Have you ever given a rifle away for free?

[JohnBT]

"...passed down from generation to generation..."

I've passed some up from generation to generation. For example, I gave my father some revolvers and gave my uncle a Nylon 76. JT

 

[dakotasin]

i gave my brother-in-law a new remington 700 vls, warne rings and bases, a used (but serviceable) 6.5-20 leupold, and did the trigger work on it. next time he was in town we developed a load for it, and then i gave him his first 300 rounds of ammo, and went prairie doggin'. he buys his own components now, though.

he had wanted a varmint gun for a long time, but he just couldn't get the money up for it. after a year of still wanting and saving, he had saved enough to buy a savage, but no scope etc. i told him that i'd take him to a gunshop when he came by for a visit and help him get a decent deal. when he came, i just presented him w/ the boxes and packages, watched him break the seals, then put it together...

always wondered how i'd feel about giving a gift like that (many folks tend not to appreciate a gifted gun), but after a year, he has taken great care of the rifle, shoots it at every opportunity, and seems to really enjoy it. it actually felt pretty good to give that gift.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I've given away a few dozen Marlin Mod60's to people who wanted to learn to shoot. Easy to find for 50 bucks at pawn shops, usually take a few hours to clean up tho'. I'm cleaning one up now for a co-worker who's always wanted to learn to shoot but had no one to teach him.

 

[absolute0]

I've never sold one....

But I've given away several.

A Browning BPS & a Yugo SKS to my brothers and a Mossberg 20 guage pump to a young man down in Arkansas who was looking for an affordable shotgun for his younger brother

Guess I'm just a softie...

 

[Mannlicher]

Nope. Family only. Everyone else can work two jobs if needed, and buy their own.

 

[Lord Bodak]

Inspired by Kim Du Toit's statement:

a gun which I think should be given to people when they move into their first house or apartment as a housewarming gift: a .22 rifle.

My roommate and I bought a 10/22 as a housewarming gift for a friend of ours when he and his wife moved into their new house.

 

[Missourigunner]

I gave a friend of mine a .22WMR, I had 3 of them and he couldn't afford to buy a Rifle. This was 3 Years ago, he still has the rifle and it looks great. He takes excellent care of it and appreciates my generosity.

 

[mainmech48]

Gave my best friend a new SS Springfield M-6 .22/.410 for Christmas one year. He lives out in the tules and needed something rugged to carry in his truck. He's not a regular shooter, and this will do about anything he might need or want a firearm to do without requiring a lot of training or upkeep.

When my BiL moved to an apartment in a 'marginal' neighborhood, I gave him an old Marlin M-60 that I'd taken in payment on a small debt. Worked great, but exterior showed some neglect. Better than nothing, and got him interested in shooting.

Many years ago, my younger brother took a job with the NEA and was sent to SW Louisiana. Don't much care for his employer, but he's still my brother. I was real worried that he'd run into serious trouble in the course of his work there. I gave him a S&W M-13 LEA trade-in I had, and taught him the basics of how to use it. Sent several boxes of W-W 158 gr. LSWC +Ps and a couple of HKS loaders with him when he moved, too.

I bought a Cricket s-s .22 BA and gave it to my niece's husband to teach my greatniece how to shoot when she gets old enough. I taught her Mama when she was small, and wish there had been the like for her back then.

I donated a couple of nice old Mossberg .22 target rifles to a local youth group when they started a gun safety/shooting program. Anything that gets more youngsters interested and involved in the shooting sports is worth helping.

When I went back to school to finish my degree one of my classmates was single mother who was being 'stalked' and threatened by a former BF. The customary restraining order was doing its customary nothing, so my wife and I took her to our club and taught her to use a 4" K-frame S&W. When she got her CCW permit, I gave it to her. It ended up sparing her a beating, or worse, one night and finally put the scumbag ex behind bars where he belongs.

 

[pete f]

gave a buddy going to detroit for medical school a police model folding stock rem 870, and a police trade in model 19 S&W

brother got a model 39A Marlin for wedding present. she got a shotgun.

both nephews got choice of the gun safe on 16th birthday. one picked a 250 3000 savage 99 the other picked a RSI ruger 77 in 250 savage.

father got a model 90 winchester then traded it back for a old tube feed remington .22 that shot cb caps better, I think he has shot five hundred squirrels off mom's bird feeders so far.

same brother got a Ruger 77 in 30-06 for twenty five wedding anniversary, she got a canoe.

daughter took my Ithace ultra feather light model 37 20 guage for her 16 th.

son has been looking at my beretta Mato in 30-06 or Dakota 76 in 280. but then he keeps looking at the superposed in back was a skeet and skeet, now tubed 26 inch grouse gun. he turns sixteen in five months.

 

[Malamute]

Yes, a couple.

One was to a buddy that didn't have a 22. We were out yard saling, I found a Marlin model 60 at a yard sale, bought it, and handed it to him for his birthday.

The other was a Marlin 45-70. I'd extended the magazine to full, and it had a nice receiver sight. A friend had just given me a Browning 1886 carbine, and his buddy had been liking my Marlin, and asking how much they were, how often I saw then at gunshows etc. The next morning I walked up to the second guy and handed him the Marlin and told him it was his. Still loaded with 6 or 7 rounds of bear loads. First time I saw a 50 something year old guy with tears in his eyes.

 

[natedog]

Randy in Arizona

I believe there is a new commercial manufacturer for k31 magazines.

 

[Pappy John]

Once. A good buddy sold me his Ruger #1 in .45-70, but a few months afterwards he had such a bad case of seller's remorse that, when Christmas rolled around, I gave it back to him. A few days later he gifted me an M1 Carbine, so it effectively turned into a swap, but that wasn't my original intent.

 

[PAC 762]

I gave my best friend a norinco sks in college and an m1 when he got back from iraq.

Having armed friends is a good thing.

 

[Sean85746]

I gave away a rifle AND a pistol

My best friend, who is closer to me than my own brother ever was, and who is also the Godfather to my only child, who owns many guns of his own was admiring one of my Springfield Armory GI 1911's.

I had purchased 2 of them because the price was awesome...$359.00 each at a shop where I do a LOT of business. I bought them both, thinking I would keep one as it is, save for the silly lock on the mainspring housing, and the other would be a perfect candidate for a mild customizing job.

He was so taken by the "U.S." on the grips, the overall nostalgia of the peice, and the fact that he had no 1911, I decided to give it to him.

When he was out of the room, I took the gun out to his truck, put it under his seat and checked to make sure the KEYS WEREN'T IN THE TRUCK, and locked the doors.

Note: This is AZ and it is perfectly legal for him to have the gun under his seat in a case or holster!

When I was sure he had been home for a while, I called him and told him to go look under his seat. Naturally he questioned me, but I told him if he wanted to know what was there, he'd have to go look.

He didn't call me back...he drove back to my house, and simply placed his hand on my shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. That said it all.

I gave a Marlin 336C .30-30 to my nephew who had recently returned from a tour of duty in Kosovo. He was visiting me on his way from San Diego to Michigan.

He is a US MARINE, and had made Lance Corporal early, and is now, some years later, a Staff Sergeant.

He mentioned that he wanted to get a good deer rifle, since November's deer season in MI was right around the corner.

I went to my safe and got him my old, yet trusty and perfect Marlin lever gun.

I handed it to him, and said..."Damned proud of you Marine!"

I guess the greatest gift one man can give another, besides true friendship, is a good gun.

 

[Hawkman]

I gave away a Rock River Ar-15 M-4 to a guy I met online. He was a young guy in the local police academy, needed it and wanted it but couldn't afford it. I owned it but didn't need it (or the money) so...

 

[armabill]

Shotgun yes, rifle no.

 

[rugerman]

Don't know if it counts but both my sons have been given several guns each. I loaned my sister a couple of pistols over 20 years ago (I guess you could say I gave them to her). I have a chipmunk 22 rifle that I bought for my kids when they were 4 or 5 years old, it has been loaned to two kids who it fit, the first one outgrew it and now a second one has it til he no longer needs it, I really didn't give it away I just loaned it to them til they out grow it and then it will be loaned to the next "little shooter" who have parents who can't afford a first gun. So I guess I really never gave anybody a gun outright, I just have loaned them out. I also have a ruger #1 270 that has been loaned to several people to deer hunt with and lots of kids (including both of mine) have killed their first deer with it (no its not a junker its my favorite rifle and its accurate as hell). rugerman

 

[GigaBuist]

Yup.

Showed up to an "Open House" for a recent high school grad. I kinda knew the youngster, but kinda knew his dad as he was a good friend of my uncle's. Not being much for proper procedure I tried handing the kid $20 as a gift. He wasn't having any of that... independant little bugger.

Turns out he was into shooting a bit and wanted to get himself an AR-15. Didn't own any guns himself, and dad didn't either... so the wheels got to turning in me.

I showed up a few months later with a Mosin M38 in stock and 100 round of ammo for the kid. Yeah, its not an AR, but it's still a military gun and quite a handy one. I ended up killing a few beers with the dad waiting for the youngster to get home... then he got his rifle.

Now, I barely know the kid.. but I know he's a good guy. I've told his dad as much too (he worries that he did a bad job sometimes)... and nothing says, "Yeah, you're alright" like giving somebody a rifle.

Oh, and the kid did buy an AR-15 by the time I gave him the Mosin. There's hope for America yet.

 

[sm]

Yep.

To keep it - give it away

Back when some gun shops and pawn shops were around and the folks running them were alive, standing deal to holler at me when any single shot .22 rifle, or Single shot - shotgun came in. Some other .22 rifles as well like Nylon 66's , Fieldmasters, Marlin 60's. They knew what I was looking for ,why I wanted them. Even had some given to me by these folks for my purpose.

Sometimes bricks...cases of .22 ammo just showed up in my trunk, along with eyes and ears for kids.

Tell anyone I am a sucker and sentimental about kids and shooting - I'll deny it.

Seeing 6 kids shooting safe "their" new guns...and making tin cans dance....

 

[LiquidTension]

I gave away a Mosin that I just didn't like. It was cheap, and I gave it to my gunsmith who just happens to give me lots of free work...maybe that's considered a trade?

 

[Randy in Arizona]

pete f

father got a model 90 winchester then traded it back for a old tube feed remington .22 that shot cb caps better, I think he has shot five hundred squirrels off mom's bird feeders so far.

I hope mom has a good squirrel stew recipe! One of the best dishes I can recall from my childhood in Florida is a squirrel stew she made once!

natedog

I believe there is a new commercial manufacturer for k31 magazines.

Any idea as to whom to contact?