Did you start out on a .22lr?

[TennJed]

I see what I would consider a higher number of post from people mentioning that their first gun is a centerfire. This has me wondering how many of you started out on .22lr and how many on larger calibers.

I really hope this doesn't turn into a big back and forth of which is better. Both most likely have benifits and I do not believe it is necessarily wrong to start one way or the other. I started on .22lr and kinda though that was common place. Just wanted to see how that stacked up with forum members.

 

[kamagong]

My first gun was a Ruger 22/45 pistol. My first rifle was a CZ 452 Trainer. Those were two of the best decisions I've made as a gun owner. I've shot many more rounds through those two firearms than I have through my main guns -- 1911s and ARs.

Although I came to shooting relatively late in life, the Ruger 22/45 and CZ 452 have quickly allowed me to gain proficiency with firearms. I admit that I am not a great shot. But I can at least hit my target and keep my shots on the paper, which is more than I can say for the majority of shooters I see at the range. I shake my head when a guy with a couple of hundred rounds of .40 dismisses the .22lr as "not challenging enough" and "little better than a pellet gun" but then proceeds to kick up dirt with his Glock 22. They don't seem to realize that only hits count and that the person with a well-worn .22 is a more dangerous foe than the guy with the .40 who peppers his target.

 

[REDMASTA]

10/22 first rifle I ever owned or shot still have it.

 

[gunlaw]

remington 550. I still have and it still shoots great.

 

[Valkman]

Yep, I started out on a Sears single shot .22 rifle which I still have 42 years later.

 

[Ranger30-06]

Strangely enough, I was introduced to shooting with a .410 shotgun then my grandpop taught me all of my rifle skills with an M1 carbine. I didn't discover the .22 for another 3 years, however by then I didn't really want a .22. So far, I have been well served without one, but when I get the crave for one I just borrow my dad's Marlin 60.

 

[Bobson]

Not counting bb and pellet guns, I learned to shoot with my dad's Marlin Model 60 (22 LR). I always loved that rifle, but my first gun was a Maverick 88 12 gauge, given to me by my dad 13 years ago (or so). Still have it, never had a problem with it.

 

[jfrey]

My first one was a J. C. Higgins .22 from Sears. I got it 52 years ago and I still have it. In spite of the age it is still in excellent condition as is the 4X scope that came with it. Got it the same year my wife was born. They've both held up extremely well over the years. I'm glad I have both of them.

 

[Jeffhole]

I started out on a Marlin Model 60.

 

[hermannr]

Boys SS .22 (hardware store brand), then moved up to a Marlin 80 .22 repeater. First high powered rifle 6 years later when I was 16.

 

[zdc1775]

I learned on a 20 ga. NEF single when I was five and moved to a Remington 760 30-06 about a year later didn't shoot a 22 until I was almost 10.

 

[wrs840]

Dad's Marlin 39 after a Daisy BB at about eight. He gave me a lightly-used pawnshop Glenfield Model 25 for my 12th birthday (we were money-challenged in those days). I'm 53 and I still have it. Dad's 80 now and still going strong. He told me a few years ago that his 39 is mine when he's gone. **sigh**.

 

[cooldude14]

I shot a Marlin Model Model 60 and then the following christmas i got a crickett rifle that i dont really like at all

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My first was a 16 gauge single shot. I didn't buy a .22 or centerfire until I was about 20 years old. I hunted it all from doves to deer with a single shot shotgun.

 

[545days]

I wore out two Daisy Powerline air rifles in my youth. I have no idea how many thousand shots it took to do that. I shot my Grandfather's Winchester Model 67 .22 a little bit - probably no more than a hundred rounds, and also earned the rifle merit badge as a Boy Scout.

The first centerfire rifle I ever fired was one of Uncle Sam's M16's. I fired expert each qualification until I was in my early thirties, and my eyes quit seeing the 300 meter target, even when wearing new glasses. I credit ALL my shooting skills to what I learned shooting those old Daisy Powerline air rifles.

I'm still a fan of iron sights. I only own one scoped rifle, and never have felt truly comfortable shooting it. Nowdays I mostly shoot handguns, because there is no problem seeing the target at 15 yards.

 

[Bob M.]

Marlin Model 60.

 

[azgun]

When i was younger my dad told me he would give me his old savage 22over 410. But i convinced him to get me an ar15

 

[M2 Carbine]

My first gun was a home made 22 ZIP gun. We kids couldn't afford store bought guns, so we made our own.

 

[Bobson]

I wore out two Daisy Powerline air rifles in my youth. I have no idea how many thousand shots it took to do that.

I prefer irons too, and I assume its for the same reason. I must have fired thousands of shots through the different bb and pellet guns I was given between ages 8 and 13. Even after my dad gave me my 12 gauge for my birthday around then, I still loved shooting the airguns up until I turned 18 and went off to basic training.

I'd actually like to find a centerfire with irons, to hunt with if possible. Only centerfires with irons I've ever seen are lever actions though (aside from ARs and AKs, of course). Not that I have anything against lever actions; just never fired one.

I always thought I'd love using a rifle with a scope ("wow, cool zoom; I'm a sniper lol" etc), but after owning one, I learned that I'm not a big fan at all. Kinda strange.

 

[RNB65]

Of course. My dad has two .22 rifles, a semi and a single shot bolt gun, and he taught me how to shoot them when I was around 7.

 

[JTHunter]

My dad started me on a little pump-action .22 back in the early '60's. A year later, he taught me how to shoot his M1 Garand from the National Guard. Problem was, I was about 8 at the time!

 

[LT.Diver]

Daisy BB gun for me. Got it for my 9th birthday. Then it was my dad's Mossberg model 200 K 12 gauge.

 

[northark147]

I started with a .22 Chipmunk. Of course at the age I was introduced to shooting, anything else probably would've been painful.

 

[Owen Sparks]

I started with a Binjimin pump air rifle on my 11th birthday. (still have it!) We lived in town where shooting a firearm was illegal and dangerous so I was limited to a pellet gun. I got pretty good with it. I hit a pecan at 80' from a steady rest. By the time I graduated to real rifles I knew how to shoot.

 

[eventer289]

My first gun was a Benelli Nova 12 gauge. My first handgun was a Glock 19.