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

[JohnKSa]

<--- Still have it. As I type this it's about 6 feet away in the safe.

 

[pairof44sp]

Ruger P89 bought brand-new in 1991. Locked up in the other room right now.

Ruger P89 bought new in 1992. Sold off at a pawn shop.

If you look up P89 videos on Youtube, you'll find dozens of commenters with the same story: "It was my first gun. Never cleaned it. Never had a jam. Indestructable."

 

[Bartojc]

I never owned a handgun until about a dozen years ago. I had always been a hunter and owned rifles, and shotguns but no handguns. That all changed around 2009ish when I bought a Ruger SR9c which is currently in my nightstand. Bought a number of Rugers and handguns since.

-Jeff

 

[Ironicaintit]

The first I ever legally owned is a stainless GP100. I still have it!

 

[armedwalleye]

First one was a Dan Wesson .357 with a 6 in interchangeable barrel. Although it came to me used, and I had to buy the wrench and gapping tool, I could never get that gap right. Too right and the cylinder would bind after a couple cylinders and too loose and the side flames were enough to light a brush fire. No idea where it went. Swapped it for my first AR, that back in the mid 80's.

 

[durango]

.22 cal Ruger New model Single six (back around 1982 or so). Great plinking gun. Sold it years ago, and of all the guns I've sold, this is the one I regret the most.

 

[Phantom 309]

When I read through this thread I was interested to see that my first handgun was the same as several other members. A Taurus model 66 .357 magnum blued with wood grips. I purchased it in 2004 at age 21 from a gun store in Wheatridge, CO. It was used, but certainly not much as it was in perfect condition and didn't even have the faintest turn line on the cylinder. I have since fired many many rounds through it with pleasing accuracy and no issues of any kind. While it may not be at all rare or particularly valuable, I will never sell it. Although I do have a tendency to become sentimentally attached to mechanical items (my first car is parked safely about 30' away as I type this a well)

 

[Legionnaire]

I answered this back on page 2 ... and here's a picture. It's the Browning Buckmark Plus. Bought in the early 1990s, still have and shoot it.

 

[sverduzco]

davis p380 bought at pawn shop new in 1988. it was stolen in 2007

 

[Hoyte]

Ruger Vaquero 44 mag 4.5” barrel with pewter grips. Sold it off awhile ago.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Browning High Power, bought 53 years ago when I was in the Army. Still have it.

 

[lightman]

The first gun that I bought was a Colt Frontier Scout in 22 LR. I was 11 or 12 and paid for it with yard mowing money. Dad took me to the gunshop on a rainy Saturday. I still have a thing for rainy Saturdays!

 

[BigBlue 94]

Ruger MkII 6" Target bull barrel. About 2002, when i was 14. Still have it, still shoot it, and plan to always.

Bought a set of hogue overmolded grips for it a few years ago. Otherwise, its stock.

 

[tlynch]

J.P. Sauer & Sohne .22 LR Peacemaker look-alike straight out of the '70's.. My older brother sold it for drugs.

 

[Rex in OTZ]

Cheyenne WY in 1980's bought a used .22 FIE Buffalo Scout with the extra cylinder $96
3 months after, my first .44
A Cabelas used/broken Pietta 1851 Brass frame .44 for $28 had a broken hamner spring, I made a new spring from a old saw blade.

Last trip home both were missing.
My dad had been pawning everything he can lay hands on.
Jamacan scammers have their hooks in him.

 

[Rodfac]

1965 - I bought a Ruger Standard .22 LR Auto for the princely sum of $37.50 from the big gunshop in Colorado Springs. It took nearly a year to save for it from my military pay, and the gunsmith at the range did a trigger job on it for me. A few years later, I gave it to a cousin for keeping my guns for me while I went to Vietnam. It was an accurate, easily carried piece and a joy to shoot on the weekends. Best regards, Rod

 

[KandBA]

My first handgun was a Smith & Wesson model 651 I inherited from my father. We shot together since I was 8 years old. I still have it and would never part with it.

S&W 651

• KandBA
• Oct 31, 2020

 

[ECVMatt]

I bought my first handgun when I was 15 or 16 from Beach Cities Armory in Manhattan Beach, CA. I had some money from lobster fishing and the best dad in the world. He made me get a B in my Math class and picked up the balance on a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum. I still have it and shoot it with my son. The only place it will ever go is on to him.

 

[mnrivrat]

I bought my first handgun in the mid 1960's. My oldest brother was headed for the next small town to the west. About 12 miles away. He said he heard the city was selling off the old police guns out of the power plant. Asked if I wanted to go along. I had just been paid for helping a local farmer bailing hay, so I said yes. I was 16 if I recall correctly. Pay was $1 per hour. I made an extra $5 when his two boys bet me I couldn't lift a wheel weight from one of their tractors. Almost 10 years later I ran across one of the boys. He said he wished I was around the day before when they jacked that wheel weight onto the tractor.

I remember the place well. The farmer had a large shed with Nazi souvenirs covering almost one whole wall. Flags , swords, daggers, arm bands and other stuff. All just rotting away.

When we arrived and asked about the revolvers the guy brought out a box with somewhere around 12 to 20 guns thrown into it. They were well used Colts and Smith & Wesson's in .38 Special. They wanted $15 ea. for them. Brother Bob (RIP) picked out a light weight Colt, and I decided on a S&W Model 10. Paid the cash and left for home. Different times when a 16 year old could buy a handgun from a city police department, with no paperwork. I have no recall regarding the guns passing to its new owner.

 

[stevek]

My wife and I got into shooting once the kids were out of the house, so about 15-16 years ago. At the time we were still living in NJ, and we were able to buy three handguns at the same time. Can't do that in NJ any longer. Our first purchase was a S&W M&P in .40 for my wife, a Glock 22 in .40 for me, and a S&W 686+ just because we could. The two .40 pistols reside in our bedside tables, while the 686+ makes it to the range rarely, usually when we are teaching a class. We went with the .40 because our son-in-law was on a local police force, and figured, if it works for them...

 

[welldoya]

Same, or at least very similar. Mine had a 4" barrel and was called a Sentinel Deluxe. I don't know what "Deluxe" meant, it's not a high end revolver by any means. Regardless, my dad bought it for me for Christmas when I was about 15 and I was very excited and have put a ton of rounds through it. I still have it and take it out from time to time. From a sentimental value standpoint I'll never part with it.

I’ve owned several Sentinels. Most of the “Deluxe” models I’ve seen or owned have been nickel (chrome?) plated and had wood grips.

 

[welldoya]

Colt Diamondback .22. 1975 or so. Still in my safe.

A lot less blueing than it had.

I bought a new Smith and Wesson Model 17 back in 1975. I had to decide between the 17 and a Colt DB right next to it in the case. They were both the same price - $145.

 

[welldoya]

I bought my first handgun in 1974 from my brother-in-law for $60.
It was similar to a High Standard Double Nine but was called “The Marshall”.
I think it was some kind of promotional model.
I kept it a year or 2 and sold it for $70 to buy a S&W Model 17 for $145.

 

[Drifter27]

Ruger blackhawk 4 5/8 blued 357. Bought it when I still lived with my parents and my mom was terrified of it. I sold it because I thought I had things figured out and was only going to have guns chambered in popular military calibers.

One more thing I thought I knew when I was younger

 

[Robbins290]

My first one was a Balgarian Makarov when I turned 21. I still have it. It has been refinished and I still shoot it.