MY FIRST RIFLE. I got a Daisy 'Red Ryder' BB gun when I was about 8 years old, and my first real rifle was a .22 Remington semi-automatic. I got it for Christmas when I was ... I dunno, 10-12, somewhere in that range. Actually, I got it before Christmas, since Dad had hidden it in the water heater closet, and at Christmas time, I was a very snoopy kid. Dad found out - probably from the fingerprints all over the rifle - so on Christmas morning the only thing under the tree was a single box of .22 cartridges.

There were many happy years of hunting, varmit hunting, and plinking that followed. The rifle finally surrendered to old age and overuse when my son was in high school.

I still miss it.