Senior Shooters Favorites

[Rascal01]

The are likely folks here who have been shooters nearly all their respective lives. You know the type. Got their first gun at 10 and now have 40 or more years of experience. Some of us are still shooting while collecting our retirement checks.

So after a lifetime of firearms experience, which guns were your personal favorites? I'm curious as to what stood the test of time? Chances are you still own it and won't part with it. Less seasoned shooters might find this interesting.

So what was your favorite centerfire rifle, handgun and shotgun? Add your favorite rimfire rifle and handgun. Finish with your favorite black rifle if you have one.

This is not a test, it's a trip down memory lane and a chance to tell us what worked for you.


Here's my list:

I've been a shooter 61 years. My first gun was a Marlin Glenfield single shot .22 rifle.

Rifle - Remington 600 .350 Magnum
Handgun - S&W Model 53 .22 Remington Jet
Shotgun - Winchester Model 12 Trenchgun

Savage 24 Campers Companion .22/20 GA.
Colt Match Target Woodman circa 1953

XM-177E2 at work
Howa AR-180 - personal

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[Ura-Ki]

Not "OLD" enough for SS, but retired none the less!

Personal Fav's
Holland&Holland ( Mauser 98 Commercial Magnum) .375 Reamed to Weatherby chamber specs!
1895 Winchester in .405 Win that was my Grand Dads personal fav.
1855 Colt MK-1 Revolving Rifle, Pre Civil War very early production with all the original accessories in .50 cal.
1855 Colt MK-IV .44 cal. Frontier Rifle with Original Leather Scabbard and original Colt molds!
Winchester Mod 52 Olympic Match .22
Anchutz Mod 64 multi Match .22
High Standard Super match .22

 

[wiresparker]

First gun was a Stevens? singleshot bolt action, close the bolt and then pull the cocking knob. 1947 when I was nine.
To many to remember but here goes.
Mossy 151m
PP32
second model H&R 22
Rem. 12
Rem 81 .300 savage favorite rifle
Ruger Old Model super blackhawk .44, new in 1965,alltime favorite
there are more but that is a start.
ace

 

[joken]

I'm 73 and when I was 7 my Grandfather gave me a single-shot .22. I have no idea who made the gun but my grandfather bored a hole in a penny and soldered it to the rear sight to make a peep sight for me. I must have fired a few thousand rounds through that thing and am ashamed today of all the things I killed with it. I don't have the gun and have no idea where it went but today it would be priceless to me.

 

[PaulB47]

Winchester 1885 rebarrelled to 6.5 TCU
Marlin Model 39M
Smith & Wesson 629 Classic

One I didn't expect: my Savage B22Mag. Short barrel, light weight, no recoil to speak of, accurate, and lots more power than .22LR. I'd say it's almost the perfect duffer's gun, but it really needs a nice walnut stock to add some class.

Black rifles are just tools - I got 'em, but nothing to get excited about.

 

[usrifle]

The M1 Garand. My handle is what it is because of that rifle, it will always be my favorite. (The M1A is a close second).
The 1911 Platform....because John browning got it right.
Am i showing my age?

 

[gmerkt]

I'm 70 now, been shooting since I was about 11 or 12. First gun I fired was a Remington Nylon 66. Next, a Marlin Model 56 which today I own as my cousin gave it to me about 20 years ago. As I recall, the first firearm that I bought was either a Stevens Model 52 single shot .22 or an Austrian Army Steyr-Mannlicher carbine in 8x56R. I think I bought these around the same time, maybe within a month of each other.

One gun I can pick up and shoot well without thinking much about it is a plain old Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 Special, just factory magna stocks. They don't look like it but fit well in my large hands.

Too difficult for me to say, "this is my favorite gun." But I like to shoot a number of them. I like to shoot the M1A rifles, the M14 is what I trained on in the army. Then we switched over to the M16, and I enjoy shooting the AR's in both 5.56 and 7.62 NATO. I like shooting the M1 Rifle, once in a while I get out an 8mm Mauser and shoot that. Got a number of handguns that I enjoy shooting, different types.

I was retirement eligible at age 55, worked a couple years beyond that and pulled the pin at 57. So I've been retired for 13 years and have enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I don't go shooting as often as I'd like. Just lately I got all my deferred maintenance real property projects caught up so I'm gonna make an effort to get a bit more shooting in.

 

[Joe13]

I'm 43 so I'm not sure I qualify for this thread in the retirement area but I've been shooting for 39 of those years and have shot a lot of guns in that time.

Grandfather started me off on a Crossman pumpmaster (760 maybe?). I shot it till it gave out in my teens so I don't still have it.

At the same time I was learning with a BB gun rifle I was also learning handguns and was shooting a Ruger Standard (Mark 1) as well as a S&W 39-2 9mm - at age 4. I still have both handguns and they are priceless to me.

At 18 I inherited my dads JC Higgins 12ga Mossberg clone and bought my first rifle, a SS Marlin 60 of which both I still have.

My favorite centerfire Rifle would be a toss up between a Tikka T3 CTR in .308 (a friends) or a Savage Model 110 in .308 with a bull barrel (that was a gift).

My favorite Shotgun is also a tie between a police trade in 1981 20" Rem 870 with mag extension and shell holder for HD and a JC Higgins 1951 12ga with adjustable choke made by High Standard I use for clays (I've yet to find or shoot a better shotgun).

Going with the can't decide between 2, my favorite pistol is a Beretta 92fs Inox (gift from my wife and a bucket list gun forever) and my favorite revolver is a SS Ruger GP100 6" .357mag (the revolver I unfortunately do not still have but it is on my 'I absolutely will buy another one' list - I had to sell mine for financial reasons and it wasn't an inheritance gun so it got put on the chopping block).

Favorite 22 rifle is my lever Henry.
Favorite 22 pistol is my Ruger MK3 Hunter

Favorite AR-15 is my first that I got a lot of help building and some of the parts from friends, so it has some sentimental value on top of being an awesome rifle.

I guess not much of that list is rare or out of the ordinary (except maybe the High Standard built 12ga) but I don't think that my list would change if you asked me in another 15-20 years either. I like what I like and tend to stick with it.

 

[WWShooter]

My love of guns was entirely self-generated, no relatives of any kind into guns. I was a boy scout, got the boy scout magazine (whatever it was 65 years ago) saw the ads. My first gun (purchased entirely with my paper route earnings) was a Mossberg bolt action target rifle - that is, it had peep sights. The father of a school friend had the keys to the local college indoor 50' range, so he'd invite me to shoot there on weekends. As I got a bit older, I graduated to an Anschutz Match 54 with a scope (also purchased with my earnings) and continued to shoot at the college range. I sold the Anschutz to eat while in college; 45 years later got back into the game (and got another, as yet unfired by me, Match 54).

Now, as then, I'm about putting a shot on target down range. Volume holds no interest for me, but sub-0.5 minute accuracy sure does. IMHO starting about two or three months after the SHTF, taking game is going to matter a lot more than massive suppressing fire. So, now, a couple of 1,000 yard bolt actions, 4-5 bolt action .22s and 2-3 (depending on what barrels are installed) bolt action .17 HMRs; and an 870 for the nasty work until things settle down if the SHTF.

I don't know that I've got a favorite, because all of them are too new to me in my second round of gun ownership. My Anschutz MPRs in .22LR and .17HMR are pretty sweet, and I love my Tikka CTRs in .260 Remington.

That reminds me, I need more trigger time with all of them.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

At 51 years of age....I am not a senior.
But my favorite rifle that I own was made by a "Senior"
My favorite rifle is my Hawken rifle copy made by Loren "Doc" Brown.
Doc made my rifle when he was 73.
Andy

.54 caliber , walnut half stock , 36 inch barrel.
Walnut was taken from a local tree that was hit by lightning.


And the rifle maker Loren "Doc" Brown.
He served with the 42nd Infantry during WWII...earning the Bronze Star with "V" for valor ( twice ) , the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge , among other awards.
I am proud to have called him a friend of mine.
Andy

 

[Rascal01]

So a few things appear to be common among senior and close to senior shooters. The first is that identifying your favorite firearm in the different categories is difficult. Some can't, or won't go there. I had a difficult time with picking favorites myself. In fact, I had to force myself or I couldn't have started the thread.

Another area of common ground is an emotional connection to a firearm. Perhaps a gift from a loved one or the gun came to you through a good friend. And let's not forget guns bought with money earned through personal labor.

Then there is the appreciation of quality, or for some of us, utility. It does what it does very well.

And the black guns? Well, we may have one (or more) but for some of us they fall into a category of their own. They are a little like 21st century insurance you wouldn't want to be without. Besides, they can be a lot of fun.

I'll keep an eye on this thread and see where it takes us.

 

[turq]

My favorite rifle is a Rem 700 ADL in 270 win.
Never shot it. Love it.
Sent the Bimart 270 to Shilen trued action chambered in the thinest profile for 35 Whelen no.2 I think then had them send it to Lone Wolf in Montana; when they would carbon fiber bedding block a hunting rifle in their 20oz. stock(forest green).
Shot elk with it.

Some favorites come from carrying them many miles hunting in Forest over tough terrain.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

At age 73 and 1/2, I started out with a Daisy red Ryder BB gun. I still have it. I shout thousands and thousands of BB's through it. Next came a Savage 22/410 at about age 11. Next came my M-14 in USMC Recruit Training (we also trained with the M-1 in Infantry Training) then the 1911a1 and the M-16. When I got home I really got into small bore and pistol competition, so a Remington 40xB and a S&W "Bull"gun (target revolver built on a S&W model 10 frame with a Bishop bull barrel and a Bomar winged rib sight. I started collecting with a S&W Model 19, then a 66, 39, 59, 29 and 57 along with a Colt Python, my "liberated 1911a1 and at least 60 more guns that would bore you. I finally bought an interest in a sporting goods store! My wife and I still enjoy target shooting.

 

[Knute]

Great thread!

My first love, I mean rifle was the Ruger 10/22 Bicentenial I bought with summer work money but the guy at Sears wouldn't hand it to me because I was a kid, riding my bike and told to go home to get dad before I got to enjoy it.

Remington 870 12 gauge fun, in the service.

1886 Browning...45/70 perfection!

I enjoyed carrying the Garand in training, the Coast Guard was poor and getting Marine Corps hand-me-downs, but sadly never got to shoot those...they handed us M16A1s (sad face), but also back then started my love affair with JMB's 1911. Eleven years into my time in, the unit I was at turned in our great old rattle-trap 1911A1s for some Italian jobs

My favorite 1911 is a Colt custom shop two-tone "EGA" with three stars on the side

Special mention goes to Dad's duty gun as a Pierce County deputy sheriff, a S&W 28 Highway Patrolman born in 1961...dad is long gone but I wish this gun could talk.

Black rifles...not my favorite. They have always been too small for me and I wish LeMay and the other Service Chiefs would have gone with the AR10, but the "modern sporting rifle" absolutely works! The little AR helps me get past some arthritis issues now, and has a place in my tool box.

 

[Rascal01]

At age 73 and 1/2, I started out with a Daisy red Ryder BB gun. I still have it. I shout thousands and thousands of BB's through it. Next came a Savage 22/410 at about age 11. Next came my M-14 in USMC Recruit Training (we also trained with the M-1 in Infantry Training) then the 1911a1 and the M-16. When I got home I really got into small bore and pistol competition, so a Remington 40xB and a S&W "Bull"gun (target revolver built on a S&W model 10 frame with a Bishop bull barrel and a Bomar winged rib sight. I started collecting with a S&W Model 19, then a 66, 39, 59, 29 and 57 along with a Colt Python, my "liberated 1911a1 and at least 60 more guns that would bore you. I finally bought an interest in a sporting goods store! My wife and I still enjoy target shooting.

That's quite a bunch. Got any favorites in the mix?

 

[BLINDone3]

Started out with a used Remington model 41 .22. Got ammo for moving sprinklers and fixing fence at the ranch in Montana. Got a penny for every gopher tail I brought back from combining, seemed like big money then! Winchester 30-30 was next on the favorite list. Switched to Model 70 in 30-06 and a model 71 in .348 win. Wasn't much I didn't take down those! Pistols always been a 1912. One other favorite is 1885 Browning in 40-65

 

[Quirt Evans]

1886 Browning...45/70 perfection!

You got that right, they're better than the originals.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

That's quite a bunch. Got any favorites in the mix?

I have always enjoyed just about everything that I've shot. I'm your age and my wife and I still go out regularly and blow holes in targets. As an aside, I was exposed to a great many weapons during my time in the Marines. I was actually able to fire a Thompson Sub Machine gun and I got a real charge out of doing that. In my day, we trained with everything that the VC may have had in their arsenal and that included AK's, SKS, French 8MM Lebel, Moisins and everything else. I got to live a real dream by shooting all the guns that I did.

 

[usrifle]

One i will never sell...A Remington 121 Fieldmaster. I was taught Gun safety and learned to shoot from my neighbor. My Folks were not gun people, but the neighbor family was.
My Mentor and "Big Brother" was about 7 years older than me. I lived nextdoor and i always looked up to him. He taught me how to work on Lawn Mower's, Cars, and to shoot Gun's, as well as a whole lot of other important stuff a young Man needs to know.
I was probably about 10 or 12 when i got to shoot an old Remington 121 Fieldmaster with a flip up Redfield Peep sight on the Tang he had inherited from his Father. Cool thing was, they had a bullet Trap in their basement, it extended from the Garage on the same level through a Shop area so you had a good 15 Yards.
I learned to cast bullets for Centerfire Pistols in that basement, as well as how to reload Ammo too.
I shot that 121 with him many Times over the Years, and when i remarried in 2014 that was his Wedding present to me, that meant a whole lot.
I had first shot that Rifle more than 40 Years before that and it holds some special Memories for me.
My "Big Brother" Died July 22nd 2019, i miss him.
I need to have my Son Shoot that Rifle and make sure he understands the significance it has to his Old Man. I hope he will cherish it as much as i do when i'm gone.

 

[Rascal01]

One i will never sell...A Remington 121 Fieldmaster. I was taught Gun safety and learned to shoot from my neighbor. My Folks were not gun people, but the neighbor family was.
My Mentor and "Big Brother" was about 7 years older than me. I lived nextdoor and i always looked up to him. He taught me how to work on Lawn Mower's, Cars, and to shoot Gun's, as well as a whole lot of other important stuff a young Man needs to know.
I was probably about 10 or 12 when i got to shoot an old Remington 121 Fieldmaster with a flip up Redfield Peep sight on the Tang he had inherited from his Father. Cool thing was, they had a bullet Trap in their basement, it extended from the Garage on the same level through a Shop area so you had a good 15 Yards.
I learned to cast bullets for Centerfire Pistols in that basement, as well as how to reload Ammo too.
I shot that 121 with him many Times over the Years, and when i remarried in 2014 that was his Wedding present to me, that meant a whole lot.
I had first shot that Rifle more than 40 Years before that and it holds some special Memories for me.
My "Big Brother" Died July 22nd 2019, i miss him.
I need to have my Son Shoot that Rifle and make sure he understands the significance it has to his Old Man. I hope he will cherish it as much as i do when i'm gone.

That's quite the story and part of a common thread among the seniors. We have emotional connections to family and friends who may have passed, A firearm can be a tangible item that links us to our past, now long gone.

Thank you for posting this. It is a great story.