hunting than the rest of my rifles put together. My son hunts with it most of the time. He has taken fairly nice bucks with it the past four years. My daughter took her first deer with it too. Grandpa would be very proud!!!

My first deer rifle was the same as the OP, a pre'64 Win. M/88 in .308 with a K2.5 Weaver with post reticle in a weaver pivot mount. Killed my first and biggest whitetail with that rifle, an 11pt. 254# Northern Whitetail buck in iAroostook County, ME.

Remington 760 in 243 Winchester.

My father's gun. He died in a car accident in February 1984. The farmer I helped after school invited me to go to WV that fall and I shot my first deer with it.

Remington 742 in .308

The best I can do old man. I stopped hunting in 2007. But still enjoy the shooting sports.

First I used was a loaner 94 in 32 spcl. Then a loaner 600 in 308. Never killed a deer with either.

Next was the first rifle I bought. A 788 in 308. Killed quite a few deer with that rifle but lost it and my other firearms in a divorce.

I never said you said he was. I just said he wasn't. Rene either.

When you ask someone to prove it, in normal circles, that indicates you don't believe it.

I wouldn't have proof. I bought shotgun shells 7 or 8 at a time as a kid. No way to have a pic for something like 4 legged dinner paid for, much less a high dollar antler board and a professionally engraved pure gold emblem to add to it.

mauser 98 8x57

I said to post what rifle you dip stick, nothing else.

Pre-64 94 in 32 Special. I'd hate to guess how many deer that rifle has killed. Still have it, will go to one of my boys.

My first deer rifle was a Marlin 336c in 30-30 but before season the owner of the shop I worked at during the summer told me to bring the 30-30 to work. Later in the day when I was pulling out new rifles to put out he asked me if I liked the one I was holding. It was a brand new Smith Wesson 1500 in . 270. I said sure, he told me to get my 30-30 out of his truck. When I brought it in to the shop, he put a tag on it and put it on the wall. He gave me the new .270 in trade. At the time it was a great deal. Now used Marlins are bringing $700-800 and a used 1500 Howa, which is who made the SW 1500, bring $300-400. I killed several deer with the .270 and it sits in my closet now nearly 40 years later.

Winchester 94 .30-30

In 1975 My dad gave me his 1955 model marlin 336RC in 30-30 carried it for two years before I killed my fist deer . it was a lil 4 point buck but to me it was as big a trophy as any around. I still have that lil deers rack and that marlin is setting in the safe . I still carry it on the second weekend of season every year. like what someone already said every time I shoulder that gun my dads right there with me !

I still have my first deer rifle because it's the only one I have. Rem 700 SPS 270. I've killed a lot of animals with it. I wish it was nicer because it's kind of dull. Iowa says I need 35 caliber so it looks like I'm getting another rifle at some point.

Ruger M77 7mm Mag with a Burris 4x. This was around 1978?

Nice! I remember wanting one of those Ram Line stocks. They were the chit back in the day.

Nah I figured, it's just harder to sling humor in written form. I rarely get down there anymore but I live through you for my Nueces County adventures. I still have two of my rifles bought in CC when I was a kid.

BS. Back in the day they didn't make plastic stocks L Lemming.

He'll, back in the day they didn't make plastic.

Cut down '91 Argentine Mauser

You guessed it, a 303 lee enfield.

Another Marlin 336 3030 here. I was somewheres around 10 yrs old. Shot two little bucks with it that first year. Still have it, will never sell it. MIGHT give it to my boy, but he’ll get it when I croak anyway.

1938 Remington Model 141 .35 REM

1884 Springfield trapdoor 45/70.

As a kid, I hunted with my Dad's sporterized '03-A3 Springfield with receiver peep sight. It was quite few years after that (after college) before I bought my first rifle.

Marlin 336 30 30,bought from Herman Sporting goods,for $99.00 in 1978.
Still have it.

700 ADL in 7mm Express, bought it at a gun show in the school cafeteria, Mancos , Colorado, early 80's . Had a pocketful of money from a coal mine in NM.

first thing I did was take off the see through scope mounts.

Sycamore

Browning BAR in .270. I foolishly sold it.

,Remington 760 Gamemaster in 30-06
Kicks like a mule. It was my grandfather's so I still have it. Rarely shoot it now days. But damn it has put tons of food on the table through the years

Had a fair number of centerfire rifles before IN allowed em for deer. Ran shotguns, handguns and MZs before then. So guess technically itd be a TC Renegade in .50 cal .

I killed my first deer with a Ruger #1A in 30-06. It was my dads at the time but now it's mine.

My first real deer rifle that I owned was a Savage 99 in .308 Win which I still have.

Fun times trippin down memory lane.

You could have sold them to get some pics of you actually shooting it. But you didn't. Nor do you have a pic of you with a deer. Not necessarily your deer, but anyones freaking deer. Or cooked deer on a plate. Or a pic of your friend with a deer. Or your queer corksucking friend with a dear.

Savage 110 LH .243 around 1962. Still have it!

I killed my first deer (5 pt buck) with a M1 Garand. It was 1983 and deer had only been numerous enough to hunt around here for a few years at that time. It was the only deer sized rifle I had, and I was lucky to have gotten it in a great trade the year before.

Way back when Bush 43 gave us that $300 refund, I bought a Winchester 70 Black Shadow in 300 Win Mag for $299 on clearance. It was heavy and so so accurate. Notice the word “was”. It somewhere else now. I went back to using family rifles for the next 5 years.

My first deer gun was a Savage 311 side-by-side 16ga, killed several deer with it...my first actual deer rifle was a Winchester 94AE .30-30

Marlin 336 in .44 mag.

Winchester 88 and 308 the most inaccurate jamming rifle I've ever owned

Ithaca SKB XL900 12 gauge fixed modified... had it in my hands just yesterday...

That thing has killed more game than cancer.

Chitty 94 was the first rifle...

Finally got an Interams .30-06.

We were not a wealthy family and dad knew nothing about guns/hunting. I learned with lots of trial and error.

My first deer rifle is a Winchester 94 .30-30, bought it in 1970, still have it and it's still on "active duty". I tend to carry a bolt .308 more, but the Winchester still goes with me.

When I bought it, I added sling mounts then later on, a Williams FP receiver sight and an Ashley post. That made a huge difference and the only mods I'd care to make to it.

It has numerous deer (and other game) to its credit and it has proven to me time and time again that the .30-30 doesn't get the credit due it, especially during the '70s and '80s when it seemed all I heard was that "they'd bounce off deer". Lately, the round seems to have gotten a little more respect.

I'll keep using it.

I'd say you're right Vic- as I've never heard that about the .30-30. that was my second deer rifle and I was proud to own it. Dad and I did some work for a guy, and got the rifle in trade and I carried it from age 13-17 when I got a .30-06.

Several of my great uncles carried various marlin and Winchester 30-30s open sighted when it was crappy weather out or when just chasing doe. And I thought it was the greatest deer killing machine ever invented.

The .30-30 is still in the regular rotation. Doesn't bounce off any deer.

-Jake

Being a Buckeye, my first deer gun was a Remington 1100 12 GA with rifle sights. It shot Remmie Sluggers into a cloverleaf at 50 yards.

My first rifle was a Remington 742 in 30-06, acquired from my best friend at the time. It took several deer over the course of its career but got increasingly prone to jams. It finally gave into the chatters in 2004.

Especially, a couple cousins were big fans of the '06 and talked severely disparagingly of the .30-30. One random stranger I happened across while coming out of the woods (they were going in) called the .30-30 "junk". He was carrying a 742 in .30-06. I wonder if that rifle is even functioning today...

It seemed that most of my peers disliked it. A good friend in High School was big on the .270 was also questioning the .30-30's ability. I shot a real nice 10-pointer, brought it by his house, and showed him where the bullet had fully penetrated the animal. I asked why one would need more power.

After taking bear and pigs with it, all doubts about it vanished. I shoot quite a bit, and even in my teens I realized its limitations, and being that a high percentage of my shots are under 100 yards, felt it totally sufficient.

I appreciate the versatility my .308 has over my .30-30, but it'll never carry and handle like that little '94.

When I was a rip a snorting 12 or 14 a older buddy drove me down to Hunter's Haven in Alexandrea Virginia to buy a Persian Mauser, Now called a Persian Mauser. It was brand new stuffed in a barrel stacked on crates of more brand rifles new rifles. Almost forgot, this riffle was the cavalry, short barrel, beautifully polished and blued metal work. The wood was a light colored wood, wonderfully and sealed. I traded the rifle for an engagement ring. A darned waste. Shot the first dee in Colorado.

First kill was a t/c hawken ,but first rifle was a ruger 77 in 270.

You traded a good rifle for an engagement ring? That's gotta haunt you. Still together?

Mine was a pre-64 Winchester M-94 in 30-30. It has great looking wood and a nice rich looking blueing job. I still have it.

First used - Sav M1899 in 30-30
First owned - Ruger tanger, 30-06 (dad bought, I had to pay him back. 325.84 IIRC)

First deer kill was with my grandfather 742 06. In around 1979, I bought a Marlin 45-70 lever gun, killed alot of deer with it! Sold it to buy a win. 1886 lightweight in 45-70. God I wish I still had that rifle!

Remington 742 in 308

Win. 94, 30-30

Remington 600 in 6MM.

Virgil B.

The first rifle I used was a Herters J-9 in .243. The first rifle that was mine alone was and is a .270 FW pushfeed made in 1985 or so.

Savage 110E
30-06
Son still uses it some.

Savage 340, 30-30 in 1960.

Winchester model 70 30-06.

Those days were before your time. Springfield/Stevens was making plastic stocks in 1940. They called it "tenite".

H&R Topper .30.30,still have it.

The first I could actually call mine was a Remington gamemaster 760. 30-06. I got around ‘74 I think. It is a hide perforating mutfkr"

Marlin 336c in .30-30. $159 new. I need to hunt with that rifle again.

Mine was a Savage 99RS circa 1934, .300 Sav.

Dad gave it to me in 1982. Got it from Conejo Hardware, for $125.

I still have it.

First rifle was a borrowed from neighbour 1894 Winchester in 38-55. First owned was a Marlin 336 in .32 Special, bought used for $65.

Remington Model 600 .243

Savage 99 .308

Remington 742 topped with an old Weaver 4x scope.

Mine was a No.4Mk1 Lee Enfield, restocked but with the irons.
Cat

Marlin 444.

Browning Abolt, 7mm REM mag, with a Burris Fullfield 3x9. Purchased it on layaway from Dutches Pawn shop in Spokane. Still have it.

NRA 1903 Springfield 30 06 (1963) that I cut down and put it on a custom Bishop stock. Sold it and borrowed my brothers Ruger 44 Mag with which I killed my first deer with in 1964.

GW

Pushed and you were about to get it cycled and eject a round?

That's what Cha here about the pushfeed "that pushfeed is the worst cycling bolt ever"

I have a 1973 mod 70 that works just fine, and smooth as butter. I never saw what the fuss was about honestly!

I killed my first buck in 1953 with a model 8 in 30 Remington my dad had bought with a broken stock for $10. He carved a new stock identical to the original!

Winchester Model 94 in turdy-turdy with a saddle ring. It was old when I carried it back in the 70's. According to the serial code it was built in early 1900's. It now hangs above the mantle at the family cabin.

Win. 94 thuty thuty.

Winchester 70 Westerner .243, Christmas of '81 or '82. Originally came with a Weaver 4x, but later upgraded to a Nikon 2-7x. The Weaver now rides upon a .303 Savage 99.

A second hand 1963 Marlin .30-30 RC.

Got it for Christmas 1967.

Still have it.

Only if he was at least 40 when he shot his first buck.

Hell, I was 30 in '87 and I'm not old yet....just ask me! LOL

Remington 740 autoloader in .308 bought from older brother. Kept clean, never jammed. Later sold to younger brother, he still has it.

First was my maternal grandfather's Winchester Model 95 takedown in .30-06. I hunted with that a couple years until my dad bought me a Savage 99 in .300 Savage.

Aqualung

Sporterised M-95 Mauser 7x57

Remington 700 BDL in 6 mm Remington, as a kid it got the nickname Deerslayer. On November 12 my Brother in Law and I sat in a blind with Deerslayer and 3 bullets.

Over a 45 minute span I shot this buck and a doe and he shot another doe.

It was a great day for the old girl

KC

PS Maybe an even better day for this Old Man

Like you, I used a borrowed M94 in .32 special .
Next year was a Remington 760 in .30-06.
When I was 14 Dad bought me a 788 in .308. My first honest to God Deer Rifle.
I killed spike on The Mountain the first day, stoked with my own handloads!
Killed quite a few more too, until I joined the Army at 18.
My first year for Uncle Sam I was at Ft Lewis WA, around 3000 miles from Pennsylvania.
I called home to see what I’d missed.
Dad said he killed a nice 8 point, in the hollow below The Big Rock.
That hollow was where I killed that spike, and was always where I went!
“Oh yeah” I said, “what were you using ?”
Here’s what got me, he was shooting my .308!
“Christ Dad, that deer had my name written all over it!”
The Old Man laughed, and said “I’ll send you some canned deer meat.”
The. He said something that took me by surprise.
“Do you wanna sell that gun?” I figured he wanted it,
so I asked who was buying.
“Bill saw it when I was shooting it in”.
“No, tell Bill it ain’t for sale.”
“Well that’s good.” He said “That means I got 3 more years to use it till you get home!”
When I got home I bought a Ruger 77 in .30-06, and that 788 was Dad’s until he died. He hunted with it the last 25 years of his life, and killed a 7 point with it at 87 years old. I cried carrying it home.
The last words he said to me and Dave was “I’ll see you boys on The Big Rock.”
The Rock sticks outta the side of Pleasantville Mountain, about 1/4 of a mile from the summit. From it, you could see into several of the hollows below.
Dave ain’t so good on his feet anymore, but it’s a point in my life to take a cold beer and a cigarette up there for “The Old Man”.
7mm

My first deer rifle was a .30-06 that was given to me by my beautiful father.

It is a sporterized BSA P17. I have fed myself and my family with it for many years. It is and remains to be my favorite hunting rifle.

Thanks Dad~

Remy 700 classic in 6MM Rem topped off with a Leupold 3.5-10 wish I had it back.

A rifle-ish Crack barrel.410 full choke shooting slugs.

Oldest grandson has it now.

Wow... {flashback}

My first deer rifle? An old Marlin 30AS .30-30 with open sights. (i.e. 30AS as in "Sears") Back then you could buy a firearm from Sears. I hunted all over the Blue Ridge Mtns in Virginia with that old .30-30, following along in the footsteps of generations before me. So many fond memories!

Model 94 in 32 win bought new in 1961 still have it today

Savage model 99 in .243, was my grandma's. Still have it but hasn't been out of the safe in years.

336 30-30 is what I started hunting with. First rifle I bought was a Win70 FWT in 280. Regret all the time selling it.

Remington 740 in 30-06. It jammed bad so the seller had to take it back and I bought a Parker Hale imported by Midland and it was junk as well. I hunted with it for several years killing multiple deer before getting my first 700.

Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1

First rifle I hunted with was Dad's Model 94 in 32 Win Spec. w/open sights.

First one I bought was a Ruger M77 in .270 in 1978.
Been a fan of M77 tangers ever since.

Model 94 pre 64 30-30, shot my first deer with it in 1967.

Marlin 336 30-30 that my folks bought for me in 1977 when they realized I had caught the deer hunting bug. $88 brand new at the local farm supply store. I went in and the owner showed me a few in a catalog and it was this or a Remington 742 30-06. He told me I didn't really need the 30-06 for the club we hunted on. I've never regretted my choice. I still have it and I'll never let it go. I still take it out every deer season. Great gun, 30-30's are a blast to shoot too!

Mine was a Ruger tang in a 270. I shot most of my deers with it

Marlin 336. Brand new from Gibson's Department Store in 1972 or so. I had won $180 in a fishing tournament and it seems like that was about what it cost.

My dads beatup 6.5 sporterized Arisaka. Was going to use it on a deer hunt, but good old dad took off and sold it.

Years later I got a Winchester 70 in 270. Had it for awhile and replaced it with a Remington 700 in 308.

First rifle I bought w my funds was a Remington 788 in 6mm, from the Parker mail order catalog.

Marlin 336A . I bought it at Ledet ‘s supermarket. Their guns were hanging on the wall behind the meat section. You could actually look at a rifle and a roast at the same time.

Winchester 94 30-30 long time ago.

Mine was a Marlin 336.

Grandpa/s Marlin 30/30.

Remington 700 classic in 7x57.

First hunted in the early 70's using a sporterized Arisaka Type 99 that belonged to my dad. First purchased was a Russina SKS, paid $95 for it in the early 80's. We hunted with what we could afford at the time.

Remington 700 in 6mm Rem.

Savage 99 in 243 Win.

My first was also a 94 in 30-30 but back in 69 for $67!

A model 94 1952 32 Winchester Special from my grandfather. Killed my first deer with it. In fact, it"s killed every deer I ever shot at with it.

I figured I needed something "better" though so I saved my nickels and dimes until I could afford a new Remington Model 4 that I bought in about 1983. It jammed the first time I shot it, the last time I shot it and nearly every time in between. It was a single shot semi-automatic. I still have the Winchester. The Remington is long gone. Remington hasn't gotten a dime of my money since.

My first deer rifle was a Rem 788 carbine in 243. Dad wanted me to learn to use iron sights so I hunted with iron sights my first year and shot a doe with it. Next year he got me a Weaver 3-9 scope for it. I still have the gun and scope. A lot of cherished memories were made with that gun!

First deer rifle was a Cabelas (Investarms) .54 cal traditional percussion ML. Borrowed CF rifles from friends or relatives for 4 or 5 years before I bought one of my own, a Marlin 336C in 30-30. I was a late bloomer - bought the ML in 1990 and the 336 in 1997 at 46 yrs old.

Winchester M70 Classic 30-06

Premil savage 99 in a 243. Like to find one again. My dad traded it off for who knows what.