Boy due in September.

[breakingtime91]

My first child is due in September and we are ecstatic. Now that all the baby stuff is getting rounded out and my wife is a little more comfortable in the second trimester. So here is what we have discussed and she has given me the go ahead to get a pistol for him now that I can shoot, carry, and teach him on. That way when he is old enough (thinking 18-21) I can gift him a gun that quite a bit of history for him and character. I am really want this to be a gun that we can customize as time passes and something that can be passed down, hopefully when he has his own kids.

I was thinking something like a 1911 or maybe a beretta 92 for the significance of my wife and my own military service... not sure.


also mods, sorry if this is in the wrong section :eek:

[WobblyPossum]

First, congratulations! Second, just so I'm tracking, this will be a gun that functions as your training/carry gun that you will also teach your son to shoot with until he's old enough for you to pass it down to him? I think a Beretta or 1911 would be good choices. If I'm misunderstanding and this will function primarily as a gun to teach your son to shoot with, a Beretta might be a little large for a kid during most of his formative years. I had trouble getting an ideal DA trigger finger position on my issued M9 and people tell me that I'm an adult.


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[breakingtime91]

Ya i realized I should of been a little more specific. I will mainly just be a gun I shoot periodically and wait til he is old enough to actually shoot a pistol like this. I'll start on a 22 rifle and move up from there. I may also be a gun I carry/train when I need a break from my lem guns.

[deputyG23]

Congratulations as well! 1911 is the hands down choice, in my opinion, of the two pistols you mentioned. History and character aspects are there along with more usability for different hand sizes as he grows up.

[VolGrad]

Congrats on the upcoming baby boy.

Regarding the gun - I have never really understood the "buy something now that I can pass on in 20 years" mindset ... with regard to guns and knives and such. The likelihood you would actually stick to the plan is pretty low due to the fact it might not function like it should, it might not fit his wants/needs/prefs, might just change your mind, might buy something better later, etc. You get the point.

I think people are just so caught up in the excitement of a new baby they use it as an excuse. It's purely an emotional thing. I get it. I was a first time dad at one time. It's an emotional time. Over the years I've had a bunch of guns that I thought would be great to hand down or to teach my kids on only to change my mind and dump them for something else.

None of that was to rain on your parade. I just wanted to point out it's more of a pipe dream than reality. Take advantage of the wife's free pass and get a new gun .... for you.

[GardoneVT]

My first child is due in September and we are ecstatic. Now that all the baby stuff is getting rounded out and my wife is a little more comfortable in the second trimester. So here is what we have discussed and she has given me the go ahead to get a pistol for him now that I can shoot, carry, and teach him on. That way when he is old enough (thinking 18-21) I can gift him a gun that quite a bit of history for him and character. I am really want this to be a gun that we can customize as time passes and something that can be passed down, hopefully when he has his own kids.

I was thinking something like a 1911 or maybe a beretta 92 for the significance of my wife and my own military service... not sure.


also mods, sorry if this is in the wrong section :eek:

Good Afternoon.
I'm GardoneVT, and I'm with Beretta Enablers Consultancy ,LLC

Based on the personalized case you have today,it would seem the best option is both.
We can't predict the future size of your sons hands or how expensive /cheap ammo will be, but we can predict buying a gun 18 years from now will be surely difficult .
By diversifying your sons ballistic portfolio with two different varieties of classic handguns -one single stack in 45 and one M9A3 in 9mm- you've ensured he'll find something of value in both options regardless of anticipated regulatory changes in the years to come.

As a man who never knew his birth father, to say nothing about inheritance thereof, the rate of return on this dual investment strategy will be significant beyond my numeric ability to compute.

That said, I can compute your consultancy fee.
Please send 24 pack of Guiness Extra Stout to :

BEC, LLC.
C/O GardoneVT.

Late payment will result in shot glass interest being assessed on the outstanding balance!;)

PS-Mazeltov!

[breakingtime91]

Congrats on the upcoming baby boy.

Regarding the gun - I have never really understood the "buy something now that I can pass on in 20 years" mindset ... with regard to guns and knives and such. The likelihood you would actually stick to the plan is pretty low due to the fact it might not function like it should, it might not fit his wants/needs/prefs, might just change your mind, might buy something better later, etc. You get the point.

I think people are just so caught up in the excitement of a new baby they use it as an excuse. It's purely an emotional thing. I get it. I was a first time dad at one time. It's an emotional time. Over the years I've had a bunch of guns that I thought would be great to hand down or to teach my kids on only to change my mind and dump them for something else.

None of that was to rain on your parade. I just wanted to point out it's more of a pipe dream than reality. Take advantage of the wife's free pass and get a new gun .... for you.

oh you didn't rain on my parade. You said exactly what my step dad said, so I appreciate the advice. I would be lying if it wasn't a pure excitement thing/kind of an exscuse to have something new to tinker with around. My HK p2000/2000sk are all set as far as sights, support gear, and tools go. My wife has kind of noticed that and she was pretty excited about creating a family "pass down" anything.

[Poconnor]

I have been building a "family standard" for my children for the last ten years. I have two sons so it fits nicely with the "pair and a spare" philosophy.

[LOKNLOD]

Congrats on the son! Raise him right. Our future depends on it.

Sincerely,
Dad to 3 girls


If you want something sort of ceremonial to hand down, a nice knife is a much more economical thing to stash away as a keepsake. Something that matches your service history, like a Ka-bar for a Marine, might up the specialness a little bit as well.

Meanwhile you can be getting guns and stuff for you all to shoot together, and someday he can claim one as his own or will want want like it.

[Hauptmann]

First, congrats on your first! Second, don't start building a firearms legacy before your kids are born and expect them to appreciate it. My dad did that with my brother and I, and we all took our own paths. You should pick what your personal preference is to train with and use, and just introduce your kids to that. They will appreciate it more that this was "Dad's gun" that he carried every day rather than some customized heirloom that was mostly a safe queen.

[Chance]

Congratulations! I'd recommend .22 revolver. Don't have to worry about finding mags a few decades from now, and is a fun plinker in the mean time.

[The Apprentice]

I second the .22 revolver if you don't enjoy shooting one there is somthing wrong with you.

[RJ]

BT - Awesome! Congratulations to you and mom to be!

Kids are such a blessing. Real happy for ya.

[ReverendMeat]

I would go with a revolver too, though probably .38/.357. In the event you actually hold onto it for 20 years it still might be legal by then where a pistol might not (or if you end up moving to a shitty state before then, same deal), no magazine capacity issues to worry about down the road, and they're classy.

[BillSWPA]

I would think first and foremost about a .22 with a grip small enough for him to use when he is old enough to start shooting.

I inherited several guns from my Dad. They are special for the memories of shooting with him, but I have gone a completely different direction than him. He preferred revolvers because it gave him 6 for sure rather than 7-15 maybe. I prefer semiautos in either DAO with short, light, partially preset triggers like Glocks; 1911's; and true pocket pistols. He liked bolt actions with wood stocks, and I like AR type rifles.

His old guns are no almost entirely safe queens.

Edited to add: I completely forget to say congratulations! Raising kids will be the most challenging and rewarding thing you ever do.

[BJXDS]

CONGRATS
I gotta agree with those that said, you never really know what he is going to be into. Invest what you would have spent on a gun now, and in 20 years he will be able to buy what he wants, with some left over. If he is into shooting you will buy several guns for him while he is growing up anyway, starting with of course the Red Ryder BB GUN! Also start investing Now. The lil bugers are more expensive than anything you can imagine, but worth every penny!

Buy what you want now, after all he will get all those one day as well.

[jwperry]

Congratulations on the son, they'll be the hardest and best thing you've ever done.

I had the same questions to myself a couple years back. I ended up switched to the classic Sig P series so that I could buy a Sig Mosquito for my son to shoot when the time came (he'll be 4 in July and isn't anywhere close to ready....). But I was looking at any platform that had a dedicated 22LR or a 22LR conversion so that he could shoot with me and not just admire "Dad's gun".

I think the 22LR revolver suggestion is perfect though.

[LSP552]

Congratulations BT! There is no wrong answer to your question. I personally would't worry about buying something for him now. He will likely appreciate "Dads" gun passed on to him even more, especially if it's a Beretta like you carried in the Marines! And you can always get his input into his 1st real gun. Think how much fun you two will have if he gets to help pick out his 1st real gun!

[LittleLebowski]

I'd say double action .22 revolver.

[BN]

That way when he is old enough (thinking 18-21) I can gift him a gun that quite a bit of history for him and character.

Congratulations. He is going to want his own gun a long time before he is 18. ;)

[StraitR]

Congrats dude. I bought my first kiddo her very own gun right around the same time, that is, in the second trimester. It was more out of opportunity than necessity when I found a 1961 Ruger Bearcat for $175. No box or papers, but it's a gem nonetheless. She's four now and knows her gun is sleeping in the back of the safe. She talks about it every time I open the safe, which is fairly often.

My son is six weeks old and growing like a leaf. Haven't found the right gun for him yet though.

Get whatever you feel like getting. I'd look for something heirloom quality though. The cheap learning/training stuff is easy to come by.

ETA quick pic:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7453/26408302324_d0b0aae27b_c.jpg

[TAZ]

Congrats on the kiddo. Youre in for a treat...

Buy him a 529 plan instead. Shoot the crap out of whatever gun you normally use and carry. When he gets old enough to shoot a real gun (not a 22) give him the gun used to keep him and his mom safe. Mean more to him that way, plus you then get to buy another gun for yourself.

[Savage Hands]

Congratulations big time! I have two boys at 5 years and 17 months old and it's an adventure to say the least. Enjoy them while they're young since they grow up quicker than you can imagine.

[Kyle Reese]

Congrats, bro!!!

[breakingtime91]

thank you everyone! Lots of good advice in here, really appreciate it!

[farscott]

I have been on both sides of this, and, in both cases, the gun that the child shot first became the sentimental keepsake. For me, that was a Ruger Standard pistol that my father used to teach me to shoot with Maxwell House coffee cans as the reactive targets in my childhood backyard. I was six years-old at the time, and it is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. My father has passed, but all I need to do to connect with him is to take my Ruger Standard out to my backyard and ring the steel targets. Seven hundred miles and more than forty years vanish with the squeeze of a trigger and the ringing of the steel.

For my daughter, it is her Marlin 39A that she shot at the age of nine. She also has a modern version of the Ruger Standard, a purple Tactical Solution upper mated with a Ruger Mark II lower. We often shot those Ruger pattern pistols side by side when she was a child.

[JAD]

Mazel! I agree with a lot of what's been posted -- there are a lot of guns that you could shoot and enjoy together, and frankly there is no need to rush out now.

However, if you're thinking as I did that you'd like to put something in the back of the safe for when he's 21, I would strongly urge you to snap up a Series 70 while you can. I do not think an unmolested S70 is going to be easy to find in the future. I had an '82 that I was saving for Griffin but I've found some imperfections (too bad, off it goes to MARS to be another of daddy's guns). I plan to pick up an S70, take a hard look at it, and put it in the deep freeze. When he graduates prep we will sit down and pick a smith and a list; when he gets his Baccalaureate he takes delivery. Which will be awkward as fuck if he's a priest.

[Father of 3]

Congratulations! I have 4 children now (need to change my user name) ages 7 and under. The hardest yet most rewarding thing I/we have ever done.

A couple of alternatives:

Buy him a Glock and a 22 conversion kit. Start with the .22 and when he is older move up.

Buy him a Lifetime GSSF membership. You would hate to not use those Blue Label coupons each year :-)

Depending on your budget, both mentioned above.

Or something rare like the Springfield TRP 1911 Chris Kyle edition.

I haven't ever had much of a relationship with my biological father but my father in law gave me his BHP with the permission to customize as I would like but with the understanding that it would go to my oldest son one day.

Good luck and enjoy both your new baby boy as well as whatever you decide on.

[psalms144.1]

First of all - congratulations and prayers for an uneventful pregnancy and birth!

While I'm all for everyone buying new guns whenever possible, the mention of the 529 plan is the best suggestion yet. I have four children, have already put one through college (she self-funded her Masters, and, coming on three years later, is still unemployed), next starts undergrad (pre-med) in Aug, and the twins will be starting the year I retire. As luck would have it, I have enough "heirloom" guns in my safe that each of them will get something special from Dad if/when the time is right, but I sure as $hi+ wish I'd invested more money into 529s at this point.

If not for my recent inheritance and the fact that they have a VERY rich uncle, I'd be selling all those heirlooms (and pretty much everything else in the safe that I don't carry for work) right now to fund #2s undergraduate education. You have NO IDEA what college costs, if you're just now looking at the birth of your first.