What was the gun that seeded your hobby?

[memtb]

I don't mean your first gun, I mean the one that started you down the road to owning "quite a few", and pushed you to become active at the range, etc.

My first gun was a Norinco T-54, in 9mm. I still have it, and still like it. But it directly didn't lead to my collection tendencies; although in reflection it may have indirectly.

Like many of us, I like to research "my stuff" and find things to learn and like about them. I do it with cars, with cameras, etc. I wanted to like this Chinese gun (it shoots okay, but I wanted to find things that made it interesting). So in doing that, I became knowledgeable about surplus, especially Combloc guns. Makarovs and the like. No-nonsense, reliable weapons priced right. This eventually led me to get one; a gun that 'succeeded' my Tokarev design. That way I would have a pair that related to each other.
This was the fateful desire that started it all: a FEG PA-63.

I got the Tok at a gun show. It was in 9x19, so I would buy a box of 9mm at a time, at Walmart or similar.
The FEG- in casually looking at stores, I never saw them at the time, so I began to learn about online purchases. This brought me to Auction Arms, which is now Gunauction. I don't even know if Gunbroker was around then. But I looked at the auctions, and started to see the prices- that FEG was the "right lineage", it LOOKED cool (to my amateur eyes it looked like a James Bond Walther!!), and it was cheap- under $150, which was less than my brother's Bersa 380, itself considered a cheap gun. So I bought it, in an exciting and fun transaction without any problems. Little did I know, it was my gateway!

• Buying it online, it introduced me to that market, and the potential of it compared to the local shops. To this day I see people asking if buying online is 'safe', having never done it.
• Being an obscure caliber, I didn't have much luck finding it on the shelf. So again, this led to buying online- ammo. But hey, they charge shipping, so I can't just buy a box. Get a case, so that extra cost is spread thin, ... and suddenly I have "a lot of ammo"
• Hey, I have a lot of ammo at hand, I may as well go to the range more. Before, I just randomly did it to make sure I could shoot somewhat effectively, but now I've got 1k rds staring at me. I should make it worthwhile, instead of just putting it away to eventually get lost.
• Hey, shooting is getting fun, and I have a lot of ammo at the house. And I see OTHER guns in this caliber, for CHEAP (real Makarovs, P64, etc). For under $200, I could add 1...
• these SURPLUS guns are neat. They shoot great, they have a history to them interesting to learn about. What other surplus guns are there...?
• Combloc guns are neat, but I'm an American ... let's start looking at US and NATO guns too.
• Hmmm; online browsing of auctions... used CZ 75 pre B; combloc heritage, 9mm NATO rd, and the more I research the more praise I find of this pistol. Like, legendary status, from guys (Col Cooper) that appear to be big names. I see I can get one for $300, a little more than I could a Mak, and it's the more common caliber. Let's get one...

Wow (and now I am fully infected with the bug). CZ 75 is a fantastic pistol, and remains to this day my personal favorite. And it was the gun that broke open the floodgates-

• Online purchase from Cole's Distributing. For those that ever bought from them, you know they had the cheapest prices on imported stuff. I made several more purchases from them, just due to price...
• On of these was a FEG HP clone. This checked a ton of boxes- the Hi Power was a legendary pistol in it's own right, the clone got me 'into the platform'. Bought it from Cole's again, price was just over $200... can't beat that with a stick. And it being a FEG was actually interesting, since I already owned one. For a company that I'd never heard about in a country that I thought was obscure (Hungary), they sure did make some respectable guns.
• Ok, now I have 9mm NATO, let's explore- duty guns. Beretta 92, Sig P226, ... Star 30M? Daewoo DP 51? Zastava CZ99? All of these were floating around online, at the pricepoint of $300 or less (except the Sig, it took a LONG time but I finally got one there); all were/are in holsters of military folks, all shared the same ammo. No more trips to Walmart for a box or 2, I needed cheap cases to stay stocked. I needed more range time to be proficient, and see which ones I can shoot the best.
• S&W 3rd Gen- not military, but was police, and definitely in line with the designs of those above. And again, cheap to get online.

And it all traces back to that fateful decision to buy that PA 63 online...

What's yours?

Not a specific firearm......more like a passion for firearms/hunting/shooting from soon after birth!
It was probably a combination of firearms used by Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, numerous cowboy actors, and a war movie or two! Though, while I have a passion for firearms, shooting, hand loading......I’m not a collector of firearms. Most were purchased with a specific goal in mind.......whether hunting, varmint hunting, or self defense!

I loved hunting with family beginning @ about 5 years old which helped further instill a love for firearms. My first gun, @ age 7 was a Benjamin Pump! My first centerfire rifle at age 14, forced me through necessity to start hand loading @ age 15. My journey into the “rabbit hole” had begun! memtb

 

[Ignition Override]

Had never followed up with my Savage .22 after very seldom plonking sessions when young.

Zoom up towards Age 52, 2007.Rifle: Mosin Nagant 91/30 and a MN 44.

Handgun: Sauer 38H (WW2 .32 Auto) in about 2013...
... my very first handgun.

 

[CapnMac]

The 'bug' was there, but it was "for sure" around 13 or so being handed a 7.62nato Garand.

 

[Offhand McFlan]

My first gun was an SKS in 1993 and over the next 18 years I bought and sold another 5 or 6 long guns, incl shotguns, just to experiment and have fun.

It wasnt until 2011 that I lived in a gun-friendly state and bought my first handgun, a Bersa Thunder 45 Pro Ultra Compact. From there began my collection phase, and ended up with around 17 guns in the past 10 years. I just sold 7 (incl the Bersa) about 3mos ago, and came home with a Ruger P89 and a 357mag Windicator with a 4" bbl. I now have only 5 handguns and am fine with that for the time being. Because of space, funds, and a hyperactive 12 yr old I've decided to fall back and regroup myself and will likely not purchase guns as aggressively as I once did. I think my next gun purchase will be a long gun, but I'll be looking into buying a bigger safe before I do.

 

[Navy87Guy]

I blame my parents...there never wanted me to play with toy guns when I was a kid!

My first gun was a Sig P228 because it was available, but the first “shooter” that really captivated me was probably my Beretta 92G Vertec. It’s been downhill ever since!

 

[lsudave]

I'm not sure what "active at the range" even means though.

Oh, pretty simple and straightforward.

A whole lot of people have a gun or two, and might not shoot a box of ammo in a year. I know hunters like that, they hunt, but their only use for a range is to sight in their gun prior to hunting with it. And once it's sighted in, they don't go back. Or guys with a pistol, they may have shot it just to get a sense of it, and keep it in the nightstand (or in the truck, etc).

At some point, we (I am assuming many are like me) decide we want to shoot, and shoot often. I don't have easy access to free outdoor shooting, I have to pay a range fee if I don't want to drive a few hours. The range near me charges $15 a session, all day if you like. I eventually got a family membership (my son and I) for close to $500 annually, as I began to realize that was going to be cheaper than paying by the visit.

I know a couple-3 times a month isn't much to some here, but it's a whole lot more than most folks do. I consider that "active".

 

[THEWELSHM]

Model 19 Smith and Wesson

Thewelshm

 

[joed]

My start was a Remington 700 VS in .25-06 back in the 1970s. Bunch of friends started groundhog hunting in Ohio. I enjoyed the heck out of the hunting and because the cartridge was hard to find factory ammo for I also started loading my own.

Usually 3 of us would get together every saturday during summer and hit the farms. I never had so much fun shooting in my entire life.

 

[Legionnaire]

I didn't grow up with guns. My parents didn't object to them, they just weren't a part of their lives. My general interest in firearms grew out of an initial interest in hunting. I married the daughter of an outdoorsman and became the son he never had. The gun that started me off was the Mossberg 500 combo my wife gave me as an anniversary present, selected so I could hunt with her dad. That trusty 12 gauge has taken rabbits, squirrel, pheasant, deer ... it was perfect for the shotgun only areas of NY state I hunted.

I took my first PA deer with my FIL's Remington 760 in .30-06. After shooting it and playing around for a while with a Marlin 336 in .30-30, I decided I wanted a bolt-action rifle. I settled on a Remington Model 7 in .308 that became my go-to hunting rifle for 20+ years. That's the one that really got me into rifles.

My first handgun was a T/C Encore in .35 Remington. My thinking was that it would give me 50-75 yards more than the 12 gauge for deer hunting, and handguns were allowed in the areas where shotguns were the long guns legal for hunting. But as I lived in NY, I had to go through the state's crazy process of getting a handgun license. When my license was stamped "Hunting and Target Shooting Only," it torqued me enough that I set out to figure a way to get the restriction lifted so I could carry concealed. That was accomplished in time and I now have multiple handguns. But the one that kicked off the handgun interest was that T/C Encore.

Of the three, the only one I still have is the Mossberg. It has sentimental value in that my wife gave it to me and I have fond memories of carrying it while hunting with her dad, who died five years ago. The Model 7 in .308 was replaced by another in 7mm-08 a couple years back when I got out of .30 cals altogether. The Encore grew into a collection of frames and barrels before I eventually got rid of the lot. My current hunting handgun of choice is a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk Hunter in .44 Mag.

 

[Reloadron]

I don't mean your first gun, I mean the one that started you down the road to owning "quite a few", and pushed you to become active at the range, etc.

Well in my case it was my first gun. A Remington Model 510P which was given to me back in 1957. I was 7 years old and just simply enjoyed that rifle. A few years later a paper route was my path to more guns and in 72 when I came home from Vietnam I started reloading. I just developed a liking to accuracy in rifles. Never knew a sniper and never was a sniper but had a fascination with long range accuracy. Think it was about then I began a love affair with handguns. Just a matter of enjoying shooting and range time like many enjoy a golf course. Anyway, it all began with that first little rifle which I still have today.

Ron

 

[High Plains]

Like many guys, no one firearm got me started since the house had lots of firearms of all sizes and manufacturers. They were all interesting despite how accurate they might have been in my hands then, or now. I qualified with an old style M-16 in basic training and less than three years later I was shooting top scores with a service model M-14. I will always hold onto the M-1As that have fallen into my hands. For bolt action rifles, the 300 Weatherby really put me into hunting and I can credit the shooting skills I learned on the M-14 with my success on the 300 Wby.

 

[Dale Alan]

My Dad was a gunsmith back in the the 1960s-1970s , he specialized in SxS double barrel shotguns...so of course the first shotgun he bought me was a Ithaca model 37 pump gun in 20 gauge . His bread and butter were those classic doubles , but he loved pump guns . I would go small game hunting up the railroad tracks for Grouse, Cottontail, and Ducks ...if no game was to be found I would find a rock or something to practice on while walking home.Thousands of rounds have gone through that gem.

 

[sparkyv]

Three different letters: BHP.

Three letters : SKS.

 

[Starter52]

A Daisy CO200 BB pistol. I owned it back in the 1960's. I loved that air gun.

 

[Ed4032]

Smith and Wesson model 39 that I got from Dad. Still have it 40 years later.

 

[BillWM]

Winchester Model 1895 in 35 WCF, got me into reloading too.

 

[jeepnik]

Like almost every other kid in the neighborhood I found a Red Ryder BB gun under the Christmas tree one year. And no, no one shot out his eye. A couple of years later a single shot Winchester .22 showed up there as well.

We were Boomers, a bike, a .22 and a box of shells and we would disappear for the day. As long as we got back before the street lights came on all was well. We weren't late because we knew we'd be grounded, and parents meant it.

Today if a bunch of 12 or 13 year old kids went riding through town with 22's held across the handlebars of their bikes the local National Guard would be called up. Back then the local farmers were happy to see us kill rabbits, gophers and what have you. As long as we didn't shoot towards the house or livestock.

Maybe there are still places like that, I sure hope so.

 

[hemiram]

The gun that got me started was the Dan Wesson 15-2 I bought to carry at work while my awful, horrible Taurus 83 was sunning itself in FL for the first of it's two visits to try to get "better".

The only problem that 15-2 ever had was it had a clipped mainspring on it when I got it and it had light primer strikes. I replaced the spring, and put thousands of rounds through that gun. Soon after the 83 came back from FL the second time, it went away for good, and a second 15-2 came to live with me. At one point, I had 4 of them at once. These days, I have 2 15-2's and a 715.

 

[stonebuster]

What got me started 5 years ago was a 1967 Colt Trooper 357 that my F-I-L left my wife. I got my pistol permit and took it to the range and liked it a lot but didn't want to wear out the Colt for sentimental reasons. I bought a Ruger GP100, followed by Model 10 Smiths and Dan Wesson revolver. My wife's father would have a good laugh if he knew what he started.

 

[film495]

S&W Model 10-7, found it pretty cheap some years ago on gunbroker. Didn't really know what it was, and then after winning the auction I started poking around and reading some history etc. Since then I've been enamored with learning about the history and role of various firearms in major wars, technical advancements etc. I would not say I have much of a colleciton in comparison to some, but it certainly keeps me well entertained, and I'll never accumulate everything that interests me, so - it will likely go on forever, and I'm good with that.

 

[Bartojc]

I don't mean your first gun, I mean the one that started you down the road to owning "quite a few", and pushed you to become active at the range, etc.

I don't know the definition of "quite a few". Guessing it is somewhere between 1 and not enough.

My dad was not into firearms. He had a few for the occasional hunt, and for varmint control around the farm. I shot 22 and 410 from a small age. My hobby grew as I got older and more interested. Once I got my first handgun about 10 years ago I started reloading and it was down hill from there. Ten came the second handgun, then another rifle so I could reload that caliber, then another. You get the idea.

-Jeff

 

[kidneyboy]

I don't mean your first gun, I mean the one that started you down the road to owning "quite a few", and pushed you to become active at the range, etc.

A Ruger P89.
I grew up with revolvers and still prefer them but the P89 got me going to the range, reloading and trying other semi autos and revolvers.

 

[tarosean]

A few years ago before my Mom passed she was visiting and she asked me how it was that with what happened to my brother. I explained that I never blamed the gun.

One of my younger brothers was murdered.
I used to get the same questions from my sister and father.

I've never blamed the gun. I blame the system that had the murderer on the streets and the murderer.

 

[bear166]

For me, it probably was my first gun, A Heritage Rough Rider that I bought just a year and a half ago. I grew up around guns as well like many of you, but never was particularly interested. Until I bought that gun, anyway. Now I own well over ten!

 

[JDeere]

Never had a BB gun. Went straight to the Model 74 Win at about age 7 and never looked back...