How I got my first gun

First rifle: Tikka T3X with Riton X5 Conquer

This was the first rifle I had ever purchased. The shop owner sent me this picture after he fitted the scope for me. The excitement kept building for weeks as I waited for my license—it felt like an eternity!

Let me take you back to where it all started and how long it took for me to go from having no guns in the family to owning a collection of shooting tools for every occasion. We never had any firearms in our home. No, my family wasn’t anti-gun, it just wasn’t something that ever happened. My dad had a firearm once, but he gave it away when the gun laws changed in South Africa. Still, that didn’t stop me from getting my hands on anything that could shoot. From homemade potato guns and blow darts to pellet guns, I was always looking for something to shoot with. My dad would see my latest weapon of choice and jokingly say, “All the lizards are in danger now.” He wasn’t wrong! Since we lived in the suburbs, anything loud enough to attract attention, especially something using gunpowder, was off-limits. We couldn’t risk alerting the neighbours and getting into trouble, so we stuck to quieter alternatives.

It was only later in life that I met my “gun guru” friend, who took me on this journey of excitement and adventure. At the time, Werner was more of a hiking buddy. We had done several hikes together, and as the kilometers passed, so did the range of our conversations.

By then, I had a family of my own and was in my thirties. We were driving back from a hike, the Amatola (Eastern Cape), when the topic of firearms came up. I told him I had always been interested, but the process of getting one seemed daunting, almost impossible for someone like me with no knowledge or experience.

His reply still rings in my ears:"It takes as long as it takes, plus the time you spend moaning about it."

I can’t remember the exact moment it clicked, but that was the spark. I decided to be more open, to at least try. If you’ve seen the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey, that pretty much explains how I ended up getting my first gun. Werner invited me to a shooting competition, something I would never have done before, but the “Yes Man” in me said, “Why not?”

My First Centerfire Competition

First shooting competition - Groblersdal

Werner had this laser-accurate .223 rifle that couldn’t miss even if you handed it to a Stormtrooper (yes, Star Wars reference). Meanwhile, I managed to hit three targets out of what felt like fifty.

With a bruised ego and a sharp realization of how little I knew, it was clear: there was a lot to learn. And to learn faster, I needed my own tools.

On the day of my first competition, Werner introduced me to his friend Arno. At the time, Arno owned a gun store. To make a long story short, he became my good friend, gun guru number two, and-perhaps most importantly-the dealer behind my growing addiction to firearms!

It took me less than a year (11 months, to be exact) to go from owning nothing to having my first firearm locked away in my safe. Arno helped me with my firearm training—the essential first step in South Africa if you want to legally own a gun.

This training enables you to apply to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for what’s called “Competency.” In short, SAPS needs to confirm that you are both competent and of sound mind to become a firearm owner.

In the meantime, while waiting for your competency certificate, you're actually allowed to purchase a firearm—and that’s exactly what I did. Again Arno helped with the paperwork to apply for my first license.

Deciding on my first gun was easily the step that took me the longest. Looking back, I can break the process down into a few key points:

1. Purpose first. Decide what you’ll actually do with the gun. There’s no sense eyeing AR‑style rifles if hunting is your goal, right?

2. Legacy matters. I wanted a hunting rifle with some sentiment to pass on to my two boys one day.

3. Budget reality. Factor in not just the rifle but also the cost of a quality optic or scope.

4. Calibre choice. With guidance from my two gun gurus—and many, many hours of YouTube research—I chose the legendary .30‑06 in a classic wooden stock. Who wouldn’t want to inherit a rifle like that? So many hunting tales start with: “I got my .30‑06 from my father/grandfather.”

   
   

A deal popped up at Arno’s shop for a Tikka T3x, and the rest, as they say, is history. My first scope was a Riton X5 Conquer.

Three years on, my safe is full. My whole family now enjoys both the sport‑shooting and hunting sides of firearms. We’ve shared countless good times together—all sparked by that single “Yes Man” moment and friends who nudged us into adventures we’d never have tried alone.

To everyone who showed us the way: thank you! My family and I are forever grateful for this journey we’re still on today.

NRL22 Groblersdal - Werner, Izak, Yolanda, Joshua, Ruben

Less than a year after getting my first rifle, we found ourselves at a .22 rifle competition, this time with our very own Ruger Precision Rimfire.

We had already shot several competitions using loaner rifles, but this was different. It was a memorable moment—standing there with our own .22 rifle and actually doing well on the day. That feeling of progress and ownership hit hard.

Our shooting journey is far from over, and I truly hope I get the chance to share more of it with you soon.