Why own a gun that you don't shoot?

[kenboy]

NIB guns in the safe are better than money in the bank.....if purchased wisely. IMO

 

[LSWC]

I have a few that don't get a lot of use - and they were gifts from family.
Sentimental value.

 

[xlsbob]

I don't have any new in the box. I've got my grandads guns including a .45 SAA from 1875 that I drag out every so often and shoot, but there's a bunch that I got and played with for a little while and they haven't seen daylight since. I go on the whim theory, whatever strikes me at the moment gets played with, the rest patiently wait their turn

 

[The Heretic]

I have a few rifles I have not shot yet, one I've had for over 10 years and not shot it yet because there are very few places, if any, to really take it out and stretch its legs so to speak.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I have a few old guns that are just too fragile to shoot...any sort of re-working of the gun will ruin the collector value of these ones...

That said I really enjoy shooting the old guns that I have , that can be shot...
Many of them are great guns , that still have a "working life"...just gotta be smart as to when you shoot 'em and use a sensible load in them.

Holding on to a firearm and keeping it unshot , just for the hopes of a collector value some day isn't what I want to do with my guns...
I would much rather shoot the ones that I can and properly maintain both the non-shooters and shooters , so that others may enjoy them when I give a display.
Andy

 

[zenbreath]

I've always viewed NIB like purchasing a mail order bride and keeping her 'pure' so you dont harm her resale value.

I dont make choices for others, but if its mine, I will use it, I will enjoy it, I will maintain it and I will protect it.

 

[Ownerus]

There are some I dont fire much due to historical or sentimental value. There are those I haven't fired.... yet. Some are unfinished projects, some finding/making ammo is the holdup. Some I simply haven't gotten around to.
In any event, I'm doing the Lord's work by keeping them off the street and away from them that would hoard 'em

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Well, that way they can say it's "NIB", "never been shot"........ Supposedly that is supposed to make it worth more...

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I save some of my favorite rifles and don't shoot them that much. The one in my avatar is one such rifle. It's one of my favorites, but I can tell you the very last time I shot it:


I even took a picture of the group I shot with it the last time I shot it. After I shot this 5 shot group, I put it away. I packed it around the hills last year during elk season and trust me, the rifle will hit the orange, any time I pull it out and shoot it. My elk rifle has to be trusted that much and all of my elk rifles are that way. My Newest rifle a Tikka T3X superlite chambered in 6.5 creedmoor is another one I will not shoot much. Got her dialed in pretty good right now:


The last time I shot my sporteized m1917 with left hand stock was during an elk hunt in 2016:


The time before that 1 shot was here:


The time before that 1 shot was only 3 shots to check my load and zero:


My true "hunting" rifles, don't get shot much..... But they are my most accurate, dependable and reliably shooting rifles.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I have a few old guns that are just too fragile to shoot...any sort of re-working of the gun will ruin the collector value of these ones...

That said I really enjoy shooting the old guns that I have , that can be shot...
Many of them are great guns , that still have a "working life"...just gotta be smart as to when you shoot 'em and use a sensible load in them.

Holding on to a firearm and keeping it unshot , just for the hopes of a collector value some day isn't what I want to do with my guns...
I would much rather shoot the ones that I can and properly maintain both the non-shooters and shooters , so that others may enjoy them when I give a display.
Andy

And I thought you were going to say it takes too damn long to load yours up....

 

[orygun]

I have always had guns I didn't shoot. I mean I shot them at some point, but then never, or rarely shot them again. Most of my "heirloom" guns fall in this category. I can't/won't get rid of those because of the family connection. Right now I'm not sure any of my blood relatives are interested and/or worthy and until I make that decision they can just sit in the safe. All is good.
But the ones I have bought are very much subject for sale at some point if it just sits around. Case in point, just this week I sold a No5MK1 British 303. I'd always wanted one and bought this a handful of years ago, only to put a few rounds through it and put it away. My plans for the summer include climbing out of dept and it was first to hit the shopping block. (Nice god damned gun, too) I've got a Ruger 10/22 I've only shot a couple of times up for sale, too. There might even be another one tucked in the back of the safe that hits the market.

I've purged my safe several times in the last few decades. It's usually to fund another project or cover my bases when I thought things might get tough in the near future. In the long run I've come out well. There have been a few I wish I'd not let go, but the only one I truly regretted I was fortunate enough to get back.

If I were a rich man I'd keep more of them, but I'd still "play the game" of buying and selling because I like it.

 

[Alexx1401]

I don't have any new in the box. I've got my grandads guns including a .45 SAA from 1875 that I drag out every so often and shoot, but there's a bunch that I got and played with for a little while and they haven't seen daylight since. I go on the whim theory, whatever strikes me at the moment gets played with, the rest patiently wait their turn

Now that it's no longer worth selling I too ended up with several guns I seldom shoot. Not collectors, of course not unfired, just stuff I really don't want any more but am kind of stuck with. Now and then need to work one of them into the range bag to a few rounds. One thing about these stupid new laws. I have never had as many guns at one time as I do now

 

[BSG 75]

I've always viewed NIB like purchasing a mail order bride and keeping her 'pure' so you dont harm her resale value.

I dont make choices for others, but if its mine, I will use it, I will enjoy it, I will maintain it and I will protect it.

I guess if you had only one mail order bride of course you wouldn't keep her "pure" because, well, she's the only choice you have.



On the other hand, if you are fortunate enough to have a lot more choices



you might not have time to spend with each and every one, but they're still nice to have around as eye candy, and you can still enjoy spending time with your favorites.

 

[zenbreath]

I guess if you had only one mail order bride of course you wouldn't keep her "pure" because, well, she's the only choice you have.

View attachment 585129

On the other hand, if you are fortunate enough to have a lot more choices

View attachment 585130

you might not have time to spend with each and every one, but they're still nice to have around as eye candy, and you can still enjoy spending time with your favorites.

"I got mo guns than Hef's got bunnies!"

 

[tac]

I tell myself that once I have enough space for a reloading room

I managed for almost ten years using the 1 foot square top of a four foot high display unit. I C-clamped the particular reloading tool to the top, used it, then swapped it out for the next stage. I must have made 20,000 rounds that way.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

And I thought you were going to say it takes too damn long to load yours up....

If I am in a good "shooting groove" ...I can get about 3 shots per minute...
That is if I am not giving a demonstration or helping someone on the firing line.

We have about 22-25 shooting stations on our trail walk at the muzzloading club , I belong to ...And it can take a almost an hour to get through it all , if we have a lot of shooters...

When I go out and practice shooting , I generally only do about 10 shots or so...its the quality of the practice , not the quantity of practice in regards to muzzleloading at least....
Andy

 

[revjen45]

"I have a Colt Single action in 44spl that my grandfather gave me.. its never been shot. 30-40 years old, still has zip-tie behind the hammer."

So shoot it, clean it well, and install another zip tie.

 

[USAF Medic]

Guns are works of art. No different from sculpture of paintings. Enjoy them. Shoot them, collect them. Show them off.

 

[WoodsPlinker]

My father collects but doesn't use stuff. It's borderline hoarding but organized and clean.

And yes he did this with guns. Some of them he used. Also everything had to be treated with kid gloves.

I shoot all my guns, usually not all at once, and if they get scuffed up it's just part of life.

The more it's used the more battle warn it looks. I don't get the not using them thing either but I know having stuff other people don't understand is part of what makes America so great.

We have abundance to the point where you can do that stuff, it's glorious.

 

[DB is Here]

Guns are works of art. No different from sculpture of paintings. Enjoy them. Shoot them, collect them. Show them off.

Excellent point