TX_COWDOC said:
I have a never been fired Weatherby in my safe. It's so damned beautiful I likely won't ever take it to the field. What's the fun in that?
It can go the other way with wood too. I have my grandfathers Savage 99 in 300 Savage. It was his only rifle. He deer hunted with it in at least three states. He certainly could have afforded a new deer rifle, but that Savage was always more than good enough for him.
Its wood is dinged and dented from the decades he used it. It was made in the late '40s, he bought it in the 1950s, and now its in my safe.
I would love to take it on a deer hunt in his memory. But it has some very concerning stress cracks in the stock that make me very hesitant to even take it to the range once or twice, much less on a hunt.
My oldest son is named after my grandfather, and I would love for him to also someday own and hunt with this rifle if he wanted to....but because of its damaged wood stock, even if he and I only hunt with it once each, at some point in our family history this heirloom will likely be relegated to a wall hanger, and its only two generations old.
I feel sad about that, which I know is goofy. Because in the end, its all just stuff. I have the same memories of my grandfather, whether I can use his rifle or not.
OP, whatever rifle you buy your son, in any caliber, with any furniture, someone with a keyboard will have a dumb opinion on the choices you made. Once you figure you what rifle he would like, pick an epic hunt for the two of you to go on together with it. If you have to spend less money on the rifle to swing the hunt....do it. That memory with you will mean more to him than the rifle ever will....imo.
