Hope all y’all’s Christmases went well. Spent mine at home base, and was reminded how good it is to be among those people with solid core values who constitute what some call The Gun Culture. Christmas Eve was spent at a small dinner party with friends, among whom the armed far outnumbered the unarmed. Dress code was “chilly weather casual,” and when the coats came off it was apparent that the hosting residence would be the worst possible target for home invaders.
Among just the ladies I counted an open-carried, engraved Smith & Wesson Performance Center 9mm, a 20-shot Springfield Armory XDm 9mm, and a snub-nose .38 or two. One sweet grandmother was carrying a Kel-Tec P3AT .380 automatic in the pocket of her jeans. The next morning, she would discover a more powerful +P-rated Smith & Wesson Model 642 Airweight .38 Special snubby under the Christmas tree, a gift from her loving husband of many years.
Among the guys present, our host was open-carrying a fancy custom Browning Hi-Power 9mm. He was wearing it for sentimental reasons: it was the first gun his wife gave him after they were married. (Most of the time, he wears a Springfield XD chambered for .357 SIG, these days.) The oldest among us generally has a Charter Arms .38 in his pocket, and the second oldest was wearing a customized Colt Government Model he’s had for some 35 years. There was a father-son pair carrying Glocks, chambered for .357 SIG and 9mm respectively. Two of us were wearing S&W Military & Police Compact autos discreetly concealed, one in 9mm and mine in .357. Another fella figured on an evening of peace on Earth and good will toward men, he could get by with just a five-shot S&W in his pocket. No one complained; some of the other guys were carrying the same guns for backup. One lone male was ostensibly unarmed, but we figured we had enough spares to cover for him…
What would the police have thought? Well, not counting off duty LE presence at the party, three uniformed officers showed up after their day shifts ended, to shoot on the adjacent privately-owned range to verify sights and “zero” with their AR15s. All were wearing their duty sidearms, of course, and none blinked at the hardware on display at the party. Cops generally know who the good people are, as surely as they know who the bad guys are.
Many of us at that party found guns under the Christmas tree the next morning. It’s a gift that speaks of a giver who trusts the recipient, and that’s not something that comes out of every beribboned package. From Ralphie’s Red Ryder BB gun in the classic film “A Christmas Story,” to your own first .22 under the tree long ago, to which ones you received or gave this year…please share with us YOUR “Christmas Gun” stories!”
Decades ago, just before I turned 11 in February, I received a Springfield M1922-M2 bolt action rifle. That was the best childhood gift I ever got, and I a have been firmly entrenched in the gun culture ever since.
As I write this, I am sitting here with a Kel-Tec P-11 in the jeans front pocket. Near the size of a J-frame, with 13 rounds of 9mm aboard.
In 2009 for Christmas my wife sent her 77year old dad (along with us) to a CHL class.Since then we go to the range every Sunday.This year under the tree was reloading equip,Walther p-22,Remington 870,9×18 ammo,safariland holster,night vision goggles and a subscription to SWAT magazine .WOW what a Merry Christmas!
As I age (75 Now), I have broken my right elbow, and had carpel tunnel surgery on my left elbow, and hand, which left my right arm unable to extend totally straight, as well as weakening my grip, not to mention the old eyes ain’t what they used to be either.
My solution was to re-fit my M1911, in .464 Rowland, with a LaserLyte Rear sight (Zeroed at 25 to 50 yards) so that I can point shoot it from somewhere above the waist from a two handed grip.
The .464R shoots a 135 grain Nosler hollow point at 1,850 FPS at the muzzle, with an est. 1,026 Foot pounds energy.
Guess that is my Christma gift to myself, and my family, as well as the best copensation for age and infirmity that I can come up with.
This Christmas I gave my wife a Julie Goloski S&W M&P 9MM Champion Series. The proceeds from the purchase of this firearm benefit Breast Cancer research. Now you can support a good cause and protect yourself from the criminal element at the same time. My wife fell in love with the M&P after trying mine out a few months back (mine isn’t pink). She still likes her S&W 642 Airweight 38+P Revolver. However, she felt the M&P was more enjoyable to shoot and it felt most comfortable.
Well, my two youngest were very happy to find their first firearms waiting for them under the tree (with appropriate gun locks on of course!). My 8 year old son got a Savage Mark II bolt action .22LR and my 11 year old daughter got a Ruger 10/22 wearing Tapco furniture. I received reloading equipment and the movie “Shooter” based on the novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter. A great Christmas was had by all.
This year my grandma and great-granny sent me some Christmas money and of course the only thing I wanted to buy was a pink rifle. My dad said he would help me find the right one and it is a Ruger 10-22 with very pretty wood that is pink, silver and gold. My dad takes my brother and I to the range and now I will have my own rifle to shoot.
Bought myself a Springfield 1911. Meerrrry Christmas to me.
I bought my new son-in-law a Mossberg 500 Persuader with a bitchin’ case and a few boxes of buckshot. His take? “Best Christmas ever…!”
This Christmas I had on my Gen4 Glock 17 with Surefire X300 in a Raven concealment holster. My wife had her Kimber Ultra CDP 9mm in a 5.11 fanny pack.
Next year I know a little girl that will get a single shot youth .22 with a pink synthetic stock… Hope she likes it (her mom already knows she will, but her city raised step father might choke 🙂
Standouts:
Age 10= Daisy Pal
Age 13= Ruger 10/22
Age 40= Minty Smith 5″ Pencil BBL. Mod. 10, ca. 1963
LFI I, Winimac Apr 99
This was Milady’s gun Christmas. The first of December, she went to Concealed Carry class. While at the store, she found a nearly new S&W 915 (her first autoloader). It had perfect night sites, fit her hand like a glove, and was a deal to boot. It became her early Christmas present. Then, her late Christmas present was a concealment purse for the 915, for when her permit clears the state.
My Christmas will be going to the gun show in Louisville Jan. 1 and hoping that someone has Federal Hi-Shok 115 grain 9mm JHPs for prices below “first born”….
After getting my sweetie a certificate for a 4-day course at Front Sight a couple of months ago, which she has not yet attended, I figured the best way to get her interested was another box of ammo. She got only one box of Winchester 9mm ball for the range time, works perfectly in her Glock 17 or her old warhorse, a Ruger P85 that always works. As long as we’ve been together, it’s hard to find a new gift.
I got a spotting scope and about a dozen boxes of 38 special ammo (wadcutters). I havent had near enough practice with my 642 carry gun because I just dont have the time to get out and hunt ammo I can afford.
Oh, and Mas, I went to a Christmas party last week where out of the 50 or so people there, at least ten of them (including myself) were carrying legally. Most were sig 229s and 239s, one old school retro Colt Detective Special and my 642 in a pocket holster.
My son was the lucky one this year. After returning from overseas duty
I gave my son 2 firearms for Christmas. A Judge Plublic Defender and a matching .410 Saiga Shotgun. Plus I told him I will pay for him to take a CCW class. I also told him if he didn’t want it, I would be more than happy to keep it.. I have heard no response from him on that . LOL
Happy holidays to all..
I was surprised to find the very first pistol I purchased for myself – an old beat up Romanian Tokarev I had since abandoned in my family’s safe – restored to working order and refinished. My dad managed to do it all during his spare time, and it turned out way better than he expected. It probably performs as well as (or better) when it came off the line in 1956.
I got my first Ruger 10/22 for Christmas as well. I absolutely cannot remember any other gift I got that year, as the 10/22 practically became an extension of my right arm, and accounted for a good number of lunches and dinners.
I am very impressed. I hope to live among fellow gun people some day. Mas, thanks for telling the story and happy holidays !
Didn’t give or get any guns but in keeping with the times and trying to be a little frugal I gave several magnetic concealment devices I made. Pretty cool.
Also you drilled into our heads that we should always have a cell phone cause the first one to call the cops gets to be the victim 🙂 I got a new IPhone 4 which has voice dial. Won’t have to focus on the phone to call the good guys 🙂 That count?
My wife has serious gun phobia. I have slowly been increasing her interest with the many fine gun shows on the outdoor channel. Christmas morning I even got her to hold my 1911 and start to learn how to use it. Small steps…
This year my daughter got her first gun – a Red Ryder in pink. Mom got one to match. They boys got theirs a few years ago. Now we can make this a family event and get the whole family into shooting.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
At 12 I unwrapped the Remington model 510 single shot 22 I had picked out. My mom had allowed me to use her Green Stamps to buy it. Can you imagine today seeing guns in a food/pharmacy shopping redemption program? Geeze … anyone even remember Green Stamps?
That must have been one heck of a Christmas party Mas! It’d be nice to not have to worry about concealment but most of the family would be uneasy about it and blab it out to others, so I carry discreetly.
Notable presents this year included a Kimber Super Carry for my wife and a big box of my favorite defensive load for the both of us. I was suppose to have a SW 640 with night sights but it’s still on order.
Sadly I don’t get firearms as presents, just an okay to get them from my wife. Pretty much my entire side is uncomfortable with firearms except for one. Just the sight of an unloaded gun would freak out half my family. While my wife’s side is better, most don’t feel comfortable around loaded firearms except one or two.
On a side note, I must thank you Mas for stressing the importance of always carrying and the value of a good flashlight in your books.
For Christmas day, I was going to just carry a SW442 but decided to take my XD45 along as well. On the way back home that night we had someone follow us home. No idea who it was, maybe someone with a bit too much to drink, once we noticed him we detoured and he went his way. Anyway having a full size handgun and a good light was sure comforting right then.
I got a beautiful new BBQ gun from someone who loves me very much. It was a great surprise because I saw it at The Gun Shop while I was shooting a match there, it caught my eye but I waited until the end of the match to ask the store owner about it. At the end of the match it was gone and the store owner told me that someone from New York had come in and bought it. I was crushed.
So, imagine my surprise when I opened my rather large gift box on Christmas and inside was this beautifully engraved little BBQ gun.
Last year’s Christmas, I gave my dad an Ithaca 37 Featherweight 20 Gauge. A few years ago, I gave him a Franchi I-12 Diamond. In both cases he was quite happy with the gun.
My Christmas present – to myself ;^)’ – was a nearly new Marlin 1895 Cowboy in .45-70. YeeHaw!
SWMBO? She got a Mernickle Holy Terror III hostler set. Serious Bling!
Happy New Year to all!
In my younger days I participated in a New Years Day poker game. Sit in was $500 so there quite a bit of cash on the table. We ordered Pizza in the afternoon to be delivered. The Pizza delivery boy came in and spied all the money and told us that it was a stickup. The only thing you could hear was hammers coming back… He left without being paid and I am sure cryed all the way back to store. We gathered up the required payment and a Tip. which we drove to the store.. A good laugh was had by us and the owner. I am pretty sure his son never made that mistake again..
When i was 11 yrs old my dad gave me and my brother our first .22 rifles. They were Springfield bolt action single shot.
To this day I still have mine and i take it out and shoot it every once in a while.
They say you can never have enough guns, Well. I have to agree. I have 5 .50 cal. blackpowder rifles, which includes the deerslayer, Two .50 cal. Blackpowder Pistols, one twelve guage shotgun that I bought 20 yrs ago, 1 .45 cal. blackpowder rifle (The Plainsman),1 7.62.54R with bayonet,1 Llama .45 cal. Mini-Max S&W, 1 Colt 1911 .45 1927 model and of course last but least, my pocket derringer, a .22 two shot Davis Arms. I plan onpurchasing a AK-47 this year but not right away because i hyst purchased 1000 of .45 cal and .40 cal. ammo.(each) LOVE THE FEEL AND SMELL OF BLACKPOWDER IN THE WINTER!
After my father died back when I was 19 I inherited the ‘family’ .22, an old Model 84 bolt Winchester which shot true to POA. When my brother’s sons were old enough and it was apparent that I would have no children of my own for a while, I made a gift of that rifle to my oldest nephew on his 16th Christmas.
The Christmas after my 16th birthday, my father nearly re-enacted the scene from A Christmas Story with a Marlin Model 25 (mag-fed 7-rd bolt action .22) that a friend working at Marlin customized with checkered stock, leather sling and Tasco 4X scope. One of my most memorable Christmases.
This year my brother and I were sitting around the living room before Christmas Eve dinner. He put his hand into his pocket and looked panicked…until he realized that he had left his .380 at home on purpose and it wasn’t missing! One of those things only those in the “gun culture” understand.
Happy New Year, Mas, to you & yours.
My sisters boy friend of 6 months (a shooter) bought her a 20 ga shotgun for an early Christmas present. It is for home defense.
All those guns and nobody got shot???
Paul in Texas
Mas:
Sounds like your party was full of good peole, not just good cheer.
Our family Christmas Eve, the dinner table conversation covered many things, among those topics was ” best concealed carry pistol”.
I was carrying a Colt Officers 45, as was my next younger brother. My step father and third brother elect to carry the Colt Government .380. Although she doesnt yet have a CHL, my third brothers girlfriend ( after much trepidation and some convincing) is learning to shoot a Beretta .380. My wife was carrying an S & W 442 AND a Colt Detective Special.
My mother wishes we could have a conversation at a family gathering that doesnt include guns.
As you can see, opinions vary about the choice of sidearm, but we are a family committed to being able to defend ourselves, and thankful we live in Texas, where our behavior is common and customary. I feel sorry forthose who live whee self-defense is suspect and personal protection considered a mere privilege.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
On Dec 23rd, my kids saw A Christmas Story for the first time. Two days later, we gave my 6-yr old boy a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Right after he opened it, he said, “Oh no, now I’m going to shoot my eye out!” My kids are great at movie quotes. Not to worry, though, his kit came with protective eye gear.
My present this year somewhat matched my son’s lever action rifle, a new, unfired Marlin 1894 in .357. My wife also got news her CCW application was accepted, some good news for a change here in CA. We gave my dad a holster and cleaning kit for his new 9mm. Last year, we exchanged snubbies for Christmas. I received a Ruger LCR and my wife received a S&W 317. Belated Merry Christmas to you all, and have a Happy New Year!
I’m on a severe budget and getting into reloading, so I gave myself a 9mm shell holder. It’s for a RCBS press I got a good deal on back in the fall. Next weekend there will be a gunshow and I plan to find myself some more Christmas/birthday presents. 🙂
Ideally, I’d like to pick up a Lee Loader for .44Spl, along with bullets, primers and powder.
Christmas, 1956, shiny new Mossberg 142-K with the cool fold-down fore-end and Mossberg four-power ‘scope. Still have it.
Christmas, 1998, gave each of my grown sons a 10/22 and a Mossberg 500 Persuader to complete their equippage.
Christmas, 2005, gave my oldest grandson (then 9) a pristine Remington Model 581, and just a couple of months ago sent him a nice little four-power ‘scope for it.
Season’s best to all. Thanks, Mas, for all you do.
This year was a XDM 9mm for her (first gun) and a Glock 19 with Streamlight TLR-1 for me!
backstory: Thanksgiving 2008, I was showing my sister-in-law my new Glock 26 carry gun. She was very interested and after unloading it, triple checking that it was unloaded, I showed her how to hold it. She dry fired it and she suggested that at some point her and I should go shooting. She’s never been anti-gun just not very interested.
A month later, Christmas 2008 brother-in-law gives her a gift certificate for a new shooters course at a local indoor range which she took about the middle of January 2009. Over the course of that year (2009) I asked a few times (not pushing) if she wanted to go shooting with me. When we’d meet up for family birthdays, etc, we’d talked about how much I enjoyed shooting and IDPA. She’d seen videos of me shooting in various local IDPA matches and taking various firearms classes.
Finally, in October 2009 she asked to go shooting with me. I wrote about it here http://warriorknitter.blogspot.com/2009/11/shoot-em-up.html (scroll down a bit)
The next time we went shooting a few weeks later I bought her her own blue Peltor Ultimate 10 ears. We went shooting a few more times after that and I always brought the .22LR and plenty of ammo for her.
I talk about another break-though here http://warriorknitter.blogspot.com/2010/05/roar.html (scroll down)
We’ve been shooting a few more times since then and I don’t bother to bring the .22LR anymore and I always offer any guns I happen to bring along. However, a few months ago, while we were at the range, I bought a Q target for her to prove to her that she was ready.
A few weeks before Christmas, when her husband was going to be out of town for a few days she wanted to know where some of the guns in the house were in case she needed one. He made sure she knew.
the whole point of the story
For Christmas this year her husband got her another gift certificate–a CCW course. A few days after Christmas we went shooting again and I got her another Q target. She did great. She’s looking forward to taking the class and getting her CCW.
I don’t know if she’ll ever carry but she’ll be able to. I don’t know if she’ll ever move beyond the Ruger GP100 with a 4″ barrel and the soft .38 special handloads. But at least she knows she can. And that’s the best gift.
I still remember Christmas 1973 – my parents bought me a 22cal Marlin semi-auto rifle with scope (somehow I knew they had bought me a 22). The usual anticipation of Christmas seemed magnified that year as I waited to find out what kind of rifle it was. I think I was 14 years old. My first non-airgun was an Ithaca 16ga I bought for myself at age 13, used of course… back in the day when people newspapers still took classified ads for such things. My parents sure trusted me !
This year’s gift for me is a Dillon RL550B reloader… not here yet, so the anticipation is building – UPS should be dropping it off any day now. I ordered it through Brian Enos dot com, pleasure doing business with them. Happy Safe New Year to All !!!
My dad gave me a gen 4 Glock 23, and I gave him an old Smith and Wesson 12 gauge I cleaned up, with a couple of boxes of slugs and buckshout rounds I cast and loaded up. I like my new handgun, but my dad likes my ‘craft’ gifts more than something new-in-the-box.
My Christmas gifts to myself were a Springfield XD compact in .45, and an AR15. To everybody, a belated Merry Christmas and a happy 2011!
Mas..
I need to come to your house next Christmas. Sounds like the kind of folks that are armed in the shower. I know I am. Thanks for your many years of service behind the badge and all your efforts to arm the people of this great country with your knowledge.
Cantrell
“Among the guys present, our host was open-carrying a fancy custom Browning Hi-Power 9mm.”
That’s an easy model for do-it-yourself customization – just like the 1911.
Santa brought my wife a 10/22 of her own for Christmas .
With 1000 rounds and spare mags, she now hounds me to go to the Ft, White range all the time .
I’m begaining to think a diamond ring would be cheaper in the long run!!!!
The two most important women in my life (my sister and my girlfriend) each got a copy of The Cornered Cat.
I was lucky enough to find a Sig Sauer P6 under the tree.
Mas
With a Christmas gift card I just ordered a maxpedition active shooter bag with the mag pouches on the outside. I have my mags all over the place, and felt like a bag to corrall six loaded glock 19 mags, a half dozen speed strips of 38 special and three or four 20 round pmags wouldn’t be a bad idea.