Anyone else love a beat up gun?

It depends on the gun: I'd like to see beat up AR 15s because its nice to see people running them hard even though they can be pricy...

...but I don't like to see beat up M1911s because I see them as little works of mechanical art

...and I hate to see old Blue and Wood rifles and handguns that are rusty or damaged.

In general, I like the look of beat up "military"* weapons (M1 Garand, AR) while I like my "civilian" weapons (bolt action hunting rifle, etc.) clean and shiny.

*which is not to say the these weapons are only for the military, just that they are closely associated with our military.

I like old beat up guns. Most of guns have been purchased used with no refurb.

My S&W 469 has a lot of honest wear, as does my M-44, and an old 20 gauge single shot. The guns I have bought new, tend to stay looking new. I don't baby them, though, so they have some honest wear. Just hard to get 80 years of patina on a five year old gun.

I hate rust on a gun, but I love honest wear. Wear caused by holsters or scabbards or just general handling and hunting look good to me. My dad has an old Marlin 336 that he has hunted with since he was a teenager. The gun has very little blueing left on the receiver and a lot of the finish is worn off the wood from being carried through the woods countless times. That gun is like a work of art to me, it has character a NIB gun can never have. I see safe queens and perfect guns but to me they don't look as good as a gun that is cared for but used like it was meant to be used.

Rust is a constant enemy.

I put my Barrett M95 away without wiping it down a couple years back; next time I pulled it out, there's a noticeable handprint... on a parkerized finish, no less! So I have a (rather big and heavy) constant reminder now to double-check them, and re-oil occasionally.

Does it hurt the gun? No. But it annoys me now every time I look at the damn thing.

Honest wear is different. I've got a couple of old hunting shotguns that have been handed down - one is 5 generations old. It's seen better days. MUCH better days.

As a collector, to me condition is everything. I want the guns to be in pristine condition, to the extent possible, and that's why I avoid firing them. I'll settle for a "beater" only if it's a great rarity, and unavailable in a better condition. (Even then I would probably walk away from it.)

I love honest wear & tear. Holster/scabbard wear, lead streaks on loading gates, ivory grips or stock treatments with handling patina - hell, I really love visible and well done repairs to keep a firearm going with minimal part replacement.

More?

Old oiled limp slings
Bare metal backstraps
Worn checkering
Smoothed over parkerizing
Linseed oil soaked walnut

Give me a worn looking gun proving it was designed to stand up to extended use any day. I already have too many NIB monuments to non-use.

I grew up poor and if it wasn't for beaters and hand me downs I wouldn't have had a gun to hunt with. If it wasn't for a beater .410 single, Springer .22lr and Win 94 I'd have never known the joy of shooting. Sure these days I have some really nice stuff but the beaters still get the most love. When I walk out the door do I grab the unscathed new pistol..nope the G23 with way too many miles or grandma's old .38 snubbie gets to ride. Plinking fun Nylon 66 most days or maybe the FrankenRuger 10/22. Don't get me wrong I love a fine rifle but the majority of the time I just prefer my beaters

I'm kind of partial to this old S&W Hand Ejector in .32-20 that got passed down to me by a favorite uncle.

Sure I'd be happy if it was in pristine condition, but it is what it is...a fine shooter with a lot of mileage. Only problem is the scaricity and price of ammo, and a friend solved that by finding this Lyman .32-20 hand-loader in his box of tricks:


Tinpig

Yep! I love a gun with experience and character... my favorite hunting rifle (which was stolen) had knicks, dings, and three pin-holes in the stock from where I landed on a downed barbed wire fence... just made 'er more beautiful to me...

Yesterday I took a deer to a slaughter house for processing. Leaning up against the outside door was a Ruger 10-22 that looked like it had been submerged in salt water for a couple of years.

I commented on it's condition to one of the workers. He replied that the gun had been leaning in that doorway for over 20 years had had been splattered with blood from many many thousands of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs that it had killed over the years. He said that he only had to shoot an animal more than once since he had been using the gun.

Depends on whether its from use or neglect (and sometimes its a little of both). A friend of my dad's brought his .30-30 over the other day for some help in setting the scope. He pulled out a Marlin 336 that he said he'd had for over 4 years. There was no finish left on the wood, and the rifle was literally a shade of brown from accumulated rust that had never been really cleaned off well.

We eventually got it set and I know he kills deer with that gun every year, but it was nearly heartbreaking to see a gun in that bad of shape. I had my own 336 out shooting it as well and though its no safe queen (it's got some wear spots and a few scratches and nicks in the wood), seeing just how bad a gun CAN be made me appreciate how good of shape mine was still in.

I like military surplus guns when they have a little "character".

I'd prefer to rough up my guns myself rather than buy one that's already worn, but as long as any damage is superficial it won't turn me off from buying something. In fact, I'd probably buy the rougher one on the grounds that I might be able to get them to knock the price down a little.

Love a worn gun my 1911 has hoster wear my 336 scuffed up i just put the first scuff on the ar

My 760 has got a lot of character, 30 years of use in the Pacific Northwest rain forest, a few years of hunting in the San Juan Islands. Still functions well, though.

So I take it that you guys won't like this?

Sure. My carry pistol (P228):

Looks like Ivan does a heck of a good chrome job on that bayonet!

Came across this on an older 1911 showoff thread. Gorgeous.

Sure. My carry pistol (P228):

Click to expand...

What do you do? Line your holster with sandpaper?

Looks like Ivan does a heck of a good chrome job on that bayonet!

Click to expand...

It's Chinese and I think stainless steel.

Love some good honest wear.

I love old mosins, mausers, springfields, etc that have that " been there, done that, got the t-shirt" look. Especially finn mosins.

Matt

I have no problem with honest wear on a weapon, especially if I put it there. Rust is another matter: abuse instead of use. My Model 10 and various battle rifles all show use but they are clean inside and work great. My best friend regularly uses rifles bought by his grandfather. They've seen the better part of a century's use but still hit the target.

It's a good thing honest wear doesn't bother me since I see it every time I look in a mirror.

Jeff