My son wants an M-1 Garand...

[ScottsGT]

Just like mine. But here's the problem. He has the money in the bank, he know I would keep it locked up for him and he would not have access to it unless he was out shooting with me. But....He is the typical smart @$$ teenager (16 next week) and his mother will most probably say, not no, but hell no! I on the other hand, know that the Garands are going away fast, going up in price fast, and he will mature to the point where she will feel comfortable with him owning it. (Take into consideration that while not an anti, the wife is not pro gun) I'm just trying to convince her to let me buy it so I can at least give it to him one day. With two sons, I was agonizing over who to leave my Garand to, and this would settle this for me.
What would THR members say to convince her?
BTW, He had a coronary when I told him what ammo costs. He thought paint balls were expensive, and he has to buy his own ammo too!

 

[aka108]

Go ahead and get it. Since you plan on leaving yours to one of your kids, you might want to share the price 50-50 with him and it will all even out down the road.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

Get the rifle. On the way home from picking the rifle up stop by your local jeweler or department store and buy the wife something nice; perhaps something she has been wanting lately. It'll cost a bit more money, but its better than having to live in the domestic equivelant of the North/South Korean border for the next few weeks. Problem solved. You're welcome.

 

[Dr. Dickie]

The following is my opinion, you get what it cost ya.
The M1 Garand, is the finest example of freedom that one can have.
The only other rifle that could come close would be a flintlock.
No other war in recent history for an American, not WWI, not Korea, not Vietnam, not even the first Gulf war comes close to the clear cut: good vs evil, freedom and liberty vs tyranny, as WWII did (that is the war, not the men and women who served), and the Garand epitomizes that war.
Getting a Garand is a way for your son to connect to the ideals that American stands (stood?) for. It is a constant reminder that freedom is not free, and that we live without chains because brave and corageous men and women have been willing to take-up arms like the Garand to defend what they hold dear. That rifle will and should remind your son every time he see or uses it, that we owe so much of what we have to those that have gone before us. Your wife should understand that, and hopefully (with Garand in hand) so will your son.

 

[Big Bore]

I would think you will have more trouble with the 2nd son than the wife. One boy gets a Garand now, and the other when you die? That will go over. I think you are looking at two Garands, at least when the other boy reaches 16.

 

[skipjack]

My wife won't even touch a gun; but she doesn't mind my 16 year old shooting with me. In my mind, the time we spend shooting together is important. We are sharing a common interest, and he is learning responsibility.

M1 garands are getting scarce, and if you find one you like and don't mind parting with the money, I would jump on it.

Even buying the ammo can be a lesson in responsibility. He has to save to buy it, and then of course clean and care for the firearm.

Another thought would be to get him involved in cmp. http://www.odcmp.com/

I hope it all works out for you.

 

[BobTheTomato]

I think the real question is: Is it easier to ask permission or ask forgiveness from your wife?

 

[david_the_greek]

no no no you're going about it the wrong way. Shooting is something you and your son have bonded over right? well that was my sap story when my mother (not pro not anti like your wife) questioned my need to carry out my constitutional duty. They have nothing to say when a son asks to be able to be closer to his father/ influenced by the good memories of his loving father.
I warn you though. allowing him to buy guns will seriously inhibit any money saving he is doing, I know this first hand as I had trouble buying all the books I needed for this semester with the scraps of change I had left.

 

[jem375]

buy the rifle and give them both to your sons later........I intend to give my garand to my grandson pretty soon, he shot it at the range and just loves the rifle and so it will be his to remember me by.....

 

[Lonestar]

Just like mine. But here's the problem. He has the money in the bank, he know I would keep it locked up for him and he would not have access to it unless he was out shooting with me. But....He is the typical smart @$$ teenager (16 next week) and his mother will most probably say, not no, but hell no! I

Is your wife's problem that you son is too young? Is 18 a better age? Explain to her the Garand will probably triple in price in 2 years. Make the deal that you are buying the gun for him now, but that he can only LOAN it out to shoot it, but you keep it with your other rifles. He can offically own it when he is 18

 

[Abby]

I'd just go with the $$$ explanation. If it's something the boy is going to buy eventually, regardless, it makes NO SENSE to wait a couple years and pay more.

Sounds like your wife is probably fairly reasonable, so I can't imagine that buying it then explaining the price escalation would get you much more than an eye-roll and shake of the head. Good luck!

 

[offthepaper]

My 2 cents......
Get 2 field grades from CMP ($425 each). Christmas is soon coming, and if ordered soon would arive in plenty of time. Don't even take them out of the shipping boxes, just a quick peak to make sure everything is there. Imagine watching the expressions on Christmas morning when they both open their gifts under the tree. From that point, you three will have a most enjoyable time inspecting, cleaning, improving cosmetics on the rifle. Such a great bond between a father and his sons restoring their prized pieces of history. The only thing that will be able to top that will be the day that after many, many trips together to the range will be the day one of the boys outshoot the " 'ol man" in that ever continuing "family Garand match". Think of it this way, what could be better for Xmas than one stop shopping, and what gift would make the boys happier with their Dad. Reworking the Field grades will be more than half the fun, and provide your sons with memories that will last their lifetime. Good luck.

 

[Baphomet]

Been there, done that.

Buy the M1. The wife will get over it.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Buy yourself another Garand. Do what you want with it at the proper time.

 

[B yond]

You didn't expect anyone to tell you not to get it did you?

When I was 16 there was no way my mother would've let me buy a gun. In fact, she kept my dad, a fellow collector, from even taking me shooting until I turned 18 and bought my own gun. To this day, I've only been shooting with my dad a handful of times and really regret missing out on the father-son bonding we could've done at the range.

You said your son is a smart@$$ at 16, well there's no better way I can think of to get rid of that behavior than to teach him the inherent responsibility required of upstanding gun owners. There's a lot of power in a Garand, and like Uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility."

To this day my mother is anti-gun. She will not listen to reason. :banghead: My dad has resorted to telling her his guns are all disassembled and locked away in some hidden part of their garage, although I'm 99% sure that's completely untrue.

The point I'm trying to make here is that if you pass on the opportunity to get your son involved in something you can to together, you may very well miss out on the same great father-son bonding opportunity that I missed out on. I'm not saying you should lie to your wife about it to appease her, but I am saying you should put your foot down and stand up for your right to have a good relationship with your son. If a Garand is the tool you use to build that relationship, your wife shouldn't stand in the way.

My daughter is only 6 months old and I'm already trying to decide what her first gun should be. My wife isn't into guns, but there's no way in hell I'm going to miss out on all that range time with my daughter when she's old enough (assuming she's interested, of course).

Best of luck to you.

 

[Vitamin G]

I'd definately get it. I'm going to be picking up a Garand at the next gun show, probably at about an extra $100 premium, because I just don't feel like waiting.
And if he thought paintballs are expensive now, he should have played in the days when they were $1\10!
We all laughed at semi-autos as horrible wastes of money, and if you shot more than about 20 rounds per game, you were "hosing"