Good Ole Fashion Giveaway - Winners Posted

[therealfullmentaljacket]

I was 16 years old, and saw an ad in a local newspaper for a Winchester / Cooey .22LR semi-auto rifle for sale at K-Mart Canada. I still remember that my Dad had to go with me to the local store, and act/vouch for me as my sponsor because I think you had to be 18 to buy a gun back then by yourself. The clerk showed us the rifle, and I was more than agog, as a young man who knew very little about firearms at all. It was a work of art from the smoothly finished natural wood stock and forend, to the dark steel barrel and action, with just a hint of blue. After we left the store, Dad gave me my first lessons in gun safety, as he had been in the military during WWII. He showed me what was what on the gun, and said, "you'd better be very careful with this, it's not a toy, and you don't get a second chance if you make a first mistake". I still remember those words to this day. About a week later, I got out to a friend's farm north of the town where I lived, proudly carrying my new rifle. I finally got the chance to press the loaded magazine into place, cycle the action to chamber the first round, and squeeze the trigger like my Dad had shown me. I felt the slight recoil, and heard the loud, unmistakable rimfire "snap" sound of the first discharge. I grazed the target on my first try, and on that day, I knew I had found my sport and my place in the universe. It was truly unforgettable.