What gun/cartridge (or combo) do feel would be a good choice as a future hand-me-down to your kid(s). I have one son and one on the way and was starting to consider what firearms I might like to aquire as hand-me-downs.



Should they be exactly the same for each child?



What cartridges will still be popular 20+ years down the road?



What firearms are available now that won't be in 20+ years?



Here's some I'm thinking of:



Handguns -

22lr - Ruger Mark II - SS 5 1/2" Bull (seems perfect)

40 S&W - Glock 27 or Glock 23(Will the 40 still be around or would a 45 be a better choice?)



Rifles

22lr - Ruger 10/22 - SS

223 Rem - Rem 700 LV or AR-15?

270 Win - Rem 700/Win 70? - for a nice deer rifle or maybe a 30-06/7mm RM/300WM as an all-arounder?



Will the short mags be popular or gone???



Fun stuff to think about....

The ruger 22 in stainless, the glock is nice.

As for rifle cals 30-06 308 243 you want something they can start hunting with I am also thinking of 7mm08.

Also a nice shot gun in 12 or 20 ga.

My little guy is 8 1/2 and shoots the single shot Stevens that my father taught me to shoot with open sights ( looked in the blue book and the gun was made in 1941 if I recall correctly). He hits a golf ball from 30 yds at the range cause he likes to see it fly in the air against the burm, he doesn't like shooting paper. Gettin ready to get him something a little diffrent, was looking at the Rossi 22/410 with the interchangable barrels. He wants to shoot squirrels and rabbits now!!! He love sitting in the deer woods with me but really wants to shoot a bigger gun, bugs me about the 30-30, I think it's too much recoil for him yet. A good all around rifle would be the 270 or 30-06 they will never go away and you can load them for almost anything in North America except for the big bears and bison. It's such a tremendous feeling when you know your son loves the same things you do, and I get to the range alot more with no greif from the wife!!!!! Sorry I rambled, but it's just great tradition that was handed down from generation to generation in my family. My brother and I have all my Grandfathers guns and my father doesn't hunt any longer so we also have his. I know when I'm gone all the tradition will be kept alive by my some which makes me swell with pride!!!

I'd get a good 22, 270/30-06, 20guage & for the pistol a ruger 22

My only child, a daughter will get all of my guns when I pass on except for two of them. Each one of my grandsons will get one of those two. The first grandson will get my first centerfire rifle. It is a 788 Remington that just had its fourth barrel installed. It is chambered in 308 Win. The second grandson will get my second centerfire rifle. Another 788 Remington. This one is rebarreled and rechambered for the 223. It was orginally a 222 Rem. When it was rebarreled I had it chambered in .223 Rem. Both shot great as factory rifles, and both shoot superbly now. The daughter can divide the rest of them up as she sees fit.

Both 788's are going to be restocked in walnut from my dads farm. And the recievers are going to be engraved and gold filled with their names on it. I hope they enjoy them as much as I have.

I agree, a special hand me down gun would ideally be something that means a lot to you and something that fits in with your character. The 788 Rem. is a blue collar no frills rifle that performed above its modest price tag. It fits me to a tee. A blue collar worker who has worked hard all my life.

May I be half the man my grandson thinks I am......RiverRat

Well, don't ignore the fact that if they're into it, they'll want to buy there own.
I'd be more inclined to give them one as soon as they could shoot, rather than "heirloom" peces once I'm done with them.
I'd go with a nice-ish bolt action 22LR with decent irons.
They'll learn well on it, the ammo WILL be here forever, and I can't imagine a hunter anywhere that has "outgrown" one. (And, yes, same for both of them. Siblings don't like "different.")
For a true hand-me-down, you don't go out and buy something to give them; you give them your gun!
Which one are you going to want to pass on? Buy it, and start warming it up!

I'd recommend a Contender Carbine. First of all it's a single shot break action, so it's a safe gun to start them out on. You can get a .410, or 22LR, and add a centerfire deer barrel in the future. I got one for both my boys when they turned 9.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I didn't even think about a shotgun...duh!!



So.....



Nice 22lr is a must. I'll probably be starting them on a Chipmunk and after that they'll get a nice rifle and a Ruger pistol.



12 or 20 ga shotgun. Probably a Rem 870 12ga.



What comes next? Paper/varmint gun or maybe a starter deer rifle? 223? 22-250? 243? 7mm-08?



I'm thinkin' a 223 and something 270 on up would be a nice combo but maybe they'd be better served to have a dual purpose rifle for varmints/deer like the 243 or 7mm-08. What do you think?



Also, what are your thoughts on salting away a Glock and AR-15 for each of them?

Nothing wrong with storing for rainier days, but don't you expect these kids to work for a living? They can get their own damn toys!
Buy a dozen SKS's and a couple thousand rounds of ammo if you're so inclined, bury it in the Nat'l Forest somewhere.
They may very well hate Glocks.