How many 'non-collectors' are so nice, you seldom shoot?

So I have ones like this (a refurbed LEO trade-in p229):




So I don't have to shoot this very often. It's not fancy and not German, but I like it:



Similarly with these, I don't shoot them often, they're not really collectors either:



I do the same thing with knives, cars, etc. I have a 2002 Camaro SS with performance mods that barely has 65K miles because I drive old beaters instead ...

My three screw Super Blackhawk I inherited from my brother. He shot it quite a bit but it has no cylinder ring nor blue wear anywhere. As close to 100% as I have ever seen on a gun at least 46 years old. I shoot either it or one of his lever guns every April 22, on his birthday. 59 was way too young to pass.

Super-high polish stainless Ruger BH in .45 Colt. But it does shoot oh so nicely

I buy guns to shoot. I have one from 1923 I seldom shoot, one from 1912 I don’t have ammo for, and one estimated from the 1860s that would be unsafe.

I don’t buy guns to look at. I’m not a collector.

I have to admit, I have not shot my W. German 226 and 228 in quite a while ... subconscious desire to keep both in mint condition, I guess. Also have a still unfired, in the box Model 15-3 that I will get around to shooting, but haven't yet ... I'll get 'em all out of the safe and shoot the snot out of 'em this summer (hopefully).

I have plenty that I'll pass over to shoot another. Like my mk23 HK. I'll use a regular usp instead. Or pass up an old German sig and shoot a newer railed version.
I wouldn't call them safe queens (although some would) because I don't care to shoot them at all. But I'd rather have the wear on the other ones that already get shot plenty. They do get shot when I get the urge so to me that's not "safe queen".
I do the same with vehicles too. I have a 66 f100 ive had since before I got a license. It now has 64k.

ETA another I thought of is a 5.7 I bought. I bought 2 at once and while One has been used a lot. The other i keep looking good in its box in case the value ever goes up. I wouldn't care to shoot it but Why shoot a duplicate when you can isolate the aesthetic wear to one. That barcode (nothing to do with the serial...relax) on the used one is pretty much gone, the plastic slide cover and the front sight has took some scratches too

The only one I have that is even close to fitting that description is an old British army revolver a now departed friend gave me. The only reason it's nearly impossible to find ready made ammunition for and a certain unnamed idiot that shall remain my brother doesn't like the hassle of reloading that particular cartridge.

I have stopped carrying my mint condition 75th Anniversary Hi Power. I bought it for a song at a show several years back. Now that the Hi Powers are out of production I hate to mark this one up.

I’ve only ever acquired 3 guns that I didn’t intend to shoot. All 3 where heirloom guns, and one went back to the original family.

If I buy a gun and it’s not a shooter, it gets traded off for the next purchase.

I also buy guns to shoot. The oldest one I own is a Colt Officers Target Model from 1930 in .22 rf, it gets shot every chance I get. Also a Hi Standard Military dating back to 1940's gets shot ever chance I get.

In my case it's not that they're "collectables", but I just have more than I can shoot.

1st world problems.

I have a S&W Military and Police, a S&W Hand Ejector, and a Mauser Model 1914 that were all made in 1915 or 1916.

All of them appear to have been shot a fair amount (especially the M&P), so I shoot them sparingly to help extend their lifespans. It's not like any of them are rare or valuable, but it would be nice to pass them down to my kids in functioning condition.

For revolvers, it's my first DW 15 VH pistol pack. I bought a second frame to shoot and put a 3" VH on it, as the first one is really nice (The turn ring, that's about it).



For Semi-autos, it's my V-16 Springfield in .45 Super. Not because it's a collector, or in pristine shape...it's because the full-length guide rod and stiff recoil spring make it a ROYAL PITA for me to reassemble after cleaning without a third hand to hold things together.



Stay safe!

Hi-Power. It’s nice but not perfect. And now it’s not replaceable.

Back in 2008 I picked up a mas45 22lr that has never been fired/still covered in cosmoline. Haven't gotten around to cleaning it & shooting it.


I've always used Winchester 52's & Remington 40x's. Ran across a Anschutz 54 that's the 1600 series x barrel several years ago. It is nib, never fired/still has the factory oil on it that has pretty much turned to gum/varnish.


Sold my last win52D & 40x last year. Been thinking about cleaning up the annie but I've been offered $2500 for it. I'll probably sell it, don't shoot 4p anymore.


A nib rws45 commemorative model (1000 made) that was made in 1982

I tend to shoot everything I have in my collection. Don't have any real collectibles or rare one-of-a-kind sort of guns. Only non-shooter I have is a Colt Model 1860 Gen.3 that I now have a shooter version of in the way of a Pietta Colt Model 1860.

I guess just one, a 2011 Colt XSE 100 Year Anniversary I bought new. Had it worked over by Alchemy Custom before putting a single round through it. It’s been fired sparingly as I bought it for my oldest son who was 7 at the time. Not particularly collectible but a bit unique just the same.

I have an original Beretta 84 (it's so old that it has no model suffix... or decocker). Unfortunately, one of the previous owners was bad at replacing recoil springs, so it suffers from peening in the dust cover where the slide whacks the aluminum frame. A new recoil spring didn't arrest the process. I tried to run a DMC 1911 buffer, but a 84 is a poor fit for it, so slide and frame chew up the plastic. Currently it's relegated to the safe queen status. It's safe to shoot, but once started, the peening is going to accelerate with every shot until the slide falls through and destroys the frame. So, I don't shoot it. Just take out of the case and wipe once in a while.

I'm not wealthy enough to own guns that I won't shoot.

I *am* wealthy enough that my range and carry pistols don't have to overlap; between holster wear and buckets of my Alien-grade sweat, I'm very hard on carry guns.

Riomouse911 said:

For revolvers, it's my first DW 15 VH pistol pack. I bought a second frame to shoot and put a 3" VH on it, as the first one is really nice (The turn ring, that's about it).

View attachment 831721

For Semi-autos, it's my V-16 Springfield in .45 Super. Not because it's a collector, or in pristine shape...it's because the full-length guide rod and stiff recoil spring make it a ROYAL PITA for me to reassemble after cleaning without a third hand to hold things together.

View attachment 831722

Stay safe!

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Pistol pack, i miss mine - sold it like an idiot.

My polished/bright stainless CZ 75. It's not collectible, still in production, but I hate wiping finger prints off it constantly.

Mint FN bright blue Hi Power that I bought new and fired 1 box. I'm just sad because I had 4 other Browning or FN Hi powers that I could be shooting now.