Coosa;
I too was never able to own the first shotgun I ever shot. It belonged to an uncle (Married to Mom's Sister) & had been his father's. He was going to pass it down to one of his Grandsons. The Grandson doesn't have it & no one seems to know where it went. This one was a little H&R 28 gauge single. He did let me borrow it & use it once later in life & while I had it I weighed it 4lb 2 oz.

That first day I used it I killed 2 rabbits with 2 shots. The first one my uncle had spotted sitting in a clump of briers & called me over. He told me to aim at his nose & shoot his head off, so I did, He then told me I was now blooded so the next one had to running. I then jumped one but he was in such thick stuff he was out of sight before I could get the gun up. Next one my uncle spotted again squatted down at the base of a small tree in an open area, so he called me over again. He reminded me this time I couldn't shoot until it ran.

I started walking toward that tree & got so close I could have kicked him. I kept wondering why isn't he running. I would later learn this was typical of a rabbit if he thinks he has not been spotted. I then paused to think how was I going to make him run. When I paused he, of course, bolted like a streak of lightning, running so fast his ears were pushed back along his back.

How I managed I'll never know, but I cocked the hammer back on that little H&R as I brought it to my shoulder, swung on the rabbit & pulled the trigger & he Somersaulted. Needless to say, I was walking on air after that shot. Ah, the memories.

Miller/TN
I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra