I don't know if this was brought up before but here we go. Mine was a ithaca super single 66 in 410. My grandfather gave it to me when I was 3 months old. I liked them so much I now have 18 of them in all the gauges they came in.my daughters first gun was a pink cricket my dad bought her when she was one month old.

Winchester 94. A post-64 model I picked-up used. I put a lot of rounds through it at first but now it is mostly a safe-queen - .223 and .22 are cheaper to shoot.

My 6 year old daughter also has an AR and a Ruger MkIII - they are right next to her dad's AR and MkIII. She will start off with a BB gun and a then most likely a Cricket. But the AR will be waiting for her when she is old enough.

H&R Topper 20 gauge single shot - IMO made me a better shot !



Topper® Junior Classic

A classic take on our popular Topper Junior, this compact shotgun has a 22" barrel, checkered American black walnut pistol-grip stock and a blued metal finish. It comes in 20 gauge and 410 bore and includes a recoil pad to improve shooting confidence.




ModelTopper® Junior ClassicGauge20 Gauge (SB1-288)
.410 Bore (SB1-488)StockAmerican black walnut pistol grip stock with checkering, ventilated recoil pad.Barrel22"ChamberUp to 3" SightsBead frontChokeModified (20 Gauge)
Full (.410 Bore)Length36"Length of Pull12-1/2"Drop at Comb1-1/2"Drop at Heel2"Weight5-6 lbs.

Funny to see someone else's first gun was an Ithaca 66. Mine was also, but it was 12 gauge. Thing kicked like a mule. A friend of my dad's gave it to me. My stepfather laughed at me saying it kicked so hard, until he shot it and nearly ended up on the ground.

The next Christmas my stepfather gave me a shiny new Rem 870 Wingmaster in 20 gauge and I have the Ithaca away to my BIL. My son is still using the Wingmaster.

Yes those ithacas kick. My dad's first gun was a ithaca 49 youth. Love ithacas.

Mine was a Daisey pump BB gun. Terrorized the local sparrows with it.

Ithaca model 37 20ga. got for my 10th birthday (1980) I still have it

break action .410, still have it, have almost no use for it/single shot, but probably will never sell it as it's not worth much.

My first ever was an Iver Johnson (labeled as Eric's Gun and Cycle Works) Champion .410 bore scattergun that was my granddad's, my dad's, then mine. It was about 40% finish when I got it, had spent 15yrs or so in the rafters of our barn. The forend retainer was missing so the forend wasn't on it (found it about 10yrs later in a toolbox drawer in my uncle's shed), hammer broken, stock cracked... But it shot great. I only just recently started rebuilding it so I can hand it down to my own son in a few years (4months old next week).

My first rifle was a Marlin 99 M-1 .22lr that was also my granddad's then my dad's, bought new in '64. The 99M1 is basically a precursor action to the Marlin 60, with a shorter barrel, shorter mag tube, and a stock mocked up to look like an M1 Carbine. Also in rough shape when I got it, it was missing the rear sight (special battle style sight that mounted on the receiver dovetail) and wasn't winning any beauty contests. The front sight came off sometime when I was in high school, so it sits in my drawer, and I shoot the rifle with no sights. She's killed literally thousands of coons over the years for me since she got handed down. I'm sure she'd be more accurate with sights, but I can kill a rabbit at 50yrds with it, so I don't bother. My son will also get this rifle someday, but I'm not quite done with it yet.

First shotgun of my own I bought when I was 10, a J.C. Higgins model 20 12ga that I bought at a farm auction. Gave it to my dad a few years ago for him to use when his Remington got stolen out of his truck, just got it back last week in fact because the safety detent spring broke and the safety button fell out.

First deer rifle was a Ruger M-77 Mark II .30-06springfield that I bought when I was 12. Slapped a cheap Tasco High Country Gold 4-16x44mm scope on top of it, then killed everything I could imagine with it, even though it doesn't shoot much better than 2MOA anymore (1.5 on a good day). Just ordered a new Shilen tube for it and putting a new Leupold 4.5-14x50mm scope on it, so it too can go to my son in a few years, hopefully shooting a lot straighter than it is today. Taken antelope, black bear, coyotes, muley's, and fed myself on dozens of whitetails during college (back when we could shoot 9 a year, plus 4 left-over tags). Hoping the new barrel will breathe new life into it so my son will also pick THIS rifle when he reaches into the safe.

First handgun was a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag (square back trigger guard). Absolute monster of a handgun, rode many a weary mile horseback with me doctoring cattle. Taken a handful of whitetails with it over the years.

First firearm I ever fell in love with (and absolutely the only one I've loved to this extent) was a stainless Ruger Mark II .22lr pistol. Bought it from a buddy for $90 in 1999. I'll be hard pressed to ever pass this one down while I'm still breathing, he11 I might even have it buried with me so I'll have it to play with when I get to the big house upstairs. Would be surprised if this one didn't have over a thousand coons to its record also, still counting, and hundreds of roadsigns when I was in high school.