Thread: Modern Heirloom rifles

I don’t think it really matters what the rifle is
As long as it’s special
To you
An old single shot lithgow is only worth 50-100 bucks but if it’s the one you’re granddad lernt to shoot with and taught your dad to shoot on an then you’re dad taught you then it’s pretty special to you

I don’t think an heirloom can be bought
It’s like respect
It’s earned not given

You can buy the nicest rifle known to man its still only a rifle until it earns the respect needed to become an heirloom

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

I don’t think it really matters what the rifle is
As long as it’s special
To you
An old single shot lithgow is only worth 50-100 bucks but if it’s the one you’re granddad lernt to shoot with and taught your dad to shoot on an then you’re dad taught you then it’s pretty special to you

I don’t think an heirloom can be bought
It’s like respect
It’s earned not given

You can buy the nicest rifle known to man its still only a rifle until it earns the respect needed to become an heirloom

Agreed. I have one that is being cleaned and reassembled. It is a pre WW1 Stevens visible loader in .22Long. It was my Grandads first rifle and my father used to play with it as a kid prior to WW2. Him and his brother would run round dry firing it and the old side by side ...neither can be used safely now and part of the clean is to replace the firing pin with one that wont hit the primer if someone was to load it in the future....

As non working firearms the yare all but worthless, but as a connection to my grandad and my father, they are priceless...

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

I don’t think it really matters what the rifle is
As long as it’s special
To you
An old single shot lithgow is only worth 50-100 bucks but if it’s the one you’re granddad lernt to shoot with and taught your dad to shoot on an then you’re dad taught you then it’s pretty special to you

I don’t think an heirloom can be bought
It’s like respect
It’s earned not given

You can buy the nicest rifle known to man its still only a rifle until it earns the respect needed to become an heirloom

Along the lines of your comments, I recently gifted a single shot Lithgow .22 to my grandsons. The rifle was my fathers when he was a boy and was the rifle my brothers and I first used. It is truly worthless as a rifle to anyone other than a descendant of my old man. My grandsons bring it out here with their dad and shoot it down on my range and I get a kick out of watching them and telling them about when I started learning and the times I had with it. That old average looking worthless rifle is a family heirloom to us and I reckon my young grandsons (7 & 5) have already developed enough of a connection with it that it will continue to be treasured by generations beyond them.

Greetings All,
I think that the question posed in the OP has two separate parts.
1. What would be special to us and
2. What would be special to our children.
Although we may rejoice in the fine workmanship and flawless operation of a really fine rifle, if has been purchased late in our life and spent decades in the safe it may not interest our children that much. To be special to them it would need a long association with both them and us especially when they were younger. There are several old rifles in my safe that are special to me due to association with friends, some of which are no longer with us. My children may never have met those friends and to them they are just an old rifle. The only rifle that passes the test is my old 10-22 Sporter purchased new in the 1960's. It was the first rifle my son fired (aged 4) and we shot rabbits, hares and at least one goat with it plus used it shooting running boar competition. It has moved between our safes a bit and my grandson has shot it as well. One day, perhaps soon I will send it round to him.
Regards Grandpamac.

No point having 'heirloom' firearms unless the recipient has a FAL and intends to keep that FAL, one slip up along the line and the rifle gets to be crushed....all firearms are based on 'resale value' so the 'heirloom' could be flogged off at any time....or sold just to keep the 'new pretty girl' in their life happy...I had thoughts of passing down a rifle I had custom made, at the time was probably only the third one in NZ, but as there was no commitment down the line I sold it as I intend to do with all my rifles.

My most heirloomy rifles are probably

A new Tikka M55
A Sako 22 with very nice wood
Chris Ziesler's old swiss K31
An old Russian TOZ17 (not really worth anything, but iv had it for about 20 years now and its worth much more to me than its monetary value.

I have a CZ527 Ebony which I consider a keeper and will be handed down, and my son shot his first deer just last week with my Howa Elude combo which means I can't ever sell that.

Oh and a Wingman Delisle would definitely fit the bill too knowing the level of workmanship and how few were made.

Firstly you need a son or daughter that is interested and will have a firearms licence , and then the make / model is insignificant it’s just the memories you had with it together or it’s a gun you owned for a very long time and was very special to you and they know it .
An investment style heirloom gun is a different kettle of fish , I’m not sure any gun in this country is a good investment anymore , if you want it and can afford it just get it and enjoy it .

Some good comments here. My two sons (now both in their 20's) have chosen a couple of rifles each that they advised I'm not to sell, as they consider them as heirloom. One will be third generation hand down, the others are just due to their love of that particular firearm for their own reasoning. To me, this answers the question of heirloom status.

I think, as far as firearms are concerned, that there is a component of quality and a component of sentimentality that makes an heirloom precious to the recipient. Quality basically means the firearm will last generations, and doesn't necessarily mean expensive. Anything with plastic likely to break down or embrittle will make a poor candidate. Same with crappy wood stocks.

If I don’t I’ve a few of the above that are keen to be passed onto.

Sorry disagree that it needs to be a son or daughter. It could well be a nephew, niece or someone that has looked up to you who you have helped along the way in their hunting and out door life. I’ve a mentor that has gifted me his shotgun and rifle. Have family with fal looking after them till when I get back.

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Sorry disagree that it needs to be a son or daughter. It could well be a nephew, niece or someone that has looked up to you who you have helped along the way in their hunting and out door life. I’ve a mentor that has gifted me his shotgun and rifle. Have family with fal looking after them till when I get back.

Totally agree
The best of the best in my collection was sold to me at a very reasonable price purely because the previous owner knew it would be well cared for and not sold on for quick cash
It is an honour to be worthy of even being considered
I similarly will need to find suitable future owners for my hoard.
And money will not be the primary objective
Legacy and technical competence will be top of the list

That these rifles have survived intact and original gives future owners a huge responsibility

I must start writing up what I know about them before I get older and stupider

As almost everyone has said, it's not the $value but the owners perceived value (which can sometimes be linked). Most of my firearms are fairly common but the 2 I place the most value in are a unusable sporterised Martini Enfield that was given to me with $0 value and a Marlin 25N .22lr I paid $300 for brand new in 1990 that shoots better than I'll ever be able to.
The .22 would never be worthy of been called an heirloom unless someone I knew got into shooting and I was able to pass it on, so I'll prob sell the .22 once it's time to give up my FAL but I'd like to keep the Martini and put it inside an epoxy river table as a display/conversation piece. Perhaps I'll use the markings to try and trace the history and encase a record of it in the resin, Then maybe the table itself would become an heirloom of sorts.

Agree with all the previous comments.
Friends father died a few years ago some of you will know him Ned Kelly who had Kelly Motors intersection Benneydale/Mangakino Road for years.
He was involved with Mangakino Gun club when it was flourishing back in the 60s/70s
His daughter ended up with his guns and didn't have a license.
I looked after them for awhile and she got them "priced" should I say potentially fleeced by a well known gun shop.
When she said what they had offered her for a SKB trap gun he had I said I will give you a bit more than that.
Shot a few ducks with it but I basically didn't/hadn't used it.
A couple of years ago at a funeral I caught up his grandson.
It was neat to have this young fella telling me how he had just got his licence. mad keen on hunting.
Anyway it was an opportune moment to tell him I had his grandfathers gun and I would give it to him.
Proviso was don't sell it and produce your gun license.
Was pretty neat to be honest.
Looking back his grandad would have paid a reasonable amount of dollars for it and it was still immaculate when I gave it to him.
I expect it will stay in the family.