Let's hear about your first gun. What made you decide to buy one? What did you buy? All that good stuff.

 

I grew up in a somewhat anti-gun home. My parents didn't own any guns, they believed they had their place in this world, just not our house. My mom grew up with a family of hunters and military so she is no stranger to guns. As a child, I was never allowed to own a water gun, cap gun, or play cowboys and Indians unless it was over a friends house.

 

When I was about 13 my neighbor who was a big hunter would sometimes take me out to collier mills to shoot some of his shotguns. I had a lot of fun with him, he taught me all the basics and how to handle guns safely.

 

When I turned 18 I asked my parents if I could buy a gun, they told me no, I have to wait till I was 21 or not living in their house. I respect that, it was their house and their rules. The day I turned 21, I applied for my ID card and a handgun permit.

 

After about 6 months it was ready. Toms River was a nightmare to get your ID card and permits 12 years ago. I went to brick armory and picked up a Glock 23. A few days later I went back and bought a Kel-Tec sub2k in 40. A week later I went back again and bought a M44 nagant and a SAR-1. A month later I went to sports authority and bought a ruger 10/22. Then a Remington 870. At that point, my mom told me no more. I listened to her and waited till I moved out.

Red Ryder BB gun all my friends had one..  Those days are Gone..The typical American childhood has been stolen..

Red Ryder BB gun all my friends had one.. Those days are Gone..The typical American childhood has been stolen..

It sure has. At least in this state it has. Could you imagine a group of boys walking around a neighborhood with a BB gun going into the woods to have some fun. The swat team would be coming.

S&W Model 41 - I was on the pistol team in college, and purchased it several months after graduation. 

 

About 50,000 rounds later, I am considering sending it back to S&W for a re-build.

Got a Co2 powered Crossman .177 cal pellet gun when I turned 10, probably put 20-30k rounds through it.  That was almost 40 years ago and I still have it.

 

When I returned from college my father gave me his 870 and when I turned 21 the first pistol I bought was my 686.  I put 100 rounds through it yesterday and it still runs great

I bought a S&W 686 (no dash) back in 1996. Great gun, but I always preferred blued steel. Ultimately, my Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman replaced it.

When I was 11 my neighbor gave me a Red Ryder. Still have it, although it got submerged during Sandy so now its just sentimental.

 

Also grew up in a house with no firearms. Was always interested in them, learned to shoot in boy scouts and when I turned 21 got my fid and pistol permits. I did slightly better than iCarry in TR, in 2007 it was 2 months.

 

First purchase was an xd45 and a desert digital sig mosquito (random I know). Those were followed by a gsg5, and a wasr10. Parents also told me to put the brakes on any more purchases until I moved out.

 

 

Grew up on a sheep farm in PA, used a .22LR and a .223 bolt action to pop groundhogs and even used the .22LR to save our Newfoundland from a real nasty one that had bitten her up and cornered her. 

First started as a stagehand in 1972. We used real firearms then. Had some beautiful pythons late 70s. Theater burned in 1982. All gone!!

When I was a kid in Berkeley Heights in the 50's, I would cut Mr. Lange's fields in Warren Township.  I was 13~14.  He would let me strap his 1911 on my hip and use his tractor to cut the fields.  The 1911 was for any snakes I saw near the turkey coops and bottles that might be on the fence toward the woods......

 

Another of my neighbors found a satchel full of shotgun shells belonging to his father who had passed on; so he, my Mother, Father, and a couple of friends went to the above friends fields with a hand thrower and a couple of 12 gauge shotguns.  My shoulder was sore for a week.

Bullet pointing it for brevity.

-My father had a few handguns when we were growing up (S&W Model 10, Beretta 92FS, Sig P230). They were stictly off-limits to me and my brother. We didn't even get safe handling lessons, let alone get to shoot them.

 

-Folks split, dad moved to Fl. When he passed away his wife sold everything.

-I always liked guns, we played with cap guns, BB, etc.
Also, my brother and I used to make our own crossbows which shot soda can tabs. (probably a felony nowadays)

 

-Tried to apply for FID when I was younger and lived in Paterson. After six months of "Why do you need a gun?" "The officer that does that isn't here and why do you need a gun anayway?" "You just missed him" "he's out on medical" I gave up. (I know, I shouldn't have).

 

-Moved out of Paterson, got my FID/P2P and bought a GP100.

Then a shotgun, and then another, couple more wheelguns, Marlin .22, couple of semis ( 9 and 45) and now looking at getting an AK (or 2), a few bolt action rifles (centerfire and .22), a few more D/A revolvers, a couple of Glocks (everyone has to have at least one, no?), two or three 1911s, a 92FS or M9, Sig P226 Navy, some single-action revolvers, a couple .22 handguns (wheelie and semi), a few more shotguns, an AR-15 and one that I build, a couple of Mosins and maybe a lever gun to go w/ the .357s.

Also, a part-time job or a serious raise, lol.

I built a black powder kit when I was 12.  If memory serves, it was a CVA Kentucky rifle in 50 cal.

 

Took a lot of time and it was a pleasure to shoot something I "built".

 

The gun was owned by my stepfather, and when he and mom split, so went my rifle.

 

Fast forward about 30 years, and I got into shooting again 12/2012.

 

First gun was my Beretta 92FS.  I have about 10K down the pipe and a decent collection of guns now.  That 92FS is staying with me until the end.  Love it.

How about an "almost got my first gun story"?

 

I had just graduated college and moved to Los Angeles for a job and lived with my uncle. I noticed that there was a gun store just a couple blocks away. A childhood fan of the Mad Max movies, I had always wanted a double-barrel sawed-off shotgun with a pistol grip. But having learned that they were illegal, I settled on the next closest thing, a 12-gauge Mossberg cruiser with a pistol grip. Now I was making a pittance at my job and coudn't afford to buy it outright and just put it on layaway. A few months later I found myself short on money. And as I thought about it, I didn't have the balls to ask my uncle (not to mention his wife, who wasn't that thrilled with me staying with them) for permission to bring a shotgun into his house. I thought I'd just cancel the layaway and get my money back. Naturally, they refused a refund, but offered me the same credit on anything in the store. I settled on a stun gun, but the only one I could afford was called a "lady thunder". I balked at buying something with such a name, but at least it wasn't pink, and the store owner convinced me that someone I'm stunning with 75,000 volts isn't going to care what it's called. So I bought it, forgot about it, and it eventually threw it away after I found it non-functional after the battery had leaked.

Year 1986. Brand new S&W model 581 38/357 Bought mostly because it looked so cool to me and that you could use 38 and 357 ammo. Never will forget the first time I ran 357's through it at a dim indoor range. Ah the fire & smoke that it made. Wife was with with me and we were both newbies fresh from a basic firearms course we took together. She thought that my gun had blown up. She had a new S&W model 64. No longer have the 581 and still miss it to this day. But wife still has her model 64. She will never part with it. I now have a few modern auto loaders including a Glock 17. But the 357/38 wheel guns are still first love.

My dad started me out with his RWS air rifle around 6 or 7. At 9 I got my own air rifle a Benjamin Sheridan. At 10 I got my dads marlin Model 39 .22 (which I still have). At 12 I got my hunting licenses and mowed lawns all summer to pay for a Browning BPS pump 20g (well for my dad to pay for) Started shooting clays at Clinton WMA regularly and the old man bought me my Mossberg 500 12g.By 18 I had inherited all of my grandfathers guns because I was the only hunter and shooter in the family. All of this without a FID card, My family has our own way of doing things LOL. When I finally got my FID I was 23 and I bought my Springfield GI 1911 in stainless

First rifle was a ruger 10/22 when I was 14.  I asked dad for a pellet gun.  He felt that pellet guns were too dangerous because everyone considers them toys but suggested a .22 instead.

 

At 18, I applied for my FID and bought a rusted, used, old Remington 1148 12ga.   Still have it.

 

Around 21, while in college, I bought a Beretta 21A .22 pocket pistol.  It was all I could afford on a college kids budget.  Still have it.

 

Around the same time, I bought a Traditions .50 cal black powder rifle.  I had grown up around guns but never shot a black powder gun before.  I bought in at K-mart in New Brunswick, NJ. 

 

I bought a couple of more long guns and took a 20 year break from purchasing guns.  The Obama, Feinstein, Biden gun sales team convinced me I needed more and I've bought several in the last year.

My folks wouldn't let me have a real firearm but I talked them into a Daisey BB rifle back in the 1950s. I built numerous WWII era model warships and we would take them out into the yard and give them some really cool battle damage with the gun. The topper was to take a 2" firecracker and light it in the smokestack of a ship that hadn't been shot up yet then try to time the shot so it hit just about when the cracker went off. Man, that was fun! Too bad there were no cell phone cameras back then, or maybe it's a good thing because the reality probably wouldn't live up to my memories of it.