I think I'm ruined...

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Obturation

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Northern illinois
Hey all,
It's a friday in the month of November and work is slow. That isn't a bad thing for me, it means if all my jobs are done i can leave work early (a very infrequent event). I normally stay so busy that i have little to no time for aimless wandering and pointless exploration. So I depart work about noon with the goal of going to a few local gun stores to really see what it's looking like. This normally isn't an option for me, i have 2 small children that i pick up after work and my weekends are pre-scheduled by my wife and gun store cruising for some reason is never on the agenda. So long story short, I'M BUSY.

There is a fairly large gun store (gat guns) just a few miles from my job and i head over to see if there is something of interest. Nope. A cabelas a few miles from there. Nope. An amazing gun store about 35 minutes west . - a couple things, but not much of interest.

The firearm hobby started for me at 22 years old (35 now). I lived in tennessee and met a few patriots who lived in stone cabins deep in the smokie mountains who were bonified gun nuts. I got into SAA's and clones, big bore firearms and the hobby/lifestyle in general. My first gun was a taurus gaucho in 45 colt (raised by liberals who hated guns but own them- go figure). From there i was into everything gun related, revolvers, semi autos, lever guns, shotguns - everything.

As the years rolled on i found that i gained no pleasure from my carry guns (all glock) , nothing at all from shooting the ar15s I've owned (currently just one, a daniel defense ddm4v5), the 1911s i've had and sold, nothing from bolt actions and little from shooting shotgun. My joy was with revolvers, lever actions and single shot firearms. I've known that for years and purchase accordingly. I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

That's where i now notice the issue. Looking through case after case of modern polymer and steel semi autos i can't find one single gun that i desire more than a passing interest (i do like the dan wesson bruin). Ar's, ak's , precision bolt guns and the whole array of wonderful offerings from countless makers are very hum drum. I thought that maybe i am not the gun fanatic i believed i was. No, thats not the case. I spend my evenings researching ballistics, looking at masterpieces of steel and walnut , dreaming about my next revolver and reloading ammo.

I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo. Lever actions chambered for cartridges that were developed well over 100 years ago. Odd things from a by gone era.

Maybe its time catching up to me. Maybe i've just seen too many polymer 9mm guns. Maybe my brain shorted out. Whatever the case may be, this is the first time i noticed while walking along vast cases of beautiful firearms that i didn't see anything i wanted or needed (the days of needing to buy a firearm for a specific role passed a decade ago). The only guns that caught my interest generally were in the used cases and a few ruger, S&W , henry and marlin offerings otherwise.

I can remember staring into the pile of glocks or sigs thinking "if i could just get this one, that one, oh and that other one" how happy it would make me. Not the case anymore.

Is this a product of age? Maturity? Being jaded by years of being utterly consumed by firearms research and collecting? I don't know. All i do know is, i like what i like. I have what i need for realistic use. I can't get excited for a gun coming next summer that holds 2 more rounds than its next competitor.

Is something wrong with me? Maybe.
 
Hey all,
It's a friday in the month of November and work is slow. That isn't a bad thing for me, it means if all my jobs are done i can leave work early (a very infrequent event). I normally stay so busy that i have little to no time for aimless wandering and pointless exploration. So I depart work about noon with the goal of going to a few local gun stores to really see what it's looking like. This normally isn't an option for me, i have 2 small children that i pick up after work and my weekends are pre-scheduled by my wife and gun store cruising for some reason is never on the agenda. So long story short, I'M BUSY.

There is a fairly large gun store (gat guns) just a few miles from my job and i head over to see if there is something of interest. Nope. A cabelas a few miles from there. Nope. An amazing gun store about 35 minutes west . - a couple things, but not much of interest.

The firearm hobby started for me at 22 years old (35 now). I lived in tennessee and met a few patriots who lived in stone cabins deep in the smokie mountains who were bonified gun nuts. I got into SAA's and clones, big bore firearms and the hobby/lifestyle in general. My first gun was a taurus gaucho in 45 colt (raised by liberals who hated guns but own them- go figure). From there i was into everything gun related, revolvers, semi autos, lever guns, shotguns - everything.

As the years rolled on i found that i gained no pleasure from my carry guns (all glock) , nothing at all from shooting the ar15s I've owned (currently just one, a daniel defense ddm4v5), the 1911s i've had and sold, nothing from bolt actions and little from shooting shotgun. My joy was with revolvers, lever actions and single shot firearms. I've known that for years and purchase accordingly. I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

That's where i now notice the issue. Looking through case after case of modern polymer and steel semi autos i can't find one single gun that i desire more than a passing interest (i do like the dan wesson bruin). Ar's, ak's , precision bolt guns and the whole array of wonderful offerings from countless makers are very hum drum. I thought that maybe i am not the gun fanatic i believed i was. No, thats not the case. I spend my evenings researching ballistics, looking at masterpieces of steel and walnut , dreaming about my next revolver and reloading ammo.

I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo. Lever actions chambered for cartridges that were developed well over 100 years ago. Odd things from a by gone era.

Maybe its time catching up to me. Maybe i've just seen too many polymer 9mm guns. Maybe my brain shorted out. Whatever the case may be, this is the first time i noticed while walking along vast cases of beautiful firearms that i didn't see anything i wanted or needed (the days of needing to buy a firearm for a specific role passed a decade ago). The only guns that caught my interest generally were in the used cases and a few ruger, S&W , henry and marlin offerings otherwise.

I can remember staring into the pile of glocks or sigs thinking "if i could just get this one, that one, oh and that other one" how happy it would make me. Not the case anymore.

Is this a product of age? Maturity? Being jaded by years of being utterly consumed by firearms research and collecting? I don't know. All i do know is, i like what i like. I have what i need for realistic use. I can't get excited for a gun coming next summer that holds 2 more rounds than its next competitor.

Is something wrong with me? Maybe.

I'm not in it nearly as deep as you are but the most fun I have with guns is either through hunting or through shooting steel with my Pietta '58 replica or my Henry. My Glock is nice, and it's a great tool; one I bet my life on. I also love the feeling of dropping a deer with my model 70, but for me shooting steel with revolvers and lever guns is just pure fun. I have all needs filled for weapons that are strictly tools and now I'm into purchasing those for pure enjoyment.
 
Nope, makes sense to me.

In my mind there are two different types of firearms.

Tools: polymer semi-autos, stainless revolvers, synthetic stocked rifles/shotguns, AR's, AK's, FAL, etc.
Enjoyment Pieces: Lever action, blued revolvers, military surplus pieces of a by gone era, wood stocked rifles/shotguns, unique semi-auto designs, SA revolvers, BP pistols/rifles

Now that doesn't mean my enjoyment pieces can't be used as a tool, or my tools cannot be enjoyed but there is a definite category in my mind. And there are crossover pieces namely firearms in the tool category that are interesting due to their design or history.
 
Reading your post I found myself grunting along ummmhmmm, yep, haha, that’s me too... just wait until you start building things. Build a gun like an AR and see that it’s not a big of a deal, and then you suddenly find yourself building things for the purpose of building other things gun related. I’m with you brother. It’s a sad lonely world, filled with warm wood, blued steel, and manual actions.
 
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To the original Poster;

Sooner or later you may run across something that will light your fire. for me, though being much older....about ten years ago I bought a Dan Weston ‘Kit’, revolver, with three barrels, in a case, in 32 H&R Magnum... It apparently had been custom made for an ‘event’. Anyway I have not held a finer gun since, it was made in ?Dan’s ‘prime’ time and it is such a high quality , fit and all.... it is so nice to shoot, smooth as silk, and far more accurate than I am...Love the three barrels, so easy to change.
Anyway, I’ve gotten into 32’s, first just the H&R Magnums, now the S&W longs also...a whole new world to explore.

My point is that I hope you find something that lights the fire within you, like these guns did for me.
 
Your suggestion intrigues me. Thats an area i have yet to explore.

I bought a couple percussion rifles a year ago to be able to hunt a decent deer tag. What I discovered while climbing the learning curve is there is a whole world of Walnut and steel in front stuffers and they are a blast to shoot. I still shoot quite a bit of revolver and semi auto, but when I have time for an afternoon at the outdoor range I find myself reaching for the charcoal burners most often these days.
 
I'm a 22lr and big bore fanatic and not much else.

The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store. Revolvers chambered in rounds most people never heard of that have no practical use beyond shooting clear through a buffalo.

I'm getting there too, Obturation. I'm OK with that.
 
To the OP:
Don't worry, you're not the only one. ARs and Glocks are tools, with the personality of a hammer. The high-end target pistols (I favor Hammerlis) and older guns are better. Muzzle-loading arms better still.

Then there are the antiques. To take in hand a flintlock dueller made 200+ years ago, feel the quality oozing from it, and shoot it (and they will shoot)...joy.
 
I get you. If I walk into a gun store and all they have is new semi auto rifles and handguns, I get bored quickly. Not that I don’t own and shoot those, because I do. But I usually head straight to the used rack, looking for pre safety Marlins and pinned and recessed Smith and Wessons. In the last year or so I have gotten into single action revolvers as well. If a store doesn’t sell some of these, I’m usually out pretty soon.
 
I think i'm ruined. The guns that used to excite me and give me such joy at the range are now seen as tools not unlike a hammer or a wrench. The only guns that get me excited are ones not common in the modern gun store.
The good news is that you're not ruined. You're just becoming selective. I went through a similar phase sometime in the 80's and developed a massive dislike for mainstream, particularly Glocks. Well, I eventually have one now, hammers can be very useful regardless of whether you have a passion for them or not. You're about to find what's *YOUR* cup of tea in guns and that's only a good thing.

Enjoy it. Prepare for different phases, too. At one point I hoarded revolvers, another 1911:s, yet another Colt Woodsman series and so on. You never know how it'll develop from there and that's one of the fascinations of being a gun nut. :)
 
Age? At 35? Wait until you're 60!

Seriously, sometimes it's the task rather than the tool. I get not being particularly excited about the tools, or simply banging away at the range. No sense of purpose.

Training to hone skills is a purpose that keeps me going to an otherwise uninteresting Glock. Experimenting with different loads for my revolvers keeps me interested in them. Working up a new load for a hunting rifle is always intriguing to me. And right now I am enjoying playing with a couple of bolt actions in Ackley Improved cartridges. Have you tried competition? That can get you going, too.
 
There is a big difference in what you need and what you want. Sounds like for your interests you have what you need. When you look and like but don't buy is an indicator of that. Some collect. That's searching or just happened to come across a good deal. I've been that can't pass up a good deal last few years and now I'm at the point of just not looking any more. With the expense of hunting hitting insane levels paper and clay is all that is left. Comes a time when we must ask ourselves, is there a point to this?
With kids to care for there are many other things to be had. Sometimes one can find themselves in mental quandary as to what we are missing. Life is good about pressing dreams above the reality of the times. You want but inside know you have. Be satisfied with the blessing of children. They are now. Other things must be later. Dreams just like wants are typically rooted in unobtainable traits. Even the richest of the rich dreams remain dreams. Best to have them in your sleep for reality awaits your waking.
 
Enjoy it. Prepare for different phases, too. At one point I hoarded revolvers, another 1911:s, yet another Colt Woodsman series and so on. You never know how it'll develop from there and that's one of the fascinations of being a gun nut. :)

Everyone goes through phases. I've fortunate enough to be able to keep them instead of selling them and moving on to my latest, greatest fascination. After many years, I've circled back to wood stocked bolt actions.
 
For me it was, yep Muzzle loaders Specifically cap and ball revolvers. Now like all revolvers they are pretty much alike and basically speaking there are only two practical calibers. 36 and 44. Yes the Ruger Old Armies are technically 45’s, but I’m talking 1800’s civil war, cow boy type six shooters, reproduced in an Infinite line of model names by our Italian friends. Colts and Remingtons essentially but others too, Rogers and Spencer’s, Griswold's and Gunninson, Spiller and Burrs , Schofields and LeMats
I’m trying very hard to get one of each before my last trip to the range. :)
 
As posted above, interests change and interests wane. I have several polymer frame handguns but as a class of weapons they are least interesting to me. I like my big bore revolvers the most and never get tired (and I'm closing in on 60 myself) of large bore SA and DA lead slingers.

But the suggestion to try black powder is another good one. It may or may not grab you but if it does, it will open another arena that hearkens back to the earliest age of the gun.
 
I bought my Hellcat from Gat Guns a couple of weeks ago. Great store. I would try looking through Armslist or Gunbroker. You may find guns there that you won't find in a LGS.
 
I suggest taking $100-200 to a gunshow and seeing what kind of basket case you can pick up for a restoration project.

I find I take more satisfaction in my back-from-the-grave shooters than some of my rare mint collectibles.
I'll second that. I once got a colt frontier scout .22lr for $75 because the owner thought it was ugly. Sat in a garage for who knows how many years collecting surface rust, dirt and grime. It cleaned up really well with some TLC it was a beaut. Got a colt detective special for $200 under similiar circumstances.

I think everybody hits lulls with their hobby. I've been into guns since the first shot at 9-10. I joined this site some years back after years of lurking archived threads coming up in search engines for different questions and interests regarding firearms, but there was a period of time I wasnt on this site because my interests drifted pretty heavily into high end knives and balisongs so I was on jerzeedevil alot, but then back again to guns. I may hit lulls, but I'll always come back to it in one form or another. I suspect once I get a reloading bench set up it will get out of control....
 
One of the joys of collecting for me is essentially ruined. VT passed UBC so those random lil gems that fall into your lap from pure happenstance are pretty unlikely to present themselves in this new era. People who sporadically decide to sell a gun from financial pressure, looking to finance a new toy, etc... aren't likely to go through the trouble of listing on Armslist or putting out for sale through word of mouth a gun that they will have to go through the trouble of getting and paying for a transfer. Neither the buyer nor the seller want to incur the added cost or hassle so they basically just shut down private trade, where the best guns and deals are to be had. That really frosts my jollies, I've got so many guns through private sale and it was one of the reason I used to love my state.
 
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