Do you remember your first handgun? What was it, when was it & where is it today?

[shinerjohn]

In 1970 I bought a brand spanking new H&R model 732 at Gibson's Discount Center in Abilene, Texas. It was a blued 6 shot revolver with a 4" barrel chambered in 32 S&W long. In the early 2000's my ex-wife wanted it because she shot it well and trusted it. I traded it to her with $170 cash for a like-new Kahr K9. She still has it. I'm sure it still looks new.

 

[Proud Rebel]

Bought a Colt 1911-A1 with parkerized finish, for $600.00. The sheriff's office down here took it from me because of a stupid ex girlfriend. That was the last I ever saw it, they said they couldn't find it when i went back to get it...yeah right.

 

[.455_Hunter]

A pre-war DAO No. 2, Mk 1* Enfield .38 that was re-arsenaled in the post-war period to essentially factory new condition. Bought by my father for $125 in 1990 for me at age 13 / 14. Served as my primary carry for outside school hours during high school and into college. Still serves in the home defense and carry role to this day. Served as the starting point for my strong affliction for British military revolvers.

 

[Bob Willman]

High Standard Sentinel Imperial 9 shot .22 revolver. Bought late 1961 or early 1962 in Rochester, Minnesota. I still have the original box and manual.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Charter Arms Bulldog.
Early 1977.
Nightstand drawer.

 

[Prowler53]

Taurus 66 4" Blued bought brand new.
1986
Sold it about 4 years later because I needed $$ at the time. Hated to let it go.
Since then I replaced it with another one except it's stainless. Believe it's around the same year.

 

[RockRat64]

Glock 23, in the safe

 

[262madmike]

1973 a S&W M28 Highway Patrolman 4" barrel.Sold in 1980.

 

[earlthegoat2]

It was the first gun I ever purchased with my own money. It was 2003 during the ban era so I knew I needed something preowned so I could have full capacity magazines. It was a Para Ordnance P13. Had a reputation for being unreliable but I had no troubles. I had heard the P14 was the ultimate 1911 with 14 rounds of 45 for fight stopping power. I liked Commander 1911s though and found this P13 at Gander Mountain in Lansing, MI.

I remember wanting another magazine and sourced a pre ban one and it cost $30 which was too much for me at the time. If it wasn't the ban era I probably could have gotten it for half that. Seems like a great deal for an OEM double stack 1911 mag nowadays.

Had my fun with it and traded it for a Marlin 17V 17HMR rifle. Loved it and still love the round but I have found 22 Mag a better fit for my needs so I sold it to fund the next project. By then the acquisition syndrome had set in and I was buying and selling constantly and still do to this day. ​

 

[jmorris]

Yep, it was a 357 magnum, I had bottle fed a calf and sold it and asked my Father if he would buy me a pistol with the money and he did. Didn’t take long to realize it cost a lot to keep it fed. Luckily my older Brother, I think was a bit envious of his kid brothers 357 so he got one too and we both went in 50/50 on a reloading press to keep them well fed. He passed away almost two decades ago now, I still have both 357’s.

 

[DazedandConfuzed]

Bought my first handgun in 1985. Taurus model 66 .357 revolver, blued, 6" barrel. Cost me $175. Still own it, still one of my favorites to shoot.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I've been racking my brain trying to remember my first hand that I purchased since this thread came out.
Finally remembered............ A Thompson Contender, 44 Remington Magnum, 10 inch barrel with the screw choke for shooting those blue capsules filled with birdshot.
Decades ago, $200 and some small change.
Still have it and really should start shooting again like back in the day. Took quite a few Ruffed Grouse with it, but one had too find the "dumb" birds as one had to be closer to the bird (and ground pound*) than when carrying a shotgun.
*Hey, I was hungry in those days............

 

[GarySTL]

My first handgun was a Star 22lr pistol. Bought it back in "66. I'd just moved from NY City to Missouri and a fellow at work said he was going to a gun shop in Illinois and did I want to go along. 10 minutes after arrival I was the proud owner of said pistol.

I'll point out that this was prior to the '68 GCA, so no laws were broken.

I traded it in for something else, but have no idea what.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

My first handgun, which I still own and will never sell, was a S&W 625 Mountain Gun in 45 ACP.

I was living in NYC at the time and was considering some kind of sport shooting and a 45ACP revolver made sense at the time. It wasn't actually that hard to buy a gun in NYC 20 years ago, but im glad I got it.

It's super accurate and a very cool gun. Far to many people see it and want to buy it from me.

 

[1MoreFord]

It's been so long ago but I believe mine was a Smith 1905 Military & Police .38 Special. I sold it to my father who traded it for something else.

 

[JonB]

Glock 20, still in the safe.

 

[Intrepid Dad]

My first gun was a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum Mountain gun. I was living in Colorado and wanted a woods gun for when I was hiking and camping. My then wife adopted the gun as her own, and when we got divorced she ended up getting it as part of our settlement. After the divorce, I upgraded to a Smith & Wesson .460 revolver. Love the gun.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

my first handgun was a stevens tip up 22 pistol my gpa let me use on my trapline. he said he paid for it with skunk hides during the depression. I did shoot a lot of skunks I trapped with it as well. its in my gunsafe. its in the exact same condition as it was the first time I ever saw it. 40 years ago.

I once saw my gpa shoot a groundhog in the head with it t 50 yrds with a 22 short. he rested it on top of a fence post and the ghog never even wiggled. I miss that old man!

 

[ridgerunner1965]

as a aside, I got caught by the hiway patrol riding my dirt bike up the state hiway to go to another farm to check my traps. I was scared to death they were going to take my gpas pistol. if they did I was afraid he would never trust me again. they just set the pistol on my bike seat and chastised me me a bit and told me to ride in the ditch.

 

[Armybrat]

1959 - at age 15 I bought this Ruger Single Six new at Petmecky’s Sporting Goods on Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. It is still in my safe and is solid as ever.

 

[lilguy]

1972, Park Blvd Gun shop. Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Ruger Security Six, Still got her.

 

[GEM]

It was a SW 442 for ccw. I later traded it for a SW 642 as I liked the SS finish better. Still have that one.

 

[CapnMac]

First shot, no.
First owned, yes.
Not in its out-of the box configuration since 18 July 1985

 

[ether]

I had a policeman step-dad that bought me a Ruger MKII Standard when I was 9 years old. He took me to Oshman's at our local mall...when there still were Oshman's. I remember there were Beretta 92s and S&W 2nd Gens in the glass counter that I was drooling over. They handed me a Walther PPK/S .22LR. I really wanted that one, but I wasn't strong enough to work the slide. So we settled on the Ruger. The marriage didn't last long, and he went on to work undercover in local drug rings. I'll never understand how someone that nice could be so tough and fearless at the same time. He survived his work to retire a captain, but throat cancer got him soon after. RIP

I shot that thing so much that the ejector finally snapped off. I sent it back to Ruger, and they kindly replaced it. I'm still shooting it today.

 

[WrongHanded]

Mine was a S&W Model 15 from sometime in the 1980s. I bought it in 2006-2007 and traded it to an old friend some years later for a Blackhawk in .30 Carbine, which has also been sent down the road.