If you started your gun journey over...

[huntsman]

While I wouldn’t change what I’ve bought I regret not buying semiauto handguns sooner.

I grew up a hunter so any gun purchase was with that intention.

I didn’t buy my first semi until 2003 and it was an impulse fun gun purchase.

When I got my CCW in 2009 I really started to look into and purchase guns specifically for SD.

Now I believe I have what I need but am concerned that age related health issues will keep me from getting full use from them.

 

[Reloadron]

… I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was younger

First gun was an old Remington Model 510P in 1958, it was a gift from my uncle's friend. That was 1958 and I was 8 years old. Years passed and in 1972 after I came home from Vietnam I wanted a Colt 1911 Government model so I bought one, my first handgun. I was now 22 years old. I also got into hand loading about then.

I tend to gravitate to certain guns. When I see a gun I like I generally buy it and of course within reason. I never used the rent or food money to buy a gun. Then came kids and other more important things costing money. Today the kids are doing fine with kids of their own. Would I have done anything differently? I doubt it.

Ron

 

[tark]

… I wish that I knew what I know now
When I was younger

Don't we all. That is probably one of the most often uttered phrases on the planet.

My first gun was a worn out Stevens "Favorite." This was 1964. Dad let me buy it for three dollars from a friend. I was 16 at the time. I remember dad buying a box of 22s for under a buck and we soon found out that the gun wouldn't eject the fired cases, a common problem with those guns. I didn't care, I had my first gun.

As the decades passed, I have liked and left many types of guns. I have always been a rifle and handgun person. Not so much with shotguns. I have always preferred wood and blued steel.

All of that but no black powder for me

Awwww... come on, horseman61 . Black powder is more fun than a monkey with a hand grenade!

 

[theotherwaldo]

Every gun that I have acquired has been a different learning experience, even the ones that I never fired..
The only regret that I have is that I haven't acquired and experienced more of them.

 

[amprecon]

I remember buying my first gun, it was a Remington 870 Express I had to put on layaway at K-Mart back in 1990(?) and it was only $289. My second was a Marlin 60, then a Ruger GP-100 4" bbl and fourth was a Glock 21. I sold off the GP-100 but still have the same 870 and Marlin 60 and I am going back to the Glock 21, but a gen 5 this time.

 

[Skeptic13]

I would start earlier in my life.

 

[citizenconn]

I don't know that I would have done anything different were I to start over, because I mainly started putting together ARs a while back, a number of years after I left the military. Once I put together a number of those that could routinely hit 1000 yards I got into longer range bolt action rifles, mainly chassis guns, that could stretch that out to a mile or more, and that I could work on myself changing barrels and triggers and such fairly easy.

I sometimes wish I had picked up a couple of early Ruger Precision rifles when they were initially released and cheap compared to what they are going for now, though pretty much every precision rifle I have is equal or better than the RPR, so not a big regret. I've still yet to own any Ruger firearm though I likely will be getting one of the new Security .380 pistols for my disabled wife to use for personal protection as soon as I can find one in person to insure she will be able to use it properly.

I had never been a big pistol enthusiast but when it became apparent a few years ago that living in the Houston area I really needed to carry one with me most everywhere for personal protection I purchased a Glock 43 and a 36. I tried to like those guns but never found them to be adequate for the amount of training I wanted to do to become as proficient as I was with my military sidearms, and so I sold them and switched to all metal pistols: a couple imported all steel Tanfoglio Combat Classic 9mms and several 1911s in .45 acp and 9mm. I do wish that I has not wasted time and money with the Glocks because I now have a love for the 1911s and have amassed quite a collection of them.

I know polymer framed pistols are all the rage, but I can't see me ever changing back from my all metal pistols. I now enjoy training and pleasure shooting the pistols almost as much as I do long range rifle shooting which has been my passion for a long time.

 

[jak67429]

My first gun was a Mossberg 12 ga pump. What I would change I would buy all the milsrp that were cheap in the 70's but I had no use for at the time. Like the $50 m1 carbines, the $100 p38's and the m1 grand shooting club offered to sell for $300 in 1989.

 

[d31tc]

Much rather spend my time and ammo money shooting my M1 garand than some Walmart closeout special I bought cause it was cheap.

The only "so cheap I practically stole it" gun stories" I have involve Walmart clearance guns and ammo. For guns, I "had to" buy some Walmart closeout specials because they were cheap: Remington 700 in 308 for $10. 2 Savage Axis XP Hardwood for $12 each. A Ruger 10/22 takedown for $184. Lastly, a Henry Big Boy in 44 Mag for $169. I regret not buying the remaining 4 Savage Axis rifles in various calibers that would have essentially been "free" after rebate, but I didn't need or want them, and I would have only been buying them to sell them, and I'm not an FFL. I sold off the Remington 700 and on Savage Axis because of redundancy. The remaining Savage is in 223 and an excellent bolt action practice rifle for my daughters rather than having them try out the 270 WSM or 7mm RM.

Post 2016 election and pre pandemic, I wish I would have bought the revolvers that are now on my list instead of a couple AR's I bought. The prices on the revolvers on my list have gone up considerably and stayed up whereas the salad day prices I was chasing for AR's went up and have come back down. Maybe it should have been obvious since the pistols I want aren't necessarily still in production (no hole) while all the AR components are in large supply, and like toilet paper, the supply and demand will take care of prices. But realistically, it isn't a huge difference. Just means an extra 1/2 year of putting away my fun gun money. You can say I missed out on the salad days of milsurps, but I didn't and don't have a desire to buy them. The only reason would have been on speculation for future resale, and for those of you who did that, congrats.

In my evolution, I have the guns I "need" and arguably more than I need, so my focus has switched a little more to the "collector" side and maybe filling a bit of a "gap". I bought a CMP 1911 out of pure nostalgia for my duty pistol I carried as a tanker. I bought a S&W 1911 E Series for a shooter in 1911 manual of arms and to have a second 1911 for my kids when I kick. I bought a S&W 3913 NL as a backup EDC and a bit of a collector. I might have started on these a little sooner, but it does feel good to have an AR for each of my daughters. If they don't have an interest in them, they will be sold and upgraded to a nice revolver.

 

[bangswitch]

Something I was thinking recently, is that I might have picked a different gun for my first gun, if I had to start over again. I might, and I might not. My first gun was a full-size .40 S&W handgun. Since then, I've preferred 9 over .40, but I also have smaller (.380) and bigger (.45). If I could, I might start over with a 9. Or I might get a .40 again. Or I might start over with a 9, but also eventually get another .40.

What about you? What was your first gun? Why was it your first gun? Looking back on what you got then, and what you could have gotten instead, would you have made the same choice? Why, or why not?

My first gun was a Remington bolt action .22LR rifle that was given to me by a friend of the family when I was 10. I won't count that one because I had nothing to do with the selection (but I thought it was uber cool).
The first gun I bought was in 1978, a S&W 6" M19-2. I worked for my state's prison system and handgun training was mandatory and I had joined my unit's pistol team (PPC competition). I found fairly quickly that most guys shooting 6" guns had slab barrels, action jobs, etc. and I couldn't afford all that, so I sold the M19-2 and bought a 4" M66 and shot in the stock Service Revolver class.

What I would change about that was to have sold neither of those revolvers; I kept the M66 for 26 years. I would have continued buying S&W revolvers and would have more than I have now at half what I've paid for the ones I do have. I wouldn't have bought the few polymer guns I once owned. I would have kept the Daewoo K1A1 rifle I had for 20 years and then sold. Soooo.... most of the things I would not have done is sell what I had bought, and the things I'd have done differently would be to have bought more.

 

[WisBorn]

I don't have many regrets. I have enjoyed cheap guns and modestly priced guns. I have hunted with semiautomatics, levers, pumps, bolts, and single shots. Black Powder and smokeless.
I wish I would have bought a 8mm Remington Mag when they were more available.

My only real regret is that I wish I would have spent more time on the range with family and friends, and my best friend (my wife).... Time to change that.

Still don't really like the 9mm and 223 cartridges

 

[Charlie98]

My truly first firearm was a H&R Topper 20ga I bought from a friend of mine for $60... just to have a firearm. I bought it without my parent's permission, so I kept it in my car, where it got crusty-rusty after the first Indiana winter. I'll tell you what... that frikkin shotgun kicked like a mule! After I graduated High School, and moved to Columbus, OH, it was stolen out of my first apartment.

My first rifle was a Marlin 15 single-shot .22... one of the rarer non-youth models, only produced for 2 years or so, if memory serves. I had shot a friend's Winchester single-shot .22 (same friend that sold me the H&R, as a matter of fact...) and I was so impressed by the accuracy of it, I decided my first rifle would be the Marlin. Funny story on that... I had a '73 Pontiac Bonneville 4-door... and I was hit head-on by a newer Cutlass, on a service road (so... fairly low speed.) It demolished the Cutlass, but barely bent the bumper up on my Bonnie. Insurance totaled it out... $500, but I made a deal with the adjuster that I'd take that $500... and KEEP the car. He quickly agreed. I took that $500, and ran right over to the LGS and bought that Marlin ... for $79.95. That was 1985, and I still have it today.



My first pistol was a Browning Buckmark standard. I had just gone through Army Basic and AIT, and was stationed at Fort Carson, CO. Once I got settled down, I went downtown and bought it... $179.99. Over the next 3 years, I pumped thousands of rounds through that pistol, and, again, I still have it today.

I don't think I could have started with 3 better firearms... perhaps the H&R aside. They allowed me to build my shooting confidence, allowed me to shoot a LOT at relatively low cost... (remember when Super-X was .99/box???) Accurate, fun, simple. What's not to like?

 

[lightman]

What was your first gun? Why was it your first gun? Looking back on what you got then, and what you could have gotten instead, would you have made the same choice? Why, or why not?

My first gun was a Remington shotgun that my Grandpa gave me the day I was born. It probably would not have been my first choice but I still have it and it will never be sold, at least by me. I have been gifted a few other guns and have inherited a few more along the way. Some of them would not have been my choice either, but ...............

Looking back at the guns that I've bought there are a few that I wouldn't buy again and a few that I passed on that I wish I had bought.

The first gun that I bought was a Colt Frontier Scout and the last one was a Remington 40X. In place of the Frontier Scout I should have bought a S&W K frame in 22 long rifle with adjustable sights.

 

[21H40]

Awwww... come on, horseman61 . Black powder is more fun than a monkey with a hand grenade!

Having seen both monkeys and hand grenades, I find that concept terrifying.
Unless I'm safely watching it from the internet. In that case it could be pretty funny, like the videos of the chimpanzee and his AK47.

 

[Golfanaticshooter]

Machine guns, machine guns, machine guns! Then I would have bought more machine guns, and Hi Powers. Then some Colt Sauers and some Browning Olympians in 30-06 of course.

 

[d31tc]

Machine guns, machine guns, machine guns! Then I would have bought more machine guns, and Hi Powers. Then some Colt Sauers and some Browning Olympians in 30-06 of course.

As much fun I had training with machine guns, the only reason I feel I should have bought them (even though with my age group it wasn’t an option) would be as an “investment.” OK, maybe having one would be good, but given that type of hindsight, instead of buying machine guns, or milsurps, we all should have bought lottery tickets with the hindsight of knowing the winning numbers, cash in our billion dollar ticket, and no one would worry about missing out on a gun deal, just take one day’s interest on your winnings and go buy a few guns.

Without having 1,000’s of rounds to spray down range with no worries of cost, I fear the cost of sending down 100’s of rounds today, on my dime, would take the fun out of it for me.

 

[arsterling180]

I really beat myself up for missing a relatively el cheapo full auto fnc fire control back in ‘91.

I’ve never bought el cheapo guns or optics but I did buy a number of medium priced ones I’d inevitably replace with a higher/high end one. I guess I’d go straight to high end optics from the get go.

 

[trackskippy]

Buying the full autos would in essence be similar to knowing the lottery numbers.

And keep in mind too, back when the machine guns were reasonable, there were tons of cheap surplus ammo available for them too. Back in the 80's and 90's, we were literally buying ammo by the truckload to feed everything. And now, almost 40 years later, Im still shooting up the last of some of that I had.

 

[Cityevader]

My first gun purchase (in 2020) was a $129 Savage 64 .22 rifle.
It is amazing for the price.

2nd gun shortly thereafter was a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol for $600 (ouch!) but it's just as accurate at 100yds as the Savage rifle with a scope, is!!!

Biggest regret was 20 years ago when i was gifted a pristine, absolutely perfect Enfield .303 (it was "just a gun" as far as i knew.)
Not being into guns back then, I traded it for a half cord of crappy firewood...that i had to buck and split and transport myself.
The moment i realized my mistake was seeing the shocked look on his face...too late for a playground "take-back".

I regret certain "man-qualities" that make me a better man, at my own expense...or that rifle would still be mine.

 

[Lo-Profile]

Buy a bunch of FA guns before Reagan banned the new mfg.

Yeah, and he's worshipped as a gun rights conservative

 

[PzGren]

I still have the first handgun I had bought, a S&W 14-2. A Colt Python and a Hammerli International were next, followed by a Walther GSP. From there on the purchases came in much shorter intervals and over the course of a little more than three decades well over three hundred guns were bought and many sold after testing and getting invaluable hands-on experience with them.

I have always enjoyed firearms and shooting sports and I would not do anything different but maybe would join a gun club at an earlier age.

 

[FL-NC]

Put simply I would have bought less and thought more.

 

[d31tc]

Put simply I would have bought less and thought more.

I tend to overthink everything. I don't know if it has helped me make better choices. It just slows down my decisions and helps me think I made better choices (insert Dunning-Kruger effect here). It certainly hasn't helped me predict the future.

 

[Bronco72]

The first one I bought, not counting the Christmas presents. 1967 6" blued Colt Python, box of 38 special and a box of 357's all for $175.00 out the door. Would not change a thing

 

[Hunter 08]

Man it's a tough call what I would change. Maybe not have bought my 336 Stainless, and bought a Savage .308 and did a chassis build for it. Rather than doing it now when prices have gone up by at least 1/3 since I bought my 336.