WHEN did you realize you were bit??

About 6 months ago something tore open a garbage bag I neglected to walk down to the garbage can. My wife told me she thought it was a skunk. Like the one that sprayed both my dogs during a busy morning last summer.

Started researching air rifles, and bought a springer. Me being me, I wasn't happy enough with the accuracy.

Decided to buy a Gauntlet, tank and quality scope. I've never looked back. I know I'm hooked and have FX dreams every night. 

Now I have gone as far as to buy a hunting license in a neighboring state, just so I can shoot a fall turkey with an air rifle. Hunting my home state for groundhogs with my current setup. Who knows, by deer season I may have a dragon claw or large bore air rifle capable of dropping a deer.

Several here are very bad influences on my new addiction. But I wouldn't have it any other way!
 
It was a long time ago, in the early fall, I was maybe 11 or 12 years old, when I was walking through the woods with the beloved Crosman hunting cottontails, squirrels and other unsuspecting woodland critters. I was just minding my own business when all of a sudden, out of nowhere.... 

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... and that’s all I have to say about that.
 
Oh jeesh,I've always been fascinated with guns as far back as I can remember. There was this lever action (POP-GUN) I think one of my brothers had,that's my 1st memory of guns.Must of been 5 or 6,I could barely cock it.lol.Had to hold it up-side down and lean my weight on it,(scratched up the barrels end against the ground) I quickly figured out how to place it behind my knee (barrel up) and cock it that way. From there it's been a fragmented journey,from center fire pistols,shotguns and rifles, reloading, to black powder muzzleloaders and casting bullets. Then,I can't remember why or what or how,but sometime in the early 90s I bought several TechForce Spring air-rifles.1 for me and 2 my 2 boys,I even got a couple people at work to buy them and I would get a discount or something. And I shot all the time all fair weather long, never heard of knew of JSB or H&N Pellets.It was Crossmen or Daisy and the Daisy,s shot great.Had not a clue what German air-rifle were let alone a PCP.I recall reading something about 14 cal Parlor guns used in Europe and that Lewis and Clark had 1 and the natives were most impressed.I was renting a place in the country and cruising along. Things changed and I had to move into town and the only shooting I did was with my muzzle loader and 308. 8 or so years later things changed again and I'm back in the country now and I finally get to scratch that itch again,AAAHHHHhhhhhh! lol.What a relief,So I go to the net looking to refresh my now old TF97s and I run headfirst.full blitz,totally blanketed,into the airgun world.Thankyou 
 
About 8yrs old, got to shoot neighbor kid's standard plain bb gun rifle. My parents said nothing doing. Saved up and bought the basic Daisy bb pistol in 1957. Had to sneak it into the house and only shoot it in the basement when my brother wasn't around. It was quiet and extremely low powered but I quickly was able to consistently hit my favorite target, spent .38 special at 15'. next I bought a benjamin pump pistol at the pawn shop. Loved it. Now at 70 I have 3 Diana's A mdl 27, 34, AM 08, a .25 talon, FX Bobcat & a .25 Impact and think I want a Huben but can't decide on caliber plus 90% of my shooting is pests in my city lot. Want the semi auto but at 20 ftlb and I need low pellet weight, & pellets must stay in my yard. thinking about the Hades hope they come out in .25 soon.
 
Always been into Airguns since 12 years old. Set it aside thru ought my high school years for sports and girls, then around 26 years old I bought my first home and my neighbor across the street showed me his beeman r1 in 177 cal. We went out to the local fields and when I saw him shoot oak balls out of trees at 30 yards offhand, I knew I had to get one. Got a beeman r10, then a year later the beeman RX1 in 20 cal. Went with the gas ram springer and again set the hobby aside due to raising a family and working non stop, every chance of overtime and spent a lot of effort climbing the company ladder. Retired two years ago and picked up the gas ram again, then I started reading about pcp guns. Got my first just over a year ago, a Synrod gen 2 25 cal. Wasn’t hooked just yet. What got me hooked was learning the workings of it by taking it apart to install a premium Hill kit, and when I saw the positive results, that’s when I got hooked. From there it has consumed me, to the point of total organization of all parts, pieces, log notes, saving targets, back up o ring kits and pcp fittings, yes it has consumed me. 

Im up to four now, and currently hooked on my Hercules Bully and FX wildcat, both 30 calibers. Tomorrow, I’m gonna show some love to my PRod, by taking it all apart to fix a leak, and tweak on it for better power and shot count. Next day, I’m thinking about increasing my reg pressure on my Synrod, just because, lol.
 
GREAT stories!!!! I find there's similarities in all of the dissimilar experiences, that magical spark of passion for the sport that can't be explained in any other way, than the Forest Gump meme that @MileHighAirGunner posted! LOL

As for me, I have shot since I could hold a gun. My very first AG was an early Crosman CO2 pistol. I shot everyday until high school age, as I was raised in later childhood years in a military family (we moved to an area where there wasn't any place to shoot).

20+ year hiatus, my wife started a garden in the backyard. It was doing great, then all of the sudden - it was ~70% destroyed by rabbits. She was very upset, so I started doing research on quiet pump guns, when I learned of PCPs! Bought a P-rod and it was game over from there >.<
 
On my 30. birthday i received a 50$ spring airrifle from umarex and with that piece of crap i got infected.

its really frustrating for me to read all of your stories and which guns do you can own and shot.

im living in a country with a limitation of 5,5fp (7,5J) and even with a license its still not allowed to shot in the backyard (no matter how big your property is)

what are you gonna do with such a low energy level ? well, i ended up with a precision competition air rifle anschutz 9015 and a steyr LP50 5 shot semi auto pistol to have at least a bit "dynamic shooting" feeling.