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Old 09-23-2019, 02:36 PM
pavilion pavilion is offline
 
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Default what did you guys do with your first rifle?

A little back story, i come from a non hunting family, i started hunting at 18 with my cousin and my uncle, at that time i didn't know jack about anything only that i had gone out a couple times with them and that I wanted to start hunting myself.....so i got licensed up and bought my first rifle, a Rem 700 SPS DM in 300 win mag with a leupold vx2 3-9, i used that rifle for a few years and took my first deer with it and my best deer to date with it, but here I am 12 years later, haven't shot that rifle in probably 8 years, put it in a boyds laminate and swapped the vx2 for a fx3 6x, and put it in the gun safe.....I know its not worth alot to sell but im just wondering what you guys did with your first rifle? keep it due to some sentimental reasons? get rid of it? maybe regret getting rid of it? I might take it out again someday so there is always that but its no good to start my kids on and with two full customs and a kimber mountain ascent in the safe the odds of it being my first choice are zero,
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Old 09-23-2019, 03:19 PM
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Andrzej Andrzej is offline
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My first rifle in Poland was CZ 600 in 30-06 with factory 4X Zeiss scope.
I've sold it before immigrating to Canada in 1987.
( I had to hunt with a shotgun for three years before I was able to take "Selectioner course" that was the condition for ownership of the rifle.)

My first gun in Canada was Winchester Lever action in 30-30. My Oldest Son got his first 4x4 atypical Whitetail scoring 144 points with this rifle at age of 12.

He got this rifle in his safe, yesterday took his Whitetail to his house, so can be Teaser for Grandchildren.

I've kept nice Remington in 243 Win for grandkids for their first Deer.
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Old 09-23-2019, 03:22 PM
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DiabeticKripple DiabeticKripple is offline
 
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My first rifle was a Ruger 10/22.

A nice AO member gave me a scope for it for free.

I put it in a Boyd’s laminate stock and put a new trigger spring in it. It’s still in my safe.

I have never sold a rifle, only bought.
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Old 09-23-2019, 03:34 PM
Sooner Sooner is offline
 
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I'm 52 this year. I still hunt with the Savage 308 lever my dad gave me on my 16th bday. It came from his step brother who hunted with it for many years so it's been around a while. It is the only rifle I have. I have thought of getting a bigger caliber but this one just shoots so nice and is light to carry.

My son got his first big game animal with it too, a 54 inch moose. This rifle has a ton of memories made with it now.
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Old 09-23-2019, 03:45 PM
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catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
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My first rifle I got it when I was (12) is now in the possession of a good friend's wife who is very tiny- she was looking for an accurate rifle, and my friend is a mechanic and traded me a pile of work on my truck for it.
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  #6  
Old 09-23-2019, 04:08 PM
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Dick284 Dick284 is online now
 
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Marlin 336 in 30/30.
Sold it because, well, you know, ID ten T
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Old 09-23-2019, 04:11 PM
raw outdoors raw outdoors is offline
 
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Chipmunk .22 still have it and it’s still glorious. Still shoots lights out.
Winchester 94 30-30 was my first big game rifle and my dad still has that.
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  #8  
Old 09-23-2019, 04:38 PM
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wwbirds wwbirds is offline
 
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Default still have it

A lifetime ago my uncles in northern Ontario said I could come moose hunting with them so off to Griffiths sports centre in Galt Ontario and all I could afford was Parker Hale custom deluxe 1200 in .270. One of the nice guys at the reloading store set me up with a Bushnell scopechief as well as the Lee Valley handloader kit. I was 17 and he recommend I join Pioneer Sportsman club to practice centre fire rifles.
Met the President of the club shortly after joining who happened to be a serious benchrest shooter and the pointers he gave me on posture and breathing are the same things I taught my boys.
I have had that rifle for 50 years now and it was the only centre fire rifle I owned for 20 years so it shot everything from bears to deer and down to groundhogs. Although it now wears a Leupold Long Range 4.5 to 14 and everything has been adjusted bedded and tuned by a great gunsmith I havent shot .270 since acquiring my 30-06 almost 15 years ago. Just looked at it a couple days ago and sure it will still shoot dimes at 100 yards if I do my part.
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Old 09-23-2019, 04:46 PM
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"sporterized Lee Enfield" passed it on my 12 year old cousin after I bought a 270 win mod 70 featherweight
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  #10  
Old 09-23-2019, 04:48 PM
Sledhead71 Sledhead71 is offline
 
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Got my first rifle as a birthday present from my uncle at the age of 12... Nice Winchester .270 with a fixed 4x Bushnell on top... I used that boom stick for more seasons than I can remember. It still resides in one of the safes now beside all my late fathers guns... I have no reason to sell any so they will be around till someone I know needs them more than I do...
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  #11  
Old 09-23-2019, 06:15 PM
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1899b 1899b is offline
 
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Still have it. 1965 Savage 99c in .308
Was my Grandmothers. It’s not going anywhere..
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  #12  
Old 09-23-2019, 08:17 PM
PartTimeHunter PartTimeHunter is offline
 
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I still have the first rifle I ever bought. A Remington 700 in 30:06 bought at (I think) Russel's in Calgary in '78. Shot a pile of game with that thing. Still use it once in a while
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Old 09-23-2019, 08:24 PM
Mavrick Mavrick is offline
 
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1920 Winchester Mod 92 32-20. Still have and shoot it. Was my grandfathers, he picked a field of potatoes and the farmer paid him with the gun. Wood and bore is very good, bluing has faded some, it will be given to my grand daughter ( first grandchild).
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Old 09-23-2019, 08:33 PM
Mhunter51 Mhunter51 is offline
 
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Bought a Mossberg 342kc in 1968 still have it. I use it every fall for grouse in the forest when hunting moose in the early season because it is short, has a 5 shot magazine ande is in excellent condition yet. Have retired it from the gopher field for new better rimfires but I do like this old one.
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  #15  
Old 09-23-2019, 08:44 PM
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EZM EZM is offline
 
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My first rifle given to me by my dad was a Rem 700 BDL .308 with a fixed X 4 Leopold. Still in the family.

The first rifle I bought myself was a Rem 7600 pump in .30-06 with a Bushnell x3-x9 42mm. The rifle was about as accurate as throwing a boulder - so it went down the road ..... cheap with full disclosure. I was lucky to get a 6" group at 100 yards and, occasionally, she would throw a flyer we would never find. Never figured out what was wrong with that thing. The guy that bought it said he re-scoped it and it was still a POS and he didn't get it to group any better. No regrets selling that thing.
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Old 09-23-2019, 09:30 PM
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Trochu Trochu is offline
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I still have mine, a Henry .22 mag lever action with the octagonal barrel. I never shoot it, have thought of selling it many times, but know it's likely only worth a few hundred and wonder if I'd regret selling it as soon as it was gone. Also have a rifle that was given to me as a wedding present that I never shoot that I've though about selling. Haven't yet for the same reasons.
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  #17  
Old 09-23-2019, 09:56 PM
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6.5 shooter 6.5 shooter is offline
 
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I sold that mule kicking pos P17 30-06 the first chance I got...still hate that rifle.
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  #18  
Old 09-24-2019, 02:49 AM
32-40win 32-40win is offline
 
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Got one of the CIL/Anschutz singleshot 22's, for Xmas, think that was 1967 or 68, 1969 I bought an 870 12ga and a Parker-Hale 1200 deluxe 7mmRem Maq. Don't remember what happened, but the bolt rusted shut on the 22 about 10 yrs later. The PH got traded for a new BAR in 270Win in 1970, at Woodwards in Kamloops. Don't remember what I did with the 870. May have traded it on a 20ga SxS in early 70's.
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  #19  
Old 09-24-2019, 04:45 AM
Tactical Lever Tactical Lever is offline
 
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Chipmunk .22 when I was 10. Had a very soft black walnut stock, the barreled action kept loosening in it, and if I remember right, the rear peep loosened up a couple times too. Other than that, it seemed like a nice little gun. But it went down the road and I got better .22s from Dad.

He also gave me my first big game rifle, which was a used Marlin 30-30, probably when I was 12. I think he gave me a Bushnell Banner 1.5-4x which I put on the rifle. Really nice and bright little scope for a cheap one. Ended up giving it to my sister in exchange for another little centerfire.

Got given his 20 gauge Winchester (37?) single shot break open about the same time as the Marlin. Seemed to be Dad's truck gun, always taken apart and wrapped in a few rags behind the seat. Still have it, but don't use it much.

Think I was 14 when I bought my first rifle with myself. Sporterized Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55. Had a very old Tasco on it, which I eventually upgraded a bit. In the later years, I took the upper stock off, barrel band, and sweated the rear sight mount off. Did a cold blue (kind of gray-ish), cut the fore stock shorter and reprofiled, glass bedded the barrel, and mounted a new sling swivel stud up front. Put a lighter stain on the wood. Put a nice leather sling on it. Still hunt with it once in a while. Eventually I'll refinish the stock a little nicer, as I really slathered on the finish thick.
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  #20  
Old 09-24-2019, 04:54 AM
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My parents gave me a 10/22 for Christmas in 1980 when I was 14, I still own it and shoot it.
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  #21  
Old 09-24-2019, 08:58 AM
1100winger 1100winger is offline
 
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Default Still have it

A remington Nylon 66, the clip feed model. Had it re-blued and repaired a few years ago, still like shooting it. My first center fire, Mod 70 300 WM, is still a shooter too. Eventually though it was a donor action for a 300 WM build.
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  #22  
Old 09-24-2019, 10:20 AM
heybert heybert is offline
 
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First rifle I ever shot was a Marlin 39A. Still have it and it has killed hundreds of gophers. First big game rifle was a Marlin 336 with a straight grip. Still have that too. I started using my Remington 700 Classic in 7mm RM in the 90’s and has been my main rifle until 2014 when I switched to a Tikka for the weight. The Remington came with a Leupold 2.5-8. I killed my first moose and my first elk with that rifle. It sits in the closet, but I still take it out to the range to make sure it’s ready every hunting season. It’ll be handed down to my son.
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  #23  
Old 09-24-2019, 11:56 AM
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Flight01 Flight01 is offline
 
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My first rifle is only 14 years old...
Rem “mowhawk” 673 chambered in .308win
Still use it of course and shot a deer a couple weeks ago.
Maybe go for a bear before the snow sets in
Was thinking of boring the barrel and chambering to .358 win.
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Old 09-24-2019, 12:23 PM
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Browning BLR in 308 that I bought when 14. Dad paid half. Sold it to a hunting buddy. It has killed a pile of animals.
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  #25  
Old 09-24-2019, 07:57 PM
bushnell bushnell is offline
 
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Bought a Marlin 22mag when I turned 16. Turned 60 this year, still own it and it's still a good shooter
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  #26  
Old 09-24-2019, 08:04 PM
Ruby76 Ruby76 is offline
 
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Still have it, been my main hunting rifle for 27 years until very recently. Ruger tang safety that started as a 270, rebarreled to a 280AI 20 years ago. It will be passed on to one of my kids.
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  #27  
Old 09-26-2019, 09:32 PM
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222rem 222rem is offline
 
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My first rifle is army surplus .303 British got it in 1964 no plans to part with it .
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  #28  
Old 09-26-2019, 10:34 PM
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First big game rifle was a sporterized 1917 Lee Enfield .303. My dad bought it for me from a pile of em being sold at either Milarm or Klondike guns along ‘gun alley’ where a few shops used to be.

I’ve got a 177 mulie and a nice whitetail on my walls from that rifle.
I pulled it out last weekend to give her a walk when the boy and I went elk chasin.

Lots of deer taken with that rifle..... pretty long distances too for iron sights.

I’ve moved on to rifles with scopes now..... I’m starting to get used to a scoped gun. Heh
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  #29  
Old 09-27-2019, 12:29 AM
Patrickn Patrickn is offline
 
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Rem model 7 7mm08 my dad bought me for Christmas. Used it to shoot a bear when I was 14, plus lots of deer and yotes after that. Been in the safe for awhile now. I’d love to pass it on to one of my kids if they’d stop being lefties..... but it won’t be going anywhere ever.
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  #30  
Old 09-27-2019, 04:10 AM
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KegRiver KegRiver is offline
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My first rifle was a model 64 Cooey 22. Handed it down to my daughter.

My first big game rifle was an auction find, A Savage 340 bolt action 30-30. It was stolen from me by a guy who claimed to be my friend.

Biggest crook I ever knew.
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