How did it start, when and where?

**flyinggun** · 14-01-2018, 21:11

I was sitting today and thought where my shooting started? I was always shooting whether it be .22, pellet or plastic toy guns.

IPSC was always my "first love", but where did it start.

First of was the book "Shooting a Handgun" by Dave Arnold and his Bio about representing Rhodesia at the 1ste IPSC World Shoot.

Secondly, from the books of JT Edson and his modern Westerns which speaks about Combat Shooting.

That is where it started for me, so, where did it start for you?

**Fumbles** · 14-01-2018, 23:50

Too far back to remember!!

I grew up on the big war movie epics.....Guns Of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Bridge Over The River Kwai etc etc etc as well as the first 007 movies. Before this was the Western's of the day. I wanted a 4-3/4" Colt .45 "Peacemaker" so bad!

I was just always into guns and the military. I almost signed up PF. I used to love the Mickey Spillane books about Mike Hammer with his Colt .45 auto. I got a Gecado pellet gun, amongst other toy guns. There was even an FN plastic gun that was so effing cool. Later I would carry a real one. When I was maybe 15-16 or so, I did a combat course with an ex-member of the French Resistance...a Captain Le Courdieur (sp?). It was awesome. We did unarmed combat/Ju Jitsu etc focusing on knife attacks, mountain climbing and rappelling, lots of PT and long hikes, water crossings (where there were crocs-can you imagine that today?)etc etc and also trained with the Star 9mm Parabellum and a .22 rifle. I loved that Star. Reminded me of Mike Hammer's Colt .45 Auto in a way. I was hooked.

It's actually a good question. For those of us whose parents were in WWII and of course growing up in SA.....there was a serious gun culture I think. It just was ingrained in you especially through film coupled with what was going on in the country.

I chose music over signing up PF and embarked on a career as a musician that led me here to the US. Once here though, I started buying guns. Handguns at first and then I got an SKS 7.62X39.......and that led to more rifles and more handguns.

The short answer is I think it was just in my DNA.

**A-R** · 15-01-2018, 10:41

My first brush with fire arms was while hunting some pesky vervet monkeys with my dad and an antique SxS shotgun. I now own the gun. After some basic instruction, my dad allowed me to shoot a happless crop-raiding primate. Later I was allowed to take the 22 rifle (single shot, open sights) out and hunt the crop raiders.

Later, in my high school years, I was allowed to attend a SD course presented for women and kids. The instructor was a good looking young woman with a Beretta mod 71. Cirriculum included bare hands and defensive shooting. Our examiner, at the end of the course, was a mature gentleman (name escapes me now) who was quite a trick shot with his revolvers. Punched a coin in the air with a 6" S&W K-frame 38 amongst other tricks. I was fascinated.

Got my first EDC pistol before my 19th birthday. Gerry Gore's book "Handguns for self defence" was a guiding light on my road. I studied it intensely. Thanks for that Uncle Gerry! (He is here on GS.)

As a conscript I enjoued the shooting exercises the most. Shot may thousands of rounds through the R4 rifle, and other guns. I even got to shoot bugger guns, rockets, missiles etc. Bacame an instructor on all those guns too. I could have made a living out of that...

My biggest dissapointment was when I discovered that my infantry unit did not have pistol shooting as a sport. They did have a then state-of-the-art indoor range with video target projector. You could actually shoot at a "movie" in stead of static targets. I managed to use the range a few times.

The unit's combat rifle team invited me to become a member. Work commitments prevented me from taking up that offer. Every team member earned provincial colours that year...

As a young student, I held a part-time job at one of the gun dealers (and wholesalers). Was an interesting time and I learned a lot there.

The rest is, as they say history. I was fully addicted...

**A-R** · 15-01-2018, 21:33

Originally Posted by A-R

... Our examiner, at the end of the course, was a mature gentleman (name escapes me now) who was quite a trick shot with his revolvers. Punched a coin in the air with a 6" S&W K-frame 38 amongst other tricks. I was fascinated...

Seems the hard drive access time is not always up to spec. Remembered the name now. He was "Oom" Jan Geertsema. Met him again later when he worked as FA trainer at Pta Municipal Security (later became part of Metro Police). Was deaf as a post. I learned the importance of ear protection too, but possibly a little bit too late.

**Fumbles** · 16-01-2018, 00:11

Originally Posted by A-R

I even got to shoot bugger guns........

Now you have me interested......

**griffin** · 16-01-2018, 06:07

First intro to small guns was very exciting trips out to the Philippi dunes with my old man and his Beretta in 7,65. I was hooked, first gun I bought myself was a CZ 70, great little gun for what it was. Next was SADF where we gotta shoot many things and like AR says some bigger than others.

**A-R** · 16-01-2018, 13:24

Originally Posted by Fumbles

Now you have me interested......

Infantry support weapons and anti-tank guns. These included FN-MAG58, SS-77, Browning 1919, 12,7MG (M2-50BMG) 40mm MGL granade launchers, mortars (60&81mm), rocket launchers (RPG-7, 89mm and 99mm), 90mm DEFA gun (Ratel 90 mounted), 106mm recoilless rifle (Willys CJ6 mounted) and Guided anti-tank missile. (We were not supposed to mention it was the MILAN.) I had lots of fun and the gubbermunt paid the ammo bill.

**marshy** · 16-01-2018, 14:05

When the need to license pellet guns fell away, and I got my first "rifle" - my dad's Gecado 25 which he grew up shooting

**Imo_P07** · 16-01-2018, 15:32

Started when i was about 5 or 6. I managed to find and insert a live primer into my ear. I was way too scared to tell anyone.....A couple days later we headed down to the coast for school holidays. So we returned from the coast and all was good and well. I even forgot about the primer in ear thing. After some time I complained that i had a bad ear ache. A short visit to the E.N.T reveals a live rusted primer removed from my right ear.

So im guessing thats where it started for me.

**SN1P3R** · 16-01-2018, 16:25

Fascination with firearms started when I about 7 or 8 when my parents took me to a range and I fired my moms Taurus .38Spl revolver and my dads Colt .357Mag. From there read every book and magazine I could get my hands on learning what I could when I could, then I discovered airsoft at 14 which pushed my passion even further learning combative and tactical skills at a very basic level, 3 years later started going to ranges whenever I could get a chance, trying out any firearms that I could afford to rent. passion had to take a back seat for a few years while getting my college and work life together but I followed every IPSC or IDPA event I could stream, around my 24th birthday I received my first bonus and purchased my P-07 Duty and joined the IDPA and JDPC and have been with it ever since and still learning every day.