How old were you when you shot your first gun and what was it?

1968 Vintage Remington Nylon 66 Apache .22 Semi-Auto Rifle ** Unique Chrome & Black Variation ...

How old were you when you shot your first gun and what was it? What was the first gun you owned? The first gun we fired was a single-shot .22, we were 7 and don’t remember what it was. Our first gun was a 1964 Remington Nylon 66, just like the one in the photo. It was under the tree on Christmas morning, a gift from my father. The entire thing wasn’t unlike the Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story. Except I couldn’t shoot mine in the city and I didn’t shoot my eye out. I still own this gun, it’s now 57 years old.

This post was last modified on March 9, 2021

CO2Insanity: Tired of the CO2 BS and all the other BS in the US and the world.

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  • I was 8 when I got a BB gun, 10 when I got a Savage 410 Shot Gun and I was 14 when I got my 1st Winchester 30/30 and have not looked back since. In fact my gun safe is FULL today. from that 410 Savage to some very nice weapons of choice.

  • 22 Rifle at about 10 years. First gun I owned was a 20 ga. Berreta. Grew up in pheasant country. My HS buddies and I had our favorite spots where we could always find a ringneck. That damn Berreta would murder my shoulder!

  • I was about 6, went out with my grandfather.
    He handed me his double barrel shotgun, pointed to a squirrel nest, and told me to shoot it.
    You could have planted corn in the furrow my butt made when I fired off both barrels of that 12 gauge.

    • You fired off both barrels? Was that a conscious decision on your part, or didn't you have a choice, or did you really have a hatred for squirrels?

  • HK VP9 that I bought last year. Waited... way way way too long to purchase my first gun. I've shot a few pistols in the past, but this past year was the first time I've shot a rifle.

    Average American owns 8 guns. I'm going to be above average.

    And if anyone from the government is watching, this is a joke - I don't own any guns

  • I was 8 when I got my first BB gun. I was also 8 when I shot my father's Ruger Single 6 .22, his 1903 Springfield 30-06, and his M-1 Garand.
    The rifles almost took my shoulder out!
    At 10, I got a 20 gauge single shot shotgun for hunting.

  • Got my first BB gun at about age 8. I'm sure I shot Dad's .22 once or twice before that but don't really remember. Got my first .22 rifle for my 10th birthday. I still have it.

    Started teaching my kids the rules as soon as they were old enough to talk. I think they were about 7 the first time I took them to the range.

    Same with my grandkids.

  • The Red Ryder bb gun was the only gun I ever "owned" until I was about 25 and bought a 32 pistol to sleep with. I shot 22 rifles and 20 gauge shot guns in between. They were under the strict control of my father.

  • .22 at Boy Scout camp one summer when I was about 10. I didn't enjoy the gun range as much as the archery range, because I was big into Robin Hood.

    By the way, I got a really cool BB gun CO2-powered pistol for Christmas when I was a kid, and while I did not shoot my eye out either, I did manage to shoot myself in the thumb while trying to load BBs one day. Gave myself such a deep blood blister it lasted from the beginning of summer to the beginning of the next school year. I thought I was going to have a deep red spot in the middle of my thumb for the rest of my life.

  • I was 7 or 8, Remington lever action. And same with me, lived in the city so could only shoot at the range when dad took me.
    When I turned 18, i traded it in for a BB gun that I could shoot in the city. Not one of my wisest decisions for sure and I regret doing that. But it is what it is.