Like most boys growing up in the '60s I had a passionate interest in cars, sports, airplane/warship/tank models, and guns. Use to take my gun, flying, and model airplane magazines to school with me and keep them inside my textbooks to read while the teacher's went on with their instructions. Our family doctor had his office located right next door to a gun and tackle shop, you know the old timers kind of place with WWI Mausers stacked up inside of an old oak barrel. If your played your cards right it was a simple matter to get Mom to let me go over there to look around for a little while at least.
Once I graduated from high school and got a job, I became interested in hunting as one of my co-worker's family owned some acreage out in country that they kept an old trailer on. We would go out there on the weekend to do some plinking away at paper targets and assorted cans and plastic bottles that we collected. My friend's dad use to make the rounds of the local pawn shops picking up whatever old rifles and shotguns he could get a good deal on. Two of my favorites were a Remington pump action .22 and a very basic looking Ithaca Model 37 20 gauge pump action shotgun with a plain 26" barrel. We would hike all over the place as there were lots of the clear cut lanes for the underground gas lines that had been put in sometime back.
I had so much fun hunting upland game that it made me want to get my own guns so I didn't have to keep borrowing my friend's guns. I immediately bought myself a Ruger 10/22 and a Remington Model 870 12 gauge with an 18" and later a 28" vent rib barrel. Still have the Ruger but parted ways with the Remington some years ago when I needed the cash. After I turned 21 I became more interested in handguns and some of my earlier acquisitions were a Charter Arms Undercover, a Hawes Deputy Marshall .22LR/.22Magnum Single Action revolver, and a Colt Trooper Mk.III .357 Magnum with a 4" barrel. It would still be awhile before I discovered semi-autos but when I did, I went all out, pretty much forsaking revolvers for a long time (well I did dally on occasion with S&W J and K frames and Ruger Six Series Series revolvers during this time too)! But for the most part it was older Colt Governments (when you could find them), Combat Commanders, an HK P7 and P9S, a Browning Hi-Power and BDA 45, a SIG P226, countless Beretta Jetfires, a Model 90 Roma, and a greatly treasured Model 70S.
So I guess guns are a bit of a passion for me. I really do enjoy having them, as well as going shooting with family and friends, adding to the experiences and memories I have of good times spent with them over the years.