Pass it down advice, please.

J

jdc606

New member
More of my hob knobbing. Have my Dad's .22lr he purchased as a young teen. Dad is 6 years gone, the 1939-42 Winchester Mod 72 is in perfect condition. Was going to pass it to a recently married nephew in the near future but my wife showed me the errors??? in my thinking so I wait. She feels it should go to our youngest son.
More info...the nephew knew my Dad but the nephew is unpleasant, if I'm being kind. On his plus side, the nephew does hunt and is an outdoorsman.
My son cherishes his memories of my Dad. Son fishes but is not really an outdoorsman. If I didn't sneak over yearly to oil the couple inherited firearms in his inherited gun cabinet, it wouldn't get done. He has two sons that have no interest in hunting/fishing at this time.
I'm not dead yet so there is room for decision making. I've let the old 72 "speak" only about 50 rounds during the past 4 decades myself.
What say you?
In reading this I see where I need to grow. If I present this rifle to my son, I need to educate him on the importance of properly caring for it.
 
Talk to your son and ask him what he wants. Sounds like you have other sons as well. In a perfect world I'd rather give it to someone who will appreciate it. You know your nephew better than I do.
 
Thank you, gentlemen.

Thank you for your replies. We do have two wonderful sons but it is the youngest that has always had a stronger emotional attachment to my Dad. Nether son is an outdoorsman so a tie for the rifle would go to the youngest.
People can always change for the better but I do know the nephew being considered was not a favorite of my Dad, in the least, feelings being mutual.
 
Is your family. None of my business.
I can only apply what I would do.

the nephew is unpleasant, if I'm being kind.
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I do not reward bad behavior. If your Dad and this nephew did not admire each other, Consider what your Dad might want. The phrase "Rolling in his grave" comes to mind

The Grandfather/Grandson bond is important. Whether your Grandson hunts or shoots may not be so important.
As a preschool kid I was Grandpa's sidekick. We'd haunt San Antonio in his Packard.
Dad was sent off to a tour in Korea. I never saw Grandpa again. His abdominal aorta blew.
Grandpa was a railroad man. Mom gave me his gold railroad watch.
I'm 69 yrs old and I still treasure it as a connection to Grandpa.

IMO,your Wife might be giving you good guidance. Don't forget to thank her.
 
My father was not an outdoorsman by any means. Late in life he retired to PA from NYC. At some point bought himself a smith 38 special, his one and only gun. He passed in '93. I have memories and some audio of tape of him at a family gathering. The revolver never made it into my possession.

My son cherishes his memories of my Dad

Give the rifle to your son :)
 
I have my Grandfather's Ithaca double 12ga that has been in my family for 112 years, so far. I had the use of the gun when I was a teenager and it was always understood that some day that gun would come to me.

At my Grandfatehr's specific request, that day was not to come before I was 25 years old. It was a wise move on his part, that I only appreciated the wisdom of many years later. He did explain it to me, and I understood, but I didn't appreciate it until later.

he was always honest about it, he wanted the gun to stay in the family, and he felt that, by the time I was 25 I would be stable enough in life to not consider selling it, even if I badly needed money.

And, he was right. I did get in some of those situations and did sell some of my guns before I got past that part of my life.

In my family there are not a lot of pictures. Our treasured memories are "kept" mostly by things, seeing them, holding them, sometimes even using them are what brings back those who have passed, for me, anyway.

Its really great when someone gets an heirloom and will treasure and use it, but I would pass on an heirloom gun to a non-hunter, or non-shooter who would value and care for it, for what it was, over a hunter or shooter who would not.

just my opinion and worth what you paid for it.
 
You really only have two choices

Items like this are priceless and the last time I faced this situation, I passed it on to my Grandson, by marriage with a letter of it's history and why it was special to me and why he was deserving. ....... :)

If you feel that is should go to a better home, then you already know where that is. .... :rolleyes:

God knows we are simple minded creatures and that is why at any given point in time, we only have two choices. ..... :cool:

Be Safe !!!
 
Pahoo said:
....with a letter of it's history and why it was special to me...
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I have written a letter to be included with the rifle telling the story my Dad told me. The Mrs. and I had decided the rifle goes to my youngest, but I wanted to hear your words of wisdom. I can't stop from sharing a bit of the story with you wonderful graybeards.
My Dad weeded onion fields along side his mother to earn his money. They would crawl the rows on hands and knees from sun up to sun down. Dad said he could have bought a war bond for the same $17.75 paid but opted for the rifle instead.
 
I have my grandfather's .22 rifle, which he used to teach me to shoot. I could (and perhaps should) write a letter to document its history, but I'm not sure what it will mean. My only child is a girl who isn't at all interested in guns, and probably should never be allowed to handle one, so when I'm gone I don't know who is going to get the rifle.
 
Aguila Blanca said:
I have my grandfather's .22 rifle, which he used to teach me to shoot. I could (and perhaps should) write a letter to document its history, but I'm not sure what it will mean....
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AB. I enjoyed my time documenting the story of Dad's rifle. I think you would, too. Do it for yourself. Then put it in the barrel channel or under the butt plate. Hopefully someone will discover your "voice from the past" and wonder at it if not the firearm itself.
While remodeling our family home a long time ago, had a large piece of door opening trim off and wrote a time capsule behind it. Someone may uncover it again, and I bet they enjoy finding the blast from the past.
 
Small world !!!!

My Dad weeded onion fields along side his mother to earn his money.
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Talk about a small world; I also worked the onion fields. Not weeding but, topping. I bought my rifle at the naval base GunStore in Gitmo-Bay, right after the Cuban Missile crisis. paid $75.00 plus $3.00 shipping, to my mother's house. ..... :)

Be Safe !!!!
 
Pahoo said:
.....I also worked the onion fields. Not weeding but, topping....
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Thank you Pahoo...after reading your comment, then doing a little onion research, I bet they were topping the onions, too. Going to re-write my little rifle history note to reflect this probability.
 
If I were you, I would bide my time. Especially with your fathers sentiments, while not excluding him, I would very seriously consider before giving it to the nephew.
 
I’d ask are your beliefs about who might want the firearm based on what believe to be true or what you want to believe ?

Not being snarky . I’m of an age where these questions come up in my mind . I can’t help but to think back when others were considering me for inheritance. Often I find out i did or did not get something based on the family members belief in something that was quite false . It also became clear it was less there thought but more a rationalization on there part to do what they wanted rather then what they really felt I wanted .

I say this because I’ve had many conversations over the years with my son that involve my opinions on him or what “I” think “he” might want of mine and I’ve been surprised more then once on what he does and doesn’t want and why . It’s really interesting how two people can have very different feelings of the same event in history.

I have memories of him and I doing something that effected me greatly and sometimes he’ll say He doesn’t even remember that and yet it was this great father son moment for me . That goes both ways , he’ll bring up something I did that I have no recollection of or remember but it does not carry the same significants to me as it does to him .

My point is When it comes to things like this you really should ask all involved or who you want involved what they want and think . You’d be surprised what might be said and why they feel that way . One might say no I don’t want the gun but his old pocket knife or tie clip would be awesome. You just never know what moment they had that was the defining moment in there relationship.
 
Metal god said:
I’d ask are your beliefs about who might want the firearm based on what believe to be true or what you want to believe ?
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Thank you Metal God for taking the time to consider my post. To be honest, I never considered my son at first thought as to who should get Dad's rifle. It is my wife who has the insight I lack and I'll listen to her. First off, she said our youngest would be devastated if I passed the rifle to the nephew. Then she asked, "What's the rush to pass it on?" Fact is, once it's in the cabinet in my son's home, it will likely not be shot again. I'm planning on a range trip tomorrow and likely be shooting it as it's my standing/off hand at 50yds firearm.
Only reason I even considered the jerky nephew is it would be a wedding gift, he is an outdoorsman who may have kids someday that he could take squirrel hunting. The nephew could change for the better with age.
 
Again; 2-choices

First off, she said our youngest would be devastated if I passed the rifle to the nephew. Then she asked, "What's the rush to pass it on?"
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There are times, in every married man's life when:
1) He can choose to be, RIGHT. :mad:
2) He can choose to be, HAPPY. :D

I am a very happy man. ...... ;)

Be happy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
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