What got you into GUNS?

[RAM]

In friday night lies DocH posted a great story about his first handgun experience with his Nanny.

I thought it would be interesting to hear about some of your stories.

My story has nothing special to wright about except that I purchased my first hand gun at a local sporting goods store, took it out to the desert with a couple boxes of gun chow. Into the second box something inside broke! Crap! Took it back to the store where I got it and asked if it could be exchanged for one that works!

The guy behind the counter pulled my paper work and was looking it over and got real nervous, then asked me how old I was!
I told him I was 18, Why? He said you are supposed to be 21 to buy a handgun he said, somebody didn't look at your paperwork close enough!

That's ok I'll fix the gun myself, thanks anyway, see ya later, I was out of there... they wern't getting my gun!

Brought it home and took it apart, found a broken pin. Took a drill bit of the same diameter ground the flat spots on it to match the original and it still works today some 33 years and countless rounds later!

Darn gun grabbers:eek:

[Brownie]

My dad had a connection with the Daisy Corp [ of BBgun fame ] back in 1960. They would give him a red ryder the first year, which I got as I was the oldest, then another model the next year which my brother got.

After the first few years, they sent him a CO2 powered pistol. I got that one as it was my turn. I took the red ryder lever rifle and pistol out into the fields, the woods and backyard [ I lived in the country ] and with no formal training learned to use the sights to great effect on squirels, birds and cans. Nothing was safe within their respective ranges.

A few years later, when I was of age according to family tradition, my grandfather took us hunting with my uncles with their 30-30 levers and his Rem 300 Savage. I was shown how to stalk, track and shoot with the big boys at that time on real game animals. That was some 45 years ago.

It was all downhill from there I'm afraid. :rolleyes: My grandad and uncles were hunters of the highest order in the Northeast Kingdom.

My education and penchant for firearms and shooting was furthered when I joined the USMC in my teens, and then the real education in how to shoot came 12 years later with Lucky McDaniel.

It's been quite a ride.:D

[JMusic]

Great topic Ram, good idea.

My father having twice served in the 101 Airborne believed it was a man's duty to be able to shoot. Having said that my mothers brother was killed in an accidental shooting involving his buddy and he with a 22 rifle. As you can guess the two did not mix. Dad won and I received my first bb gun at the age of 6. It was so strong I could not at first cock it. I shot it supervised for about a month then was turned loose. Once you guys start talking about all the stupid things you've done with a bb gun I may have something to contribute.:D
Jim

[Brownie]

Once you guys start talking about all the stupid things you've done with a bb gun I may have something to contribute

If we go down that road, and I open up with some of the crazies with a bbgun I've "performed", I'm gonna take some serious heat here.:eek: Suffice to say, nothing was safe from the end of those barrels [ targets of opportunity? ]

Talk about getting into hot water being stupid--but those times sure were fun.;)

[shaman]

I grew up in a family of hunters too.
I got my first bb gun from money I made cutting grass in the neighborhood. I kept it a while, and then a couple of years later I bought a .22 cal nylon66 remington.

At the same time, I got into archery and the two have managed to coexist peacefully ever since.



First post. Howdy.

[Brownie]

Welcome to the campfire here at the Threat Focused Forum shaman.

Find a seat at the campfire and join in the discussions anytime.

[shaman]

Thanks Brownie,
Been looking for a forum like this for a while.

[JMusic]

Nylon 66 one of my favorites. The Apachie was a work of art for a plastic gun.
Jim

[The Searcher]

I grew up in a family of sheep. No guns. I was interested in military history especially World War Two. I started out wanting an M-1 Garand and it kind of grew from there.

[Dave James]

I got started the mintue my feet hit the floor it seems, at 5 years of age my grandfathers and father decided it was time to start me off training,,first with an old 22 short revolver, but the time I was 10 I had been given a 22 lr H&R 999 and told that when my sisters and I where out and about on the farm I was responcable for them and myself,, my greatgrandmother kept two rifles with her at all times a 50-70 Sharps and a Winchester pump action 22long,, when I was started into rifles I used both to hunt with for several years.. Its just been an on going habit sense the.

WHen I was 13 or 14 years old my ggrandfathers and ole man made arangments thru family for me to go and be mentored by Mr.Bryce, from there it was to Col.Askins and in later years I got to pick the brains of Mr. Jordan, thru that time because of my great grand father I was taken to several of the last real ole west lawman in little out of the way towns of western Kansas and mentored about handguns in general

[Brownie]

DJ,

Wish I had the mentoring you were lucky to get in the younger years by those men who really knew what it took to get it down quickly and efficiently.

Very fortunate upbringing I'd say.

[RTBRANE]

Christmas morning photo about age 5 shows me in a full cowboy outfit including a double holster rig. (probably the only way to get a left handed holster). For my 7th or 8th birthday, (no one is sure which), my father got me a used Remington single-shot bolt action. Right-handed, of course. :rolleyes: I still have this rifle.
A year or so later, I started to accompany my father while he would go small game hunting. I was too young for a license, had to be 12 to carry a gun to hunt.
My dad was always buying and selling vehicles, and guns seemed to be a common thing in his business. It seemed I seldom went shooting or hunting with the same gun. It was the same with cars after I got my DL.

[Annarchy]

I was 5 when my mom put a double barrel shotgun in my hands. We lived on a self sufficient 80 acre farm in No. Michigan and had to protect ourselves from poachers, hunters and bring home the bacon. Went on my first deer hunt when I was 6.

[jmsstnr]

The first time I really knew I was interested in guns and shooting was during a summer at Boy Scout Camp. I was hooked on the instruction of Mr McGrath, and his wife, the former being a retired marine. Looking back, through the window that is the minds past, I enjoyed the order and competition of the rifle range. Performance was the only thing that mattered. Especially, for a boy that probably didn't shower the whole time there;)

The result of that time is represented here with the target I still have, and the memories of that wooden planked range, and a kid my age I competed with, whose name I still don't know. As much as I remember winning the High Shooter Award, I remember that kid more, that kid just like me.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u42/jmsstnr/whatstartedshooting025.jpg

The story I present here is not meant to displace the time my Dad spent with me and my siblings, but it is more a continuation of what he started, what solidified my interest in shooting.

As an aside to my first post here, I would like to express a big thanks to those of you whose names I don't know. Brownie, JMusic, Guantes, Doc, DaveJames, et al. I enjoy your posts, your stories, your state of mind, and especially your humor.

[Brownie]

jmsstnr,

Welcome to the forum. Post up anytime.

Good to hear you enjoy the site and members here.

Stay sharp

[DocH]

jmsstnr,welcome to the forum. It's great that you still have that old target.I save a lot of old stuff too,just for the memories and nostalgia.They can take you back to a specific point in time.
Thanks for mentioning me in the same sentence as those other fellas who know a lot more than I do. Hope you enjoy it here.

[7677]

Welcome to the forum jmsstnr.

I received my first Red Ryder type BB gun at age 7 and wore it out in less then two years and I then got a Marksman 1911 clone BB gun. When I was 10, my father bought me a Crossman pump pellet rifle and I remember going out to the stone quarry and shooting old beer bottles with my father. The crossman rifle would go straight through the bottles whereas the marksman pistol would bounce off the glass. My father looked at the Marksman pistol and said this thing is worthless isn't it and he later bought me a Crossman CO2 revolver with six inch barrel that looked like a model 29 44 magnum. Now came the problem...finding a low priced left handed holster for my pellet gun. My father and I must have gone all over Atlanta looking for one and never did find one so I had to settle for a right handed holster.

At the age of 13, do to situation at my father's work I was given a crash course in combat shooting. I spent the whole day shooting and I shot everything he had at his office, J & K frame revolvers, model 39 and 59 S&W autos, the Highpower and the 1911. Next came my training with subgun and I was taught how to shoot the Thompson. Then the M1 carbine and shotgun. During the summers, I would spend time with my grandfather and he would teach me what he learned from his time with the Marine Raiders during WWII. This included combatives, knife pistol and rifle shooting. From about 15 until 17, I would go shooting with my father or grandfather a couple time a year or I would go hunting but not much really happened.

At 18, I went into the army where I got to shoot all kind of guns, British, French, German and others and I got to put to the test everything I learned for real in Storm. When I was in Germany, I loved the G3 and I competed on our Battalion's pistol team and in German shooting events. After I got out, I was assigned to a training battalion teaching marksmanship. I did this for a couple of years until I was hired by Dallas PD.

[SPG]

I first started at 9, dad was a Major in the Guard, and I went with him for weekend drill At Curtis Guild in Wakefield Ma. He set me with one of his Sgt.s
and Steves first time was with a M1. Even managed to put it on paper.:D :D
Years later I had the honor of being on the same pistol team as some of those men (YD retiree shoot) SPG