First and "Last".

[tws3b2]

Top photo is my first "hand"gun. 1978 H&R model 650 lr22/22 wmr. My first handgun. I think I paid something like $125 at the gun shop? More or less. It's never hunted or killed anything. Just a plinker. Intended " At least by me" to shoot at tin cans, rocks or maybe a paper, man made target or two.
The second. My last purchased handgun.A 2021 Taurus G3C. $300 at the gun shop. More or less. "It, so far", has never hunted or killed anything. But, " at least by me" was never intended to shoot at tin cans, rocks or maybe a man made paper target or two.
My Mother and Father met in a bomb shelter in Belgium during WW2. Sometime in my early years, I thought WWs were over. I thought that we learned our lesson. I thought we have learned that killing each other was pointless. Nothing to gain. Only to lose.
Now in 2021/2022 here I am buying guns to?? Not plinkers.
What in the ---- Happened???
I have five Great Grandchildren.
This Is Not. NOT. The Future I Hoped For Them.
Again- What In The ---- Happend???

 

[Speedo66]

No photos showing.

As far as wars, unfortunately they've been happening since the dawn of mankind, don't expect them to stop. Stakes are much higher now though.

 

[tws3b2]

S

No photos showing.

As far as wars, unfortunately they've been happening since the dawn of mankind, don't expect them to stop. Stakes are much higher now though.

Sorry, Spectrum has been out 2 days. Apparently its only half on now.

 

[Steve S.]

Killing other’s is human nature; history has taught us that is how you get other’s power, countries, land, wealth, resources. “stuff”, etc - you just take it. Every square inch of the US was taken at the point of a sword or the muzzle of a gun. I think that your reflection is noble but do you now want to give yours back - I have asked that question to many others and no one to date has answered to the affirmative - our hypocrisy knows no bounds!

 

[redcon1]

View attachment 1049766 Top photo is my first "hand"gun. 1978 H&R model 650 lr22/22 wmr.
The second. My last purchased handgun.A 2021 Taurus G3C.

This sounds fun aside from the melancholy. I mostly buy guns because I love them. They're kind of like paintings to me. I enjoy the craftsmanship, the precision machine work, and the history. I have no desire to do anything but plink with them and maybe some hunting. I have a couple that I carry but I'm hesitant to add uninteresting pieces to the collection at this point. I'd need to get another safe for one thing and that's a pain in the butt. Anyways here's my first and last. My first was this Colt Combat Commander manufactured in 1974 that i was able to buy brand new in the box in 1992 as soon as I turned 21. I had been fondling that gun at the LGS when I was 14. I always asked to see it when my father and I went in there to buy reloading supplies and he always pulled it out and let me drool over it and then dutifully wiped my fingerprints off of it and returned it to the case. I went in there when I turned 21 and asked him if he still had it and, unbelievably, he said he still had it up in his safe. He went upstairs (and left me alone in his shop) and came down with the handgun that I had been lusting for since I was 14 years old and sold it to me right then and there, a brand new, in the box, 18 year old series 70 Colt Combat Commander for $550.
and my last, kind of a spur of the moment purchase that I ended up regretting a little bit. A Kimber Solo bought in like 2019. I wanted a summer time pocket carry pistol. It was a jamomatic when I first got it though until I learned that it only likes higher quality ammunition. It sure didn't like American eagle. It's still hard for me to trust a gun that's finicky like that though so it doesn't get carried eve after seeing it run flawlessly with reloads and SD ammo.

 

[General Geoff]

Killing other’s is human nature; history has taught us that is how you get other’s power, countries, land, wealth, resources. “stuff”, etc - you just take it. Every square inch of the US was taken at the point of a sword or the muzzle of a gun. I think that your reflection is noble but do you now want to give yours back - I have asked that question to many others and no one to date has answered to the affirmative - our hypocrisy knows no bounds!

The greatest lie ever told to children is that violence solves nothing.

Violence, in fact, solves everything. Just not necessarily in the best way.

 

[Howland937]

My first handgun is long gone...a Ruger P95 that doesn't illicit any fond memories or give me warm and fuzzies. (First gun is an old Savage 24 .410/.22. It's in a safe at my dad's.)
My last is the Ruger MkIV I had Ceracoted blue for my kid for Christmas. It's floating around on a couple of threads already, so I'm not going to post it here and use up more bandwidth.

As for the purpose of buying and owning guns, everyone has their reasons. I've never bought a gun out of fear and I've never carried one out of fear, even though I regularly do both for other reasons.

 

[Frank Ettin]

...I thought we have learned that killing each other was pointless. Nothing to gain. Only to lose....

George Santayana said:

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

The Roman military historian, Vegetius (ca., 4th Cent., CE) said:

Therefore let him who desires peace prepare for war. {Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum}

We seem to get ourselves into the most trouble when we forget that.

 

[General Geoff]

Since I never actually posted my first and last:

Mosin Nagant M44 carbine, bought in 2004 at the age of 19:



Most recent acquisition, just a few months ago: CZ 457 ProVarmint

 

[bassjam]

My first is an 870 express 12ga combo, I've had it for 22 years and I can't imagine to think of the amount of small game and deer it's harvested as well as the number of pests it's taken care of. And a lot of time was killed with it after school hanging out in the fields with my buddies blasting away at cowbirds and starlings.
My latest is a M1 Garand Expert grade in 308 that just arrived from the CMP last week. The receiver is almost 78 years old, but she's been refinished with a new stock and looks much newer than my 870 does!




Decided to add my first and latest handguns as well, because I realized that for all the polymer handguns and black rifles I have, the first and latest of both my long guns and hand guns are pretty old school.
Got this High Standard revolver when I was 20, it was my great uncle's who used to take it on backpacking and fishing trips and it's had at least as much "love" as my 870 has. And the S&W 5906 came to me last month as a LEO trade in, and with new grips and freshly cleaned she looks much less used than the old dirty .22 does.

 

[Jimbo80]

While I no longer own my first I do still own the one I traded it for. The S&W 15-2 was used when I got it in '77. Funny that it's still 40+ years younger than my last purchase.

 

[Airborne Falcon]

My two oldest daughters are attorneys ... both now living on the West Coast. One in Berkeley, the other in Portland. We rarely speak anymore these days ... political differences diametrically opposed philosophies where the future of mankind and our Right to Keep and Bear Arms are concerned ... even though they grew-up happy, well rounded, in a hunting, fishing, 2A loving, patriotic home ... their universities changed them, brainwashed them, corrupted them.

My youngest daughter, in her mid 30s, is a Dr of Psychology in South Florida. She's very practical, realistic, analytical ... middle of the road but a staunch believer in the 2A. Why? Because she gets human nature, understands societal structure from a very basic family level to work, gangs, neighborhoods, hoods, city, county and state .... nation ... region ... hemisphere ... global .... NWO.

It scares her where things are going. She married a guy from Chicago whom I really like .... he escaped ChiTown some years ago, is a staunch conservative, also a Professor, of History. He tells me about the issues with young people these days and their perceptions of guns because of being raised on video games in his opinion. Everything is wack.

My Son on the other hand ... kid is amazing. Turns 23 this month. The Good Lord Blessed me with the boy. He was winning rimfire championships when he was six years old. By the time he was ten he was beating 16 year olds at state matches. He brings us a bunch of venison every year, keeps the freezers stocked. Workaholic ... we get together often to shoot at the homestead range. This weekend we're building his 300 BLK braced pistol. He had a bunch of guns before he bought his first one ... the first one he bought was a S&W Shield 2.0 ... I went with him. That was a proud Papa day lemme tell you. He applied for his CWP on his birthday having already taken the course a week earlier. Anyways ...

I dunno, I rambled a bit there .... you mentioned the future for our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren. I think about it every day on every level. Mankind is sorta self destructive. Me personally, I am a survivor ... many of us are. But it seems those in charge are destructive ... I've never understood it.

My first handgun was a Crown City 1911 I bought for $50.00. Then a Colt Python ... sold both of them long ago.

My latest (will not be my last) handgun investment is another P320.

 

[bannockburn]

I don't have my first (or second, or third, or fourth...well I think you get the point), handgun but I do have my first rifle, a Ruger 10/22. Had been shooting and hunting with some .22 rifles that belonged to a friend of mine and I decided that I really needed to have my own rifle.

So I looked around and narrowed my choices down to two semi-autos: a Marlin Model 60 and a Ruger 10/22. Picked the Ruger mainly because I liked the rotary magazine versus the tubular feed system of the Marlin.

My latest (and hopefully not my last), handgun would be my HK VP9. About as high-tech as I could get with a 9mm.! Has all of the bells and whistles on it that I could ever want (or even think of wanting), along with one the nicest triggers on it for a striker fired gun.

 

[Spats McGee]

I don't have pictures of all of my firsts, and probably not even of my lasts.

First shotgun (no pics) was one I "shared" with my older brother. (That's pronounced "it was his and I got to shoot it once in a long while.) I didn't know the name at the time, but I think it was an H&R Topper in 20 ga. Dad had someone thread the barrel for chokes.

First rifle was my Standard Issue 10/22. It's the bottom one in this picture.

I left it bone stock for about 35 years, then decided it needed a threaded barrel. For the suppressor I wanted. Then I wanted a better scope. Then I stumbled into a deal on a Hogue stock. Its current configuration:

First pistol was a Ruger .22 Standard, back before they started calling them Mark. I foolishly sold it a few years back, so that one's gone. Fortunately, I ran across another just like it. No pics.

The last shotgun I bought . . . . I don't even know any more. I'm sure it was an 870, just don't know which 870.

The last rifle I bought was my Ruger American Rimfire Target Model. I love this rifle.

The last pistol I bought was my Shield Plus. I immediately put some TruGlo Tritium Pro sights on it, and was finally able to buy 3 spare magazines last week!

 

[Meeks36]

No pics. First was a H&R Topper in 410. Gifted at 13. Last was a Ruger LC9. The 410 disappeared when my paw paw passed, like a lot of his stuff. The LC9 is sitting in my wife’s nightstand.

 

[WheelGunMan]

I'm have the same thoughts regarding guns as @redcon1 ... I buy because I love them for their craftsmanship and marvel at the ingenuity it took to make them. That being sad ...my first and last.

 

[redcon1]

I'm have the same thoughts regarding guns as @redcon1 ... I buy because I love them for their craftsmanship and marvel at the ingenuity it took to make them. That being sad ...my first and last. View attachment 1050186 View attachment 1050187

That's interesting actually. I was trying to remember which gun was my last. I bought three handguns in like 3 days and two of them were actually on the same day. I'm pretty sure that Kimber Solo was my last one but it also could have been my Glock 19x or this:

 

[Legionnaire]

First firearm: Mossberg 500 12 gauge
First handgun: Browning Buckmark Plus
Last: MPA PMR Pro II.

If I have some time this weekend, I'll update this post with a pic.

 

[klcmschlesinger]

Uberti Cattleman was first. Got the KelTec in December to shoot some PCC this year.

 

[Archie]

This Is Not. NOT. The Future I Hoped For Them.
Again- What In The ---- Happend???

That unfortunate incident with Eve, the snake and the apple. Been downhill ever since. (The humans being considerate part. The plumbing has improved in some parts of the world.)

 

[FL-NC]

First- S&W model 19, 4" (still have it), last- Keltec P17, bought as a host for a can. As far as the rest of it- work's what kept me happy and my bills paid.

 

[jmr40]

My Mother and Father met in a bomb shelter in Belgium during WW2.

My father turned 22 in Belgium, Feb of 1945, while helping kick the Germans out. He may have crossed paths with your mom and dad.

My evolution of gun ownership has somewhat followed the evolution of firearms. My 1st guns were SXS shotguns. The 1st belonged to my great-grandfather who was a child during the Civil War. My 1st two firearms purchases were a Ruger Single Six and a Savage SXS shotgun. My 1st centerfire handgun was another Ruger single action. My 1st centerfire rifle was a bolt action and various lever guns were added later. Lots of folks think of bolt rifles as more modern, but their development was actually basically parallel.

Over the years my interest has evolved toward more modern guns. I now own AR rifles and my most recent handgun purchase is the Sig M18. The current military sidearm. In addition to many of the older designs.

 

[Reloadron]

First and last huh? First and last spans quite a few years for me. My first was a Remington 510P given to me in 1958 by a close friend of my uncle. I was 8 years old and taught to shoot with that rifle. It's pictured on the top in the below image.

My first handguns came later around '72 when I came home from Vietnam, I was 22 years old at the time.My last guns were a pair of 1911 guns. Think it was July of this past year.



This is a 1911 government marked and with a 5 digit serial number dating it to 1914. Since this picture I have nicer grips on the gun, I still need a few parts to get it correct. Need a mainspring housing with the lanyard ring attachment. The gun shoots.The gun came with another 1911 pictured below.



Both guns belonged to my aunt's father and she gave them to me after he passed away and later my uncle passed away. Both images were shot by my sister using her phone. The 1911 which predates WWI while a little rough is actually not a bad shooting gun considering 1914 manufacture. Not sure what may trip my trigger in 2022 but thinking about a few I like.

Ron

 

[danez71]

1st was a 10/22

I did a lot of tent camping with that as my only gun.

Next, a BHP.

 

[bangswitch]

My first gun I no longer have, it was a Remington Targetmaster .22LR bolt action rifle given to me when I was 9 by a friend of the family. I learned to shoot in the Boy Scouts with that rifle; many years later I paid it forward to one of my best friends' son, who was also in Boy Scouts and learning to shoot.

The first gun I had as an adult was a revolver my dad had; I still have it, and the most recent (I won't say 'last' because, who knows?) is a semiauto, with about 35 assorted rifles, shotguns and handguns in between, most of which I still have.

1st Gun, Rossi 5-shot .38SPL;


Last (or latest), a .40S&W Browning Hi Power: