When and what age did you buy your first gun?

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I was given a couple guns as a kid but my first purchase was a Winchester 1300 defender about a week after my 19th birthday. I was moving from VT to SC by myself and wanted something to take along for home protection.

After that my gun purchases were rare and sporadic until I was about 24 and my income increased drastically. Then my gun collection grew exponentially. The purchases have since slowed because I've run out of places to stuff gun safes. Eventually when I build a bigger house I'm going to have a reinforced gun room built in the basement and the purchasing may resume.
 
1974 At age 14 a Mossberg bolt action .410 from Montgomery Wards, my dad helped me buy it, but I mowed lawns in the neighborhood to repay him.

David
 
I think I was 9 or 10 years old. Paid $5 (not easy to come by) for an exposed hammer double barrel. Didn't like it for a number of reasons, and sold it for $7.50 within a year.
 
Well the first gun that I ever had was bought FOR me, and that was 1998, when I was 8, it was a little Marlin .410 single barrel break action, that my father got me from a Walmart or Kmart...I've tried to find another for a LONG time now...kinda miss the thing.

The first gun I PERSONALLY bought was, well, I actually got two at the same time, a Yugo SKS M59/66, and a Yugo Mauser, I picked those out the weekend I turned 18 in 2008, and then picked them up 15 days later after CT's waiting period was up.
 
Newbie here my first gun was a police trade HK USP 45c in feb 2011( I am 28). Sold that to buy my first rifle, stag model 1 556 in aug 11.
 
Was 23 or 24. First gun was my S&W 629. So I have had it for about 4-5years. Have added several to my collection over the last year and a half though.
 
1964 age 13 I saved my money from collecting bottle and cans also from mowing lawns all summer. My dad took me i9nt the gun shop to pick out what i wanted. It was a Ruger single six Bearcat 22lr/22mag convertible. Paid $55.00 for it. To this day i still have it along with the sales slip.

Times have change a lot. Back than as long as your dad said you could have it you could buy it. No age limit no back ground check. You could get a mail order gun and have it delivered to your door. Remember the day when you could bring a gun to school, so that you could head out hunting as soon as the 3:00 o'clock bell rang. I miss those good old days.
 
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I grew up shooting shotguns, but the first gun that was really *mine* was a Sig P228 I bought when I was 18. Bought 3 more pistols and 2 rifles, then sold them to make room for a motorcycle, but I always kept the Sig.

Recently sold the motorcycle and am working up a new set of guns focused more on SD/usefulness as opposed to my former "get whatever comes by" approach.
 
I had guns starting pretty early but the first one I bought myself is a Mod 66 S&W 357 mag. Bought it in 1986 just after turning 21 (and I still have it:) )
 
Bought my first shotgun at age 12. Single shot NEF 20 gauge. Sold it to my brother a couple months after and bought the same gun in 12 gauge and ordered a slug barrel for it. I still have that one. Thing kicks more than any gun i've ever fired.
 
I bought an XD-40 when I was 23, that was my first handgun. I had a christmas gifted 22 when I was 10 years old, a Nylon 66, still have it.
 
Reading all the post here cause me to dust out the memory banks and try to remember. I was given a 22cal Bolt Action by Sears around the age of 12 or so. The first I ever bought with my hard earned money cost me about $3.00, a Japanese type 99, had the flower on receiver and the aircraft sights on it. I sold it to a neighbor in 1965 for $5.00 and he grew up to be a very talented gunsmith. I have tried since 1970 to buy the rifle back with no luck.
 
I was 23, living in AK and bought a Ruger Super Redhawk .44 magnum. Didn't buy my first rifle (Ruger mini-14) until I was about 40, then bought my first shotgun (Mossberg 12) a year later.
 
(Way back when I was 13 )
My dad was in WW1 & 2---he did not like guns.
I typed a letter of permission & took a streetcar 9 miles downtown & purchased a
Savage model 22/410 (later model 24V ) Don't remember what I paid for it.
 
My grandfather bought me a Daisy BB gun when I was approximately 9 years old (~1970), I bought a beefier pellet gun at around 11. Then at age 16 I bought a S&W Model 59 1st gen and at 17 I bought a SS Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag. I had the two pistols until 1987 then had to sell them along with just about everything else I owned. Other than a family heirloom that doesn't shoot I didn't own another firearm until about 2 years ago. Now I have several.:)
 
we always had guns around growing up. my dad had several and once i was big enuf he let me use them whenever i wanted.if i remember right my first gun i purchased was a marlin golden 39a.there were a lot of cheaper guns but i did research and knew what i wanted.saved my field work money for like 2 years and paid 104$ for it.i must of been 13 or so.kept it untill i was 21 and traded it in on a 81 harley shovel motorcycle.
 
I've been shooting since I was 5, basically just big enough to keep the barrel out of the dirt.

The first gun I ever owned is a single shot .22, a gift for my 12th birthday.

Uncle Sam 'loaned' me an M16 at age 18. ;)

The first gun I actually purchased was a Glenfield .30-30 at age 20. Let it go in a moment of foolishness, wish I still had it.

I've only purchased about half of my guns, the rest are hand me downs. :)
 
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