Are you a collector or a shooter?

[Iroquois]

I keep it pretty simple. If I buy I shoot it,

 

[Sniper66]

Or you could do like one of my friends. His strategy is to own 3 of everything__one to shoot and one to never shoot. The 3rd is the spare in case the shooter needs a part. He has had trouble sticking t o the plan though as he owns a half dozen of several guns, Browning High Powers for example or about a dozen pepper boxes.

 

[Shooter75]

Yep. I have three Browning Hi Powers and four 1911's and every one of them have blueing wear, dings, and scratches from holsters and other sources because I shoot and run drills and competetions with them regularly. They are NOT part of a "collection." If I was not going to shoot them, why the heck would I want them unless they were a gift or have sentimental value for some reason? And as some here have said, to each his own. Just count me as a "shooter" and a "hunter."

I also have a 2 door hard top Bel Air 56 Chevy that has had a frame off rebuild from the ground up using all new stuff like disc brakes and new suspension system and a new 327 cubic inch engine. It looks like it is new and just driven off the show room floor. But I ain't a car collector. I drive it three or four times a week just to hear those exhausts and watch the tach and speed odometer jump. It also goes to auto shows where I talk hot rod Chevy with other guys who like them. We old farts can FINALLY do what we have been wanting to do for the last 50 years but had to work every day and now life is good and turkey season is coming soon. It doesn't get any better than that.

 

[J-Bar]

There is no shame or regret in allowing someone else to own, maintain, and love a fine gun. I'm glad it is not my responsibility to preserve firearm history. My firearms have all been shot.

A lot.

 

[fiddleharp]

All my firearms are shooters, none fall into the collectable category.

Same here. Most were bought used. The "keepers", although they might not be pretty, have had trigger jobs, function flawlessly, and hit where I'm aiming. They'll never be sold or traded away as long as I'm alive.

 

[JTHunter]

Since I started "acquiring" firearms over 40 years ago, there have only been 2 that I have traded away. The first was a Ruger .22 pistol with a 7.5" barrel that I got in 1974. The other was a Marlin Golden 39A lever-action .22 rifle. I still have every other gun that I have bought or inherited. One is no longer safe to shoot as the cylinder doesn't lock up and another is too valuable to shoot. Other than that, every gun has been shot, albeit not frequently, as I don't have sufficient ground, nor am I member of a gun club ($$$ !!).
These guns range in age from 3 years old to over 100 (the nonworking one) and, hopefully, will go to my grand-nephew (no kids).