Your personal firearm firsts

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suedenflames68
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by suedenflames68 »

First handgun was walther p22. Had many bb guns as a kid but firearms were not welcome in my parents house back then. I have since taken them shooting a few times with me and they now have a couple guns of their own in their house!

First rifle was marlin model 60 in stainless and light wood stock. Miss it, and its my first selling regret.

First centerfire handgun was a glock 17 police trade i paid too much for before i started memorizing sale flyers prices :lol:

First centerfire rifle was a smith ar15.

First gun ive owned for a year and never shot is a mosin nagant.

First gun to handload for is a glock 20c

First gun my fiancé bought was a pink p22

First time she shot my g17 she had a 2" group, set it down and said "i dont like it, it kicks too much"

First time to go shooting after moving to our new house over a month ago has yet to happen! :shock: gotta fix that one for sure!
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Ohio48
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Ohio48 »

First gun was a Sears Ted Williams 20 gage pump shotgun, still have it.
First hand gun was a Ruger Security Six 357 mag.
First semi-auto was a Colt 1911 Series 70 45
Nicest Semi-auto I have is a Browning BDA in 380.
Best Semi-auto is my Sig P226 in 40 cal.
I've got a couple Weatherby O/U shotguns in 12 and 20 gages.
Oh and the run of the mill AR15 of course.
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injunear
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by injunear »

Remeber shooting a 22 rifle don't remember what type first handgum model 19 back in the 70's
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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

First Gunbroker purchase (of an actual gun... not just some gun-related smallish item) was not too big a "risk" or gamble for me because it was a new gun. I didn't really have to worry about whether it was in as good a shape as I hoped, or saw in pictures, or read in a description. It was a Tanfoglio Witness Elite Match, 9mm. You may know it as an "EAA" but European American Armory is merely an importer. My pistol says Tanfoglio on it, so that's what I call it.

Heh, I guess it was a bit of a "risk" because I didn't have hardly any hands-on experience with these. I was able to find only one single used Elite Match in years of looking for them, but it was in .45. Even still, I was able to feel the gun, how the slide moved, and especially -- feel the single action trigger. I was impressed. So I took a bit of a flyer when I ordered this one. I still haven't been to any store that's got these in as new pistols, although I did see a similar one being sold used last summer in a gun store.

The gun is phenomenal, in my opinion. It lives to shoot, and I've put nearly 4,000 through it -- most of which have been 125gr lead round nose handloads. It eats 'em like candy. It's (by far!) the best steel plate killer that I own. This pistol, in my opinion, is not an easy one to convince others they need to take a serious look at... until they've handled it and shot it. Then they want one.

I believe CZ makes a fantastic gun, and if we were talking about DA/SA base model CZ-75 pattern pistols, I would also (just like anyone reading this...) rather have a CZ pistol. However -- my gun is a Tanfoglio custom shop pistol (or so they say...) and it's got a single action only trigger, and the trigger is the biggest reason I chased this gun in the first place. The way it has run has all been icing on the cake. It's an absolute sleeper on the market. (although... it's barely on the market and can't be easily found in the flesh. And THAT is why it was my first Gunbroker purchase! 8) )

I have a few 9mm guns, and my most recent pick-up is a 1911 that runs an MSRP near a grand. It's a good gun, it's a fun gun and I've had a lot of fun getting to know it over the last 1,600 rounds. But it's not my best 9mm. That would be my Elite Match.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

Not just a shameless thread bump, I actually have something -NEW- to add. Caught be a bit off guard because I didn't see this "new thing" coming.

Last week, for the first time in my life, I bought a firearm that I have absolutely no plans to ever shoot.

It's not super rare, it's definitely not what anyone would term a "collectible" handgun. It's a Smith & Wesson Model 915, 9mm semi-auto pistol. It was kind of the first of the "value line" 3rd Gens, but better than the rest of the value line series. It is a cheaper version of the Model 5903. Aluminum frame, double-stack, flat black finish with a cheaper (non-Novak) fixed rear sight and a single-sided thumb safety.

So why do I plan to never shoot this pistol?
Simply put... it is in nearly dead mint, new, unused, perfect condition. And it came with the original box with label intact and all papers.

S&W pre-tupperware metal pistols have long been a hobby of mine and this one is very much like a time capsule to me. They only made them for ~3 years and I paid less for THIS one in 2015 dollars than a new one cost in 1992.

I have many similar pistols & I'm definitely not at all done buying more of these, so I am happy to not shoot this one. Give me a day or two, maybe I can post a picture of it. Nothing Earth-shattering, but I'm very happy with this buy! :)
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
lar1
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by lar1 »

First rifle I shot, was a Mossberg .22 single shot. The story goes it was dropped of a train bridge, when my dad and uncle were younger.
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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

Bump! ;)

Had an interesting "first" happen on a fine outdoor shooting day in December. For the first time ever, I shot a new-to-me handgun and the ONLY clear emotion beyond "love" was quite simply... "okay, well, I absolutely have to go buy ANOTHER one of these, and I mean like NOW!"

The pistol was one that mystified me way back in the day...
Then -- seemed utterly silly
Then -- expensive, scarce & unseen. A phantom.
Later, after handling one... it seemed a masterpiece, but out of reach financially.
Later still, I could afford one but not justify it.

Took me almost 30yrs of shooting to talk myself into one...
And took a single 150rd session on the range to convince me to buy a SECOND one!

The Smith & Wesson Model 52-2!

Oh, and FWIW... it took me five months to get my second one. ;)
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
glocksmith
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by glocksmith »

This dummy had to google S&W 52-2 :oops: Looks interesting Sevens. I had never heard of a semi-auto .38 Spl before.
Give em' Hell Pike!!!
Brian D.
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Brian D. »

glocksmith wrote:This dummy had to google S&W 52-2 :oops: Looks interesting Sevens. I had never heard of a semi-auto .38 Spl before.
Colt made some 1911s (based on the Gold Cup target model) chambered for .38 special (wad cutter) too. Started with the days of military competing in Bullseye matches.
Quit worrying, hide your gun well, shut up, and CARRY that handgun!

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glocksmith
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by glocksmith »

Brian D. wrote:
glocksmith wrote:This dummy had to google S&W 52-2 :oops: Looks interesting Sevens. I had never heard of a semi-auto .38 Spl before.
Colt made some 1911s (based on the Gold Cup target model) chambered for .38 special (wad cutter) too. Started with the days of military competing in Bullseye matches.
Are you sure those 1911's were'nt .38 Super...instead of .38 Special?
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Brian D.
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Brian D. »

.38 special AMU (Army Marksmanship Unit). Some were done as in-house conversions by armorers, but Colt sent some out from the factory as well. I've seen and handled them.

Not the same as .38 Super.
Quit worrying, hide your gun well, shut up, and CARRY that handgun!

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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

Hey, you're no dummy. I "heard of one" in 1988 and it took me until late 2015 to buy one! ;)

You guys are actually talking about THREE different cartridges. The .38 Super is the semi-rimmed .38 Auto hopped up to a higher pressure. IIRC, it was the reigning handgun velocity king until the .357 Magnum arrived in 1935.

The .38 Special is the one we all obviously know, but keep in mind that the Colt 1911's so chambered and the S&W Model 52's will -ONLY- fit, feed, and properly run the flush loaded full wadcutter. You can fit and hand feed, extract and eject clean fired brass if you run the pistol by hand... but an old-school 158gr or cutting edge 125gr simply won't fit the magazine or the chamber.

The .38 AMU is an obscure and historical round that is basically a .38 Special wadcutter with the rim cut down to better fit in magazines and feed in the pistol. S&W's early pre-52's were built to the demands of the Army Marksmanship Unit in the .38 AMU chambering. These pistols are extremely scarce and quite valuable. However, for all intents & purposes, the .38 AMU is a defunct relic.

If you take nothing else away from this...
PLEASE do yourself a favor. If you see a 52 at a shop or a show, ASK 'em about it and get your hands on it if they will let you. There's only so much you can write -- the rest is quite visceral.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

glocksmith wrote:I had never heard of a semi-auto .38 Spl before.
Just for the record... my Coonan Classic happily runs like a top on .38 Special and in fact, you could make a fine argument that it's perhaps MORE a ".38 Special" than a midrange Colt or S&W 52 simply because the Coonan runs the typical .38 Special ammo we know.

I have to swap recoil springs and I tend to run the loads quite warm for full "always!" reliability. The Coonan, however... will not run the mid-range .38 Wadcutter that the 52 demands.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Sevens
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by Sevens »

This is a shameless thread bump for a subject that I truly enjoy. After this post, I'm gonna read through it again and hopefully I find some little nugget to add.

Meanwhile, please add your nuggets!
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
westsidebestside
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Re: Your personal firearm firsts

Post by westsidebestside »

I'm a virtual rookie around these parts. A little over three years ago, a Glock 17. First rifle a Ruger 10/22. No shotguns (yet).
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