Man's Best Friend

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GoMets

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This is my first post.

I've enjoyed reading your posts for a few years but never posted until today. I've learned a lot from you guys. Thanks.

My 14 year old chocolate lab passed away the day after Christmas. The family is pretty well crushed but I'm the worst off. Chevy was my buddy and my shadow. Just an all around great dog and a great companion. He was always at my side.

I want to get a new gun and have it engraved in his honor. I need some ideas on a new handgun that will will be enjoyable to shoot every time I go to the range. It also needs to be suitable to have custom engraved with his name.

I have a bit of everything and I really don't care about the caliber or the brand. I need some ideas of where to get it engraved and what to shoot. I know you guys will have some good recommendations.

He was a pure chocolate lab that was tough as nails. His official name is "Chevy Built Tough". And he was.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Bob
 
Well, my favorite gun is the S&W 686 and 586. Not sure if this is what you had in mind. I'll will add that I'm very sorry for your loss. I put my cat down over the summer and he was just like a dog in a lot of ways and very special, so I understand the loss and emptiness. My very best to you and your family during this difficult time.

Laura
 
Sorry for your loss. Our chocolate lab, Maggie Mae is seven. Our white lab is four. Except for my time in college, law school and the army, I have had dogs for nearly my entire life (at least 66 years or so.) They truly are best friends. My last previous dog was a fabulous lab I named Ruger. I'd recommend a Ruger 1911 - it has a nice flat surface for engraving.
 
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Man, sorry for your loss. I absolutely love Labs. We had a black lab named of all things, Hershey...

You want something tough as nails, huh? Something that can, say, eat empty cases? Can be used as a club and crack a skull? Will last for many generations? Plethora of hi-cap magazines?

How about a S&W 5906. Even a crappy beat up police trade-in will refinish easily (bead blast) into safe queen standards.
 
my idea of the perfect engraving gun is a stainless 1911. you can have the slide engraved with whatever you want and there are so many grips that it would be very easy to also have those engraved as well.
 
I can not make your revolver but can
do the finest hand engraving that you
would want. We lost our Lab after his
16th. Birthday. He was a super dog
and knew his job protecting our
family and chasing Deer. Our deepest
condolences.
 
Two colors that always look gorgeous together is nickle/polished stainless and rosewood grips. Have you thought about a nice colt SAA or a clone. Uberti makes really nice ones I hear. When I think beautiful guns my mind tends to drift there.
 
Two colors that always look gorgeous together is nickle/polished stainless and rosewood grips. Have you thought about a nice colt SAA or a clone. Uberti makes really nice ones I hear. When I think beautiful guns my mind tends to drift there.
Click to expand...

If it's REAL rosewood then yes, I agree.

If it's this bright red/pinkish orange laminated crap that's on so many commercial guns these days, than I think it looks ugly. And stupid.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry about losing your pal.
But losing a pet is not quite as sad as losing people you love.
As for choosing the gun, be sure to pick one you really like to shoot.
Then it will accompany you to the range most often.
It won't do if Chevy mostly just sits in the safe.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. My wife and I love animals so over the years we have had dogs, cats, and parakeets. We currently have several cats, 2 dogs and 1 parakeet. Our dogs belong to my step-son but have attached themselves to us. One is a big Yellow Lab named Dakota. He is a very loyal dog. I'm sure Chevy was as well. Just remember he will be waiting for you on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. I have no ideas on what gun to engrave but maybe another Lab pup would help. In keeping with the line you could name him "Colorado" or something similar. Again you have my deepest sympathies.
 
Dan Wesson stainless. They have unadorned slides except for a tiny name of the model on the left rear of the slide.

On the right side, a tiny engraving of Chevy's face with the name Chevy in tiny italic under it.
 
My sincere condolences, hard to beat a good Lab. I too lost the best little buddy I ever had this summer, a little dapple gray Doxie named George. He was almost 18 and I miss him very much. I like your idea and may just do something similar. I don't have a 1911 in .45 ACP and have always wanted one and would seem to me to be a great choice. I'm going to start saving for it now.
 
It's always hard to loose a good friend but remember the best times and things do get better. I had to have my 12 year old German Rottweiler put asleep last Labor Day. She was a great dog and a friend to everyone and still is.

I suppose that if I were to do a remembrance gun for a dog I would pick a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 4 5/8" barrel. I would pick a stainless model and do a satin finish on the whole gun except the hammer, trigger, and unfluted cylinder which I would give a high polish to. I would then have a complete image of your friend on one side of the cylinder and then a head and shoulder image on the other side so both showed when the cylinder was in locked position. The only other engraving would be your dogs name, birth and deceased date enscribed on
the back strap. Some nice straight grain dark walnut grips and that's it. Something nice and simple that doesn't distract from it's purpose.
 
I am sorry to hear of the loss of your pooch. It is a difficult time for sure. I have had many great dogs in my 70 years and I cried like a baby when I lost each and every one of them. It takes some time to get through it.
God Bless you and your family and comfort you during this difficult time..

I am thinking a 1911, plenty of room to engrave ande very enjoyable to shoot.
 
I am very sorry for your loss. This may not be what you want but I've always seen the Ruger Bearcat 22LR as a companion gun. A nice holster with a Blackhawk and a cross draw cylinder engraved stainless Bearcat to accompany it would be nice. The symbology would be awesome in my opinion.
 
Had to put down my companion 13 y/o Rat Terrier "The Dude" with his advanced diagnosis of cancer. We just adopted a rescue 1 y/o female Rat Terrier "Daisy" who is not my favored shadow wherever I go. Difficult to let go, but count our blessings with our canine friends.
 
I too am sorry for your loss. The best dogs never live long enough.

I've been lucky enough to have had many a good bird dog in my life. It's always tough when I have to put one down. My back yard is full of memorials as I have buried most of them (in the last 40 years) back there and planted an ornamental tree/bush over them. For each one of them, I've also planted a fruiting tree/bush on public land somewhere. Thus everytime I go out back or hunt those old familiar haunts on public land, the memories of those good dogs comes back.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas and kind words. I'll put them all to good use.

I'm thinking a 1911 .45 ACP, stainless with some simple engraving is the route I may go. Get some ivory grips and have them engraved as well. Still not sure. I need to talk to some engravers after the holidays. I'm in no rush.

Keep the gun ideas and the memories of your pets coming. I've really enjoyed reading them.

Looking forward to a good 2017
 
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