Gunnie Gifts...

Greg from West by God had an interesting suggestion:

I've got a great idea... "what firearms an overpaid contractor in Iraq should acquire upon coming home from a year in the desert."

Heh. I only have 7 months left to plan.

Well, while his is pretty specific, I broadened it to mean, "Jay, what would you recommend someone get as a firearm for a special occasion/gift/'OMG I Survived Don't Ever Do That Again' Present?"

Now, obviously, there are about as many answers to this question as there are gunnies out there. Some would choose a high-end target pistol; others an insanely ornate over-under shotgun; still others would opt for a match-quality AR-15 variant. Any one of these would be a fantastic idea, subject only to the whim of the buyer. I guess for the sake of this exercise, there's a few qualifiers we'll toss in before we get going...

1. We'll assume that the buyer in question has a fundamental grasp of firearms and their function and as such is not constrained by being unfamiliar with 1911s, AR-15s, or short-barreled revolvers.
2. We'll assume that the expenditure is going to be sizable but not unlimited; otherwise the list would be filled with full auto goodness or H&H double rifles.
3. The firearm to be acquired should be extravagant yet functional - no safe queens or collector holy grails need apply.
4. Lastly, the buyer does not have any gaping holes in their armory that should be filled first - long range rifle, home defense shotgun, intermediate power carbine, etc. are covered by the existing armory already.

With those caveats in place, here are some ideas I have for how Greg can spend his hard-earned ducats (and please Beth, don't kill me...)

1. High(er) end 1911 target pistol. Les Baer, Ed Brown, S&W Performance Center, Kimber Gold Match, etc. Now, granted, it would be easy to drop the equivalent of a nice used car on a custom 1911, but picking up a higher end gun for under two large should be achievable.

2. Long range bolt action. Much like the high end 1911, this is another one of those open-ended quests where one could easily spend the GDP of several small nations on a rifle and glass. Something in .308 Win or larger with a scope capable of 300+ yard resolution would fit the bill nicely. Extra points for heavy barrel and bipod. Try to avoid anything with "tactical" in the name.

3. Two words: Colt Python. They're rare and getting rarer, but examples in excellent condition can still be found for under $2K. Find one of the older models with the rich, deep bluing, or one of the nickel versions. 6" barrel is a must.

4. Match grade AR-15 variant. Something with a 20" - 24" stainless heavy barrel, flattop upper for optics, and competition stock with cheek rest. Something that'll shoot rings around the typical Fudd rifle just for kicks...

5. Obsolete/rare milsurp. I'm thinking something in the SVT-40 or FN-49 family. Take home something with an exotic pedigree and not get in trouble with the Missus!

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So there's my list of potential acquisitions. I'm sure there are many other options I haven't covered, but I was trying to offer a broad spectrum of choices. Each item on this list is something I'd like to get someday, but are either duplicates/improvements of existing guns or else so impractical that spending the money just isn't an option. In Greg's case, he's earned himself something pricey and/or impractical.

What would you recommend he get?

That is all.