First handgun I ever shot.....

[BobWright]

One of the nice things about a new (to me) forum is I can tell my stories over again.

Here is the first handgun I ever shot, a Mauser M1910 in .25 ACP:



Sometime in the spring of 1946 my older brother returned from WW II, having served in England then in Germany in the occupation forces. He brought back this pistol, a WW II souvenier. The caliber stamped said "6,35" which was Greek to us. Dad took the gun to J.G. Schmidt's gun shop in Memphis and learned it was .25 ACP. Weel, Dad bought a box of cartridges, and the followinf Saturday we went down to my uncle's farm.

Now I was only about eight years old at the time, and we divided that box of cartridges three ways, Dad, my brother, and me. Each took their turn, me last. We placed a can atop a fence post and fired away. After they had finished their ammo allotment, the can still stood, unscathed. Confidently, I took my stance, going to show them how to shoot!

Incredulously, after shooting all but one of my allocated rounds, the can still stood! I determined then and there I was going to learn to shoot a handgun (the term handgun had yet to be invented then) and learn all about them that I could. Still learning.

Oh, the unfired round? It went into my pocket, to become the first specimen in my cartridge collection.

Bob Wright

P.S. After my brother's death, the Mauser went to his oldest son. Shortly before he was to die of cancer, my nephew gave to gun to me. Still have it.

 

[Iggy]

Probably all of you hit the can, but it remained unharmed or disturbed.

Iggy dons flame retardant clothing and zig-zags exit right!!!

 

[aarondhgraham]

Mine was a snub-nose revolver,,,

I was in the first grade so I was either 4 or 5 years old,,,
My Grandfather always carried a sub-nose in his Levi Jacket pocket.

He called it his "Owl Head" pistol,,,
So that must have made it an Iver-Johnson.

They lived way out in the boonies in upper peninsula Michigan,,,
I fired all of the rounds at a tree that I might or might not have hit,,,
I had those empty cartridges in my treasure box for many years afterwards.

It's his fault that I am a firearms enthusiast,,,
He put the figurative needle in my arm.

Aarond

.

 

[MedWheeler]

Growing up in a household run by a single mom who was from the NE, and largely anti-gun, kept firearms from my hands until I was eighteen. At eleven, I had been sent to live with my dad for a spell in Colorado, but she had made me scared of "them" enough that I turned down his offers to shoot during mountain outings (most likely what he had was a .22 rifle; the neighbor's kid would shoot it some.)

I bought my first handgun the day I turned 21. It was a Taurus Model 66, and I still have it today. The first rounds I fired from it were .357 Magnum ones; I don't remember if I knew at the time I could use .38 Special as well, but I soon did.

I still have that gun today (purchase year was 1987.)

 

[gbeecher]

Fond memories

Mine was a .22 LR Ruger revolver. My dad and I would shoot tin cans in the boathouse of our lake cabin. As a kid and teenager, I also shot a 20 gauge shotgun at clay pigeons and a .22 LR rifle at Boy Scout camp. 27 years would pass before I bought my first gun - a Mosin Nagant rifle in 2010, to be followed by a Hi-Point C9 pistol in 2012.

 

[BigLar]

I was in a very similar household to MedWheeler, just substitute Chicago for NE.

We had a sort of right of passage in my family: Grandpa Camp. When boys in the family were around 12 or 13, we were sent for anywhere from a week to a month to Grandpa and Grandma's farm in rural Wisconsin.

It wasn't a working farm. Gramps had 160 acres, but leased the majority of it to neighbors who actually farmed the land. He kept a few acres immediately around his house and outbuildings and some smaller parcels that weren't farmed.

Gramps would work us. Hardest work I'd done at that point in my life. Felling and removing trees, digging post holes, clearing brush, etc. I was actually enjoyed it. Gramps was firm but a good teacher. It was like a crash course about things like engines and hand tools and general maintenance. And Grandma's home cooked meals were so delicious. To this day I don't know if my memory of those meals was a case of "hunger is the best sauce" or Grandma's fried porkchops really were to best. Probably a bit of both.

Back to the point, Gramps asks if I ever handled or fired a gun before. I hadn't. First thing, he goes over the rules. In retrospect, it was the just Mr. Coopers same 4 rules as everyone else learns, but I thought "Man, Gramps really knows his <deleted>!"

Then he made me clean it, all the while teaching me good techniques and different parts of the gun. This all took maybe 1/2 hour-45 minutes. Felt like longer to a 12 year old! Finally takes me out to shoot. Old coke can on an old rotted tree in a sort of natural pit in the back of their property. Hit it on my first shot! Missed my next 7. Then hit on the last 1.

It was H&R 922. Plastic grips, pitted finish, holster wear, etc. But I thought it was the one of the coolest things in the world.

 

[farm23]

Mine was also a H&R 922. We lived in Ok and Tx and sometimes had to eat jackrabbits or go hungry. Some 50 years later my mom had to use it on two intruders who broke in her house while she was there. A 22 can be a SD load and she lived to 97.

 

[bannockburn]

The first handgun I ever shot was a Mauser HSc my brother bought new when he turned 21. We tried in out in the basement of our folks house, using a wooden crate stuffed with old phone books as a backstop. We did have the good sense to wear hearing protectors but a couple of rounds made their way through the phone books into the wood paneling behind it. No major damage (glad we weren't shooting something a bit more high powered like a 9mm.), and the holes were barely visible. I remember the gun felt rather heavy, being all steel, and that it had a little bit of a kick to it when I fired it.

 

[GBExpat]

Sorry to hear about the passing of both your brother and nephew, Bob.

My first pistol was a 1911. Some of the GIs from down the road at the base would stop by GrandPop's farm to visit and do a little shooting. They let me fire one of their pistols. WHOA! I liked it. I was no older than 10 so, 1962 or a bit earlier.

 

[5-SHOTS]

The first handgun I ever shot was my grandfather's Beretta 1918 .25ACP, manufactured in 1934. That was a 31 December night of the late eighties, (I was probably 10 or 12 years old). I shot against the stars that time...
The first gun I shot at the range was my very first handgun, purchased used in like new conditions in 2007: a Bernardelli .32ACP striker fired, manufactured in 1955; I still remember the serial number... I loved that one by I sold it to purchase a Ruger SP101 DAO (sold that one also ).

 

[Hometeached1]

First handgun I ever shot was a Ruger SR9c when I was 19. I can remember still see a wisp of smoke coming out of the ejection port when the slide locked back.


Iggy don't worry, even if they start shooting it will be with .25s so you'll be ok.

 

[utbrowningman]

1955 Smith and Wesson K22 which was my grandfather's. My mom says he kept it under his bed. My dad has the revolver at the moment but I expect to receive it as my two other brothers do not shoot unless they use mine. I do have the first rifle I shot which was also my grandfather's; a 1936 Marlin Model 80E. Both were first shot by me behind my grandparent's cabin in eastern Washington when I was 7 or 8 years old in the 1970s.

 

[AK103K]

Mine was the very same as yours. I now have it as well. My dad got in the late 50's from an uncle who brought it back, and I inherited it when my dad died a few years back.

Mines about in the same shape as yours, and is about 76,000 units younger.

 

[BYJO4]

I remember shooting my first gun at age 7. It was my brotherinlaw's Marlin Lever Action. I can't describe how great it felt to hit a few cans and the satisfaction it gave me. When I was 10, I bought my own Marlin 39A which is still my pride in joy. 57 years later, I still enjoy taking it to the range and shoot up all the cans that I take with me. This post brings back many great memories.

 

[montanaoffroader]

First handgun I ever fired was an 1851 Colt Navy. My dad took me to a black powder shoot at Redwood Creek and let me use his original Navy along with a Swiss .41 caliber muzzleloader complete with bayonet. Got me hooked on six shooters for life...............

 

[Stacer]

The first gun that my dad ever bought was an italian repro dueling pistol, and we used to shoot it out over the lake after it got dark on the 4th of july. I must have been 7 or 8 when I first got to pull the trigger.

 

[Wood and steel]

I think this is a lot of fun to hear, and would love to hear from some part time gun guys.
The first pistol i shot was a 357 highway patroll model. It had finger grooved gripsband we shot 38 spcl 1st.
After 6 rds each there were 3 of us, he loaded some full 357 loads.
Wow. Now thats fun.
I had got my red rider at 8. Then my 10/22 at 11 or 12.
I had shot 20 an 12 guage shottys
But i was 12-13 when i shot this real hand gun.
My dad owned a .22 bolt, 2x 12 guage at the time.
This was a big deal for me.
I grew up in San Francisco born in 1971.
Most of my buds didnt shoot until they hit 16-20.
I used to walk the fields with my red rider while my dad hunted pheasants in san juaquin vly.
I shot cow paddies and fence posts.
Pheasant season was 5 weeks and we would do 4 minus thanks giving week.
Plus a couple weeks of duck hunting and a couple 3 more of work weekends to pay back the ranch for the hunting time.
Without those weekends i would have turned a different way.
I was taught to be a man.
Pull your own weight.
Respect firearms
Enjoy the company and lessons of older folks.
I was allowed To play cards and even drink beer with these guys as a 15-16yo.
Guns, hunting, and the folks ( both men and women) i hunted with kept my out of the traps i saw in the 1980s growing up in san francisco.
Sorry to post all this here,
But it came out as i typed
Love you and your guns!

 

[BobWright]

Wood and steel said "I shot cow patties and..........."

Sometines those cow patties were fresher than they looked!


And no apology is required for your post!


(Born in 1971???!!!!!)


Bob Wright

 

[Arkansas Paul]

First handgun I ever fired was an 1851 Colt Navy. My dad took me to a black powder shoot at Redwood Creek and let me use his original Navy

Now that is cool.
Mine was an old double action 9 shot .22 revolver. Don't even know what it was, I was 7.

 

[Pilot]

The first handgun I shot was my Dad's WWII bring back Walther PP in .32 ACP. I still have it.

 

[JohnBiltz]

We did not have any handguns in the house growing up. We had shotguns for hunting so it wasn't anything anti. The first hand gun I ever shot was when I was 18 and joined the Army. It was a 1911 and I thought it felt awful in my hands. Double stacks just feel better in my hands.