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Show Us Your Guns!
All this talk about first guns has me thinking that it is time for the Gun Shots regulars to pony up: show us your first guns, your favorite deer guns, your newest guns or any guns at all. Send your pics to [email protected] and we’ll run them in a photo gallery here and on outdoorlife.com. Be sure to tell us the story behind your firearm.
This is my daughter’s first gun (pictured)—a tricked out Ruger 10/22 that has been pimped out big time by Tom Hines at Tactical Solutions and by the Leupold Custom Shop. Check out the photo gallery HERE.
My own first gun was a lot less glamorous but very dear to me still—a Marlin Model 60 that I bought for a whopping $80 or so. I still have the rifle but to say that it is in rough shape is a bit of an understatement. My pals at Marlin have offered to refurbish it but to date I’ve declined. The rust and dings and other imperfections reflect the tough love I dished out while using it during my misspent youth.
My fondest memories are of running CB Shorts through it, terrorizing tin cans, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits in my backyard. The CB Shorts reduced the sound signature to a level so as not to alarm the neighbors in the suburbs where I grew up. But they also didn’t have enough pop to cycle the action, effectively making the little 60 a single shot where I had to work the bolt by hand.
I have no idea how much velocity I was getting out of those little slugs but it wasn’t a lot. I could watch their trajectory as they arched toward targets at 50 yards. That little rifle taught me a lot about the basics of marksmanship and ignited a love for long guns that hasn’t diminished one whit over the years.
John Snow
my first gun was a Marlin as well but mine was a 981T. i've shot hundreds of sparrows and dozens of rabbits with it. it'll continue to be used but hopefully in the future have some better glass sitting on top of it.
Posted by: Jake | October 19, 2007 at 03:33 PM
Times have sure changed haven't they.
The first gun I ever bought for myself was a marlin model 60. I paid $57.74 for it (why I remember, I don't know). It was a great little gun and I regret selling it for "something better".
Now I look @ your daughters first gun (in all it's pimped out glory) and I'm sure it cost more than my current deer rig including scope (and it's a zeiss conquest).
Would you like to adopt me?
Jim
Posted by: jstreet | October 19, 2007 at 03:41 PM
My first gun is a 30-40 Krag I inherited when my grandpa passed away in 2000. I'm 49 now, and didn't grow up with any guns.
Posted by: DirtCrashr | October 19, 2007 at 04:11 PM
The best gun, of course, is the one that no one knows you have.
Posted by: Uncle Kenny | October 19, 2007 at 06:17 PM
My first: Ruger Automatic Pistol
Story and pictures are at:
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=265
Posted by: USCitizen | October 19, 2007 at 08:27 PM
First: a nice Swiss K-31 given as a present by a friend when I moved cross country last year. Many more since then... :-)
Posted by: Affe | October 19, 2007 at 08:57 PM
H&R sinle shot 20 gauge.
Posted by: alabamahunter | October 19, 2007 at 11:12 PM
First gun? Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum, 6" barrel. This one: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/Jay_G/RugerSecuritySix.jpg
Still got it, too.
Posted by: Jay G. | October 19, 2007 at 11:44 PM
Send you pictures of my guns . Not a chance.....
Posted by: William Giordano | October 20, 2007 at 10:05 AM
My favorite? Has to be my Thompson/Center Encore pistol in .308.
Here's the pistol at this year's Boomershoot: http://tinyurl.com/3ytfje
Here's the fist-sized groups I made with it at 600 yards after two days of training in shooting pistols at long ranges: http://tinyurl.com/2vxqwm
No trigger mods, factory barrel -- T/C makes some accurate guns!
Posted by: David | October 20, 2007 at 10:31 AM
For my favorite it's pretty close, but I'd have to say:
My Sig Sauer P220 .45.
I'm a girl, but this is definately not a "girls" gun. This is a guys gun, or a womans gun. This has some heft, and some power and it feels really good in my hand.
photo at:
http://lighthawks.blogspot.com/2007/07/m-my-favorite-accessory.html
But I like my Bushmaster Shorty M4A2 as well, but it's a little harder to find places to shoot it at close to my house.
Posted by: Scully | October 20, 2007 at 07:36 PM
For my favorite it's pretty close, but I'd have to say:
My Sig Sauer P220 .45.
I'm a girl, but this is definately not a "girly" gun. This has some heft, and some power and it feels really good in my hand.
photo at:
http://lighthawks.blogspot.com/2007/07/m-my-favorite-accessory.html
But I like my Bushmaster Shorty M4A2 as well.
Posted by: Scully | October 20, 2007 at 07:39 PM
Well, I emailed a picture of my first gun, and how cool is it to email you a picture of my latest gun I just bought today.
Please help me welcome "Ugly Betty"!
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2007/10/20/New-addition-to-the-arsenal.aspx
Posted by: Robb Allen | October 20, 2007 at 09:39 PM
I'm getting pretty fired up with all pictures we're getting sent to us. Keep them coming!
BTW, we're going to have some very good new gun news coming this week. Can't talk about it yet, but I do promise to post it as soon as I get the green light.
John
Posted by: John Snow | October 21, 2007 at 06:50 AM
One picture I'm especially proud of, my 13 year old granddaughter with one of my Nagant 1895 pistols. She loves to go shooting with us and is a pretty darned good little shooter, also.
(I can't get the link to work, so just click on my name, Gun Trash, and it'll show the pic).
Posted by: Gun Trash | October 22, 2007 at 02:55 PM
My first gun was also my father's - a Mossberg Model B single shot (with pull-back bolt to cock the trigger) in .22 short/long/long rifle bought by his grandfather in 1920 to go squirrel hunting in upper Minnesota. Dad was seven, I was six.
Posted by: Harding | October 22, 2007 at 09:35 PM