What guns should a father give to his children?

Find a nice used custom 1911 and throw it in the gun safe for him. A couple of years ago, I got super lucky, and stumbled on a Les Baer Concept VI for 800 bucks, 1/3rd it's original price. That gun will go to my son, someday.
 
handgunpics001qo5.jpg


That's a great idea, but part of me wonders if it would be better to get him a simpler gun, like the Springfield Mil-Spec. That way he would still have a good 1911, but if he wants a really nice one he'll have to scrimp and save for it like his old man did.
 
Last edited:
Nice brace of Baers. You have a point, in the learning the value of a dollar dept.. He might also enjoy the process of learning how to trick out a 1911, and the familiarity with the weapon that process brings.
 
Start 'em out light with a .22 and you can't go wrong. I have the little Marlin .357 Mag Carbine that when loaded with .38's is perfect for getting little bit older youngens ready for the more powerful calibers.:thumbup: :cool: :D
It's my opinion that if you start kids out with too heavy a rifle or handgun they have tendencies to develop bad habits such as flinching and jerking the trigger instead of making a nice smooth squeeze.:(



..
 
I don't really believe in giving people guns. They should have to buy them for themselves or at least make me a solid pitch for what they want, how they know what to do with it, and how they will use it safely. The pitch I want to hear is how my son has studied the mechanisms of guns and independently arrived at the conclusion that he needs to start with a bolt action .22. If a kid thinks he needs to start out with a big bore gun, a pistol, or an autoloader he hasn't truly examined the situation. I want sober conservative reasoning in my budding Nimrod.

If the kid is solvent I would be more positively inclined if he paid for his own gun. I want this to be a possession that he values highly and does not neglect. It is too dangerous for that. After we went hunting together with my son a friend offered to give him a .22 magnum rifle. I told him not to do it. If my son had a serious interest he would find a way through his own initiative. Until then I want to be the firearm custodian.
 
What really gripes me is when I lend someone a gun and they forget that they asked to borrow it. Then they decide it was a crazy gift that I had forced upon them and they decide they better give it to the police department to dispose for them. In this case the borrower was my own father and what he gave away was a nice WWII Sauer 38H 7.65mm automatic. I really love the single-action, double-action, and cocking lever on that trim hammerless auto. Alas it is gone forever.
 
a good bolt Marlin .22 is hard to beat and teaches a kid to make the shot count. auto's are for when they master the single shot.
 
kamagong said:
I once knew a man who believed that one of a parent’s most important duties is to prepare his children to face the world. In addition to making sure that his kids grew up strong, he saw to it that they were educated as well as exposed to the real-world. He taught his children the value of a good knife and gave each one of them a Chris Reeve Sebenza. Most surprisingly, he gave each one of his kids a pistol and rifle of his or her choosing. I’m not sure of the pistols but I know that at least one of his kids chose an AR, while another chose a Springfield M1A.

I didn’t pay much attention at the time because I was still young and foolish (I did not yet exercise my 2A right), but now that I look back I see a lot of wisdom in that man’s words. Maybe it’s the fact that my wife is pregnant with my firstborn, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about which guns I should set aside for my children. I’m not talking about family heirlooms, I’m talking more about a basic battery of guns that I want my children to have.

I think that I will give each of my future children at least a 1911, and an AR. More than likely I’ll also get them a .22. That should be a good start I think, I know that it’s not much, but it’s more than my father started me out with. If my kids want to build a collection someday that’s fine, but they’ll have to do that with their own money. I just want to make sure that my children are equipped to face any physical dangers they may encounter.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Pardon me if I reply to a thread in a forum I usually don't hang out in, but your post really moved me. Your philosophy is solid and I respect it a great deal and agree with it, so I wanted to contribute.

My contribution is to suggest a classic Smith and Wesson. Perhaps one that cops carried like the Model 19.

I inherited one from my grandfather that my, cop, uncle gave to him. It's my most valuable possession.

.
 
Maybe a pair of .22s. A Ruger Single Six and a bolt action Marlin. The cheap ammo will encourage them to practice. The slow rate of fire will encourage them to make every shot count.

My first gun, purchased with my own money, was an H&R 9 shot .22 DA revolver. Forget the model number but it's a satin nickel finish, short heavy barrel, adjustable sights. Still have it. The DA pull is way too heavy but the SA pull is really good. Easier and far cheaper to get good with a .22 than with store bought .357s or .45s. Just my two bits.

Frank
 
from my non-gun using standpoint, I would say to give them something along the lines of a mid sized revolver in .375 about a 4 inch barrel, and a 12guage pump action.

my reasoning goes like this:
that variety of revolver is pretty versatile. you can carry it concealed, but it will work as an open carry outdoors gun as well. or you can leave it sitting in your bedside drawer, but be sure that 10 years down the line, when something goes "bump" in the night, you can grab it and it will work.

the 12 guage works for home defence, or a wide variety of hunting styles, dependant on what ammo and choke they use. more versatile than a side by side (for defensive uses) and more reliable than an auto loader, if they leave it in a corner for years untill it is needed.

that way, you are giving them something that is more likely to be useful to them, whatever path thier life takes them. whereas a .22 .308 AR or AK has less variety of uses (you can use a shotgun for hunting 4 legged animals or birds, but a rifle only realy works on ground based targets, not flying stuff)
the reason I go for revolver over auto pistol is simply that auto's tend to have more in the way of controls (saftey, slide release, mag catch) and so in the "after 10 years" scenario, there is more to get wrong.

obviously this is from the standpoint of them allready knowing how to shoot, not needing to train them up first.
 
Think how much more they would learn if they were required to design and make their own Zip-gun before they were entitled to a store-bought model.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top