Mine was a .22 Single Shot JC Higgins. Cost: $11.95 Got it when I was nine years old. My Daddy let me save up for it.
My second was a 22 Stevens Crackshot, which I got for Christmas at age 8, but I wasn't allowed to shoot it until I memorized the Shooter's Bible. (Guess how long that took?)
Can not beat a heavy barreled seated stock Ruger 10-22 I built a really nice piece when I use to shoot everyday.
A 10:22 with 3-9 was one of my most favorite pieces, which I could easily and reliably take out the tacks in the target with it at 10 meters and was a cheap way to practice
I shot prone from a high river bank one afternoon, with no one else around and I placed the crosshairs on around a hundred or so small white pebbles in the dark river bed and squeezed the trigger, so as to make them just disappear like magic. No one else to share the experience with, just me and the rifle, placing the crosshairs where I wanted the hole and experiencing the exhilaration of success.