What Was Your First Handgun and Do You Still Have It?

[Alan]

I often think back to my first handgun — a little .22 I bought years ago. Do any of you still have your first one? How do you feel about it now? I'd love to hear your stories and see some photos!

 

[Alpo]

Oh HECK no.

My first pistol was a Charter Arms Target Bulldog. 18 ounce, 4 inch, 5 shot 357.

(Not my gun, picture pulled from internet)

The main trouble was it had a steel barrel but it had an aluminum barrel shroud. The shroud just sat over the barrel, and was held in place with a set screw.

As long as I was shooting light 38s, that wasn't a problem. But when I started shooting 158 grain 357s, recoil started to make the shroud slip. And since the front sight was part of the shroud, the sight moved. Hard to be accurate when your front sight keeps moving around.

After about a year I used it for a trade in on a Steyr Mannlicher 308, which I still have.

My second pistol, which I bought about a year later, was a Ruger Mark I 5½" Bull Barrel Liberty Gun. Bought it in 78 I believe. Still got it.

 

[Gobblergetter]

My first was a ruger single six 22lr and changeable 22wmr cylinder

 

[Florida airgunner]

My first (and only) handgun is a iver Johnson super shot sealed 8. Its a little .22 revolver that bears some resemblance to a Schofield in my opinion. My grampa gave it to me, he got it from a navy or airforce pilot in guam

What's unique is it has a real ebony grip which you prob cannot get today. I don't think iver Johnson ever made these with ebony which leads me to believe it was a homemade/custom affair

 

[Ca Survivor]

Bought a Colt Government .45 ACO Series 70, when I turned 21 YO, only handgun that I've never traded and still with me, paid $160. NIB now you can figure out how old I'm

 

[Keith.303]

My first was a pietta 1851 brass frame .44 from Cabelas, back when it WAS Cabelas. My 12th? birthday I believe.

 

[Maxman2]

XD 9 Still got it

 

[CentralFLMike]

Colt Python .357, 6‐inch barrel. I bought it to go through the police academy. I still have it.

 

[Yuccajon]

My very first was a Colts Targetsman which I traded for a High Standard Olympic and then onto a long line of hand guns.Now I have 14, 1 US arms 22mag, 1 S&W , 2 Charter Arms and 10 Rugers

 

[Keith.303]

Colt Python .357, 6‐inch barrel. I bought it to go through the police academy. I still have it.

Damn, nice.

 

[jmcisc]

Believe it or not my first handgun was a S&W Model 41 with the 5 1/2" bull barrel. I had just completed taking a marksmanship course (which I enrolled in never having fired a gun before) and the instructor used to loan me his Model 41 so I could participate in the class. I loved the gun and when the course was over I went looking for one. I almost forgot to mention that I still have it, along with 5 other 41s.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

My first handgun was an Erma Werke .22LR Luger.
The year was 1964 and I was 16.
It's long. long gone.

 

[christak]

My first handgun was actually a Crosman pellet pistol that my dad would hold and let me shoot at the age of 3. Got a .22 rifle at age 5 and a .410 shotgun at 7. My dad had a .22 JC Higgins 9-shot Model 88 revolver that he used to kill snakes...that is the 1st real handgun that I was allowed to shoot and I still have all of these guns. Needless to say, I'm an old geezer and have been shooting for well over 60 years.

 

[DAKA]

A colt 25, made in Spain(?) My son has it
Nice little gun, but hardly a "protection" piece...a heavy leather jacket would probably stop the bullet
But my first actual gun was a Winchester 69 (?) in 1948 ...I was 13 years old, in the 50's I used to take it
wrapped in a pillow case on the NYC subway from Brooklyn to a shooting range in Manhattan where the
World Trade Center was built (Courtland Street)

 

[Piranha451]

My first (and only) handgun is a iver Johnson super shot sealed 8. Its a little .22 revolver that bears some resemblance to a Schofield in my opinion. My grampa gave it to me, he got it from a navy or airforce pilot in guam

What's unique is it has a real ebony grip which you prob cannot get today. I don't think iver Johnson ever made these with ebony which leads me to believe it was a homemade/custom affair

Those are really nice-looking stocks! However, those very well may be ivory, not Ebony. Ebony is a black/brown wood like what was/is used for a piano's black keys.

 

[Ninering62]

My first pistol was a S&W .38 police special with the numbers ground off. It was really cheap & I needed a “ throw away “.
#BikerLife
Hell no I don’t still have it!

 

[Piranha451]

My first handgun, aside from a Crosman Mk II pellet pistol, was an Interarms Virginian Dragoon in .44 magnum. I no longer have it, having sold it many years ago.

 

[Fodderwing]

Ruger Blackhawk 357 4 5/8 barrel made in the 200th year of American Liberty.

Yep, still have it.

 

[Florida airgunner]

Those are really nice-looking stocks! However, those very well may be ivory, not Ebony. Ebony is a black/brown wood like what was/is used for a piano's black keys.

Oh my bad, I meant ivory lol

 

[Gunz50]

early 1970's , ordered an S&W mod. 66 4" r/r, w/o rear, great , accurate revolver, snubbys were unobtainium in late 70's so I sent it back to factory to have a 2.5" barrel installed, makes a really nice sq butt shorty thats very comfortable to shoot. of course I still have it, this one goes in the box with me when the time comes!

 

[luvmyRugers]

My first, which I still have, is a Ruger Security Six w/4in barrel. I bought in 1971 and carried it several years before switching to 45acp for my daily carry.

 

[FLShooter]

My first was a Ruger Bearcat 22, and I paid $29.00 for it brand new.

 

[rem_fan]

My first was a Ruger Bearcat 22, and I paid $29.00 for it brand new.

Heritage rough rider .22 lr/ .22 magnum. I still have it along with original box and receipt , the 2 boxes of quick shock ammo that xame with it, and both cylinders (lr and magnum) i open carry it on my property to dispatch coral and rattlesnakes using magnum cci snakeshot

 

[Maxman2]

Heritage rough rider .22 lr/ .22 magnum. I still have it along with original box and receipt , the 2 boxes of quick shock ammo that xame with it, and both cylinders (lr and magnum) i open carry it on my property to dispatch coral and rattlesnakes using magnum cci snakeshot

CCI Magnum snake shot. How big of a snake have you taken with it? at what range?

 

[rem_fan]

CCI Magnum snake shot. How big of a snake have you taken with it? at what range?

Never more than 4 or 5 feet, the 1st year I owned this place i was sitting in my ground blind deer hunting. Something caught my eye, looked down by the bottom edge of the blind where it met the earth, a coral snake had crawled in and was within a foot of my right foot. I sat still for about a minute, I kicked some dirt towards it an d it crawled back the way it came, I carry the snake shot every time now. Ive seen one rattlesnake and other types here I dont want to kill any snake but if it's life threatening I have no issue. The 22 magnum offers more power than the lr, ive shot both testing into milk jugs filled with water and the lr wont penetrate where the magnum will.

 

[A-300 Dave]

My 1st was a S&W K-22 Masterpiece 6" barrell. No, I later swapped it for a .45 ACP