What path did you trace to shooting?

[Demonic69]

We could start a virtual detached flight with all of the brill creams on here!

If only we could get hold of some l98s :'(

[Blu]

For me it was a BSA air rifle when I was 10 years old, then the Army Cadets (Royal Scots Greys) where we shot the No8 the No4 and the Bren gun. From there to the Army, had a break for a couple of years when I left the Army (young family) and took it up again when we came to the USA many moons ago. My wife would also agree that it's more than a hobby, she calls it the money pit but she's more than happy to shoot anything I reload.

Blu

[jay851]

i started with a gat gun as a young lad with my mates, shooting darts at a dart board.then plinking in woods with air rifles followed by joining army cadets and shooting .303, gpmg and slr. had a spell off of shooting then started airsoft, then clays with my boy which led to wildfowling.
see the nra had an open day so booked up with the missus, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole day with all the different diciplines. now a nra member with still so much to do and learn.

[ovenpaa]

Gat Guns! Now there is a name from the past. I had a couple, one all metal and one with a wooden handle. They were incapable of any real form of accuracy with either the .177 pellets or the little darts however they were great fun.

At around the age of around 11 I had something far worse than a Gat for a brief period until my Mother found out and I was told to get rid of it immediately, quite where it went eludes me and I will never ever admit in writing as to what it was. What I will say is I originally swapped it for a microscope and it made impressive holes in a Monopoly board plus the plasterboard wall behind it in the corner of my bedroom...

[FredB]

I was introduced to a Diana no 1---the type where you had to break it to cock and then remove the barel liner to put the pellet in the base---when I was six. The power fell of very rapidly and so, a year or so later, I was given it as a toy. I found that, if I shot at a matchbox around 10 feet away, the pellets would just penetrate one side and collect in the box from where I could re-use them. My dad bought me a Webley "Senior" when I was twelve and I saved up for a BSA Cadet. There was no law of armed trespass in the 1950s and I could wander freely. The local tip was a favourite place for plinking. Started work at 18 and joined the company rifle club. Made the unfortunate discovery that I am useless in the prone position--whatever I do I cannot get comfortable. There was little interest in standing rifle shooting in the 1960s, so I started a pistol section. Shot .22 pistol for some years and then we had the opportunity to extend and upgrade our indoor range and it became full-bore. Joined an outdoor clob about the same time. Centrefire Precision and Police Pistol were our main disciplines, but I became interested in Classics. Was a founder member of the NPA and widened the discipline interest to include long range. Won my first Comp at Bisley in 1980---Classic Self-Loading Pistol---using a Luger. Interest in police pistol disciplines and especially the 1500 continued.
After the Great Pistol Robbery on 1997, standing rifle shooting took off---this was what I always wanted to do anyway---and I dabbled in the new Gallery Rifle games, but discovered that I actually was not keen on the 1500 with a rifle. Back to the Historic competitions, Rook Rifles, Schuetzen rifles and muzzle loaders. Still can't shoot prone: standing at the shorter ranges has always been my game. I seek out old and interesting guns in obsolete calibres, get them into shooting condition and compete with them.
As a design engineer, I recognise the the design quality of modern military rifle, but I also recognise that they are mass produced and built to a price: hence, I lose interest after about 1930.
Fred

[froggy]

I came to shooting as a sport very very late. Having spent a lot of time at my gran-parents home where guns were plentyful, shooting & hunting was just a useful skill, something like swimming & riding a bike. I bought my 1st semi-auto 22Lr at the age of 15 and was of that generation when shooting anything from rabbits, rats, crows or snakes was a bona-fide hobby for boys . Army years were the same, shooting was just one of the tools of the job. It's only getting older I started to appreciate guns as objects of interest. Don't take me wrong, I love shooting but if I am very honnest, I still can't get too excited about it. Competition is merely a way to test myself . Equally I can't imagine how anybody would not want to shoot. I am very much trying to raise my son with the same attitude.

[Gaz]

Joined the Cub Scouts when I was single-digit years old. They had weekly airgun shoots in the scout hall, where I rapidly became hooked. Then I discovered the Hampshire Scout Rifle Club, which shot live .22 rifles. Great, these made a bigger bang than our .177" breakbarrels! From HSRC I was introduced to fullbore through the excellent Surrey Venture Scouts RC, who introduced me to the HUGE bang that 7.62mm makes.
Around about the time I joined SVSRC I also joined the Air Cadets. Shot lots of competitions at various levels, learned to love the faithful old No.8, and wound up with an all-expenses-paid holiday to Canada where I mostly carried kit, kept registers and scored a lot of inners while watching others do extraordinary things.

Then I got to university, where there wasn't a rifle club. Three months later I was one of the founder members of the rifle club, which is still going strong seven years later. I still shoot TR and .22 TR, but I've branched out into classic Enfields. Looking forward to the SR discipline revamp!

[dave_303]

Started out at 13 with a passion for Military History and firearms, started at my local rifle club with .22 TR, rapidly grew bored of it and took up Lightweight Sport Rifle. Not long after that I started smallbore Phoenix competitions, then achieved what I really wanted to do, get a Lee Enfield No.4, joined a fullbore rifle club and bought more fullbore rifles. Became a committee member of my club at 17, helped set up my university club and now shooter whenever I can.

Somewhere between starting shooting at going to uni I shot pistols in Jersey, and then again with 2 trips to Switzerland where my friend there has a collection of 70+ handguns and some semi-auto rifles, plus his own 10m pistol range in his house.

[User702]

Air pistols & air rifles, followed by .22lr 25m target shooting, then 5.56mm with the cadets, 12b clays, more air rifle, more 12b clays, skeet, DTL, etc, 12b game, rimfire vermin and finally fullbore long range targets (with a bit of 5.56/7.62 and 9mm thrown in for good measure!).

All told, I think I have been shooting for 27 or 28 years of my life. I don't think I've ever not enjoyed it either, even when I've been stuck out at Warcop in a howling gale and the p*** wind.

[mackie]

I did paintball a few years back (usually not on organised sites) but gave it up after I buggered my cruciate ligament. A couple of years ago it just popped into my head that I should maybe try rifle shooting and ended up joining a full bore rifle club.