Need help with Retirement Gift gun idea

[gringogigante]

My dad is retiring after almost 40 years with the US Fish & Wildlife Department this coming November.

I want to get him a rifle for retirement and have all his friends in the office sign it or something similar.

Any ideas? One thing I remember reading about years ago was a lever action Henry rifle that had some sort of decorative polished bronze plate that you could get people to sign that would basically slip over the action of the gun. This could (and would have to) be removed for shooting it....or I guess you could mount it in a shadow box or something and put it on the wall....

Any other good ideas? I'm open to anything...

 

[TexasRedneck]

Is he an absolute gun nut? What kinda budget? I'd be lookin' at a Mauser...

 

[gringogigante]

Good question.... yes, he's a gun nut. Loves all "cowboy guns" (lever action rifles, single action revolvers, etc). But he also loves military rifles, so a good Mauser would be a great option....

 

[MR Redneck]

Man, you can get a personal engraved "anything" from Henry.
They have some beautyful guns that would make a great gift to a sportsman.

 

[TexasRedneck]

mmmm....I was thinkin' of their current offerings - the ones w/the interchangable barrels.

Mauser: Home

 

[London]

Sounds like Henry is the way to go. Is your dad a hunter? A .44 mag would be awesome. Maybe you could have the guys at Henry leave the stock un-laquered so you can do that after the signatures go on and preserve them forever?

I hope my kid grows up to give presents as cool as yours.

 

[gringogigante]

mmmm....I was thinkin' of their current offerings - the ones w/the interchangable barrels.

Mauser: Home

My sweet Lord in Heaven,, that is a beautiful engraved gun! Oh my....i'm wiping the drool off my keyboard right now.

THey look VERY expensive, though. I'm gonna research prices. Thanks!

 

[gringogigante]

Sounds like Henry is the way to go. Is your dad a hunter? A .44 mag would be awesome. Maybe you could have the guys at Henry leave the stock un-laquered so you can do that after the signatures go on and preserve them forever?

I hope my kid grows up to give presents as cool as yours.

Great idea with the stock.

yeah, my old man's pretty cool. Damn good at his job too. My hero, actually.

Keep the ideas flowing. I'll be sure to let y'all know what we choose.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Like the stock idea, also....or even engraved on the receiver. You say he likes the lever actions - why not a Mare's leg an' a large-loop carbine combo?

 

[Dawico]

Look at a long octagonal barrel lever gun. Have all the guys sign the barrel, and have an engraver go over it.

 

[kfog]

Like the stock idea, also....or even engraved on the receiver. You say he likes the lever actions - why not a Mare's leg an' a large-loop carbine combo?

seconded! that'd be truly cool

 

[texas skeeter]

you could always do a limited edition John Wayne commemorative lever gun...

 

[Rum Runner]

you could always do a limited edition John Wayne commemorative lever gun...

I love that gun. I remember as a kid sneaking it out of the display case just to spin cock and fire it like in the movies. Mom stole it from Dad during the divorce after he stole the china and her jewelry(think War of the Roses). Some day I should still end up with it. Hopefully it hasn't been ruined because only God knows where she ditched it and the rest of his display collection. (Annie Oakley, Antlered Game, and Chief Crazy Horse)

I like the octagon barrel idea and having an engraver go over it, but I love the stock idea. Like a sharpie on a light colored stock, then go over it with a lacquer, or polyurethane or something. That would be sweet.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Just remember - the barrel engraving will likely far outlast anything on the stock...

 

[London]

I like the octagon barrel idea and having an engraver go over it, but I love the stock idea. Like a sharpie on a light colored stock, then go over it with a lacquer, or polyurethane or something. That would be sweet.

In my experience the cans of spray laquer work great. They are easy to use and the finished product lasts just as long as stuff from a can. I have a guitar neck I've redone which can attest to this. It feels like glass and is even smoother than my Gibson!

 

[gringogigante]

OK.....I've narrowed it down. Thanks to your expertise (I knew I could count on this crew for good ideas...), I think I'm going back to his old favorites.

He's alwasy been a monster 1911 fan and loves cowboy action guns of all kinds. So, I've narrowed it down to a 1911 and a lever action rifle of some kind.

I'm really new to cowboy guns, so I'll need to do a bunch of research. I've been told by students, friends, and family that this is a whole 'nother obsession that I haven't gotten into yet. I think I'll enjoy the research and learning about the history of lever guns.

Of course I've heard of the '94 but after that they all loook pretty similar to me.

Any ideas on where to start researching?

Thanks again for all the help!