Your VERY FIRST shotgun!

[Floating Chamber]

Kicking off then:

 

It was the 5th May, in the Summer 1962. Delivered to the door (ordered from the 'catalogue' £20.10s. 0d.) it was a single barrel, hammerless, folding, Italian 'Fusil Special' with a posh ventilated rib, walnut stock etc. and an opening lever in front of the trigger guard.

 

Dashed to the Post Office and got my Gun Licence (No. AY 009379 which I have in front of me from my files!) and then 'cadged' half a box of Eley Maximum 5's from my mate.

 

Weighing in at about 4.5 pounds, it kicked like hell with these 34 gram shells!

 

First target: A tin can!

 

First quarry: A partridge.

 

I still have one of these guns in my cabinet - but not the original.

[henry d]

Beretta 686 essential, in the early `90`s and bunnies were the first and if I remember,**consults game book**, I shot 3 rabbits for 5 cartridges. I still have "Old Banana Barrels" and won`t swop her until she gets something terminal.

[Wookie]

Laurone Eiber from Ballie. I can't remember the day, but he gave me a bit of a tour of his land so that I could shoot it and it was great. The first thing I shot with it was a clay pigeon though... Not really a startling tale that was it?

[stevethevanman]

A semi auto berreta 302.

 

first target: clay pigeon

 

First kill: rabbit

 

Steve

[sandersj89]

Gunmark Kestrel 16bore.

 

Bought 26 years ago.

 

First target clays in the front meadow.

 

First kill, rabbit that evening.

 

I still have the gun and still use it from time to time.

[john faul]

lincon 26 inch barrel first kill crow 12 bore

[Devon Fox]

Greener single barrel, i was about 15 years old, blasted a pigeon with it!, happy day's

[grasshopper]

Lincoln Premier o/u 1994..still got it,still use it.

 

1st day out i thought i was going to get a double on 2 rabbits running up a hill.Dropped the 1st,swung onto instead of through the 2nd my cousin dropped the 2nd rab then smuggly said "don,t worry cus,i got ya covered"

 

about a month later roles were reversed..you know what i said don,t ya

 

GH

[dazza]

Beretta 686 S special edition

[ShaggyRS6]

Beretta 682E gold

[Hardy]

Rottweil Supersport 12g - bought around 1991. Only replaced it last year & its still sitting in my cabinet.

 

First target Clays

 

First quarry Bunny

[Browning]

My 8th birthday 1967......Webley & Scott .410 bolt action and a box of carts.

 

First target - cardboard box

 

First quarry - rabbit

 

Still in my gun safe, still use her for training the dogs and the odd play around, and will still

be in my gun safe when I'm dead and gone.

[decroyffe]

spanish SXS, Non ejector DT. First kill was a fantastic pigeon, well out and very high. You might say it was a lucky shot because i was on my second box with nothing to show , still very chuffed tho

[dunganick]

1st gun was a 12g o/u straight hand stock Vostock Mu8

 

still have it in one of the safes.

[Poacher]

browning medallist

first kill was probably a rabbit

still got it

[JohnGalway]

A very fancy Baikal Mp-153, first critter to get the treatment was a grey crow that used to shout abuse at me while I'd be out getting firewood, didn't look too happy after he was introduced to some lead.

[Ferret Master]

I was lent a single barrel 20 bore hammer gun. August 2006. Shot a plastic bottle with it. Nearly shot a fox 5m away but click of hammer gave the game away. :yp:

 

Then for my early birthday present a few weeks later (and apparently this was my birthday present for the next 20 years as well) I got a Beretta Silver Pigeon 20 bore. Killed a couple of cans with it and a few clays. Then one August evening at dusk and I could just the outline of a rabbit under the posts at the rugby club. A quick flick of the lamp by Dad and the Beretta shot it's first quarry. Cartridge used Express 'Special 20 Gauge' 28g of 6's. Then shot another rabbit that night followed by the third a cracker sprinting directly across me in the lamp 30m away, I swung and fired which put the third bunny in the bag. Hoping to start reloading for this gun soon and I'm never selling it. Everyone says I should move up to 12 bore and part exchange this gun but it's not happening.

 

FM

[malkiserow]

it was 1972 I was given a old and valueless cogswell and harrison s/s 12 bore..... totally worn out and tatty, legal but only just in proof. First target was a rabbit. Within a few weeks the firing pin broke but didn't cost too much to fix it...

[BSA Shaun]

Escort semi. Not so long ago at all!

 

First quarry - Hare.

 

[Bagsy]

Beretta 686E in 2003 for me.

[Markio]

First and current gun: Lanber May 06.

First target: a clay (after about 20 attempts! )

First quarry: Crow.

[Whitebridges]

BSA Snipe single barrel, super full choke 12 bore. I was 9 at the time and the year 1970. I think the cartridge was a SMI in 6's. Killed a hare sitting at the end of a hedgerow. Hooked ever since.

[the last engineer]

1977 5 shot pump action Savage, 2,000 new york cops cant be wrong was my motto for reliability, they wernt wrong

 

pigeon a couple of days after i fuigured out how to work it

 

Martin

[NorfolkBoy]

Pheasant 1990

 

Holland and Holland or was it the Boss?

 

Or was it the Baikal with skeet barrels?

[Cranfield]

I was 11 and the Farmer loaned me an old bolt action Webley .410 and asked me to the shoot rabbits as they bolted from the harvester.

That day I shot 12 (I remember it was one more than my age), at the end of the day I went to return the gun and he told me I could keep it.

That night I slept with it in my bed.

 

The same Farmer gave me my first 12 bore when I was 13, that was a well used AYA Yeoman.