Help! Ideas on gun (gift) for husband

I will tell the story of my gun collection, including rifles (even though prob no need to mention them), to illustrate my thought process along the way.

During college, after acquiring my brothers Ruger 10/22 (fun gun and cheap to shoot), I bought a large caliber rifle for hunting. A Remington 700 chambered in 30-06. The thinking being that I wanted to put deer meat on the table. I also purchased a 12 gauge shotgun during this time as I began to enjoy shooting clay pigeons casually, and later trap and skeet (two clay games).

At around 25 I decided that I needed a defensive handgun to carry. I wanted to start with a revolver, due to perception of more reliability. I figured the 38 special caliber was good enough for law enforcement for decades and decades. I bought a small lightweight S&W 642 snub nose (i.e. short barrel, 2" barrel) from a friend. I knew it would be a challenge and it is a hard gun to shoot but learned to shoot it quite well. Fired about 2000 rounds in 1.5 years. I believe shooting that gun has made me a better shot today for my other handguns.

Next I decided that I wanted a .22lr handgun (around age 27) for easy shooting and teaching beginners. I bought a browning buckmark. Great gun. Side note I am currently thinking of selling it as I believe I will get more enjoyment out of a .22lr revolver, such as a S&W 63, 617,317. Guns that have been mentioned above I believe. I would love a snub nose model 63 or similar over any other. I don't think they made anymore and are pricy. I have been eying them when I see them, but haven't purchased. Been thinking about this gun for almost 2 years.

Oops...quick edit here. Also around 27 decided to get an AR15 and AK47. Thinking being you need a good semi auto rifle with a descent capacity magazine for defensive use.

Then around 28 or 29 I bought another 38 special revolver. This time a used S&W stainless steel police trade-in. It has 4" barrel and is same caliber as the smaller revolver, so that is nice. Great target gun, or "truck gun", or even to carry although I never have. Got it from J&G Sales after hearing someone mentioning them. Can be picked up for 300 to 400, so I just loved it for the price and what it is.

Around 32 I joined a local gun club and about a year later did my first IDPA (defensive pistol shooting match) with my snub nose revolver. It was a challenge but quite fun. Then I started shopping for a polymer framed 9mm semi auto. I went with the M&P 9mm. I like the gun, but I would point out that my choice was highly driven by thinking that I don't need more than 9mm and the gun fits my hand very well. I was also sure that I wanted a gun with no external safeties (since I am used to no safeties on revolvers). I also made sure to buy an M&P 9mm model that can still be fired even if the magazine is removed. Thinking being that I still want it to fire even if the mag came free during a time of need.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about adding a CZ 75 as it fits me incredibly well and it is 9mm. It is also a heavier gun so I am looking forward the almost none existent recoil, or "smoother feeling recoil" (again just my specific perception and wishes here). It would also be used for the IDPA competitions, defense, etc. Sharing the same caliber as my M&P 9mm is very important to me. I mention this because your husband may or may not care about having guns that shoot the same caliber.

One last example I would give is caliber. I don't feel I need more than 38 special in a revolver or 9mm in a semi auto. As of right now, my thinking is I will never one a handgun of larger caliber. The reason isn't too imporant, but just goes to show how picky a person can be with their tools.

Sorry, I feel weird saying all these things about me when this is about your husband but I hope it shows just how far you can drill down into his likes or dislikes on guns if you have the time or can somehow get the insight, while keeping it a secret of course.

ColtPythonElite said:

Colt 1911

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Assuming we're still set on handguns, I think we have a winner.

There isn't a man alive who appreciates pistols and wouldn't be ecstatic to unwrap a Colt 1911 he didn't expect to receive. If it's his first 1911 (as it would be in this case), you can expect him to appreciate it all the more.

My second choice would be either of the 22LR pistols mentioned by rcmodel. Like he said, you're looking at less than half your budget. Throw in a couple hundred dollars worth of ammo (assuming you can find it) and you have an amazing gift - one he can enjoy for a VERY long time without buying more ammo.

I would also go with a Colt Government (just their model name for a 1911), in .45 ACP. Second choice would be a nice target .22 semi-auto pistol, like a Ruger Mark III Competition. If you think he has enough handguns then you might want to consider something along the lines of an AR-15 rifle or possibly an over/under shotgun. I know I would be more than happy to receive any one of these as a birthday gift from my wife.

Buying by "opinion" is never a good fit as you can see by all the ones you`ve gotten. All are trying to help but as the old saying goes, different strokes for different folks.

Good luck..................

Hmmm...

I bought my wife a gun for her birthday earlier this year, and without her input. I hadn't wanted to do that, because a gun is a personal thing. People have their likes and dislikes on appearances, everybody's grip is different, what it feels like when you shoot it is subjective, and so forth. Buying one sight unseen for someone else is a touchy thing without doing some decent research on the matter with them. Sometimes you have to be sneaky about it, casually bringing up the topic through convenient segues from other issues. Sometimes you have to be blunt about it.

I had been wanting to take my wife out to try several different guns that she might be interested in, to see how she liked the appearances and feel, and to test fire. However, things just never worked out timewise.

Then Christmas rolled around...and her birthday shortly after. And she expressed an interest in me buying her a gun for Christmas. (Really short notice, wasn't going to happen. We laughed that one up for the common folk.)

Knowing my wife is a HUGE James Bond fan, I took a chance and ordered her a Walther PPK/S, which arrived in time for her birthday. I figured even if she ended up not liking it for shooting, she'd never want to give up her "Bond gun".

Turned out to be a most excellent choice!


So I guess what I'm saying is that, if you're not going to get some direct input from your husband because you are set on this being a surprise, you'll have to do some research on his personal interests and see what you can find out. Since he mostly target shoots, that opens up your options a lot more than just something for him as a concealed weapon. A fine .22 LR (and some ammunition to go with it) would be much appreciated. If he has shown any interest in certain guns from shows and such (like the aforementioned 1911 style .45 ACP), then that would be a good choice.

Remember...you don't have to spend your entire budget on the gun. In fact, I don't recommend you do that at all. A portion left over can be used to buy ammunition, or maybe some accessories like extra magazines, holster, etc. afterwards.

Best of luck! And let us know how it works out!


(By the way...if my wife bought me a gun, ANY gun, I would treat it like any other gift from her...I'd cherish it as the thoughtful gift she intended it to be, no matter what it was.)

Manny said:

My guess is your husband likes plastic/polymer framed combat style guns. The best available of those is typically a Heckler & Koch, or HK. Kinda the BMW or Mercedes of the type. If you were to give an H&K pistol to your hubby my guess is he'd want to marry you all over again. If you do, I'd try and get one with the LEM trigger as it will be similar to what I'm guessing he already likes.

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P30 was the first thing that came into my mind as well. Or an HK45.

If you go 1911, colt or kimber, go with a 5" barrel. If you go revolver Ruger Sp101 or GP100, S&W 686 or M69

Every man needs a nice 1911. I've owned just about all the commercial brands and there are a plethora of options in your price range. I'm fond of Springers myself and a Loaded is a great gun. I've had this Loaded Longslide Target for quite a few years and it cost me just under $1K NIB...

My two cents...

Don't try to surprise him. Take him gun shopping. Sometimes we don't know what we want until we see it. Women enjoy shopping for clothes and shoes, don't they? Well, men enjoy the hunt just as much as women do.

My wife wanted to give me a special present for my 50th birthday. We found a Colt Diamondback in a pawn shop. I didn't know I wanted a Diamondback until I handled it. It would be one of the last guns to leave my collection now.

Your husband is a lucky man. Take him shopping.

^^^^ .This and if your budget allows it, a set of Crimson Trace laser grips.
Since you know little about guns, I'd stay away from used guns. Look on some of the gun auction sites like gunbroker.com and some of the gun shops like Buds.This may give you some ideas. Without more info, it's really hard to suggest what he would like. He might like a mouse gun to drop in his pocket. Or he might like a scoped .44 Magnum. He might like a shotgun for trap shooting or a .22 rifle for tin can control. Good luck. You sound like a good, loving wife. Let us know what you decide.

Without copying several posts that will say the same thing-

Take him to his favorite gunshop, give him the cash, and turn him loose.

My wife did this several years ago. It was a (surprise) first stop on a local Bed and Breakfast vacation that she had planned for several months. She knew I was not overwhelmed with her plan, but I was doing it because it was what she really wanted to do.

We gun shopped for about an hour and a half, I made my choice, and then we proceeded to have our vacation together (all within 50 miles of our home).

We enjoyed the relaxation of a local, and very nice B&B. She is commenting on how quaint the furnishings are and talking about the breakfast for the next morning, I am field stripping and dry firing my new pistol.

Damn Good Wife!

Wow, I need you to talk to my wife, ya know, teach her some pointers!

You could get him that new HK vp9, or a PPQm2. Theyre both very Batmanesque.

I'd be more inclined to see what he needs in the way of accessories. Reloading equipment, if he's into that. A good spotting scope. A decent safe.

Is the Smith and Wesson a revolver? (They look like this: random revolver picture
or a semi-auto? It's probably a .380 if semi, not a .38. If it's a revolver is it stainless (shiny chrome looking) or blued (black looking)? Is the slide on his kahr blue or stainless?

Revolvers and 1911's are almost becoming a generational thing. At just over 50 years old, I like both. The young guys I shoot with (20-30 years old) think revolvers are antiques and prefer polymer hi-capacity over 8 shots in a beautiful steel and walnut package. Go figure.

That said, I think a 4 inch .357 (unless his smith and wesson is already a largish revolver in .38) or a 1911 pattern pistol. I would go with blue or stainless, based on his perceived preference as exhibited in his current collection. In addition to the brands mentioned I would look at a Ruger SR 1911 which can be had for about $650. You can buy him several boxes of ammo to make up the balance.

Birthday Gun

Sara32 said:

Ok so I want to get him a gun for his bday and none of my friends or any of his that I know well are gun people so I thought I would just join a gun forum and get some opinions! I don't know anything about guns. I know he likes handguns and that he has a Glock, a smith and Wesson, and a kahr. I only know this because I looked at the cases they are in lol. He's not picky and I know he would like about anything I got him, but I want to get him something maybe different than what he has and I really have no clue about brands. I hate to be the dumb woman on here, but I thought it would be the best way to get some ideas. Thanks!!

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The Glock and Kahr are both semi-automatics, most likely 9mm (less likely .40 caliber, & least likely .45 caliber). The Smith & Wesson is probably a revolver (but possibly semi-automatic), and is most likely .357 or .38 Special caliber.

Most of the suggestions were get a 1911 (several different brands, but usually .45 caliber) semi-automatic, or Smith & Wesson Model 686 (a stainless steel .357 revolver).
Both are good suggestions. The Desert Eagle is a HUGE & expensive ($1,500-$2,000 average) very powerful semi-automatic, which I usually wouldn't recommend.

It doesn't appear that he has a .22 caliber semi or revolver. I would suggest the Ruger or Browning semi-auto, as mentioned in postings #'s 6, 8, & 18. Also it seems he does not have a single action revolver (cowboy/frontier type), which he would possibly like. Ruger is a good choice in .22 or .357 (also shoots .38 Special) calibers, if he likes single action revolvers.

The above is the best I can advise, with the limited info. Good shopping and Happy Birthday to your husband !

The best available of those is typically a Heckler & Koch, or HK. Kinda the BMW or Mercedes of the type. If you were to give an H&K pistol to your hubby my guess is he'd want to marry you all over again. If you do, I'd try and get one with the LEM trigger as it will be similar to what I'm guessing he already likes.

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That's a highly subjective opinion. It's one thing to state that you feel HK is the best, but quite another to state it as fact. Personally, I can't stand their ergonomics or the company's attitude, and feel they're priced about 80% higher than what they're actually worth.

That's just my opinion as a former owner of HK products who sold them to buy what I deem superior pistols. But my opinion is no less valid than yours. There are a lot of folks who feel the same as you, and a lot who share my thoughts, plus everything in between and the extremes on either end.

We're all offering opinions in this thread, some more objective than others. Regardless, we should always be cautious of stating them as though they're facts. Saying "(insert model) would be a fine choice" is quite a lot different than stating "XYZ gun is the best!".

To many of us, looking at guns with the intent to buy gives us almost as much thrill as the gun itself. Many folks do not realize how many options are out there until you start looking. The fondling and drooling over a bunch of firearms over a a period of a few hours is more than enough to give many of us a damn good buzz.

Thus, I agree with some of the others to make the trip to the gunshop a surprise. Plan for a afternoon or night and consider going to more than one spot. Have him think you are going for groceries or something else mundane and then tell him when you pull outta the driveway that you really want to go somewhere and look at guns. Tell him you got an extra Grover Cleveland burning a hole in your purse and your realize filling a empty spot in the gunsafe would make it go away. Taking him along gives a night/afternoon of wuality time together where you can do something else fun, like having a celebratory dinner after finding the gun HE really wants. It also takes away the anxiety of being a female with little gun knowledge being taken advantage of by some macho gunstore clerk trying to impress you with his machismo. Any second thoughts or hindsight about the firearm purchase will be on your husbands shoulders....not yours. If he ever wants to take it back, or sell it in the future, it will be because he was not satisfied with his choice. Not yours. The gun will still be special because of the thought behind it and the memory of picking it out together.

Don't know where you are from, but if a handgun there may be a waiting period after a BG check before you can take it home. Regardless if you buy the gun new from a FFL or other dealer, there will be a BG check. If his name is on the BG check, odds are if there's a recall, he will get the notice even if he does not register the gun with the manufacturer.

Welcome to THR Sara32!
Just like shoes, a gun needs to fit the hand so surprising your husband with a "shopping trip" is a fantastic idea.
If he is a big fellow with big hands, he might enjoy a 1911 in .45 ACP. As he already has two in 9mm, you might consider some ammo for home defense (hollowpoints) or target ammo (full metal jacket/case).
If the Smith & Wesson IS a .38 revolver, be sure it says ".38 Special" OR ".357 Magnum". If the latter, you can shoot BOTH types of ammo in it and more reserves there would be nice.
As some have suggested, a .22LR/Magnum revolver would be nice except for the difficulties of FINDING .22 ammo in many parts of the country.

Good luck in your plans and "Happy Birthday" to a lucky man!

So many different people like so many different types of guns, calibers, etc., this is a very hard question to answer. But I have to agree with others who say that giving him an unexpected 1911 would be a very safe bet. I already own a 1911, and it's certainly not my favorite design, but I believe every serious gun owner needs one in their collection at some point. If I didn't already own one, and my wife surprised me with an American-made, steel framed, full size (called a Government model) 1911, I would be extremely excited. If it hasn't been mentioned already, the 1911 is a handgun designed by John Browning in the early part of the 20th century, adopted by the US Military in 1911, and it served as the standard sidearm of many US soldiers from WWI, into WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and even still serves with some specialized branches today. It is a true classic American firearm design that is easily recognizable by anyone who's ever been exposed to gun culture. My suggestions for criteria to start with in a first 1911:

• 5" barrel
• Steel frame
• .45 ACP caliber

Some well respected makers of 1911s near the $1,000 price point:

• Colt
• Kimber
• Springfield
• Smith & Wesson
• Sig Sauer

Good Luck!

Sara32 said:

Thanks again guys! After all the input I'm leaning towards doing something fun and then making the gun store thing part of the surprise. I think I should stick to what I know. Lol

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Sounds good, let us know what he picked out.
.

S-A.....

To my knowledge, S-A has a offer where you get 2/3 extra magazines & a new range bag. See the Springfield Armory website for details.