My interest in guns came late. I was in my early 60s when a friend introduced me and he has a safe full of shooters. He has a nice collection of Ruger SA and DA revolvers and Glock semiautos of various sizes and calibers plus a nice assortment of long guns. Being a frugal guy I like a good value and while Wilson and Les Baer make some fine pieces, I haven't paid more than $400 for any gun I own. Every purchase I made was a good, sometimes exceptional, deal.
I like to shoot my 12ga tactical and initially was surprised how accurate it was for me. Same with my Russian C&R 7.62x54R. I can hit an 8.5x11 target at 250 yards with iron sights, probably farther, but I don't always have access to a rangefinder and sometimes the crops limit where we can shoot. That one is fun for about 20 rounds each time. I bought a .22 semiauto pistol early on and enjoy it but found a Marlin Model 60 makes me happy. It is pretty accurate even in the hands of an older guy. My carry and bedside guns are .45 ACP and I shoot them most to keep sharp.
I have several friends who like to shoot so three or four of us can spend a few hours on the farm trying out CZs, Bersas, Springfield polymers, Glocks, and Ruger Blackhawks and Redhawks. Then out come long guns - Mini 14s, Henrys in .44, M1 Carbines, Remington 870s, Mosin Nagants, AK47s, whatever they brought that day. We've purchased long guns after they've shot mine and I theirs. If I ever go to 9mm I'll spend more than $400 for a CZ 75 after shooting theirs. What floats my boat is the friendship and relaxation and challenge of target shooting and every outing is a chance to improve my skills. Knowing I can hit what I aim at with a variety of guns give me confidence.