Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

In about 30 minutes, our great nephew, Jeremiah will be coming to our place to spend a couple of days. All wrapped and ready behind my chair is a Christmas present. Since he is 10 years old, it is a Red Ryder B.B. gun!

I have always watched the movie, The Christmas Story, every Christmas and loved it. If the movie had been real, Ralphie and I would be approximately the same age, suffered the same problems, and hoped for the same gift at Christmas.

But like Ralphie, I got my Red Ryder B.B. gun at about the age of 10 and lived it. I don’t think parents realize just how much such a gift means to a boy who is 10 years old. It is right up there with a pair of cowboy boots, and such. It is a ‘coming of age’ type present. If you will notice, in the movie Ralphie’s father is going through the same gestures and delight as he watches Ralphie discover that Santa has brought exactly what he had been asking for.

I don’t know about you, but I watch this movie every year. This year the T.V. station said they were going to show The Christmas Story all day long. However, they cut it off after Ralphie gets his wonderful gift.
I got my Red Rider when I was around 10 years old and gave my son one at the age 10. It is a rite of passage.

It is also a good tool for learning how to aim and shoot. When that gets old, then a boy can step up to a .22 rifle, perhaps a single shot. Learning to shoot either a rifle or shotgun isn’t an overnight magical experience, but it evolves over time. Now if you are in this time zone with your son or nephew, you are going to hear, “Kid, you will shoot your eye out”! That happens all the time, expect it.

Only after I was grown, even up in age did I hear about boys using their Red Ryder BB guns to shoot at each other! That doesn’t make any sense and goes a long way to prove the ‘naysayers’ mantra of “Kid, you will shoot your eye out!” I am opposed to this completely and would confiscate the rifle if my son or other relative was caught doing such. Just Sayin…RJS

HenryG Loc: Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts

Well said Mr Samples 🇺🇸🙂👍

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

I got mine at about that same age. Use to shoot the figs off the tree. Now that was at a close up range Robert.

BassTracker Loc: Manteca Calif

One of the best presents you can get a young man my two own boys and my two stepsons got there at 10 years old they learned a lot of valuable lessons

Their all adults now but they still talk about the fun times they had with their RR BB GUN

Teach him right he will make good choices when it comes to fire arms

Wv mike Loc: Parkersburg area. Wv

I got one when I was around that age
But it was a 760 crossman pump bb or pellets.

Kerry Hansen Loc: Bremerton, WA

Richard E. Loc: South Dakota

I grew up in a rural hamlet. No ordinances about carrying guns on main street. Every boy of age (probably about 10) spent time at the local dump ground shooting cans, bottles and anything else that resembled a target.

Plastic Civil War soldiers were a favorite of some. Unfortunately the soldiers would have proved to be of considerable value today had they survived the BB gun wars.

We watched our hunter parents return from the fields with ring neck pheasants and believed that we were capable of venturing to the local grove and return with our "limit" of sparrows and blackbirds. There was always a clear understanding that robins and meadowlarks were off limits.

Somehow we all survived, and by some miracle, no one ever "shot their eye out".

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

"We watched our hunter parents return from the fields with ring neck pheasants and believed that we were capable of venturing to the local grove and return with our "limit" of sparrows and blackbirds. There was always a clear understanding that robins and meadowlarks were off limits."

My cousin David, my elder by 4 years, found out about the robins the hard way. Visiting my grandparents' house one spring day and he bagged one and was so proud. 'til he took in the house to show it off. I'm not sure if my grandma ever forgave him. Poor kid.

My first gun was also a lever action BB gun. Then when I turned 13 I was gifted my grandpa's .22 caliber Remington pump that he had gotten when he was about that age. It still fires, but it's been retired for about 50 years now.

Richard E. Loc: South Dakota

One of my first experiences of mis-identifying my target came as a result of accepting an invitation from my uncle to accompany him on my first duck hunt. Keep in mind that he was an avid life long hunter who could identify a duck just by the way if flies. We hunted a shallow slough in central South Dakota that held several ducks. As a youth, I believed it would be more rewarding if I struck out on my own and just trudged through the shallow water.
After several minutes, I dropped a duck which I identified as a Green head. So proud, my first duck and to make it even better, a trophy mallard.
With great pride, I meandered back to Uncle Joe and presented him with my trophy.
He just looked at me and laughed. You dumb @$&$, you just shot a spoon bill.
Hey, I was just a kid, I didn't know there were two kinds of ducks with a green head.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

I had a 760 as well Mike, fun gun.

Danger25 Loc: Philly/ Cape may New Jersey

That movie is absolutely a classic and is on in the background every Christmas here.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

Interesting, we had the same restrictions on birds we could shoot. After looking down at my first starling, I felt so bad. It just layed there waisted. I do not believe I have ever shot another animal without a reason. A few years later, I moved up to a 22. My uncle paid for my ammo in exchange for starlings and pigeons. When he explained that they ate his crops, killing them made sense. Sense that time, I have killed everything from rabbits to bear and moose. But I have never killed just to kill. Like many have said, the red rider is a right of passage, but with owning one comes the responsibility for both child and parent.

Graveytrain50 Loc: DFW Area Texas

I started with a BB gun,then single shot 20 gauge and finally an 870 Remington Wingmaster🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

hogleg Loc: Bakersfield Calif.

Good Morning and Merry Christmas and a wish for tight lines in the New Year. When I was at Fort Ord in the 60s we used the pump BB guns in training to hunt and shoot each other it was great fun

Ted A Loc: Eastern Washington

My father was an outdoorsman but didn't like BB guns. He started my brother and I out on 22's. His thought was that we knew they could kill things so we were expected to handle them accordingly.. Unless it was a varmint (gopher) we were expected to eat anything we shot. We shot and ate lots of snowshoe hares.

We'd start with a brick of 22 shells and use them up on gophers before setting traps after that. The next year there were just as many gophers again. Haven't shot a gopher in years now. I don't live a couple miles from the nearest neighbot.