Your first gun purchase

[srb08]

When I was a kid, one of the places we lived, was in a large subdivision in St. Louis. One day, while riding my bike to a friends house, I stopped at a garage sale. Among the baby clothes, toys and other junk for sale, was an old Cresent Arms 12ga hammerless SxS shotgun with 30" fluid steel barrels. The price, written on a piece of masking tape, stuck to the stock was $7. The finish on the gun was good and the stock wasn't cracked or broken.
I didn't have $7 with me. A kid just didn't carry that much money. I rode back to my house as fast as I could, counted out $7 and headed back to the garage sale, worried the whole time that the gun would be gone when I got back. The gun was still there. I grabbed it, walked over to the cashier lady at the card table, handed her my $7 and walked away, feeling like the King of the world.
I rode my bike home, about three miles, with the gun across the handlebars. I got stopped by a cop on the way. He checked to make sure the gun wasn't loaded and asked me why I was carrying it on my bike. I told him the story, he congratulated me on my purchase and sent me on my way.
That evening, my dad looked at the gun, declared it tight enough to shoot and didn't seem too upset when I told him what I paid for it.
It was 1970 and I was 14.
That gun was traded away long ago but I still remember the purchase, like it was yesterday.


Things were different then.

 

[67L36Driver]

Where in St. Louis? County?

In ‘59, a 12 yo could buy bulk 22 gallery rounds at one cent each at the Oakville hardware store.

 

[fossil]

They were different then.

Although my father bought me a few guns my first purchase was a 98 Mauser military rifle. I bought a couple of boxes of FN (1952) hardball with it. I believe it was in 1967. I was 15. I took the bus and a streetcar to downtown Toronto and came back the same way.

No body even gave it a second look. By the way, that hardball with a cupronickel jacket was nasty. It threw a muzzle flash about 1-1/2 feet in diameter you could see on a sunny day. It punched a hole through 4" thick piece of concrete sidewalk in a dump. I was shooting rats with it.

These days it would be swat team.

 

[stihl_head1982]

When I was a kid, one of the places we lived, was in a large subdivision in St. Louis. One day, while riding my bike to a friends house, I stopped at a garage sale. Among the baby clothes, toys and other junk for sale, was an old Cresent Arms 12ga hammerless SxS shotgun with 30" fluid steel barrels. The price, written on a piece of masking tape, stuck to the stock was $7. The finish on the gun was good and the stock wasn't cracked or broken.
I didn't have $7 with me. A kid just didn't carry that much money. I rode back to my house as fast as I could, counted out $7 and headed back to the garage sale, worried the whole time that the gun would be gone when I got back. The gun was still there. I grabbed it, walked over to the cashier lady at the card table, handed her my $7 and walked away, feeling like the King of the world.
I rode my bike home, about three miles, with the gun across the handlebars. I got stopped by a cop on the way. He checked to make sure the gun wasn't loaded and asked me why I was carrying it on my bike. I told him the story, he congratulated me on my purchase and sent me on my way.
That evening, my dad looked at the gun, declared it tight enough to shoot and didn't seem too upset when I told him what I paid for it.
It was 1970 and I was 14.
That gun was traded away long ago but I still remember the purchase, like it was yesterday.


Things were different then.

Now that's a great story!

 

[srb08]

Where in St. Louis? County?

In ‘59, a 12 yo could buy bulk 22 gallery rounds at one cent each at the Oakville hardware store.

West County.
Clayton rd & Kehrs Mill

 

[full chizel]

I didn’t buy my first gun my dad did, When i was 12 he told me when passed my hunters safety course he’d buy me a gun. So i picked out a H&R single shot .410 and i still have it. Lots of critters were killed with that little gun.

 

[stihl_head1982]

My first gun was given by my dad --- nice little single shot, break down .410.

My first gun purchase was a Stevens Model 311 12 ga. side by side, double barrel.
I have been gifted a few others guns since. Very thankful for the gifts given -- though they may not be
pricey guns, they are priceless to me because of those who bought them for me.

I traded a Davis .380 once for a Stihl chainsaw. That is a long story. That's actually how I started
working on chainsaws.

 

[breese]

While family had a lot of guns growing up, the first one I purchased was my Winchester 190.
This past winter while looking for a new project I decided to do a 100% rebuild of it.
It has always been very reliable and shoots everything you load it with...

 

[blades]

first gun, 12th birthday present from my dad, 20 ga pump Ithaca. Sadly my home was broken into in 1976 and it disappeared along with other items. many pheasants ducks and assorted varmints fell to that unit with the help of 2 English springers ( Roxy & Strippy and a couple of Black Labs later on. my first 22 rifle was a Rem 513T

 

[Steve]

I bought my first gun when i was 23. Shot a lot with my grandpa and brothers growing up. Always loved shooting but everyone else always had enough to go around. When i decided to purchase it i had to take my little brother with me because i really looked "up" to him on that such thing. Got a Marlin 60 stainless with a blue/black laminated stock. Its a sharp gun for sure.

 

[exSW]

My first gun purchase was a Savage Model 99 in .358 Winchester. I was 19 or 20. $140.00. That was a screaming deal even then.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Winchester defender pump black 2006 from ‘russel’s sporting goods’
I was incredibly excited, back then you had to register such a thing so they gave me my white sheet and i walked out with the box in hand all smiles. My dad was with me, the following weekend we shot it at the range, i still have video of it on my computer one of the few videos I have left of me and my dad.

painted it green a while back, probably 9 years ago, was kind of a mistake but it sure gave it some character. I have used it many many times, on many many trips, now it resides in the ceiling of a space in my basement as a backup for a home invasion

this was back when they were made in the USA and not turkey, the action is by far the smoothest pump i have ever handled.

 

[Spladle160]

Always had access to plenty of guns growing up and even had a few that had been handed down to me. When I went 2000 miles away to college that ended my access to guns but I had plenty of room to hunt and shoot int he middle of New Mexico so I bought an 870 super mag in full camo and hunted plenty of doves and quail as well as a few ducks with my buddies. I honestly don't care for the gun anymore. It doesn't seem to pattern anything small particularly well and is too light to shoot a bunch of heavy 3-1/2 out of. My second purchase was a much better buy. There was a teacher on campus who ran one of the machine shops and loved to teach reloading and shooting. He encouraged CMP buys and I got a pretty nice M1 Garand which we accurized and worked up a hand load for. I loaded up 1k rounds for it at 34 cents a pop. I should have loaded up 5k rounds for it but I was a poor college kid already into the gun and ammo for almost a grand. That thing is still a blast to shoot.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Always had access to plenty of guns growing up and even had a few that had been handed down to me. When I went 2000 miles away to college that ended my access to guns but I had plenty of room to hunt and shoot int he middle of New Mexico so I bought an 870 super mag in full camo and hunted plenty of doves and quail as well as a few ducks with my buddies. I honestly don't care for the gun anymore. It doesn't seem to pattern anything small particularly well and is too light to shoot a bunch of heavy 3-1/2 out of. My second purchase was a much better buy. There was a teacher on campus who ran one of the machine shops and loved to teach reloading and shooting. He encouraged CMP buys and I got a pretty nice M1 Garand which we accurized and worked up a hand load for. I loaded up 1k rounds for it at 34 cents a pop. I should have loaded up 5k rounds for it but I was a poor college kid already into the gun and ammo for almost a grand. That thing is still a blast to shoot.

Ah the garand I always wanted one... I still do actually. Not a regular item at the gun stores up here, but i have seen them available for import and other mom and pop shops online around the country...
I think ill look into it now, thanks for the reminder

 

[old guy]

It was probably 1959, I would have been 18 & laid up with a broken leg.
I ordered a 1917 enfield 30-06 from Kliens Sporting Goods out of Chicago, paid $32.95 for it. When it came the mailman drove down our 1/2 mile driveway & laid it on the table for me, that sure wouldn't fly today!

 

[srb08]

Ah the garand I always wanted one... I still do actually. Not a regular item at the gun stores up here, but i have seen them available for import and other mom and pop shops online around the country...
I think ill look into it now, thanks for the reminder

Mee too. I have quite a few guns, including an M1A National Match but have never owned a Garand. I've always wanted one but never pulled the trigger.
A few years ago I bought 640 rds of 30-06 ammo in 8rd clips, at an auction, in anticipation of owning a Garand.
Now I just need to get off my ass and go find a good one.

 

[Kerfed]

870 express with a chipped stock. Still love that gun but current fav is 1940s Marlin 90 12ga o/u. Kicks hard, tack-driver, and so damn simple.

 

[Dub11]

1951 Spanish Mauser I paid $150 at the local gun show a week after I turned 18. Also there was $10 70rd bandoliers of 1947 steel jacket Turkish ammo. Those suckers left a mark.

 

[N8TE]

My 9 year old purchased his first firearm a month or so ago. It's a Bergara B14R, chambered in 22lr. Amazingly accurate little rifle. With the right ammo, it'll hang around the .5" group at 100 yds.

 

[stihl_head1982]

My 9 year old purchased his first firearm a month or so ago. It's a Bergara B14R, chambered in 22lr. Amazingly accurate little rifle. With the right ammo, it'll hang around the .5" group at 100 yds.
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Nice looking rig.
Train em young. Train em right.
Happy Memories.