Happy Days Tony.
My Father took me hunting with him when I was tiny (3-4 years old) and I shot my first rabbit with him holding the rifle (some low mag scoped spring rifle, probably catalogue purchsed) whilst I looked through the scope and pulled the trigger-I asked my Mum about this fairly recently and she told me she was furious when she found out he was letting me shoot.
I had to wait a lot longer for my "own" rifle-as the youngest of all the male cousins, I was the last one to take possession of a well used, by several cousins ( but beautifully stocked) little Diana break barrel. It was my birthday present aged 11-I bloody loved that rifle and became a very good hunter with it-I had to learn real fieldcraft to be able to get within range.
Like our Tony, I graduated to a Meteor Super, then onto an ASI Magnum, later an HW35. These were followed by an HW80- and HW77 purchased from our beloved forum sponsor (those were the days!).
Fast forward 5 years and I treated myself to my first pre-charge-a second hand Titan Manitou in .22 and wow. Just wow-the boundaries and possibilities were pushed.
Many years and probably close to 100 rifles later, I can honestly say that nothing comes close to that very first little Diana rifle.
Great thread chaps-keep it up.