My first was a Christmas gift from Dad when I was 11. He gave me his first deer rifle...A Savage 99C 308. My dad killed his first deer with it, I killed my first with it. I still have it and I still love it. Funny thing about getting the rifle though...when I went back to school and we all took turns telling the class what we got for Christmas, my liberal CA Bay Area teacher about had a heart attack when I she figured out I was being serious when I told the class I got a rifle. LOL.