Rifles for heirlooms.

[jtoews80]

Would anybody else consider buying a fine rifle or two to keep for their son(s)?

I have been thinking of buying something in good to very good shape that is semi rare and unique to present to my son as an heirloom.
Hopefully, long after he comes of age.
Those sort of rifles are not johnies first deer rifle types, more to the 30 something year-old man that will treasure it and not shoot the barrel into a pretzel.

I can't afford an NCR, but something unique and hopefully a bit rare. It should be even more rare when presented. Plus I get to shoot it occasionally to keep the bore from rusting.

JT.

 

[jtoews80]

Might be shopping for awhile. actually might be saving for awhile :?

JT.

 

[nodak7mm]

Jtoews..

A point to ponder..... Even today I would rather have Grandpas plain jane Remmy 141 in 35 Rem instead of his collectible Colt SAA..

The Colt was a heirloom gun that we did not get to shoot but once or twice. I think half my uncles and myself started deer hunting with the Remmy 141..

Rod

 

[jtoews80]

That is true. I guess i'll just have to leave a nicely stocked vault and maybe a couple special ones. If my wife asks, "it's for the kids"!! :lol: :lol:

JT.

 

[OldMan]

Throughout the years I've come up with lots of excuses to buy another gun. I don't know whether my wife ever believed any of my rants, but I ended up with lots of guns! I do have a model 99 Savage 303 with half octagon barrel, plus a model 94 Winchester in 25-35 and lastly a model 97 Winchester handed down from great grampas. These never get shot but are really neat to get out and oil them up now and then.

 

[Woodycreek]

This 1976 Winchester 94 30-30 will be one of hopefully alot more "rare" firearms that i can pass on.

 

[nodak7mm]

JT,

I know your line of thinking and I am kinda on the same page. My intents are to give each of my Grandkids their deer rifle. (I dont have grandkids yet nor expect to for at least 6-10 yrs) But I have started to stock the safe with extra deer rifles just for that purpose. Right now I have a .243, a 257 and hope to find another Bob and a 7/08. These are just off the shelf Rugers with a decent scope. My legacy would be to get em interested & started with decent equipment. Who knows what the future holds.. I dont expext to kak for some time, I expect to hunt with my grandkids a long time.. Thats what I really want to do..

Rod

 

[nitis]

I remeber being about 13 or so and grandpa telling me I had to choose which rifle I wanted all I knew was they were all remingtons. He told me I could choose between the 280 7mm08 25.06 nad 7mm mag. What would any 13 yr old boy take I chose the 7 mag. ISnce them the other siblings and cousins have relinquished all but one of those rifles ( the 280 which turned out to be a mountain rifle) And teh 25.06 wound up being a 700 classic.

Anyway they make for a great legacy something for them to remeber.

I personally am trying to find a model 700 cdlsf limited edition 260 rem as that is the LE from teh year my daughter was born. Whether she hunts or not I will find one and it will be hers to pass on to her kids some day.

Look for something unique to the year they were born

 

[Greg Nolan]

That's a tough one!
I had a 98 Mauser my son got and a 7.7 Arisaka. My son got most of them but my wife just got a Rem model 14. It's a pump rifle in 30 Rem. that's real close in feel to a 870 Rem. shotgun but much slimmer..
Scarey stuff!!! :shock: I wish our kids would appreciate the guns of our family heirloom but society has castigated and demonized guns.
I hope all of your prodigy carry on your fine traditions of shooting and hunting.
I won't pontificate, only remorse what we may have given up.
God Bless you and yours.
Greg

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I always felt the best Heirloom rifle is the one you carried in the field. The more critters you kill with it, the more Heirloom value it has.

 

[Guy Miner]

Much more appreciation here for guns Dad and Grandpa actually used, rather than some safe-queen that has seen little or no use.

My sons seem to feel about the same way. When he was 13, I gave my youngest son the rifle I'd been given 30 years earlier as a high school graduation present. He loves that old Remington, and likes hearing stories about hunts when I used it.

I treasure the beat-up old 1917 .30-06 that Dad "sporterized" back in the 1950's and taught me to shoot with in the 1960's. Still hunt with that ol' thing from time to time. Kind of neat knowing that he and I have both carried the old rifle afield.

For a few years Dad bought some real collectors guns - single action Colts and the like - that have never been shot. They're beautiful, but mean little to him and not much to me. They're unlikely to make the pass-down from generation to generation. On the other hand, I've got Grandpa's .45 Colt - very well worn - and that thing is important to me, because it was his and he used it.

A well used hunting or target gun, well cared for and used by one generation and passed to the next is more my preference. Still, nothing wrong with buying the lad a fine rifle once he's ready for it, nothing at all...

I have my eye on a couple of nice bolt action Kimbers that would sure be nice for my sons...

Regards, Guy

 

[super-7]

Awesome thread JT, I know I will inherit 2 family airlooms, 32 win spl #94, was passed down from dads uncle to him when he was in his 20's, and an old breech rolling block target rifle that was passed down to dad from his dad. I also did a reverse of this heirloom thing last X-mas, I convinced the old man that his one scope ring had a stripped screw and had him leave it with me so I could install new rings. Well this ol' rifle has been dads since the early 70's, he called it the 'crowbar', there was no bluing left hardly at all pretty rough. long story short, I re did it , re blued completly, sanded down refinished the stock , removed the old weaver that was like looking thru a sand blasted windsheild, replaced with an elite 3200 3x9/40. with new bases and rings. When I handed him back the gun case at x-mas, he was litterlly astonished, then he pro claimed it's much to nice looking to hunt with. So this year he used his 6mm rem instead, I was pretty surprised that ol FN had been his main gun for 45 yrs.

 

[jtoews80]

That was a pretty cool idea for a Christmas gift, and refinishing a FN is never a bad investment, they're fine guns.

JT.