What made you a "firearms enthusiast"

[zippy23]

out of college, lived on my own in a tiny crappy apartment. The pounds on the door at 3 a.m. hearing a foreign language shouted through the walls helped. I think the self defense aspect got me into it. Growing up and working and paying taxes and see what our gov't is doing, well that may have helped make me an "enthusiast."

 

[Drail]

Ain't that the truth. If reading about your Govt. doesn't get you seriously interested in firearms then you're obviously not paying attention.

 

[24Carat]

Watching Rat Patrol .

 

[jlehman]

I was born into a gun family, probably started shooting and hunting at the age of 10. Our family sold the farm we hunted when I was about 16, so sort of fell out of it at that point. About 3 years ago I was tired of hearing all the home invasion crap in the news and decided I needed to get back into guns and shooting for self/family protection. I always loved plinking so as soon as I picked up a new firearm I fell in love all over.

 

[indiucky]

Did you know the astronauts all carried large Randall knives?

Grissom's Randall is on display at Spring Mill State Park....It's neat....

 

[JollyMon]

Parents wouldnt let me have a bb gun growing up..... I am making up for that in my old age.

 

[gcoop]

Some 45 years ago, my grandfather took me rabbit hunting. I will never forget the bang that the 12ga. shotgun had when he let her rip. After that time with him all I wanted to do,when we visited my grandparents, was to shoot that big gun. Little did he know what inspiration he started in me that cold winter day. Man those fried rabbits tasted GOOD!!

 

[williamsburg]

It happened by accident. Went shooting with a friend. Bought my first gun shortly after that so I would have "my own" the next time we shot and it started me down the path.

 

[PLM2001]

My uncle owns a lot of guns and has a 50 yd range in his back yard. He is the one that got me hooked. However, I really wasn't totally ape **** on guns until I made my first trade. After that I realized I wanted one of everything, or at least wanted to shoot one of everything. After at least 20-30 different sales and trades, I'm still not sure I have what I want, but I know it is fun trying to figure it out.

 

[flightsimmer]

Born to it. Cleaning patch diaper baby.

This

 

[Bartman]

Call of Duty. Yeah, I'm that guy.

Growing up my dad had a S&W revolver for a while. He told us kids, "Don't go near it!" I didn't give much thought to it until years later, playing video games that strive for "realism." (I can hear the virtual eye rolls of those with military service) I started researching some of the firearms used in those games. And if you're looking at gun stuff on the internet, it doesn't take long to find the pro vs anti debate. What got me was the number of police officers who encourage gun ownership by responsible, law-abiding adults. And then it occurred to me: Hey, I'm a responsible, law abiding adult.

 

[woodstock]

Shooting with my dad and grandpa growing up, and playing video games only added to my interest, which is part of the reason why I really got into military firearms.

 

[actaeon277]

Call of Duty. Yeah, I'm that guy.

Growing up my dad had a S&W revolver for a while. He told us kids, "Don't go near it!" I didn't give much thought to it until years later, playing video games that strive for "realism." (I can hear the virtual eye rolls of those with military service) I started researching some of the firearms used in those games. And if you're looking at gun stuff on the internet, it doesn't take long to find the pro vs anti debate. What got me was the number of police officers who encourage gun ownership by responsible, law-abiding adults. And then it occurred to me: Hey, I'm a responsible, law abiding adult.

Don't worry about people rolling their eyes.
It got you started.
But you didn't stop there, like so many "experts" do.
You did more research, got involved.

So I'm gonna give you a thumbs up.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Dad was a cop and started teaching me when I was a wee lad. By the time I was 15, I was good with a rifle and shotgun. Went into the Air Force at eighteen and progressed to M-16's and .38 revolvers. Got off active duty in my twenties and transferred to the Air Reserve Technician program. Bought my own AR-15 to practice more frequently. Many of my buddies were firearms enthusiasts and police officers. Started learning about defensive handgun and combat rifle through my friends in both the military and police worlds.

Enjoyed shooting so much, I volunteered to be a 4-H and NRA Shooting Sports instructor. Taught my wife and both of my girls how to shoot. Also enjoy the history and design of various firearms. Once I started building my own AR rifles and reloading, I was hooked for good.

 

[trucker777]

Nice!

 

[King31]

Sorry to resurrect an older thread (it was in my favorites), but reading through all of these posts made me feel good to enjoy something so many others do. The best part is that there are so many ways to become an enthusiast whether it is family tradition, games/movies, or just trying something new.

I first started with a bb gun, shooting birds out of my parents bay window during the winter around 7 years old. From there Dad took me on the occasional squirrel hunt until I was a little older when I started carrying my own 22. It was a marlin 880 bolt gun and very accurate and I still hunt with it to this day whenever I don't want to take my CZ. Around 14, I began deer hunting with an old Remington 870 Wingmaster that used to be a heck of a quail gun. After that I moved to my current Remington 1100 and will be carrying it even with the new rifle laws. I enjoy shooting clays and would do more of it if time allowed. Buying a thrower was a great idea for get-togethers with my buddies.

Up until I was 21 I knew very little about handguns as my father only had a couple revolvers, a Beretta 92, and a Ruger MKIII. I'm not sure why, (self defense/target practice likely) but I became more interested in them and started buying. I enjoy shooting my Glocks, have a 1911, and a CZ 75 so I have covered a lot of the debatable topics on here. In January of 2015 I started reloading handgun and have to say that it is nice to be able to load on my own. I am hoping to cast lead in the future.

Hopefully this will bring a few more stories out to read as I definitely relished it. It would be neat to have new members post their stories in this same thread, just to see the difference among all of us here at INGO. Thank you all.

 

[ATM]

When I was 17, I got an M-16.

It was cool.

Wish I could have kept it.

 

[bubbazap]

My dad got me started shooting at a very young age. He trained hunting dogs as a side job (in addition to full time job and the farm). seemed like we went shooting every day after he got home from his "paid job". He started me out with the 22 then moved up to shotgun, then to large caliber rifles. I was always trying to outshoot him, but never did, even when he got older.

Would love to go shooting with him again (lost him early this year)

 

[Greyson]

Fired my first gun in basic training. It was fun!
Some people like shooting pool, or golfing, or darts, or playing any game. At the end of the day, if not playing for money nothing was accomplished. Shooting guns is a skill that can make a difference.

Much can be learned about yourself when you shoot. Keeping a level head when my targets were (in my imagination) attacking me, provides opportunity to be calm in the face of adversity. Immediate feedback about how I controlled my breath, get the position right, pressed the trigger even though I want to yank it with enthusiasm. This is a life skill, not just a shooting skill.

And then there are benefits: confidence in my ability to learn new skills, self defense, ability to defend my family and neighbors, and of course, put meat on the table.

 

[actaeon277]

When I was 17, I got an M-16.

It was cool.

Wish I could have kept it.

I got a S5W Naval Reactor with a S3G core.
But it was kinda hard lugging it around.