Has anyone every done anything INCREDIBLY nice/generous for you with regards to firearms?

[entropy]

I've been given several guns the shop I worked at didn't want to buy. The owners were retired (or widowed, in one case) and didn't want them around the house. I gave one away as a wedding present, gave one to my older son, and refinished another and sold it to a relative for next to nothing. I've given my older son several guns, most of which which he promptly traded away.

 

[aarondhgraham]

I had a drinking buddy who was a high school rifle team member,,,
She was a hell of a shot with a Mossberg 340-KC .22 rifle,,,
But she didn't know much about guns and values.

When her Father passed away she asked for my help in inventorying his collection,,,
So I bought the newest edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values,,,
We then spent two weekends cleaning and researching.

She asked me if I wanted first bid on any of the guns ,,,
I selected 4 revolvers that I liked quite a bit,,,
Trouble was I was very poor at the time.

She asked if I could come up with $500,,,
I had to dip way into my savings account but I did.

Any one of the revolvers was worth that amount.

When we finished the inventory she drove me back to my apartment,,,
As I was getting out she reached under the seat and brought out a blue S&W box,,,
"Thanks for your help. This was my Dad's very favorite handgun and I want you to have it."

It was a 6" S&W Model 629 no dash.

Jackie was my drinking buddy but was also my range buddy,,,
She loved showing me up with that old Mossberg of hers,,,
She always brought a Nickel Model 34 to shoot as well.

That 34 was her 11th or12th birthday present from her Dad,,,
He took her to a gun store and told her to pick any .22 she wanted.

I once commented on her good taste in firearms and asked her why she chose that one,,,
Her answer was, "It was shiny."

Sadly my friend passed away three years ago,,,
Her only relative was her Brother who lives in California,,,
I stored her guns (about 25 of them) while he arranged for transfer.

When he drove out to collect them I expresses my desire to own two of them,,,
I offered fair market value for the Model 34 and the Mossie,,,
I really wanted to own them for the memories.

He just handed them to me and said,,,
"Jackie would have wanted you to have them."

So yeah,,,
I've been the recipient of some heavy duty gun generosity.

Aarond

.

 

[medalguy]

I've given a couple over the years, and received one from my stock broker. That was a beautiful Colt Officer's Model .22 that he received from the widow of a WW II Navy sub captain I think just to get it out of her house. I treasure that pistol and shoot it a couple of times a year.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Fantastic story. The planets sure aligned for all that to happen.

I've been gifted 4 guns in my lifetime.

When I was 14, from my father, my first rifle, a Winchester model 55. From my great uncle a Colt Woodsman, and from my wife for a couple birthdays, a Freedom Arms 454 & a STI Trojan.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Yes several years ago A older friend who was cleaning out a section of his 5000 SQF home and he found a Savage bolt action rifle that he thought he boys had or sold. He gave It to me and I cleaned it up and found magazine for it . It a solid rifle.

 

[armoredman]

I hope my son will tell the tale of me giving him this rifle...

 

[HOWARD J]

My sister gave me a once fired Marlin 336-30/30 when her husband died--she had about 10 guns & gave me this one for cleaning the guns---her kids were mad as hell.
One of my friends passed away last year & his wife gave me nine of his guns--a great lady--so we purchased one of her cars for one of the grandkids

 

[Mark 40]

My brother in law treated the family to a range trip while on vacation last year. He is an FFL/LGS owner. While at the range I really gravitated to a .38 Colt Officers Model Match, 1955 vintage. I told him how much I liked it and then he said "it's yours". I was blown away.

He does a lot of buying at estate sales, and this came from a large collection. The guy shot it competitively at some point; the single action trigger is phenomenal.

Thanks Steve

 

[jmace57]

On a different forum, someone asked if anyone could use some S&W Model 59 parts as he had gotten rid of his. I happened to be in the middle of a restoration of my first one and I said yes. I offered to pay him for the parts (spring sets, grips, etc) bu he refused and just said to "pay it forward". Several weeks later, out of the blue I received 9 original 15 round mags, which are not easy to come by. I have tried to "pay it forward" and have given four of the mags away.

 

[Deus Machina]

Dad bought me a Ruger 22/45 Mk3.
Was selling a benchtop lathe on Craigslist. Asked $375, would have come down just a little. A guy traded me a clean S&W 586, no dash, for it despite me noting that he could have sold it and bought the lathe and had money left over.
I unfortunately sold that gun for a profit, but not before enjoying it first.

 

[gulogulo1970]

My wife bought me a Ruger SP-101, 3" barreled, 357 magnum for Christmas a few years ago.

It is the only gun ever gifted to me, I'll never sell it.

 

[badkarmamib]

My father gave me my first gun at 12. A Marlin 336 .30-30, I still have it, just finished refinishing it this past winter after many hunts.

This past year, he asked my opinion of the new Springfield XD-S in .40 S&W. I told him I thought it would be a good carry piece, that I had been looking at them myself. He went down to the LGS and bought us each one, and told me "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas."

 

[1KPerDay]

Neighbor gave me a 1941 walther P-38 bringback because he didn't want to give it to his hoodlum son.

 

[Mn Fats]

Too many to list. I'm not even sure I can pay it all forward but I'll keep trying.

 

[Coyote3855]

Workout partner offered me a "Saturday night special we found in my great aunt's house after she died." Turned out to be a S&W .32 nickel break top in 99% condition with factory pearl grips. I told him it was worth bucks and would pay, but he only asked that I not let it get "on the street."

I gave a friend a duplicate Mosin Nagant and his wife an extra S&W Model 36. Have passed several of my Dad's guns to his grandson.

 

[Dexter Winslett]

I have over thirty to my sons and seven grandchildren.

 

[Armybrat]

My Grandpa gave me his Winchester Model 42 shotgun - it'll go to one of my kids or grandkids. I've given a dozen Ruger & S&W handguns to my kids & grandkids so far, and some day they'll get the remainder.
.Gave a Remington R1 1911 to my landman for his exceptional service. My Dad's best friend gave his gun collection to me & my two brothers (I received 2 nice Browning Safari bolt rifles, a mint 1941 Win. M94, a Remington M1100, and a High Standard revolver).
My Dad divided his Winchester collection three ways to give to me & my two brothers - this was my 1/3:

 

[Armybrat]

tForgot to mention - When our Dad, who was an avid fan of the TV series "Gunsmoke", turned 70 in 1981,my brothers & I chipped in and presented him with a new Colt Single Action Army (.45 Colt) with 7.5" barrel in blue & Color Case Hardened finish).
Oldest brother handcrafted a fine walnut presentation case for it. We had his US Army serial number engraved on the backstrap. Both he & our mother were overwhelmed and got quite emotional a the family gathering for his birthday.
Dad treasured it for the last 20 years of his life. Oldest brother inherited the Colt since he made the case.

 

[Growlers]

My father died about 15 years ago. Shortly thereafter, my brother and I became estranged and rarely spoke to one another.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago. My brother and his 2 young sons stayed at my house when they visited town for a sports event around Christmastime. Long story short, he gifted me with our Father's Colt Police Positive revolver chambered in 38 special (he had inherited it). Complete with box and my Dad's holster original holster. My Dad had been a police officer, and this had been his duty gun. I remember seeing it in his Sam Browne belt when I was a kid.

Best Christmas gift EVER! Oh, and my brother and I get along fine again now too. Lol.

 

[Yo Mama]

My friend older than I is like a Father to me. He gave me a bow in front of everyone while I helped him move. I had previously tried to draw the bow and was unable to. When he gave it to me everyone was looking at me, and he asked me if I could draw it back then, I said heck yeah and did it no problem. I would have never probably spent the money on a bow vs. a gun, and he knew it. So he gave it to me to make sure I was covered.

My Wife's Great Uncle (who was in better shape than I), taught me to hunt. I grew up with no Father around, and sought after people to teach me to be a man. Her Uncle took me under his wing, painfully, teaching me to camp and hunt. I love him like no blood relative of mine past my own Mother. If he had not given me his time, my kids would not know how to hunt. The guy ran circles around us young bucks through his 80s. He's still alive and would like nothing more than to drop dead in the forest where he's lived an amazing life.

 

[sarge83]

I have a slew of nephews that I give a nice SKS rifle too upon graduation of high school, with their parents permission. Over the years they all end up at my house and range and I always introduce them to the M1 Carbine, SKS, M1 Garand and various bolt action military rifles as well as handguns. Most like the M1 Carbine and the SKS, so over the years I counted the number of nephews and back when SK's were cheap would pick one up at the local pawn shop when I ran across one.

My grandpa right before he died gave me a Colt SAA Newfrontier in .22 caliber. Nickel finish and .22 mag cylinder as well. I shot it as a kid all the time and will give it to my oldest son.

 

[Speedo66]

I will call this a gift. My parents allowed me to first purchase a BB gun, and then a .22 target rifle when I was 12. We lived in NYC and my Dad was a veteran of some nasty times in the Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge, and no longer had any use for firearms.

They allowed my to join a rifle and pistol club, and develop an interest in shooting. Great gift which I'll always be grateful to them for.

 

[Doug444]

Probably 10 years ago or so a friend, whom I'd known through Boy Scouts (one of his son's achieved Eagle Scout while I was Scoutmaster) gave me an old Stevens 16 ga. side by side shotgun "because he had no use for it" and I'd been his sons' Scoutmaster, which meant something to him. Had a broken butt plate, which I replaced with a rubber butt pad, and it has since become my go to pheasant gun. Have no idea how much it's worth, but I'll never sell it because it fits me so well and it was a gift from the heart.

Another friend (through Scouts) had received a Winchester M100 in .308 from his sister (passed down from their father) but since he didn't hunt, he wanted to give that to me. I made him accept $150 for his sister - wouldn't take more. It had a broken stock, and I got the firing pin replaced (a la the recall for those who know), then just recently re-stocked it. Haven't shot it yet, but hopefully soon.

My wife has also given me a couple of firearms over the years, the best of which was a Ruger Mk II Gov't. Target model. That will be inherited by my step-son (though he may have to find some left-handed target grips).

Probably my most precious is the old Ithaca 37 20 ga. shotgun I inherited from my dad. Dad has passed from cancer when I was 10, and on my 14th birthday (minimum legal hunting age in New York at the time) my step-father presented me with that shotgun. It had been my dad's only gun, so it got used for everything including deer hunting with slugs. It had a full-choke barrel that was not great for slugs, though I did kill my first deer with it. After that first deer I sent it off to Ithaca and got a 20" slug barrel with rifle sights for it (it was old enough it had to be fitted at the factory). Never shot another deer with it, and it just collects dust in the safe now, pretty much, but it, too, will be inherited or gifted some time in the future, possibly to a nephew.

 

[LoneGoose]

All of these stories are heartwarming - they have renewed my faith in humankind.

Reading these, I was reminded of a gift given to me so very long ago. After my 4 years in the Air Force, I got a job in strip-mining country in eastern Ohio. A co-patron of the local tavern was a pit foreman and had a large ranch-style house. My buddies told me that his wife had died the previous year and he was now doing nothing with his life but working and drinking. He had built the house for her and was now miserable. That summer I started up a group that shot clay birds thrown by hand off an old mine's highwall. I bugged him to give it a try. He joined us once, then every weekend, and that winter he took up hunting again. The crowd set him up with a few blind dates, and he rejoined the human race.

After a couple years, I decided it was time for me to move on. When he heard, he searched me out and gave me an Ithaca Model 37, with the checkering, butt cap and rib. He insisted I take it because I had "saved his life." I'll never forget those couple years.

 

[v35]

My LGS remains open and haven't raised their very reasonable transfer fee in as long as I can remember. Their selling prices are good, and so are their buying prices.

Maybe that's a low bar for "incredibly nice / generous" but I'll take it. Knowing the hoops they have to jump through just to keep the lights on there's no way I'd want to run a business in today's climate.

Thank your LGS.