Who Had a Dad/Grandad That Shared Their Gun Hobby?

[Heavyweight]

So I was talking about this in another thread and Ron3 got me thinking this might be fun to talk about. How many of you guys got started in our little hobby by their dad, stepdad, grandad? I was talking about how much I wish my dad had been into guns when I was a kid. My dad was a big hunter. And we most definitely shared that love. We started every September in the dove fields here in N. Central Texas. Then bow season started on Whitetails in October, rifle season in November….when it got cool enough we brought out the dogs and got after the quail. Then a little bit of a lull until spring turkeys…..and fishing in late spring and summer. Then it started all over again. And that isn’t counting the occasional elk/mule deer/antelope hunting we also did. It was heaven. But although I didn’t know it at the time my dad was a big time Fud. Guns were tools to be used for hunting and self defense. And a S&W 686 was all you needed for self defense. But I couldn’t read enough about firearms and wanted so badly to try out the modern guns of the day…..the H&K 91/93….Colt AR….even a simple 1911 or Hi-Power and my dad would shake his head and say, “We aren’t terrorists son.” And he wouldn’t purchase anything for me with my own money either. So, when I turned 18 I started on my own but without much cash it was tough to acquire the things I wanted. I was lamenting a bit about all the great gun opportunities I missed. But really I’m not complaining. My dad and I had some of the best times of my life on those hunts. I wouldn’t trade that for all the cheap sub-guns and ARs in the world. Well, maybe for a BAR or Colt Monitor.

But I got started in the hobby on my own accord. What about you guys?

Stay safe

Heavyweight


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[markm]

My dad and I were in and out of shooting at different/opposite times. We never were passionate about it at the same time. Probably saved us both money.

[AKDoug]

Funny thing is, my mom basically brought the gun culture to our family. She was raised in a family that had settled in rural Washington in the 1870's and had a long tradition of hunting to feed the family. My dad was born in Canada and learned to shoot in the Boy Scouts. They were city dwellers and really had no firearm. That part of the family moved to Southern California right around the Korean War and shooting was never part of their lives.

As a late teenager I worked for a guy that was a big gun guy. Lots of HK 91's and 93's, 1911's and High Powers. That's when I really got rolling on shooting and collecting firearms.

My 2 daughters, son and wife are all now shooters and they'll pass it on I imagine.

[Heavyweight]

My dad and I were in and out of shooting at different/opposite times. We never were passionate about it at the same time. Probably saved us both money.

No doubt.

My dad was a periodontist and did well with his practice…..I still fantasize about what we could have funded in the 70’s and 80’s if I could have gotten him on board with me. He’s 87 now and I don’t think he really believes me when I tell him what a transferable M3 grease gun goes for these days. Or an M2 carbine. They were practically giving that shit away…..plus the stamp of course. Hell, you could get an M16 for around $650 in the late 70’s.


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[GTF425]

But I got started in the hobby on my own accord. What about you guys?

I hadn't fired a weapon until I went to basic training. I didn't really get into shooting until after my first deployment, and it's been a hobby ever since.

[joedirt199]

Dad was an FFL in the 80s and 90s mainly to acquire his love of military arms old and new. ATF started running the small guys out for not being "Shop Enough." He got out but now appreciates my collection and lives through me. He still has tons but very rarely shoots them.

[C-grunt]

My dad bought me my first gun, a Marlin model 25 .22lr bolt rifle, when I was 12. Before that we didn't have any guns in the house. He also bought himself a Glenfield (Marlin) Model 60 at the same time. He taught me how to shoot but he was not a big time gun guy. He occasionally hunted in his youth, but that was about it. Later in life he started shooting handguns pretty regularly. My dad probably owned 5 or 6 guns his entire life. I had more than that by the time I left for the Army at age 18.

Both my grandfathers owned several guns. But they either got out of the hobby by the time I was old enough to really shoot with them or they weren't shooters.

[tkoglman]

My dad is completely responsible for my life long obsession with guns. He was a police firearms instructor when I was born and was the state champion in PPC for a couple years when I was a toddler in the early 1970s. He has always been an avid hunter even today at 79 years old. He wasn’t a collector, though, so he only bought guns with his modest income that he had a practical use for. That meant hunting rifles and shotguns and competition pistols. I grew up on a farm, so he taught me to shoot at a young age, and I grew up hunting with him and shooting a lot (mostly .22 because I paid for my own ammo). We shot M1s in service rifle competitions when I was in junior high school and high school. He let me buy a Colt HBAR A2 when I was 16, and that really began my interest in military firearms. Today, he probably owns as many guns as I do, but they’re of a different class. For example, he has only one AR and one Glock (his G48 EDC). I’m the opposite; almost everything I have is “tactical” or for practical competition. I have one single shot 12ga for the very rare occasions I go hunting.

[SteyrAUG]

I got my first gun in the 4th grade, a WWI German Luger.

By the time I was 15 I had bought my first HK91 and 93.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...s+40+Years+Ago

[ABNAK]

My dad wasn't into guns. I have no children. I am therefore a "one-off". Getting close to 59yo and no one to leave anything to.....one nephew is/was an alchie and druggie, the other is gay. Nieces? Not sure if interested or not.