Long Shot 1,287 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 No...not that first time. At what age did you fire a 12 gauge shotgun for the first time? My dad used a 12 gauge for gopher control around the farm when I was a kid. Sometimes I would stand quietly at his side waiting for one of the pesky little critters to show it's face. I was twelve years old the day he handed me the shotgun and told me to give it a try. That was thirty six years ago and a defining moment in my life. After that the .22 that I had been using just didn't have the same appeal. The 12 ga, instantly became my go to for all manner of critters. Yesterday I took my twelve year old boy out and let him shoot the S12 with light target loads. After one shot he really had no interest in a second. Was your fist time, scary and painful? One of the most memorable moments of your childhood? Or something different altogether? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 7,071 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 (edited) I seriously don't even remember. Now my first time with the other... That I remember All five seconds of it, Wham! Bam! Thank you Mam! Edited June 1, 2014 by ChileRelleno 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
patriot 7,197 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Not very...ten or twelve maybe. Dad gave me Great-Grandpap's 12ga double to try. I shouldered it and the 1st shot knocked me back. It was cool! It was an old American Arms 12. We still have it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Long Shot 1,287 Posted June 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Now my first time with the other... That I remember All five seconds of it, Wham! Bam! Thank you Mam! Well.... There goes the neighborhood. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BpS12 512 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 I was in the service and we were doing familiarization with the 12ga. It was alright. Didn't get into them seriously until my S12 about 7yrs ago. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Nemo 882 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 14. Traded the H&R single 20 ga off and bought a Ithaca 51 Featherlight. Best damn 12 I ever bought next to my Saiga. I don't even shoot my grandfather's Browning gold trigger light 12. That 28" barrel really bags those mallards and geese. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
termite 463 Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Somewhere around 11-12 yrs old. My uncle, older cousin, and older brothers thought it be funny (to them at least) to load it with 3" heavy load shells, knocked me on my ass, they laughed like hell, but I went back for more. Ended up shooting all my uncles shells, which kinda pissed everyone off, but me. I was sore as HELL the next day, but when I look back on it, it was fun as hell. Everytime my grandson comes over, first words out of his mouth are "PeePaw, can I shot the shotgun", he shoots the .410 along with 22lr and 9mm, both pistols and rifles, and he's only 8. He's said that "one day", he wants to shoot my 12 gauge and .45acp. Him and the grand daughter will go thru a brick of 22lr easy, MORE if I let them, but he's good for about 20-30 rounds thru the .410 and these are the 3" shells that I load for the crows. Just a tad hot. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beefcakeb99 572 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 About 11. Was my first long gun, and my decreased father's shotgun. I was rocked but it was still great. I'm pissed for life at my crackhead uncle for not taking special care to not fucking pawn it or whatever really happened to it. I know he will never tell the truth or make it up to me but I have the memory at least. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james lambert 3,059 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Eight years old. My grandfathers single shot, phesant hunting for the first time. I was a little surprized a 410 was the only other shotgun I had fired. That same year my grandfather gave me my first high power rifle, a Win 94 3030. I hunted deer with my Dad and Grandfather each year, but I was 11 when I killed the first buck. I still have the 3030, and the little Ithica single shot 22 lever action that was my 6th birthday present. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sjgusmc21 850 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I think I was 12 or 13 and it was an asskicker. My ex BIL (cop) had a side by side 12 gauge black powder and we were rabbit hunting in snow. Of course I had no idea at the time what you could do with a bp shotgun and it kicked the living shit out of my shoulder. Left my right shoulder numb and my arm tingling for a few days.....of course he was laughing his ass off. But I will say that the rabbit I hit just pretty much disentigrated. Just a bunch of meat and blood in a wide pattern on the snow. It was awesome certainly made a impression on me...no damn bp shotguns! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lbsrdi 1,078 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I believe it was around 12 years old when I shot my first 12ga, all I remember was the rush I felt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sdustin 578 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I was like 8 shot it once then went back to the colt 1911 and Browning 22 automatic rifle. Didn't shoot a shotgun again for a while. Funny thing is I could shoot that 45 all day and hit everything I aimed at. Then when I was older I got a Glock 17 and couldn't hit shit. That when I figured out how much better the 1911 is than any other pistol when it comes to shootablity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
akastormi 617 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Wow, I truly don't remember. I grew up with the gun rack next to my bed in my room, that i remember fondly. I don't recall the 12 gauge, but i remember my father's 58 caliber black powder rifle and the pain it produced within my body. Funny part is.... I now own that very same 58 cal. and use every year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JoeAK 337 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Don't remember the 12 exactly, but I shot my first 20 ga. when I was 13, it was my first trip to the range, I shot a .22 to start, then a lever 30-30, then the single shot 20 ga., for some reason I shot it sitting down, and it knocked me out of the bench. I very nervously shot a 12 ga. a few years later when my uncle took me skeet shooting, after the first shot it all went fine. I think it was also around that same age (15ish) that I again, nervously shot my grandpa's .44 mag (Colt Anaconda, don't remember the barrel length, either 6" or 8") that wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Nemo 882 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I think I was 12 or 13 and it was an asskicker. My ex BIL (cop) had a side by side 12 gauge black powder and we were rabbit hunting in snow. Of course I had no idea at the time what you could do with a bp shotgun and it kicked the living shit out of my shoulder. Left my right shoulder numb and my arm tingling for a few days.....of course he was laughing his ass off. But I will say that the rabbit I hit just pretty much disentigrated. Just a bunch of meat and blood in a wide pattern on the snow. It was awesome certainly made a impression on me...no damn bp shotguns! Reminds me of the first partridge I shot with the .410! Grandpa flushed him and I got him to drop. When looking for it, I saw it get up and move about 15 feet away. I let rip! Blew all the guts out, and didn't put a pellet in the breast meat! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I was in second grade so probably 7yrs old, when dad let me shoot his ithaca single shot 12ga. We were at a sportsmans club 'turkey shoot' and I actually hit the paper plate, but it slammed me hard. After that I always wanted to shoot at the club events, winning frozen turkeys was awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Long Shot 1,287 Posted June 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I was in second grade so probably 7yrs old, when dad let me shoot his ithaca single shot 12ga. We were at a sportsmans club 'turkey shoot' and I actually hit the paper plate, but it slammed me hard. After that I always wanted to shoot at the club events, winning frozen turkeys was awesome. Wow, 7 years old. You must have been one tough kid at that age. I was an unusually small child at seven, no way I could have handled a full sized long gun. Forget about winning turkeys. That's pretty cool. Your Ol' Pappy must have been proud. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Voltia 375 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I shot deer with a single action 20 at age nine. We had my granddad's model 97 Winchester that I believe I shot somewhere around then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I was in second grade so probably 7yrs old, when dad let me shoot his ithaca single shot 12ga. We were at a sportsmans club 'turkey shoot' and I actually hit the paper plate, but it slammed me hard. After that I always wanted to shoot at the club events, winning frozen turkeys was awesome. Wow, 7 years old. You must have been one tough kid at that age. I was an unusually small child at seven, no way I could have handled a full sized long gun. Forget about winning turkeys. That's pretty cool. Your Ol' Pappy must have been proud. They were just field loads, and I was little chunky, but they still almost knocked me on my ass. Soon after I was allowed to shoot the win94 30-30, which also kicked the snot out of me. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Rem 1100 back when the wood and bluing on them matched today's blaser rifles. My old man let me take it over to my friend Andy's house. He had an 870 and we pretty much mowed the pasture with them. We set up cans, GI joe, old toys, gas cans, small camping gas cans and lit everything up. The good old days when natural selection was still working. I was 10 years old and my dad had already trained me on other pistols and rifles so he just gave me a ruck sack full of ammo and a rifle. My buddy and I had a blast and ended up having to get some help from his dad after we mixed up our parts when cleaning our shotguns in the basement shop. I don't think you even consider the kick when you are an adrenaline tweaked kid. All we knew is that it destroyed things much quicker than a .22! We were raised around firearms so our parents trusted us. We had no adults with us when we were out shooting. We never had any accidents and were aware of our muzzle at all times. We took pride in marksmanship and safety. Only hope that my kids will be as responsive to good parenting as we were. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mostholycerebus 415 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Early 30's? I never shot my dads, always used his 20ga or many other rifles. I finally bought a 12ga for the home and took it to the range to check function. After shooting things like 30-06 and mosins, no big deal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arik 565 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 No one in my family is into guns but me so the first time for me was when I was 18. I bought a Mosin M38, a 410 pistol grip and a 12G shgotgun Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james lambert 3,059 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I was in second grade so probably 7yrs old, when dad let me shoot his ithaca single shot 12ga. We were at a sportsmans club 'turkey shoot' and I actually hit the paper plate, but it slammed me hard. After that I always wanted to shoot at the club events, winning frozen turkeys was awesome. Did you cook the turkeys for Thanks giving or Christmass? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h3ws12hi 15 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 12 years old, Remington 870, got it for my 12th birthday from my grandmother back in PA. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Probably around 11 or 12. I'm not certain about the actual first, but I didn't like the first few. They would have been the nickle/ plastic NEF single breakdown they use to sell. yuck. If not that, it would likely have been my dad's Win 1300 Police Marine- and all he had were some ancient corroded 3" mag goose loads. - not the best first impression. It was a real surprise the first time I shot someone's fancy trap over/under with trap loads and found it pleasant to aim and shoot. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spacehog 2,218 Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Like Boom, I was either 6-7. My parents shot trap every weekend and we would travel all over Southern CA shooting in ATA events. We also never missed the Grand American in Vandalia, OH every summer. My first time shooting the 12 was shooting a 25 round of Skeet at Booge's gun club near Valencia. I hit one out of 25, and I think that was a gift from the young girl scoring and launching the clays. I couldn't move my right arm the next day, and was bruised so badly I could have claimed child abuse. needless to say I didn't pick up another 12 gauge until I was twelve. But I wouldn't trade that memory for anything, even if it was painful. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pjj342 632 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I was in second grade so probably 7yrs old, when dad let me shoot his ithaca single shot 12ga. We were at a sportsmans club 'turkey shoot' and I actually hit the paper plate, but it slammed me hard. After that I always wanted to shoot at the club events, winning frozen turkeys was awesome. Did you cook the turkeys for Thanks giving or Christmass? My mom did the cooking, I did the eating. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 When I did hunter safety courses at 12 or 13. I had never shot any shotgun before, only my BB gun and some .22s. I hit every clay on the short trap shoot. To this day, the only shotgun I own is my great grandpa's damascus barrel LC Smith SxS.. I can't easily shoot it, so it doesn't count. I do need to buy a cheap scattergun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I think I was around 8-9, on a dare from my older brother. Before that I had shot the 16 ga. plenty of times and already had my own single shot 22. I still have it, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
{ROS}_me 32 Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I was around 10 years old ,Remington 1100 magnum 30 inch, mod. choke .It knocked me backwards ,into my granddads arms. Even though it about knocked me down , I wanted to fire it again I still own the 1100 , and think about my granddad catching me each time I see it on the rack Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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