Greatest Grandpa on the Planet?

[Bullwinkle]

I had to stop and laugh at myself this morning. I found myself shopping for "my first rifle" .22s for my grandson (Cricket, Rascal, and others). He's only 6 months old!!! Gees... what's my hurry?

On the other hand, the Dems will start indoctrinating him in preschool, so it's up to me to set him straight and give him the real story. Thankfully, he lives in South Carolina, so it won't be "as" bad for him there as it would be here, but still.

Anyway, thought I'd share my... um... "eagerness" shall we say?

[newbie1234]

This:

https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/personalized-henry-golden-boy/

or this is old, I do not know if they still doing this.

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/category.cfm/sportsman/create-your-own-henry-heirloom

[TAS]

OP, you’re doing the right thing. Time will slip away in no time so it’s best to start early!

[FNGGlock]

Buy a 22, pistol and AR now in the parents name so it can be “family guns” for him down the line. Don’t forget mags and ammo every year, so he is set to start well.
Who knows what crazy laws can cone up in the future, but possession in the direct family may help somewhat.

[Scooooter7]

Little Rocky will love it. I like that Henry inscription on the side plate idea.

[Oceanbob]

Excellent?‼️ Seriously we owe our children and grandkids a complete gun education. Teach them early.

[golfish]

Got to love it


I took my grandson (age 7) out this past Thursday for his first shooting trip. I took two 22lr rifles out and both were the wrong choice. He wound up shooting the RedRyder most of the time. The LOP was too long for the 2 that I took out.

Congratulations to you

[WAP]

Just bought this one for my 5yo granddaughter. She wants it painted pink and purple.
Her 7 yo sister got her .22 at 5 also

[Skip_Dog]

I bought a shotgun on the day they were born for all 3 if my girls. When I have grand children, they will be much more spoiled.

[stormvet]

Outstanding grandpa, start them young it’s never too early.

[TKM]

My Grandpa had a 105mm Recoilless Rifle at the top of the driveway.

Started me on an M1 Garand at 7.

[RandyD]

I bought my daughter a Crickett .22 when she was 5 years old. We would spend about 15 minutes a day at home practicing with orange plastic bullets.
We practiced loading, unloading, dry firing, and avoiding pointing the rifle at anyone. She is now 20 years old and she fully understands how to safely handle firearms.

I consider gun safety just as important to teaching her how to swim.

[1990Husky]

When my first grandchild was about 2 yrs old (he is now 7 1/2) I started looking for his first 22. I figured there would be more (we now have 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter) so I knew I would need a few. Since I am a fan of old stuff, I decided to look for old 22's. I found a guy who was liquidating his collection and had a bunch of Winchester 69A's. I bought 4 of them not knowing at the time how many I would need, but the deal was too good to pass up. Each grandkid will get one when they turn 10.

I am also working on my Garand collection so that each grandkid and each of my kids (1 daughter and 3 sons) will get one in the will someday.

[Bullwinkle]

You guys/gals are the greatest! It's reassuring to know I'm not the only "oddball" in this group.

Yeah, that Henry golden receiver cover looks pretty snazzy. I know it's not cool to say "snazzy", but since I'm a grandpa now, what the heck? Back in my day...

My dad, an ex-USMC marksman, taught me how to shoot when I was 8 years old using... don't laugh... a J. C. Higgins Model 42DL. But hey, you know, it's not about the rifle, it's about the marksmanship. Kids don't care if it's an Olympic training rifle or a Walmart special. They don't become gun snobs until they join CalGuns, right?

I know there are two inevitable facts of life as I get older. First, prices are only going to go up (we've been "post-pandemic" for a while, with little return to normality in gun/ammo prices yet, and personally I doubt there will be). Second, there's no guarantee I'll still be around when the boy comes of age (knock on wood). And frankly, unless America makes a 180-degree turnaround in 2024 from the course she's currently on, we'll soon pass the point of no return (if we haven't already) and individual rights and "the pursuit of happiness" will be forever gone unless certain states secede and form their own union. So yeah, I've been thinking about the "grandfathering in" aspect of things, too. Bottom line, it's better to buy now. That's my rationale and I'm sticking to it. I think--no, I know--I'm going to need a bigger safe.

Ultimately, I'd like to start with a youth beginner rifle like a Crickett or possibly a Bantam sized magazine fed bolt rifle, and add in a Liberty Training Rifle for later on (preferably one that can be lengthened as he grows). In fact, @FNGGlock now has me thinking that an ultra lightweight AR carbine with a CMMG .22 conversion kit and collapsible stock might be the ticket for the LTR, but even that might be too big for him to handle. Sigh... as far as "life's little problems" go, this is a good one to have!

Thanks for the support, folks!

[Killer Bee]

I contacted Henry looking for a way to confirm yom for a birthyear gun for my son shortly after he was born

those of you that have been here a while I'm sure have seen my extensive collection of mine

so, the gal I talked to at Henry suggested I talk to Anthony, yes that Anthony, and transferred my call

he said the component manufacturing dates vary to pin a specific yom

he suggested a custom serial would be a better option, like his initials and birthdate

he got me in contact with a distributor and went through my local turners for sales point

Anthony Imperato even sent a personal email message to my son!

two years later when my daughter was born he did the same thing for me - amazing customer service!