Do you have regrets about buying a "display only" firearm?

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Hokkmike

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I am thinking about buying a Winchester Model 94 "Golden Spike" edition. I enjoy trains as a side hobby and have some collectibles from that interest.

I thought that this addition would serve to kind of "meld" my two interests together.

Up to this point all of my weapons have been useful tools which I have used either hunting, on the range, or for defensive purposes.

I just don't know how I would feel after spending the money having a wall hanger that I couldn't (wouldn't) shoot. I know it is a matter of individual choice and that I have to make it.

Do any one you that own collectible (for whatever reason) non-shooting, display, or safe kept only guns have any real regrets? Please note that I am NOT talking about buying guns as investments. I believe that I am too old to get any payback on that kind of purchase.
 
I don't know whether any of the mid-20th Century guns I have inherited have any real collector's value (being the only child of an only child who was in turn the child of a sole surviving child, a lot of stuff, not just firearms, ends up coming to me).

But, I really don't care. They were all well used by the people that originally acquired them, so I'm going to likewise use and enjoy them. If one of them turns out later to have been a collectable and worth a lot more money if I hadn't spent decades shooting it, I don't think I will have any regrets because the pleasure of loading for it and shooting it had a lot of value to me.

My sons may curse me for diminishing the value of something they could have sold, but they've already gotten a free ride through college, multiple cars and large graduation presents courtesy of their mother and me, so I don't worry about them spitting on my grave.
 
Yes

I traded for a Trapdoor Springfield. It looked to be in great shape. However, when I got home I couldn't see any rifling. I slugged the bore and there is very very very little rifling left.
Making it, for me, a wall hanger. Yeah, I could fire it; but why ? I am only interested in shooting if I can hit something with it. Just making noise doesn't do anything for me.

So, yes, I regret ever getting it.

I have bought a fair number of guns over the years and I am fairly sure I have fired them all to some degree. Some of them, I will probably never fire again just because firing them doesn't interest me very much. But, the fact that I could fire them (everything works) matters to me.
 
... I just don't know how I would feel after spending the money having a wall hanger that I couldn't (wouldn't) shoot. I know it is a matter of individual choice and that I have to make it. ...
Strikes me as a bit of a non sequitur ... "I am thinking about buying functioning classic leveraction Winchester. I will just look at it.". :confused:

... but ... if it will make you happy. :)
 
I haven’t bought any non-firing “dummy guns”. But I do own a Marlin 1892 .22lr that’s essentially a wall-hanger. My dad bought it at a yard sale in his younger days to match his 39a. When I became interested in guns in my teens I realized the 1892 tumbled bullets instead of spinning them. Turns out pretty much all of the rifling is gone, and there’s likely some damage to the crown as well. Dad wasn’t a gun person and I doubt he ever inspected the bore, even after purchasing it.

I keep the gun on the fireplace and like it there, but I’d have a hard time paying much more than pocket change for a gun to do that. That being said, I did buy some 30’s era baitcaster reels and rods to also mount on the fireplace, their age essentially makes them non-functioning as well. But I only spent $10 on the pair and my wife won’t let me put them up anyway.

Now if you're talking about buying an actual firearm, but just not shooting it and keeping it for display, I say go for it if it makes you happy and you're sure your house is secure enough it won't get stolen. I have enough firearms that I don't even get a chance to shoot them often enough, and they're locked up in my safe where I don't even get to see them.
 
I inherited my Grandfathers .32 cal. Colt Police Positive Revolver. It was his when he was a State Patrolman. It is in good condition and I have ammo for it, but I never shoot it. Just means to much to me to maybe wear something out on it that might need replaced. I'm not going to do that. I've have many other guns I enjoy shooting.
 
I haven’t bought any non-firing “dummy guns”. But I do own a Marlin 1892 .22lr that’s essentially a wall-hanger. My dad bought it at a yard sale in his younger days to match his 39a. When I became interested in guns in my teens I realized the 1892 tumbled bullets instead of spinning them. Turns out pretty much all of the rifling is gone, and there’s likely some damage to the crown as well. Dad wasn’t a gun person and I doubt he ever inspected the bore, even after purchasing it.

I keep the gun on the fireplace and like it there, but I’d have a hard time paying much more than pocket change for a gun to do that. That being said, I did buy some 30’s era baitcaster reels and rods to also mount on the fireplace, their age essentially makes them non-functioning as well. But I only spent $10 on the pair and my wife won’t let me put them up anyway.

Now if you're talking about buying an actual firearm, but just not shooting it and keeping it for display, I say go for it if it makes you happy and you're sure your house is secure enough it won't get stolen. I have enough firearms that I don't even get a chance to shoot them often enough, and they're locked up in my safe where I don't even get to see them.
That Marlin sounds like it would be a good "yard gun". 22 shotshells and shorts to keep the rodents at bay.
 
As Ive said in a different thread, all my collectible valuable guns are shot. I do technically kind of sort of have two "display only" pistols only a display type shelf. An 1851 Navy and an 1858 New Army (replicas) from the '60s or '70s.

They're "display only" because I have fired each, and both have terrible triggers. One is scary light (like a half lb or less) and one is way too heavy. I'll fix them one day.

But I cant say I regret them because I earned them in 1 minute of "work" for my Grandpa. He said his computer was broke in about 2001. Told me he has to take it in for repairs that'll cost him a couple hundred like the last time he brought it in. I said "if I fix it, will you give me those wall hangers?". "Deal". I wiggled the cords in the back and bam, it came back on. I told him not to give me the set but he said "a deals a deal". I come to find out later that week that he would rest his leg on the tower and would occasionally bend something in the back from time to time. The computer shop would bend it back and bill him a couple hundred. I explained it to him and problem solved. No more $200 trips to the computer guy. So I guess we both kind of got a good deal.
 
If you're going to buy a gun to look at it, buy a replica.

If you're going to buy a gun for the investment potential, pick a better investment vehicle. Guns don't pay dividends.

I don't understand the point of buying a functional item in order for it never to function, especially if it was a mass-produced item in the first place.

But that's just me. If you enjoy "pride of ownership" or whatever, go for it.
 
I don't get that either. If I'm just going to look, and not drive, may as well go to a museum. There are many fine automobile museums.
 
I wouldn't buy a gun I wouldn't shoot. But I have some old ones that aren't practical to shoot. I definitely don't want any of those "commeratives" , "anniversaries", "special editions" ect. A limited run/repo of a classic firearm I would. Thats my Browning M71.
 
I traded for a Trapdoor Springfield. It looked to be in great shape. However, when I got home I couldn't see any rifling. I slugged the bore and there is very very very little rifling left.
Making it, for me, a wall hanger. Yeah, I could fire it; but why ? I am only interested in shooting if I can hit something with it. Just making noise doesn't do anything for me.
But I do own a Marlin 1892 .22lr that’s essentially a wall-hanger. My dad bought it at a yard sale in his younger days to match his 39a. When I became interested in guns in my teens I realized the 1892 tumbled bullets instead of spinning them. Turns out pretty much all of the rifling is gone, and there’s likely some damage to the crown as well. Dad wasn’t a gun person and I doubt he ever inspected the bore, even after purchasing it.
In both cases, I would look into having a good gunsmith re-line the barrels. It's not terribly expensive. I bought a Stevens Favorite in Tulsa, because I've always wanted one. You could hardly see through the barrel, because so many black powder shorts had been fired through it since 1894. I had it re-lined for around $100, and now it has a brand new chamber and rifling and shoots fine.
 
In both cases, I would look into having a good gunsmith re-line the barrels. It's not terribly expensive. I bought a Stevens Favorite in Tulsa, because I've always wanted one. You could hardly see through the barrel, because so many black powder shorts had been fired through it since 1894. I had it re-lined for around $100, and now it has a brand new chamber and rifling and shoots fine.

I would re-line it, but I don't know who does this.

I have actually asked around and tried to research it. A lot of Googling turned up mostly 10 year old forum posts where someone said something like: "I had Joe Blow re-line mine 20 years ago, I don't know if he is still in business or not" (complete with no contact information on Joe Blow). I also talked to my brother in law who is a US Civil War historian and Civil War reenactor thinking he might have contacts with someone who does this kind of work with old black powder firearms and he sort of gave me the same story: I know you can do it, I know people that have had it done, but I don't know where or by whom......................
 
I have a couple of OLD shotguns from the late 1800's or early 1900's that were passed down. One is certainly unsafe to fire, the other probably could be fired with the right shells (damascus barrels). I hunted with it as a kid and put God only knows how many shells through it up into the 1980's before I found out it shouldn't be used anymore. I'd really like for my grand kids to shoot the gun that their great, great, great grand daddy owned.

The only modern gun I own that doesn't get used is one of these. Marlin made 500 of them in 2005. I've fired 3 rounds through it.

https://www.gunsamerica.com/999948704/MARLIN-336-SS-LIMITED-35-REMINGTON-LIKE-NI.htm
 
I am thinking about buying a Winchester Model 94 "Golden Spike" edition. I enjoy trains as a side hobby and have some collectibles from that interest.

I thought that this addition would serve to kind of "meld" my two interests together.

Up to this point all of my weapons have been useful tools which I have used either hunting, on the range, or for defensive purposes.

I just don't know how I would feel after spending the money having a wall hanger that I couldn't (wouldn't) shoot. I know it is a matter of individual choice and that I have to make it.

Do any one you that own collectible (for whatever reason) non-shooting, display, or safe kept only guns have any real regrets? Please note that I am NOT talking about buying guns as investments. I believe that I am too old to get any payback on that kind of purchase.
I do have a few perfectly functional, but so far unfired by me, guns- but I don't regret buying them at all.

Ive got a 100% original, unarsenaled Eddystone M1917 which I just haven't got around to shooting- but I may someday. Ive got plenty of other hipower rifles which I shoot regularly, but this one I really just enjoy working the bolt, fiddling with the sights and appreciating the lines and construction of the gun.

Another is my 1911 production M1903- also 100% original. Same story, plus this ones a single heat treating, so its not really a safe shooter with modern factory ammo. Sure do love to handle and show it off, though. It literally oozes history.

Got a few others that fall into this catagory. I like guns as art- and some do mostly "Hang on the wall."

But every one of them can be taken down to spit fire if I want it to.
 
Only display only gun that I own is an old Belgian double barrel from the late 1800's - early 1900's that's a copy of an old English double. Did some research on it and back then some Belgian firms were doing copies of fine, expensive, high end stuff. Only problem was that they were cheap copies and nowhere near the quality of the stuff they were copying. This one's unable to fire modern ammo and I wouldn't trust it even with light, black powder loads. And of course there's absolutely no collector value on these things. One of my late uncles picked it up for peanuts at a rummage sale probably back in the 1950's and had it over his fireplace for many years. Now it hangs in my shop. Looks kind of cool but that's about it. A nice piece of interior decor for the shop.
 
I would re-line it, but I don't know who does this.
There are at least two gunsmiths within 30 minutes of me who could do it. If you would like, I'll check with one of them and see about cost, shipping, legality of shipping, etc. Just PM me.

The gunsmith who re-lined the barrel on my Favorite is almost 80, and has lost both his wife (Alzheimer's) and his son (motorcycle accident) within the past year, so I wouldn't want to impose on him.

Sorry for the thread drift. Carry on...
 
I've got old movie and TV prop guns.
I've got classic kids' toy guns.
I've got antique BB guns.
I've got training and school guns.
I've got guns that I've found in old barns, junked cars, discarded furniture, in odd auction lots, etc.
I've even got some that were originally made to be decorator pieces.
Admittedly, I've only purchased a few of these just to hang them on the wall. They just kind of got picked up along the way.
I've never purchased a modern firearm just to hang it up as a decoration - and I probably never will.
 
The golden spike guns are neat, especially if you can get the wheelgun compliment to the shiny old Winnie. I know where at least 3 sets are (suspect more knowing the owners as I do) They all still grin a bit when they look up at their display guns. When I had guns on display at a different house I rotated my displays out based on the seasons and where my mind was at that time, and I always enjoyed the conversations about the smoke poles, the Remington 11, the replica dragoons, etc.

One thing I would encourage is to not just put a gun on the wall by itself. Set up a little display of other stuff to set a mood. As an example, when I would display the muzzleloaders I would put a deer skull in the area, a powder horn on the peg under the gun, a conibear trap somewhere near, and a hide or an old leather pack with it...set a westward expansion hunting/trapping mood. I would glance at it and start daydreaming.

I am going to display a couple antique revolvers here as this house doesn’t lend well to long gun displays. I have found period advertising to frame and put near them. I am looking for period correct items to display alongside of them. My 1898 S&W had a period ad about the revolver being worth its weight in gold to a gold miner in need as that was one of the gold rush eras. I will find beat down picks, shovels, etc to incorporate. Another ad was aimed at fisherman and I will put some of my hand tied flies, and some of my antique lured behind glass and complete that display. I’m debating a police display (since it was a duty revolver) but I have never been a cop, nor has any of my family so I don’t feel right about doing that unless I can tie it in another way.
 
I don't get that either. If I'm just going to look, and not drive, may as well go to a museum. There are many fine automobile museums.
But they don’t always display items how you think they should. Is a 1958 Chevy Apache a truck that is best served as a full restoration, or a “slightly loved” display with some mud and a dent or two with hay in the back, a Winchester rifle in the back glass, and fishing poles dangling over the tailgate? With guns it’s a similar display question.
 
I have a cutaway gun that I don't regret buying. It's not really for display though, I take it out from time to time to answer a question about how it works internally.
 
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