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

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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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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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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Originally Posted by Heavyweight

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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We have a buddy with a world class arsenal and unknown tons of ammo. He also has no children. Just a wife and dogs.

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Originally Posted by markm

We have a buddy with a world class arsenal and unknown tons of ammo. He also has no children. Just a wife and dogs.

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Ditto here.

I wish I had, but no. Very typical NE types, did their duty in the war, didn't really view guns as a personal interest. I'm the only one I'm aware of who was into firearms in any real sense. I found a shot gun in the attack after my grandfather died on my mothers side years later.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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No buddies with kids that would be interested?

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Originally Posted by SteyrAUG

No buddies with kids that would be interested?

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I have what I consider three "best" friends. Two of them I don't see that often (one of those hardly ever, but we keep in touch) and they each have an adult son. Perhaps the one's son closer to me geographically might, but he's 19yo now and doing 19yo stuff, as well as being in college for engineering. He might be a candidate down the road.

Now the third guy, well I see him just about every day but he only has step-kids. He is also 71yo and I laugh heartily when he says "If something happens to you I want that XXX you have".

My Dad definitely got me in to shooting. By today’s standards he would have been called a “Fudd,” but I don’t think that’s fair because there wasn’t the same kind of access to gun info then as today. He was a firm believer in Magnum revolvers, thought the 9mm was pip squeak round but carried a .32 ACP a lot. He never had an AR, but had good things to say about M16s he used in the military—but I’m also not sure I ever saw one in any of our local gunshops as a kid. He was pretty convinced anything that needed shooting could be dealt with via 12 Gauge or .357 Magnum. He was definitely didn’t have a good practice schedule by modern standards, but from years of hunting together and me asking to go shooting he was always a pretty competent shot. I remember he was pretty good with his revolver out to 50 yards.

I grew up shooting my dad’s Nylon 66. That was the only gun he ever bought his entire life but it started my passion. I still have it and I will be passing it on one day to my daughter.

Both my grandfathers as well as my father were all pretty "meh" about guns. Not against them at all, but just had other passions. I came to guns more or less on my own and since nothing was actively done to discourage it, it took hold. Most of my mentoring in firearms came from the old guy that ran the local FFL. He taught me to reload and let me shoot an ungodly amount of his ammo through his various and sundry machine guns.

As I grew older, I tried to dabble in High Power...There was in informal club at my college that I tried to be a part of, but the guy that ran it was just using the rest of us to finance his daughter's competition shooting activities. He was also an ass and ignored everyone but his kids and he kids were spoiled, entitled, whiny little bitches that were just awful to be around. Eventually I grew tired of being one of the suckers paying the bills and stopped showing up for their practices/events. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I've never had a desire to try to participate in any formal shooting competition since. Honestly, it kind of ruined me from shooting with other people in general...

These days, I buy stuff I find interesting, but mostly just shoot my mouth. The range here is dangerous and I just mostly have other things to do than drag my shit across town for the opportunity to get shot in the back by some shithead that's either drunk, high, or both.

I think my first gun was an antique Fox double barrel shotgun my dad gave me which was a companion to his 12 gauge. We had Ruger 10/22s tacticalized and shot those quite a bit too. He was in the service before I was born so was familiar with the AR. He didn’t buy one until my late teens and by then I had lost interest until about the last 15 years. We have been buying, building and shooting ever since.

At this point it looks like my uncles kid is going to get a LOT of guns one day. Some of my students are gonna get a lot of swords and a few guns.

If it looks like I don't have enough candidates, I'll just start volunteering at the local shooting range to help new shooters and see if there are any kids who aren't 100% snot boogers. Might also visit the local vets home and see if there are any kids spending lots of time in the library studying the military histories of one of their relatives.

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Originally Posted by SteyrAUG

At this point it looks like my uncles kid is going to get a LOT of guns one day. Some of my students are gonna get a lot of swords and a few guns.

If it looks like I don't have enough candidates, I'll just start volunteering at the local shooting range to help new shooters and see if there are any kids who aren't 100% snot boogers. Might also visit the local vets home and see if there are any kids spending lots of time in the library studying the military histories of one of their relatives.

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You think that is gonna expand the candidate list? Good luck! Not sure most of these kids nowadays have an interest (at least percentage-wise compared to our generation) in military history or military stuff in general. The local shooting range idea might serve you better.

I have another friend who's son is a sergeant in the Marine Corps and may be one I consider. Now my friend is an FFL and does gunsmithing so his son will likely inherit quite a few firearms anyway. The "kid" (25yo now) used to cut our grass in high school and is on his second enlistment. Good guy, not a drinker or party type of person, more into cars.

I mentioned that one of my nephews is gay and guns aren't his thing. My niece (his sister) is into shooting so perhaps there's another.

Dad wasnt a gun person per say, but he was an avid upland hunter and had several 870's in 410/28/12 and a Browning Superposed.

My moms side of the family were big time fox and coyote hunters and I grew up around Rem 760's.

My safe is an eclectic mix of CZ 452's, Browning O/U's, HK pistols and various black rifles. It was growing up with dad practicing mounting and swinging shotguns every night for 5-10 minutes that really got me hooked and I do the same thing with my O/U's, drawing pistols, presenting and pressing the trigger. I do this so my son and daughter are not afraid of the sight of a firearm. The wife doesnt care for it, but she doesn't say much anymore.

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Originally Posted by ABNAK

You think that is gonna expand the candidate list? Good luck! Not sure most of these kids nowadays have an interest (at least percentage-wise compared to our generation) in military history or military stuff in general. The local shooting range idea might serve you better.

I have another friend who's son is a sergeant in the Marine Corps and may be one I consider. Now my friend is an FFL and does gunsmithing so his son will likely inherit quite a few firearms anyway. The "kid" (25yo now) used to cut our grass in high school and is on his second enlistment. Good guy, not a drinker or party type of person, more into cars.

I mentioned that one of my nephews is gay and guns aren't his thing. My niece (his sister) is into shooting so perhaps there's another.

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I figure it's worth a shot. When I was 12 years old and doing the same thing, there were a couple other kids in there. Mostly thinking about people who would actually appreciate my WWI / WWII firearm collection.

My dad took me to the range when I was 10. I shot his SW model 41. I was hooked. I developed a fascination with guns.

Bought a Ruger 10-22 when I was 16.

One of my old man's friends taught me to handload when I was in college. I quickly became the ammo supplier to my brothers, dad


10 years later I started working as a cop. Spent a few decades as firearms instructor, armorer.

My dad is 82 now. I took the day off a few weeks ago and took him to the gun club.

Next time we are going to shoot that model 41

A few things happened when I turned 5. The first thing was me joining mixed martial arts, though at that time it wasn't called that. The second thing was I started spending weekends on a military range working firing drills.

Weapons were just considered a tool, and I was I spent a lot of time with a pellet gun, and even more with a BB gun because it was cheaper to shoot. My mom has shot people, and dad has put people down as well, so there was certainly no question about what weapons were around for. It wasn't like a family of killers, but the facts were the facts.

My heavy involvement with weapons came about a little later on in life, but even as a kid firearms and their use was a routine part of life.

Yes, it just was never considered a “hobby”. Dad is a Vietnam era USMC vet. I’ve been told but do not remember my first interaction with firearms. Untold thousands of rounds I through a 10/22 and 38s through an S&W 19 and Ruger Security-Six, Mini 14, Winchester Model 12. He was an FFL during the 80s & 90s. Chinese AK were everywhere but I had zero interest at the time. It took libtard cocksuckers of the day to get me into the type of weapons I’m into today. In other words they can blame themselves, dad just taught me the shit to deal with shit when he was deployed dealing with their shit.

Not me. It was one of our neighbors that me and my brothers were working for at the time that really got us interested in guns. He took us and our Dad out shooting one day and had us try out a variety of different guns. Of course us kids really liked his M1 Carbine the most. Surprisingly the guy was a democrat and mostly into fudd guns.

One day in 1999 my Dad finally bought a Marlin .22lr tube fed rifle and a crack barrel shotgun after my Mom freaked out and told him to because one of our nesting ducks and it's eggs disappeared overnight from some wild animal. Never ended up finding any suspects to shoot with those guns, but all that combined is how it started.

My parents still aren't really into guns, but they are conservative and support the 2nd Amendment. They both have a few guns, but they never really use them.

My grandfather on my mom’s side had need an avid hunter his whole life, his parents lived through the Great Depression and really passed on that sense of self reliance to him. No one in my parents generation really were into guns that I know of but two of my cousins and I would go hunting with grandpa as often as we could. Now, the cousins are both cops back in NY and I went infantry and between the three of us we probably have a pretty decent arsenal.

I was fortunate & still am to be hunting with Dad...we have been members on the same 7000 acre deer lease for 20 years. He's doing his best to get to 80 & just had complete shoulder surgery a few days ago. I'm hoping it takes, cuz he hasn't been able to swing a shotgun for a couple three seasons. I remember taking tests / being at PE in grade / JH school when the principal from Peanuts / Charlie Brown would come over the com telling me to get to the office for a dr / dentist appointment only to end up somewhere outside of McCook to kill doves.

It was me who was eat'n up with the actual gun bug (beyond them being a tool) & got Dad interested once I became an adult...fun ride.