What special guns do you have that you intend to give to your kids?

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strat81

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Another thread got me thinking, what special guns do you have that you intend to give to your kids? Many of us have several guns and I'm sure some of them will be passed on, some will get sold, some may even wind up in the casket with us.

I'm talking special. I have plenty of guns that I consider replaceable, but only two that are special. Those are the two that I'd like to pass on to my kids but in a heartfelt way. One is my CMP M1 Garand. The other is my Colt Cobra.

I value the M1 tremendously since it's a WWII-era gun. My grandfather fought in that war and he was the greatest person I've ever known. It wasn't his rifle, but it's a manifestation of him, his generation, and every man and woman who has ever served their country.

The Cobra was a gift to myself after finishing graduate school. To me it represents hard work in two ways. One is the hard work I had to do to earn my master's degree. The other is the hard work and craftsmanship that went into the old Colt double action revolvers. A glorious little machine.

What says all of you?
 
I have a bunch that are replaceable, and a few that are not, but whatever is in the safe when I die is getting passed down. but (hopefully) thats a long way off. At 22yo, I've only had the heirlooms for about 6 years, and the rest of the collection has grown in the last 3. On top of all that, I don't have anyone to pass them down to in the the foreseeable future.
My favorite and most prized heirloom gun is my grandfather's Beretta 1934. For those that are unfamiliar, this was the standard issue officer's sidearm for the Italian military in WWII, and continued in civilian production for years. Mine has markings that indicate it was issued to the Army in 1943. My grandfather served in the US Navy in the early 50's and won the pistol in a poker game.
Among the others that were left to me was a ~.55 cal. flintlock riding pistol. Its purely a display piece now, but we had it examined, and it is genuine, dated to the early 1800's; totally plausible considering that part of my family settled in Maryland when it was still a colony.

I do have a CMP Garand, and it holds great personal significance to me as a great, war-proven rifle, but mine didn't serve in WWII and is just a shooter.
 
dad's .357 service revolver, grandpa’s 35 remington marlin 336, great grandpa's 1897 Winchester circa 1915, and dad's Stevens 94 12 gauge with 30-30 barrel
 
I really like the idea of an heirloom gun. Currently I don't have anything special like that. All my stuff is pure function, any aesthetic value being either coincidence or tied into function. None of it has particular significance to me, other than "This was my first rifle/handgun/etc."

If I ever have kids, what I might do is start looking for a gun to start an heirloom tradition with. I've considered something like a really nice 1911 (or a matched set), maybe engraved with the family name or one of the clan mottoes from the old country.

Just as important as the gun are the trappings. I'd also get a specially made wooden box, with something carved on the lid, and maybe an inscription on the underside of the lid. The box would be lined with something, maybe form-fitting to the gun, or maybe just lined for the gun to rest on. Might have the lining made in the pattern of the old clan's tartan.

I have a few other ideas, too. I could get matched 1911s, and have the slides engraved, respectively, with "Truth" and "Reconciliation". Halo fans might get the reference. It'd make me smile to say something like, "Honey, I'll be ready for dinner in a minute: I'm cleaning Truth and Reconciliation".

Or maybe engrave them with "Arbiter" and "Adjudicator". Fitting, I think, and it would amuse me.

Closest thing to an heirloom weapon I got from my dad was a nicked-up old billy with Uncle Sam's logo on it, from his days cracking skulls as a Navy SP. I get a kick out of having that old billy, but I'd like to give my kids something a bit less haphazard, a bit more special, maybe with an inside joke that would make me laugh at inappropriate times.
 
Either our oldest son or the first of our sons to have a son will probably get the Japanese rifle that DH's father brought back from the Pacific after WWII. Having been stored without ever being oiled or anything for over 60 years it is probably not functional. But its special regardless.
 
I intend to pass on all my guns to my future kids and grandchildren, but there are two guns that are special. My Springfield Custom Carry was an engagement gift from my fiancee and I'll never part with it. I also have a CZ 452 that was my first rifle. Both of these guns will stay in the family.
 
I have not "special" guns, but I did buy a Ruger 10/22 for my daughters to learn to shoot with eventually.
 
sharps 45-70 that my grandfather's grandfather bought shortly after coming to this country.

sharps & hankin 4-barrel .22 pocket pistol that I bought and got fixed up/gilded & gold plated/set with jewels.

All my guns will probably stay in the family when i die. depending, of course on the circumstances.
 
Got A brand new 38/357 c.o.p compact off duty police 4 barrel deringer
Had it for years never fired it. made in torrance ca
 
hopefully all of them, i try to buy with the idea of passing them on.
Helps to motivate me for quality purchases.
 
All of them! With the guns I inherited from my Dad, mine plus the ones my son has bought - my granddaughter (no grandson's darnit) will have a pretty impressive arsenal. :evil:
 
Heck with the kids. I'm being buried with all of mine, and as much ammo as they can stuff in the casket. Because you just never know.
 
Three 20 gauge Howdah pistols, one each for me and my two boys. I wanted all three of us to have matching pistols.

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First thing you need is a Will. Otherwise the State decides who gets what.
That being said all three of my sons will get one heirloom weapon, and one that they have chosen.
The heirloom pieces are as follows:

Winchester M92 cal 38WCF, was my Grandfathers, my Fathers, Mine, and will belong to my oldest son (23). He has chosen a NM M1 Garand.

Colt New Service, 38WCF, Again it was my Grandfathers weapon, the middle son(21) will recieve it, he chose my AR-15.

Remington Model 11, 22rf, goes to my youngest (10). It was the first "real" rifle I have. I was 7 when Santa left it! He has yet to choose, give him a few more years.

All others go to my Loving Wife, or in the case of both of us leaving, will be donated to museams and history societies.:D

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
 
My one and only daughter, a marine, will get my guns but probably after they are pried out of my cold dead hands.
 
I've got my dad's old Mossberg 85A shotgun. It's a plain-jane 20 gauge 3-shot bolt action worth next to nothing in resale, but it was his first and only shotgun. He bought it in the mid-1930's and he shot tons of grouse and rabbits with it.

Holding it and looking at the scratches, dents, and wear marks brings me right back to memories of autumn days walking next to him with my BB gun while he explained about gun safety, how to read habitat, and how to achieve that state of calm alertness where you are relaxed but ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

Might just be an old piece of junk to future generations, but it is priceless to me.
 
Might just be an old piece of junk to future generations, but it is priceless to me.
Click to expand...

Bud, I love that. I have an old Iver & Johnson top break revolver that my great grandmother used to protect her from bandidos stealing her chickens down on the border. I will never give that up and will pass it along.
 
One I've already presented to my oldest, my first rifle, an Ithaca M49 single shot lever action .22.

I've got the usual guns with great family stories -- the 11mm Beaumont my grandfather and my mom restored, browning it in the family oven (one end at a time), the '03A3 and .30 Carbine my grandfather bought "back in the day" for $25 each or whatever it was....but what I really want to give my boys is the chance to build their own. I'm hoping to stockpile AR kits and receivers, who knows what will be available in a decade or so? In addition to the ARs, I'd love to have FAL kits too. I've got a bunch of Galil kits, but since the ORF receivers are (IMHO) $250 paper weights, I'll probably end up selling them off.
 
I don't have kids yet but if and when that day come, I will leave them my grandfather's Winchester 101. While not a rare or expensive gun, it has a lot of sentimental value.
 
None. When my boy is older I'll probably give him the ones he likes. Then he gets the rest when I'm pushin' daisies....
I'm Your Huckleberry said:
One father's "heirloom" is another kid's pawn shop trip for beer money.
Click to expand...
...unless my son becomes a pothead slacker,in which case he gets exactly jack squat.
 
My prospective kids will probably get my 10/22 and my mossberg.

All the rest... the little buggers can buy their own dang guns! ;)
 
My kids are girls. If they're interested, they'll get all of them. If not... Not much I can do. Maybe I'll have some sons-in-law or some grandsons to leave the guns to.
 
My 1889 Danish Krag, a 119 year old rifle and Marlin Model 80 will be handed down to my (future) oldest son. I'm getting the Krag from my father who'll hand it down when he's good and ready.

My K31 to my second, because this is the first Hi-Power rifle I bought, as well as my first semi-auto pistol.

My M44 will probably go to the third son, as well as my first revolver.

Anything after that will be divided up between them.

+1 on 2TransAms.

Unless they get their butts in gear and become successful, (unlike their father, :O) and do make bad choices in their years, they won't get any.
 
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